Category Archives: lawrence

Storms moving in

lodge lanterns

trees in fog

All during dinner I was watching the weather outside the windows of the dining room of the Mount Magazine Lodge as the clouds descended. Storms are moving past to the north and tornados have been spotted in the area of Ozark, Arkansas. It looks like the most severe weather will miss us but it’s still a bit rough out there. I’d just about given up on getting any twilight shots tonight when the mist cleared just enough to show the trees across the road from the lodge. I grabbed the camera and ran outside for a few last shots of the day. Some of my favorites as it turns out. The low clouds were blowing through very fast and the visibility would rapidly come and go. I thought about going back inside for the tripod but noticed the trees were rocking back and forth so it really wouldn’t have helped. I cranked up the ISO as far as I dared and did the best I could hand-held.

Treasure hunters

digging for diamonds

The predicted severe weather held off long enough for a great afternoon at Crater of Diamonds State Park near Murfreesboro, Arkansas. Their website calls it, “the only diamond-producing site in the world open to the public”. You can pay a small fee and use either your own or rented equipment to become a treasure hunter for a day. Or, as in the case of several of the people we talked to, become “professional” diamond miners: these folks dig day after day for years, supplementing their income with their finds.

UPDATE: I had a few more free minutes this morning so I thought I’d add a couple more shots from Crater of Diamonds. First, people wet-screening for gems. Second, Dennis — one of the “regulars” who has been quite successful with his efforts. Not only in finding diamonds but also in finding a bride, which he calls his “real Arkansas gem”.

panning for diamonds

diamond hunter

Scouting

Clinton Library

Clinton Library scouting shotI’m often on a tight schedule when shooting and that’s not always a good thing. Yesterday, I had the luxury of getting into Little Rock fairly early so that I cold scout some things that I would be shooting during my stay here. Foremost among those was the Clinton Presidential Library. My scouting shot is seen in the small image and the resulting shot from later in the day is at the top of this post.

Scouting in this case was a huge help. I had originally wanted a shot from the cantilevered end of the Library. I’d seen shots like this that I thought were fairly successful. Once on site, however, I came to the conclusion that these must have been shot from the old railroad bridge that will be a future pedestrian path over the Arkansas River. Note the word “future”. The bridge is currently fenced off and has a disturbing lack of decking to walk on. These other photos I’d seen must have been made with more pre-planning and permissions than I can manage on this trip.

So, on to plan B. Walking around the Library I finally came across the fountains in front that I thought could be well used as a reflecting pool once it got a little darker. I framed up a few shots and knew where I wanted to be when I came back at sunset. I’m happy with the results but I also tried a few variations during the brief half hour of good light. Here’s another from the other end of the fountain where the water inexplicably shoots up higher. (Maybe this is a water pressure issue or maybe it’s symbolic — if I find out when I tour the Library later, I’ll let you know.)

Clinton Library, second option

Now… if only that light wasn’t burned out…