Sometimes I am shocked at myself.  Shocked that after all of these years how often thoughts about photography still occupy my mind.  I think the fact that I view a lot of other people’s images is one reason my thoughts still multiply.  Also the fact that I still on rare occasions create images, keeps the wheels at least somewhat greased.

I always traveled with the idea of making as many pictures as possible.  Sounds logical right?  In addition to looking for good wildlife locations, and roadside wildlife, I wanted images that said a little something about where I was.

I was in North Dakota (2003) after a long day of traveling, and decided to bed down for the night and grab some food.  As per usual, after securing a room I headed for a restaurant to fill my angry (growling) belly.  The next part of my ritual was to cruise the area (after food) and see how many “location specific” images I could find.  I found out it can be difficult to make unplanned pictures that tell a story in the middle of North Dakota.  The sun was getting lower and time was running out.  I finally saw a small sign for an equally small lake, and picked up the pace with my throttle foot.  I reached the shores just in time to click a few images as the sun disappeared behind the trees. The image below could have been made almost anywhere in North America.  It is a technically good but average picture. It doesn’t say anything particular about North Dakota. Funny thing is I still went to bed that night satisfied with how I ended my photographic day.

There is nothing that can fulfill a photographer like making pictures. A continual practice of the craft is essential, and wherever you are it is worth a shot.  I rarely ever felt I wasted photographic opportunities because I was willing to make non-location specific images no matter where I was.  If I was in a well-known western wildlife refuge and I could not find a descriptive western animal, I would photograph a Red-tailed Hawk or a Red-winged Blackbird.  I was enthused each and every day because I knew I was going to find an abundance of images the next day.  Be they common or rare animals, spectacular and iconic symbols, or pretty but very generic places.

Everybody has their own needs but the more you just love making pictures, the more likely you are to call every day a success.

As a side point I admit I enjoy some states that most people avoid at all costs.  I have my least favorites too, and I count most of Indiana, much of Illinois and a good part of Nebraska among them.  I have traveled, made pictures, and found beauty in all three of those places, but they are my least favorites.  I have however, thoroughly enjoyed my travels through the much demeaned Oklahoma, Kansas, South Dakota and North Dakota. I like their Midwestern  feel in the eastern portions, with a “gateway to the west”  atmosphere as you moved in that direction. I have also worked National Wildlife Refuges in each of those states.  I may have seen ten  people in all of them put together.  They are great places, but because of the boring reputations of those states, literally nobody visit’s the refuges.

Being a photographer, especially a nature photographer requires an amazing ability to see everything.  We’ve all heard the statement “he can’t see the forest for the trees”.  You will never be a well-rounded visionary of your subject (nature) if you let that be true.  The reverse is also true. Some people can see the trees for the forest.  They only see an entire entity.  It is one piece. It is important in nature photography to see all of those pieces (trees and smaller) that make up the forest, and to also see what all those pieces have created.  Big pictures and small pictures are equally important.

In today’s initial paragraphs when I mentioned North and South Dakota, I doubt any photographer who has traveled there has been disappointed at the western edges of those two states. North Dakota has Theodore Roosevelt N.P. and South Dakota has the Badlands N.P., Wind Cave N.P., Custer State Park and the Black Hills in general.

It is pretty easy to tell the visual story of the Badlands in a few pictures.  It is made up of a great variety of rock forms with a grassland intertwining within.  Still the story is always big and small at the same time.  The areas around most of the rock bases are good old South Dakota dirt/clay.  That dirt gets wet and it also dries out.  This leaves you with some of the most beautifully ordered mud flats I have found.  Those mudflats are as much a part of the story of the Badlands, as any rock formation or prairie. Big picture, small picture.

There are as many ways to tell stories as there are stories. The picture below was made (I Believe) by Saravanan Sundaram and won National Geographic’s Save Our Tiger contest.  The diminishing of a species.  We see a photograph of a group of wild tigers in a line, with a crackling sharp leader while the others grow increasingly soft and out of focus.  It is subtle and obvious at the same time. This  image may have originally just been a nice shot and no more, but using it in the context of the meaning of the contest, it has become art. There’s always a story to tell.  The art of story telling, is in fact just that……art.

Follow your passion today.

It has been a long time since I have commented on political fodder.   I have done so in the past and realized that critical political commentary does not belong here.  I have other web related forums where I can speak my mind.  I will deviate “just a little” below.

I only ask that you either read what I have written in its entirety, and with an open mind, or stop here and just enjoy what appears previously in this post.

One of my biggest criticisms of they way most citizens pursue politics concerns hypocrisy.   They choose a philosophy and a party to support based on a belief system.  What they see as right and wrong.  When their candidates  are in power they ignore all they profess to believe is wrong, or at least do not hold the administrative heads responsible.  When the other side is in power, that administration is personally responsible for everything that happens that they don’t agree with.  They appear to care more about their party/philosophy (their chosen tribe) than the issue.  When you actually care about issues you (I) tend to dismiss these people (dare I say groups) as bigoted (there are many kinds of bigotry) tribal warriors who really don’t give a damn about anything but hating the other side (tribe?)  This is true of both political philosophies.

In the 1990s I was amazed at environmental groups that I supported when those groups did not blame the current political administration here in the U.S. for travesties such as the slaughter of wildlife when they occurred.  In the 1980s the administration was blamed for a dead toad in Idaho….so to speak.  It seemed to me all they really cared about was politics (tribes).  I have found the same in the past four years in respect to the killing of suspected terrorists in foreign countries.  I can only imagine if those killer drone strikes occurred during the eight years before that.  Terms like Hitler and murderer would have been used during the protest marches.  I did not say I disagree with those strikes.

How many times have I heard members of that other (than I wrote about above) political philosophy/party complain about the treatment and disrespect being given to their candidate, only to remain silent when the other parties office holder is given that same treatment.

Hypocrisy: 1.  feigned high principles: the false claim to or pretense of having admirable principles, beliefs, or feelings.  It would be sheer hypocrisy for them to turn around and do what they criticize in others. 

Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2005 Microsoft Corp.

For those of you who live in my native Wisconsin, and are happy that our latest political fiasco has ended, and are pleased with the results, and are nature lovers, show your strength of character and honesty by emailing the WI DNR and telling them you are angry with their decision to kill 201 wild Timber Wolves.  While the DNR operates independently from the state’s Executive Branch, they still work for the governor.  Let the DNR know how you feel.  You do not have to check your beliefs at the door.  Yes it is true dog lovers and those training hounds to hunt bears have to take special care to protect your animal. The DNR shows locations and times when a hunter or pet owner who truly cares about their pet can move about with reasonably safety, while still respecting the wild world.  This program goes back to 2006, but this year the intent is to kill one-quarter of all the wolves in the state.

Democrats, Republicans and all others have a right and an obligation to disagree with their chosen party when it is disrespecting their beliefs.  If everyone would practice the art of personal beliefs over party choice, we could possibly move forward from our constant political impasse here in America. It takes a little more courage but you will feel all the better for it.

For those of you who receive my posts via email, well I guess you will never see this final section that I forgot to include initially.  It is the message I sent the WI DNR.

It is unconscionable to slaughter one quarter of Wisconsin”s wild wolf population under the guise of saving dogs.  I support hunter and fisherman rights in this state and a true sportsman knows that this is about “hunting wolves” not saving dogs.  The desire of some hunters to hunt wolves is what drives the kill numbers higher and higher. It is not a shock that most of the dog kills that have driven the number of wolves to be killed are those of bear hunters.  Those sportsman who use dogs to tree bears and then shoot them out of the tree.  They of course sometimes lose the lives of their beloved dogs to those bears.  I guess that means we need to shoot more bears?

Staying clear of known wolf packs, and knowledge of denning wolves will prevent much of this problem without killing one quarter of the poplation.

This wolf hunt is about hunters who have always wanted to kill a wolf, not about saving dogs.

Thank you for listening.