What is my favorite subject for photography? That’s easy, variety.

So to me, variety is a subject in and of itself? Yes. I would at times, go out with my camera gear, and see how many different subjects I could “see” and photograph, and if possible, in a wide variety of light. Close-ups, mid range, and at a distance also.

To me, that’s fun. I also found it to be profitable as I could “shop my work”, to a large variety of buyers.

Even with a single Bull Frog, a couple of different poses, and some varied light, that being both natural and flash, is still the pursuant of variety.

I have a great love for wandering around a pond or stream, or for that matter, a woodland or a prairie, and just seeing what I can find,

How’s about the branch from a plant, in a woodland, with some dew that forms to a drop, that hangs on precariously? The skill comes mainly in the effort to not disturb, the plant, the dew, the big dew drop, or the background.

Is closeness (macro) a theme in and of itself. Sure, why not.

Milkweed Bugs

More stuff.

Admittedly, great locations make for great images.

When I visited special locations, I spent some time, from hours to days, to capture it in as much differing light as was possible. The sun gave me many diverse images at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. I spent three days there.

There are unimaginably different ways to capture the essence of wild animals. Once again, the spice of life.

It was important to capture all these elements in the same shot. A shutter speed 1/400th sec, that would stop and capture the sunrise lit waves, with bright and colorful areas along with shadows, which brings dimension to the water. We can still see the ducks (by shape) in the image. I loved mornings like this!!

Can we naturally create powerful abstracts, without trickery or recreating images after the fact when at home, and do so with wildlife in the picture that is recognizable by their shape? Absolutely!

The shape of man sometimes also belongs in nature. I hoped that these two fisherman, at sunrise (of course), the buoy, the position of the actual sun, and the red colors of sunrise, could all be placed geographically in a pleasing manner as to balance this image.

I photographed an uncountable number of car races in my life. Even with similar races and cars, these both being paved short track late model stock cars, (one in color) at a fairly flat one third mile oval the other (b&w, the same sort of cars on a high banked one quarter mile oval, often required varying sorts of equipment and skill levels to accomplish. As you can see, both of these nightime races, were lit not just by the track lights, but via my own high speed electronic flash equipment.

All photography, carries with it some similarities and many differences. Clearly in the images below I found myself a good spot to capture images, and then I only moved about a little bit. Also in these shots, those cars sometimes crash and they also sometimes slide into the infield where I am standing. That gives you the opportunity to see if you can outrun a high speed race car which is out of control, and do so with many pounds of camera gear hanging from your body.

I am not a brave person, but I always enjoyed that challenge.

I also, despite the fact I was primarily a nature photographer, from time to time snuck out of the wilderness into the city capture manmade buildings and manmade lights.

Below we have two dawn shots of Milwaukee Wisconsin. Life changes and sometimes does so for the worse, and I would not even take the chance to make these images today, choosing to be safe rather than be shot. The world changes.

Finally, we are still in the fall season so let us close with a late afternoon (I believe) image of fall autumn colors bathed in early morning light.

I know not where this is.

Photography is a great hobby or vocation. Outdoor photography is not only satisfying, it is mesmerizing. It will also lead you to some of the best people you will ever meet.

Onetime I went back to Colorado for some mountain photography. I was up high in the mountains at a great spot two days in a row. The first to mainly capture landscapes, and the second time to create images of picas and Marmots. Both mornings I found a nice young man from Ohio who was memorized first by the incredible scenery and then by the animals. He was a teacher headed to a conference farther west. He could not force himself to leave. He was attempting to make the decision whether or not to go on to the conference, or spend his time only at this spot. I myself moved on so I never got my answer.

Both the camera subjects, and the people have made my time with a camera, inspiring.

Thank you Ron, Kristen, Darlene, Celeste, and others, and may Phil and Lloyd rest in peace.

In car racing, I have rememberances of Al Graff, John Cozy, Mike Naprriella, Jim Remington and on and on. I dare say, that most of those names also rest in peace now.

God Bless,
Wayne