While working on my 365 photography project, I would frequently rise early on Saturday mornings before the wife and kids woke up and go for walks around town. I carried my Nikon D80 and 35mm f/1.8 lens and enjoyed the serenity of a sleeping town. I didn't worry about getting a photo, I just enjoyed the beauty around me, and snapped photos as they presented themselves. Similarly, on weekdays, I would pack my D80/35mm combo into a fanny pack and jog the trails in the hills of the local regional park after the workday was done.
I miss the solo walks and runs, and the enjoyment and solitude of these photography experiences. Earlier this week, I decided to pack my Nikon FM2 manual focus film camera and 50mm f/1.8 and went for a trail run on the Pleasanton Ridge, a local regional park. I left my hiking partners and dog at home and went solo. This allowed me the opportunity to really enjoy the wilderness, absorb the warm afternoon light, and snap photos as my heart desired.
For me, two things make these experiences special.
First, the simplicity of the gear. I don't carry my entire camera bag, four lenses, flash, tripod, ND grad filter, kitchen sink, etc. I travel light, with just my camera and normal prime lens, and enjoy my walk/trail run. I don't worry about what I cannot capture (because I don't have my wide-angle lens, telephoto lens, tripod, etc.), I just enjoy the surroundings and focus on capturing what I can capture.
Second, I go with a clear mind. I don't think about work, the crappy economy, the idiots in Washington D.C., or global warming. I go solo, so I don't have to tend to my dog or feel compelled to carry a conversation with my companions. This frees my mind and body to enjoy the surroundings and stop whenever I want to snap a photo. It also allows me to slow down and consider my camera settings and composition, without feeling rushed.
Life is busy. Make sure you make time for yourself to enjoy some quality photography experiences, even if it's just for an hour after work. Keep it simple and just enjoy the opportunity to relax, get some fresh air, and maybe even capture some wonderful images.
On a related topic, I came across this great article today. It really summarized my philosophy on shooting and what I loved so much about my solo walks and hikes....and why I love shooting my Nikon FM2 and 50mm f/1.8 manual focus combo these days.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Go For A Walk
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Soon to be Published
Here's a photo from my backpacking trip in the Trinity Alps in July 2010. It's Ruben hanging our food in a tree. It's not a great shot, but I liked the perspective and how the wide-angle lens exaggerated the height of the tree.
Anyway, I was contacted via Flickr by a cookbook author who is writing a backpacking cookbook for the Boy Scouts. She wanted permission to use this photo in the book. I mentioned I used to be an Assistant Scoutmaster for my son's troop and led troop backpacking trips....so I would be happy to contribute to a book for the Boy Scouts!
I was actually surprised because I didn't consider it to be one of my better images, but I guess there aren't a whole lot of bear bag photos available.
The best part about this is she was thrilled to use my image and I was thrilled to be getting a few free copies of the cookbook. I may need to try a few recipes next year.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Back to School
Where did the summer go? A week after the school year ended, we traveled to Italy for a great two week vacation. A week later, I went backpacking on the Lost Coast Trail. A couple of basketball tournaments, a nice visit from family, a new dog, and several business trips later, the summer is gone and the kids are back to school!
Time flies when you're having fun! Kevin's a sophomore and Kami's in the seventh grade. Seems like yesterday, the were little babies. Now Kevin will be driving soon....then off to college! Then Kami...well I'd better stop here...don't want mama getting too teary eyed!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Dream Cameras and Misc Ramblings
As I noted previously, I believe one should pursue a career that pays well. The purpose of work is to support oneself and one's family. Having said that, when assessing new job opportunities, I didn't necessarily pursue the positions that paid the most money. I factored in job satisfaction, commute distance, and work hour flexibility. For me, the last two are priceless because they allow me to attend my kids' school functions and sporting events. The bottom line is, the size of the paycheck is important, but it's not the only thing that's important.
I view my photography in much the same way. The final image is important, but for me, photography is not only about the image. I enjoy the process of capturing the image.
It's about hiking to 10,000 feet in the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains and enjoying the crisp morning air, the cool, clear creeks, and the majestic granite peaks (watch this video and you'll know what I'm talking about). It's about finding an interesting subject and understanding what I liked about it. It's about evaluating the possible camera settings and determining how best to capture the final image.
It's also about the camera. While the camera is just a tool, it's an integral part of the overall experience. People don't drive '67 Corvettes because it's the fastest or best handling car on the road, they drive it for the experience. When I want to enjoy the photography experience, I shoot a Nikon FM2 film camera. The manual exposure, manual focus, and manual film advance help create a zen-like experience. It slows down my body and mind, and makes me think about every shot.
Now, when the focus is on "getting the shot," I grab my digital SLR. Shooting a high school basketball game with a manual focus camera is like trying to catch flies with chopsticks...well, unless you're Daniel-san. In cases like this, the goal is the shot, not the experience, and the better tool is my more automated DSLR.
Speaking of basketball games, my Nikon D80 doesn't do high-ISO very well, something that's important while shooting games in poorly lit gymnasiums. I have no plans on buying a new camera, but I have spent some time daydreaming about it. So, hypothetically speaking, if money grew on trees, what camera would I get? What would be my "ideal" camera? My conclusion is I don't have one ideal camera, I have two ideal cameras.
For sports and other times when I just want to get the shot, I would use a Nikon D700. It's big and heavy (as are the lenses), carrying it around all day wouldn’t be fun, and processing all those photos on my much hated computer would be torture. But, it does extremely well in low light and focuses fast. If I had a Sherpa to carry it around for me and a graphic artist to do all the post-processing on the computer, it wouldn't be half bad.
For times when I want to enjoy the experience, I think I would use a Leica M3 rangefinder, film camera (circa 1950's) and a 35mm or 50mm prime lens. Alternatively, I would just stick with my Nikon FM2. Both cameras are beautiful in its simplicity. Load the film and set the ISO, shutter speed, and f-stop, then compose the shot and press the shutter release. Simple as that, just three settings. Once the roll is done, rewind it and send it to Wolf Camera for processing and scanning. No need to spend hours on a computer processing the images, neglecting the family, and developing eye strain.
Well, since I'm just dreaming, my digital "experience" camera would be a Leica M9 digital rangefinder, paired with either a 35mm or 50mm prime lens. That would set me back $10K, but hey, I'm just dreaming, right? It would also come with a graphic artist to handle all the post-processing, freeing my time to take more pictures, play with the kids, go for a hike, and anything else that doesn't involve a computer.
Okay, enough rambling for a night. I'm a bit under the weather at the moment, but I'm looking forward to some photography tomorrow on the Pleasanton Ridge. I bet you can't guess which camera I'll be taking with me....
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Dog Days of Summer
Whomever coined the term "dog days of summer" must have lived in Texas. It's hotter than a dog out here! Since returning home from Italy at the end of June, I've spent approximately three full weeks in the Dallas area. During this time, the temperature has ranged from a low of hot to a high of hotter. Once in a while the weather changed and it was hottest.
I'm not sure what was worse, spending the month of December 2003 in Anchorage, Alaska or spending three weeks in Dallas, Texas during the heat wave of 2011. What am I talking about? This isn't a heat wave, it's always sweltering hot here in Texas during the summer! Ninety eight degrees...one hundred degrees...tomato....tomma-toe.... it's doggone hot every summer!
Okay, enough dog references. Here's a picture of Paisley. She's a pretty good dog, reminding me a lot of Rusty. Like Rusty, she loves to counter surf, sneaking a free meal from the unsuspecting.
Paisley is pretty hard-headed at times. When it's time to go into her kennel for bed, she sits at the door of the kennel and makes herself really heavy. When one tries to push her into the kennel, she raises her head, preventing it from going into the kennel. Paisley is also pretty smart. Throw a dog biscuit into her kennel at bedtime and she doesn't go for it.
Despite her stubborn nature, we all love Paisley. I, for one, am used to stubborn, having lived with three stubborn people for so long. But, I love them too...
Saturday, August 13, 2011
More Family Fun
It sure takes a long time to finish a roll of film! At 52 cents a frame, I take my time and shoot in moderation. The manual exposure, manual focus, and manual film advance on the Nikon FM2 all help slow down the capture process as well.
Here are a few photos from my latest roll, capturing more of the recent family fun.
Welcome Paisley!
Please welcome the latest addition to our household, Paisley! They say a dog is a man's best friend, but Paisley sure is getting a lot of love from a woman, a girl, and a boy...
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Life's Been Busy
Work's been busy lately, I've been traveling a lot, and haven't been home much. In the last few weeks, I've been in Alaska, Texas, Utah, and Idaho, and I will be in Texas for the better part of the next two weeks. But, I've managed to find some time to tend to the important things in life....family and friends.
I got in a few hikes during the week after work and on the weekends. We also had a chance to go kayaking at Shadow Cliffs, enjoying the warm, beautiful weather. The East Bay Regional Parks are wonderful places to spend quality time in nature.
We were even blessed to have family visit from Hawaii. The boys had a blast playing basketball (uncles against the nephews), grilling beef, drinking beer, grilling more beef, doing a walking tour of San Francisco, and grilling even more beef.
Kevin had a couple of basketball tournaments, one in Reno and another in Rocklin (near Sacramento). It was a great excuse to get out of town on mini family vacations. On the way home from Rocklin, we picked up a new addition to our family, Paisley, a cool Golden Retriever. I just finished my roll of film today, so pictures of Paisley are forthcoming.
Life's been busy. I need to win the lottery soon because I'm too busy to work 40 hours per week. Too much fun, not enough time...
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
The Lost Coast Trail
Life's been a bit hectic lately and I have no idea where I'm going to find the time to work. We completed a two week holiday in Italy in June and I moved straightaway into a backpacking trip on the Lost Coast Trail during the Fourth of July weekend. More on Italy later...hopefully.
In 2010, the family spent the summer in Guam, leaving poor me at home....and free to go fishing, hiking, and....backpacking with the guys in the Trinity Alps during the Fourth of July weekend! We decided to continue the tradition this year and Patrick, Ruben, and I set off on the Lost Coast Trail, 30 June - 2 July 2011. We backpacked from the Mattole River trailhead, south along the California Coast for 26 miles, finishing at Shelter Cove.
We left Pleasanton on Thursday night after work. Ruben took care of the driving duties, while I sat comatose in the backseat, still suffering from jet lag. We spent the night in a motel about an hour out of Shelter Cove.
The next morning, we drove to Shelter Cove to meet up with our shuttle driver, Roxanne. It's a 1.75 hour drive along a windy road to get to the Mattole River trailhead, so we hired her to shuttle us to the start of our trek.
Roxanne was very nice, talkative, and just an interesting person. To keep this brief, I'll just mention everything they say about the "crop growers" in Humboldt County, CA is probably true. Her conversation made the trip seem a lot shorter than it was, which was good because I was comatose in the back seat but couldn't quite get to sleep.
Upon our arrival at the trailhead, we unloaded our packs from the car and wished Roxanne well. As I applied my sunscreen, Ruben pulled out his camera to snap a few photos....at which point I realized I left my camera and hiking sticks in Roxanne's car! Have you ever had one of those "ah shucks" moments? Okay, it was really an "ah shit" moment, but I was keeping it clean in case one of the three loyal blog readers happened to be a child, priest, or my mom. Anyway, there was no cell phone coverage along the Lost Camera Trail, so there was nothing to do but proceed down the beach for our first day of hiking.
The coastal views were beautiful, but hiking on sand really sucked. It's like snowshoeing, but not as fun. We traversed approximately six miles of sand on day one and camped along a creek. On day two, we extended our planned hike and hiked 12 miles, stopping at this wonderful campsite at Shipman Creek (see photo below). I snapped this photo with the camera on my Droid 2 Global phone. Who needs a DSLR anyway?
Most of my backpacking experience is in the mountains, so it was interesting to do a trip on the coast. On some sections of the trip, the trail is bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the right and steep, rocky cliffs on the left. Camping upstream along the creek, there were few places to do a number two (e.g., a pooper, a doo doo, a Mr. Hankey, well you get the picture). The ranger advised us to dig a hole in the sand below the high tide line when nature called. The idea is the tides would wash the excrement into the vast Pacific Ocean, feeding the Dungeness crabs (which the tourists in San Francisco would be enjoying later in the season).
Not many people can say they crapped on a beach....and I must say, it was one of the most scenic and serene BM moments of my life!
Okay, I know everyone is in suspense about my camera, so I'll wrap this up. At the end of the trail, we drove to the General Store and borrowed their good old fashioned land line telephone to call Roxanne. Fortunately, she was kind enough to return my gear. Thanks Roxanne!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Italia
Buongiorno from Italia!
Italy is a beautiful country and has incredible landmarks, including the Colosseum, Pantheon, and Leaning Tower of Pisa. I, however, came for the wine, cheese, and meats. I packed a pocket knife and corkscrew before leaving home, allowing us to enjoy some really nice food from the supermercato.
Just two more days until we return home. :(
Here are a few photos from my Droid 2 mobile. More photos and stories later. Arrivederci for now.
