Seek and Ye Shall Find..

“nature itself means nothing, says nothing except to the perceiving mind…..Beauty is where it is perceived…you surely will see…..if you are prepared to see it-if you look for it…”                                                                                        Henry David Thoreau

This was a quote I came across from Thoreau, I had never read it or heard of it before and to me it spoke volumes. Thoreau is well know for his unique insite into nature and his nature writing and I think, for me as a outdoor photographer, I will hold this quote close.  I hear many people ask what there is to photograph in any giving place and I've done the same thing myself.  As photographers, we need to perceive the beauty in everything, always be open, always be looking....natures beauty is everywhere. 

Nature Photography Blue Ribbon

I was invited by Southern Appalachian Nature Photographers, (SANP.net) to be one of the judges at their annual salon last Saturday. This photo club, located in Knoxville TN, is dedicated to nature & outdoor photographers and, in my opinion, is one of the best camera clubs in the country. As you may imagine, the competition is stiff and the quality of the images were top shelf, which made my task extremely difficult. Judging was done by a panel of photographers, including myself, and this made the entire process very fair.

I bring up the contest on my blog because, as I felt good about the “winners” , 1st, 2nd and 3rd place and even the honorable mentions, it’s the ones that didn’t place I really thought about later. I saw many great images that won and I saw many, many more great images that didn’t take home a ribbon, images that I would be proud to have in my files. Contests are a lot of fun to enter and even more fun to win but not everyone gets a ribbon.

To me, I’m a nature photographer because of the pleasure I get from being outside, from witnessing the sunrise or from viewing wildlife in its natural habitat. Anyone spending time in nature, hiking, viewing nature or being a nature photographer is a winner in my book. When I got my first camera and starting taking photos of Cardinals in my parent’s backyard, it wasn’t to sell an image or to win a contest. I was taking photos of the birds because I thought they were beautiful. Today, twenty years later, I don’t know where those first 4x6 prints are but the experience and the memories are still with me. The memories and the experience should be every nature photographers winning ribbon.

This image of the coyote was taken in New Mexico a couple of years ago and I love this image, it means a lot to me. I have seen many images of coyotes by other photographers that were stunning, incredible and very impressive and to me this one is an “ok” image. I’m positive this image would not win a contest; the wildlife images I saw at SANP blow this one away. That’s fine to me. When I took this image, I was down in the bottom of a drainage canal photographing Mallards as they coasted in for a landing on the water. I noticed this guy trying to sneak up the edge of the water to grab an unsuspecting duck, he wasn’t having any luck and what he didn’t expect was me crouched down in his hunting area. I slowly turned my camera his way and as he got closer, I started to click off several frames. This one was my favorite. Once he caught wind of me, he paused, and headed off to find another area to hunt. For me that was a great afternoon; I was outdoors in a beautiful location, I was watching and photographing Mallards on the wing and I got to be up close to a wild coyote in his natural environment…I was totally in touch with the moment and with nature. That’s my first place ribbon.

Every image you take has a special Meta Data, not the information stored in the camera but the experience and memories stored in your mind that are special to only you. These are more valuable than trophies, ribbons or money. I would encourage anyone that wants to compete in contests to do so, they can be a lot fun, likewise with trying to market images. At the same time, I would like to remind everyone to think often of your nature photography experience, for that is your true blue ribbon.

Deep Thoughts

A placid blue the water be,

A calming peace it brings over me, 

No waves, no ripples to ruin its perfection,

The depths of the water mirrors the depth of my reflections.
                                                             HRS 2011

My Preconceived Notions

Many years ago, after I had been shooting images for a couple of years, I visited Ozone Falls on the Cumberland Plateau. This small state natural area is near where an uncle had lived when I was younger and I had spent a lot of time, so I knew the area. I shot the waterfall and I remember I wasn’t impressed with any of my images, I just didn’t like the compositions and I was convinced, I didn’t like to photograph the waterfall. I didn’t even keep the photos and it’s a nice waterfall! It was just in my head and there was no changing that, so I never shot it again. Last Sunday, I decided that I needed to get out and photograph something, and I decided on Ozone Falls. I had been talking to my friend Rick about it and decided after 20 years it was time to try it again. Even driving there, I had this preconceived notion that it’s not a good waterfall to photograph. After arriving and looking the area over, I did the short but steep hike to the bottom of the falls, dodging fall ice the whole way. After shooting several images at different angles, I wondered down the stream to a spot, where in the summer, I’m sure you can’t view the falls very well for the leaves on the trees. I composed several images and ended my shooting with this one, which I was pleased with. It’s a three image HDR created using Photomatix Software, www.hdrsoft.com and I think it worked out. I’m pleased with this image, as well as, the lesson I learned…be careful of preconceived ideas and be open minded to the photographic possibilities of any area.

We gotta do better.

As nature & outdoor photographers sometimes we must change our hats and become environmental photographers. A while back, while driving around from one place to another, and it seemed to me that I’m seeing more and more roadside trash. This has always been a problem, but it seems to be turning into an epidemic. Last week I was out shooting, and I stopped by an area with incredible views over the Tennessee Valley; a place I had not visited in 18 years. As I approached the viewing area, instead of being awed by the view, I was overwhelmed by the amount of trash and destruction this public, natural area has taken. I took this image because I thought it said so much about the situation. I’ve seen this sign, posters, billboards and commercials a lot, however I consider myself in tune with issues like roadside trash and illegal dumping. Doesn’t everyone? What about the people who continued to over fill the trash can and the ones that just decided to throw their trash on the ground, did they see this sign, don’t they know we are trying to keep our state clean, do they even care? I guess my biggest question is, WHY? Why would you trash up an area of such beauty? Why would you take the time to drive to this place and bring a “picnic” then trash it as you leave? This image, the thoughts than ran through my brain and my impression of this area left more saddening questions with me than any feelings of joy I got from the view over the valley.

Suet Cake Recipe

Backyard bird feeding and watching is a hobby enjoyed by countless numbers around the world. I got started feeding birds in my parents backyard about 26 years ago and every since then I’ve been hooked. I originally started with one small feeder and the plan to draw birds in closer to photograph. I still enjoy photographing birds in my yard but I also have a greater appreciation for just observing them. Since that time, in my parent’s backyard, I’ve lived in several different locations but everyone had at least one feeder in the yard. The most I ever had was 10 and in one winter, the birds consumed 400 pound of black oil sunflower seeds. I have tried many mixtures of seeds but found I get the best results, in my area, with black oil sunflower seed and some type of suet cake.

I put suet out each winter for the birds, it is especially enjoyed by the wood peckers and brings them in for a closer viewing opportunity. Suet cakes can be bought in many places, for a relative small price but I really enjoy making my own. The following is the recipe I use for home-made suet cakes. Give it try, tweak it if you have a good idea and enjoy it with others.

Half Cup Peanut Butter
Half Cup Lard…No Shortening
Melt these together and then add the following.
One & a half cups of Corn Meal
One & a half cups of All Purpose Flour
With this you can add any of the following
Oatmeal
Raisins
Dried Fruit
Sunflower Seeds
Once this is mixed up, pour into a suitable pan to cool, and then cut to fit your suet feeder. I have also just tucked the mixture into tree cavities or between limbs on a tree. The birds will find it anyway you display it.

The days are short,
The nights are cool and
The dew lies sleeping on the grass.

A gentle breeze travels through the trees,
Rustling the leaves into a soothing voice
That murmurs the coming of a new season.

Ornaments of golden yellow and harvest orange
Dance through the forest high. Leaves glide softly to earth,
Autumn is nigh upon us and
the coming of winter is felt throughout.

Harold R. Stinnette