Beyond Day SixMy sometimes-daily blog of a photograph or two with a few words, celebrating all the days of life that flow through creation into perspiration, inspiration, reflection, sabbath, and resurrection. Taking Superior Home
Judy loves the rocks on the shore of Lake Superior. She is not the only one as there are books written about the variety of rocks and where to go to find particular ones. This is Paradise Beach, about 50 miles south of the Canadian border, where an abundance of agate can be found. You probably can't tell it but it is pouring rain in this picture and in the center far right there is a young eagle feasting on a fish. Several other eagles were in the nearby trees and occasionally swooped over the tree tops. The wind was blowing strongly from the northeast and the temperature was dropping. But the rock gatherer was undeterred. She picked up enough amazing agate rocks to fill a disposable Subway salad bowl. The variety is stunning. How does such a mixture of stones find its way to this beach? From where along this enormous lake did they originate and how long has it taken to get here, driven by wind and ice and water? But it is not just this one spot where rock gatherers bend at the waist but all around the shoreline are treasures of color and shape and texture, all polished by nature. It is a rock pickers' dream. World Communion Sunday
We have retreated to Eau Claire for a few days to escape the weather and the abyssmal photo opportunities. The summer has been too dry and the autumn too quick to provide photogenic color. The wind nor the pouring rain provide any assistance in that matter. Cloudy skies are no problem as one can photograph water and detail, but that has not been the case the last few days. We have attended church in Eau Claire and one of the pastors is a good friend of my bishop. The sermon is prophetic, delivered by a pastor from South Africa which gives real meaning to the day. The communion bread is the first bread I have had in more than two weeks due to this new diet and the small cup of juice is the first fruit juice in as long a time. True soul nourishment and connection to fellow Christians when we are far from home. We are not strangers at this table.
The Winds of November Came Early
Gordon Lightfoot sang about the sinking of the Edmund Fizgerald with the words of the opening verse:
"The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down Of the big lake they called 'Gitche Gumee' The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead When the skies of November turn gloomy With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty. That good ship and crew was a bone to be chewed When the gales of November came early." Lat night it felt every bit of November as thunder and lightning and strong winds howled outside the motel door. We have retreated to Wisconsin. Ya Shudda Been Here Last Week
How many times have I heard this? The weather was purrrfect last week! The sunsets were spectacular last week. Conditions were so much better last week.
Duluth Dawn
Judy and I left our hotel room in Superior WI in the predawn darkness to drive to Canal Park in Duluth. We had scouted out the area the afternoon before and knew exactly where to go. The sky was rosy with the promise of dawn. I set up quickly and began to try different compostions and combinations. It was a beautiful sight as the pictures can testify.
New Volunteer at the Gallery
Gallery sitting this evening (doing my volunteer thing) with quite a crowd going through before the performance of Pirates of Penzance. Reminded me of Billy Hester from Savannah, GA and his story of how he and Cheri met. He told how he first saw this vivacious blonde across the room at a church meeting, and he admitted that he wanted to meet her but didn't have the courage. Weeks later as he was preparing to go to rehearsals in upper New York, the director called and asked Billy (since he had a car) if he would be willing to pick up the female lead. Billie found the address and parked the car and knocked on the door. And who should open the door---but the girl that he had seen across the church weeks before. He was speechless, but not for long for they starred in the musical, dated, and married. And now they have an amazing, art-filled, and gracious ministry at Asbury Memorial in Savannah. I told all this because of the mixture of gratification and awe I had this evening as I watched people go through the gallery and stop to admire different pieces of art work. I noticed one person who paused at my photographs. Rather humbling to have a stranger appreciate one of your photographs. It is a blessing. Wow!
River Dance, Step One
Last week, Judy and I made a quick tour of the east side of the state to photograph the remaining three rivers. I suspect I will find other opportunities to photograph all ten rivers in the future during different seasons, but I completed the first step so that the web site can display banners of each of the district rivers. The challenge is to be able to drop them at a 5 to 1 ratio for the web banner. That aspect has required a change in the way I compose a photograph. As a slide photographer for many years, I was aware of the entire frame. Consequently, all of my photos filled the 24mmx36mm frame. I became conscious of elements that either needed to be included in the frame or excluded. But these web banners suggested an entirely different approach of filling the width of the frame so that it could be cropped to fit. However, I found that within the picture, there were several crop possibilities each of which could be an image with impact. Digital unleashes the imagination. There is no one right composition or one right possibility. Some of my friends would not be surprised that I end here with a wealth of possibilities. Sounds like life!
An Amazing MorningI admit that before I went to bed last night I thought about getting up early for a photo trip, but I didn't really think about it too intently and fell asleep without any substantial plans for Labor Day. But we awoke early. The house might have been too warm and we grew restless. For whatever reason, we awoke at 3:45 a.m. I wondered what time sunrise was and how far it might be to drive north and take photos of the Illinois and maybe the Spoon. You see, I have a project of getting photos of 10 rivers in Illinois for the Conference Web Site. I already have the Sangamon, Cache, Mississippi, and LaMoine. I have one as well of the Illinois at Peoria, but it was rather lackluster and could not be cropped well for a banner. So, in the dark, I pondered if this might be an opportunity to get some river pictures. So we loaded up the car and drove north in the early morning dark. While there are few cars at 4 am, it is still surprising that some folk are out on the road so early. After a Hardees stop in Havana, we crossed the bridge and drove along the western edge of the Illinois. It was surprising to see fog in the lowlands and I contemplated what a picture might look like. The sky was rather plain, no clouds, but a nice rosy color from the sun below the horizon. I took a few preliminary photos along the road of the intermittent fog, but I pushed on to the little town of Liverpool that I knew from the map sat right on the banks of the Illinois. We parked just as two fisherman came to launch their boats in the dawn mist. The sun was coming up just over the fog and turned the river golden and the fisherman started on his quest and I pushed the shutter. Actually, I took a lot of photos from that site and surely one will be appropriate for the web. I know I was glad I got out of bed. A Quote for the Last Day of August"Any life, however long
is too short if the mind is bereft of splendor, the passions under worked, the memories sparse, and the imagination unlit by radiant musings." Norman Cousins On View at the Gallery!
Saturday, the September-October show opens at the H. D. Smith Gallery at the Hoogland Art Center where I am a juried artist. This time I have five photographs on display including the one above. The whole process of photography takes on another dimension when one begins to make prints for display that are exhibited for public viewing. While I earned money with my photography years ago when I was a student in seminary and for a year after graduation, I was still surprised that some anonymous person paid a substantial sum for a print in the May-June show. I guess it is a measure, certainly not the only one, of one's skill as a photographer to have someone appreciate your work to such an extent that they are willing to purchase it. Not only was I surprised, but it encouraged me to be more diligent to make the art that I exhibited as high quality as I could make it. For a number of years, I have given away framed photographs as presents and I believe the recipients have appreciated the gifts. And I consider the relationship between giver and receiver enhances the value of the photograph. But to have an unknown stranger pay more than what I expected has increased my awareness of my skill. Being accepted as a juried artist into the Prairie Art Alliance which represents more than 100 truly gifted, diverse artists is wonderfully affirming. And then to sell a photo in the first show was amazing. Now I have carefully prepared five more and I admit I am pleased and proud of what they represent. Maybe they too will go home with someone who is attracted to what I saw and the way I captured that vision. Who knows? It has happened before. |