Island park Photo Trip

It has been long enough since my last photographing extursion. Theo and I were planning on making a day trip to the City of Rocks to photograph, but circumstances convinced us to stay closer to home. Plus, a day to photograph in the city is simply not enough time. We still covered quite a bit of ground on our day trip of photographing. We caught the morning light at Monkey Falls (near Newdale, ID). It was a bit brisk there, glad I had several layers of warm cloths. I also thought it would be fun to hit Mesa Falls. I have to find a way to get to the north side of the river to photograph the upper and lower falls...there has got to be a way.

Theo checking his phone reception at Mesa Falls...cool! I caught a little rainbow!

During the noon light we walked around Island Park Scout Camp (where I spent every summer growing up). I was amazed at the transformation the COPE course has made. Not one of the orignal poles of the High course are still there... OK, so stumps of them are there, but that is it. I was very impressed! The lake was really cool too. There was a thin (1/8") sheet of Ice on part of the lake, and when we walked on the docks, you could hear the watter ripple crackle under the ice. The scout camp looks really good! There has been a lot of good things done there in the last few years.

OK so I'm not too far off the ground, and it is a HUGE pole...AND there is not any COPE staff or spotters, waaah!

Just north of the camp there is a chimney and concrete slab that is the remnence of a cabin that burnt down...The owner was/is Ken Sampson, he taught ath IF High School. Anyway, I always thought it was a really cool place, and yet I have never photographed there. I just wanted to show Theo, but I pulled out the view camera and made a few exposures from the top of my car. I hope the negs turn out nice. Theo also shot a little with my 10D. His shots were really cool.

We also went to see the distruction caused by the 1959 Hebgen Lake Earthquake. There are remnence of houses at the West end of Hebgen that fell into that Lake, and a few miles farther West there is a lake that was created by the Earthquake...aptly named Quake Lake. Theo was toatly amazed by Quake Lake. There are dead pine trees still sticking out from the surface of the lake. Stark white against the dark blue water, we had to make as many images as the setting sun would allow.

It was a great chance to get out and photograph. Thanks Theo! Now I just need to go through the Digital images and get around to processing the film. I don't envy Theo...I think he has twice as many sheets of film to run.

OK, so there are a few more images, but for some reason they won't upload...I'll post them soon though.

Year Realization

A couple days ago I was going through the files on the computer... you know sorting, deleting, just cleaning house. I came accros a file that made me a little sad "2005_11_10 Last day with the Bus." It was the photos we took the day we sold my VW Bus. It is just about a year ago now that we found another home for my '72 Kombi, another guy that fell in love with her just had to have her. We came to a point in our lives that we needed something better for Jessica to drive. You see days that I went to school I drove her little Prizm, and she was left with the Bus. She didn't mind it too much except for in the winter, when it was colder than a witches teet, and the fine German engineering failed to make it to the heating system. With our third child on the way ( see previous post), we really needed something with a much better heating system that would not make you sick with exhaust fumes. Wait! German engineering...enclosed space...gas fumes...It is all coming together. WWII was over when the Bus was developed, and yet they still held on to those old ways! But I digress. Our 'Type II" was a wonderful vehicle to have. Great for camping trips and just as cool to cruze around town in. We always got the smiles and laughs (mostly at my 'push to operate' and '0-55 in 11 minutes' bumper stickers) as well as the peace signs. I really do miss my ol' girl, but as the winter months are approaching I really do enjoy a heated van (with AWD!) for my family to get around in.

Here's a picture Creedance doing one of their favorate things...just playing in the bus...on the day we sold it. They cried for almost a half an hour after it drove away. One day I will have another VW...I think I'll get a Bug next.

Portrait of TJ at 6 Months

Today after work, I made some photographs of TJ (my youngest kid). I noticed that the light coming in our bedroom window was quite nice. I am not sure about this 'coloring' however. I intended to use a chanel mixer layer to convert to b&w, but forgot about another layer above it and ended up with this subtle color. I like it, but worry that it is a bit cliché. Does it look subtle or colorized? Here's a rough b&w to compare.

Does it seem more in line with my other Children Portraits? Now bear in mind that the portraits on my website were made with a 4x5 view camera and this is with a digital SLR...so the depth of field (among other factors) will be vastly different. Obviously there is a difference because color is introduced, but is it an effective difference or just cute and sappy?

Jack-O-Lanterns!

We carved and painted pumpkins tonight with the kids. It was fun. I really like how Jessica's turned out. It makes me laugh. Hers is on the left.


Theo and I are going to the City of Rocks tomarrow to photograph and freeze our butts off. Should be fun. I hope some of the 4x5 images turn out really well. I want to make some kick-a silver prints of them to hang (and sell--I hope).

We thought we were going to be in Salt Lake for TJ's operation on Halloween, because some doh-head in scheduling at Shriner's called and set us up for the 31st, when we aren't suposed to go in for about 6 more months...we thought it was a little early and we were. Kinda ticks us off...but mistakes happen.

Paramount

Friday after work I went climbing with a couple in my ward. It was a lot of fun. When I only climb about once a year, you could imagine what I climb like. But I did lead one (Fly by night 5.8) and top-rope another (Mr Rogers Neighborhood 5.9) at Paramount. It was wierd that when I was leading Fly by night, I got realy scared at the top. This is a climb that I have done many times, both on top rope and on lead. What was my deal. So when we were setting up on Mr Rogers Neighborhood, I didn't feel that I had it in me to take the sharp end. Especially when I saw the 12'-15' run-out. Spencer was great on lead. He flew up the first 2/3 of it, then looked down and said, "Wow! This is really high!" I think it suprised him how fast he got up there. It was a great climb! When I was on it, I could see a couple of thin spots that I would have really puckered if on lead. I'm glad Spencer took it on. It was a blast to get out and get a few climbs in. I need to get out more...wait...snow is about to fly! Spring I guess.

Photos to come as soon as I can get them from Spencer.

Island Park Weekend

Friday night we went to Island Park for the weekend. My in-laws have a cabin up there that is very nice to go to for the weekend. We like to go there General Conference weekend every 6 months. They have satelite tv, so we are able to watch the 4 regular sessions, then go into west Yellowstone (about 10 minutes away) for the Priesthood Session. Jessica's mom likes to go into West Yellowstone and get a room at the Days Inn, just so that they can play at the pool indoor pool and water slide. Usually no one stays in the room, we just swim. That is a lot of fun for the kids (especially in the winter), and isn't too bad of a price during the off season.

The talks given during the sessions were wonderfull...ok, so the ones that I heard. I really enjoyed Saturday and Sunday Afternoon, and especially the priesthood session. They are very inspiring.


In between the conference sessions, we get out and enjoy what is around. Island Park is one of my favorate places to photograph. I love the quaking aspens, how some will be so large and tall, and grow strait, while others will bend and curve. Saturday was beautiful! Sunday however wasn't so much. After the snow flies, I am able to get into some of the backcountry on snow-machine and make some cool images too.

This is just 2 miles from the in-laws' cabin. No, their cabin is not one of these 'modern cabins' advertised by the Sunset Cafe sign. This is at the base of an old ski hill. There are several little one room cabins, a cafe/bar, a shop and the old ski lift. It is all for sale, I thought I heard for $3 million...but that includes the hill!

Another one of my favorate places in IP to photograph. This is the foundation of some building (a little ranch house I would assume, It has been some time sence it had walls and a roof.