Caddo Once Again

 

Great Blue Heron, Caddo Lake, Uncertain, Texas

It is not what we have that will make us a great nation; it is the way in which we use it."...Theodore Roosevelt

OK, last Caddo today - I promise....If truth be told I am working on a gallery show of National Parks to include other locations that need to be mindfully looked after. This is not a new idea by any stretch of the imagination. Personally I discovered the National Parks late in life and wondered why this was never something we spent any time on in school...maybe I had to show up for school a few more times.

My first encounter with the Parks was about three years ago when I attended a workshop in Death Valley - since that time I have traveled to Yosemite, Zion, The Everglades, and, although they are not National Parks, Caddo Lake and Iceland. This summer I plan to return to Iceland (actually in 10 days) and sometime after that make a trek out west to visit a few more of these wonderful locations. Upon returning from that Death Valley workshop I watched the Ken Burn's documentary about our National Parks and that really hit home...How could someone get to be 64 and not know about these parks....

I am working on this project with several like-minded emerging photographers met along the photo trails in some of these very locations. The idea is a traveling show with a percentage of the income being donated to charity - have yet to figure out what charity but then we are still in the planning stages. The show will open on November 10th in Carmel, Indiana - stay tuned to these pages for more information.

Image Management:

Canon 5D II
70-200MM Lens
photoshop CS5
Lightroom 3

Caddo Sunrise

Sunrise, Caddo Lake, Uncertain, Texas

 On a roll with Caddo Lake Images this weekend. So why not just one more....This one is from November 2009 - and yes, it is as cold as the light.....Nothing like an open boat just before sunrise....

Image Management:

Canon 5DMKII
24-105MM Lens
Photshop CS5
Lightroom 3

Back to Caddo

Caddo Lake, Uncertain, Texas

'The Poetry of the earth is never dead'.......John Keats

Caddo Lake

Another Image from Caddo Lake...Off to see Jim Morrison's Grave, Montmartre and Versailles

Image Management:

Canon 5DMKII
24-105MM Lens
Lightroom 3

Caddo Lake

Caddo Lake, Uncertain, Texas

 'Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children'.....Ancient American Indian Proverb

Image Management:

Canon 5DMKII (shot from a boat)
24-105MM Lens
Local Tonality in Photoshop CS5 and LR3

Caddo Lake

Egret, Caddo Lake, Uncertain, Texas

 

'When we try to pick out anything by itself, 

we find it hitched to everything else in the universe'...........John Muir

Caddo Lake - Texture

Caddo Lake

It appears I captured over 2800 images last week in Caddo Lake last week. I was not going to post another Caddo Lake today but when I saw this on the screen I quickly changed my mind.

As truth be told we had passed this spot where you could actually see the lower part of the tree when Angie, our guide asked if we wanted to back up - of course Angie was right and we backed up until the tree came into full view - I for one am happy she made that suggestion. In my opinion, this image comes to life being able to see a bit deeper into the murky areas.

Captured with a Canon 5DMKII using a 24-105MM lens

Caddo Reflection

Caddo Lake Reflection

Captured with a Canon 5DMKII, 24-105MM lens

Caddo Lake

Caddo Lake, Uncertain, Texas

I guess it is true that you do not feel the character of a place until you have been back several times. As many times as that has happened, Death Valley being one of them, I seem to always misplace this piece of information. Well, this is exactly what happened to me on this trip back to Caddo Lake. I saw the lake in a totally different light (no pun intended).

The first time through about 18 months ago I only saw an overview of the lake and not the details that make this place so special. Also, the more you go back the more you get to talk to the locals and feel their perspective and how much this lake is part of their everyday lives. If one listens carefully there is so much to learn from those who spend everyday on the lake and they seem to know what makes it tick, right down to where a particular alligator will be sunning on any given day, or when and where the White Lillie's will open when the sun crosses the horizon. This was my experience this last time at the lake.

Not sure what particular time of day this image was captured but what attracted me was the play of the color in the foreground against the somewhat eerie monochromatic background. The color was not evident last time through in November 2009. The locals all told me that I need to come back in June or July when the color is even more alive. I just might try to do just that - I am completely intoxicated with this place and need to learn more.

Check out my iPhone-Antics blog for more images of Caddo Lake:

Iphone-antics.blogspot.com

Image captured with a Canon 5DMKII, 24-105MM Lens

Jefferson, Texas

Jefferson General Store, Jefferson, Texas

 After being rained out of Caddo Lake on Monday morning I spent part of the early afternoon with my buddy AL Hernandez looking for images in Jefferson, Texas.

Jefferson is quite the town - mostly antiques and collectibles. Originally founded in 1841 Jefferson was one of the most important port towns and at one point was the 6th largest city in Texas.

I had the best key lime pie in Jefferson on Monday - not to mention several decent photo opportunities.

Image above captured with a Canon 5DMKII, 85MM lens - uploaded to my blog from an airplane over West Virginia...

Coots - Caddo Lake

Coots, Caddo Lake

Sunday was the first night on the lake and the boat captain spotted about 200 Coots siting approximately 200 yards ahead of our boat. We sped up and it naturally chased the birds off in many different directions - hence today's rather eerie image.

Sunrise Tuesday morning then back to Dallas to catch a flight to NY.

Image captured with a Canon 5DMKII using a  24-105mm f4 lens

Caddo Lake

Caddo Lake, Uncertain, Texas

Running out for the sunrise on the lake this morning. The lake is absolutely beautiful in the spring, albeit we are a little bit early for the real color. Here is a quick one from yesterday.

Stay tuned.

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron, Caddo Lake

 I am starting to get a bit excited about going back to Caddo Lake in early April. Not much gets better then cruising on a pontoon boat through the swamps looking for images. When you see something the motor gets shut down and you drift about waiting for the boat to settle down enough to get a decent shutter speed to counteract the movement of the water - no tripods out here.

I learned a good deal last time at Caddo Lake that I hope to put to use this next visit...Also need to mention the really good down-home BBQ just down the road.

PS: Sometimes a simple image will speak a great deal about a place -  Caddo Lake has an eerie calm about it........

This image captured with a Canon 5DMKII using a 70-200MM Lens

New Blog Header Image: Death Valley: Autostitch Panoramic captured in the iPhone4 - processed in the iPhone4

Epiphany....

'Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans'       
John Lennon - 'Beautiful Boy'

Went back to the Caddo Lake folder from last year and re-processed a few images. Since that time I have gained new knowledge and thought it would be interesting to see where these images would land. I have also become a bit more accepting of what the image is telling me - not pushing it where it does not want to go.

This epiphany struck last December when I attended a John Paul Caponigro workshop in Maine. This was one of those times when all participants were on the same page and the learning curve increased exponentially. I found myself more active in discussions and offering more opinions then usual. At any rate I walked away from this workshop with new-found confidence.  It was not that long after that trip to Maine that I started this blog and my twitter page. 

Enjoy and thanks for being part of this journey with me.

Posted three images today as I have fallen behind in my posting....