Arising early on September 20, after coffee and a light breakfast, I set out in the Sportsmobile to select an advantageous spot for early morning photos along Owl Creek Pass Road just a short distance from my campsite. I drove back and forth along one particular interval on the road, before picking what looked like a suitable place, gathered my selected gear for the morning shoot and set out across an open range pasture towards the drainage between the pasture and the mountains to the east.
It was a very cloudy morning, after a rainy night, but not completely overcast as most of the previous day had been and the rain was gone, so I had some hope of getting some early morning light highlighting the mountainsides nearby. It was a bit dicey, as all of the clouds were moving towards the light from the sun, which was still hidden behind a mountainside to the east of the roadway.
As I walked across the open range pasture, I recalled the statement credited to Ansel Adams, “the secret to getting a good photograph is knowing where to stand”. Photographers are always going to extremes to find the best place to stand and sometimes get into uncomfortable or precarious positions in doing so. This morning I noted that a corollary to Adam’s statement had to be “knowing where not to stand”, as I carefully selected each step to avoid the numerous cow patties in the pasture. There were so many that I had to be very careful, not only where I stepped, but where I set up the tripod to avoid sticking one of its legs into a cow patty.
I wandered around in the pasture, looking for various possibilities for suitable places from which to shoot. The broad drainage area between the mountainside to the west and the pasture to the east of it was filled with scrubby vegetation, which would make for a messy foreground, no matter where I stood with my 14-24mm wide angle lens. There was no time to scout any other area prior to sunrise, so I had to make the best of this area.
This was, perhaps not the best morning nor the best location for sunrise shots, but the views were quite good, even though I might not have captured the scenes as well as I would have liked.
Part 2 of this post will continue with mid-morning shots and experimentation with tilt/shift lenses.
Until next time, best wishes to you all,
Ken
Hmmm… they don’t tell you in the photography books to beware of the cow patties. (And, beware of the bull!) Wonderful documentation of the changing light! Looks like the mud on your vehicle is a badge of honor for your patience and persistence in the field!
Sometimes the books do mention things like sharp rocks, mud, water hazards, etc.; but I’ve never seen any warning about cow patties, either. Some people do perceive a muddy vehicle as a badge of honor from an off paved road outing, but I rather prefer dry dirt. The mud tends to get tracked everywhere and as I learned on this trip it can cause mechanical problems. I resorted to putting small trash bags on my footwear, when getting back into the vehicle to avoid getting mud into the living quarters. Dry dirt is still a problem – the dust tends to get everywhere, but it is easier to remove. I’ve only had a few cattle stop in the middle of the road and stare at me, as if daring me to disturb them; but none have charged me, yet.
Back in 2010 when doing some photography in the Hill Country of Texas, there were several cows that chose to cross the lonely dirt road in front of our car. I was with several other friends and we stopped and let them pass but there was a white cow that stayed back in the bluebonnets and kept looking at me. Of course I took a few photos while telling the cow that I would never hurt her… and that was the moment that turned me into a vegetarian. We never know what impact a photography trip might have on our lives.
Indeed, photographic experiences can be quite moving. I certainly think photography makes us more aware of the beauty in the natural world around us.