Scenics Archives

September 9, 2011December 21, 2011

Diversion Channel Boat Ride

When I wrote about going trotline fishing with Ed and Melinda Roberts this summer, I mentioned that the scenery along the Diversion Channel between I-55 and the mouth of the Mississippi River was different that I had expected. I thought it would be a sterile, straight ditch. It turned out surprisingly beautiful and peaceful. If you’ve always heard about trotline fishing, but never knew exactly what it was, follow the link and watch the video.

My companions were intent on getting their line set out before dark, so everything was shot from a speeding boat. One of these days, I’ll have to rent a canoe or something where I can putter around at my own speed.

Diversion Channel photo gallery

Click on any image to make it larger, then click on the left or ride side to move through the gallery.

August 25, 2011January 2, 2016

Photographing Mount Rainier

Before the pictures get too old and the mountains erode down to nubs, I thought I’d honor the promise I made July 31 to publish a gallery of photos from our trip to Mount Rainier National Park near Seattle.

I always feel self-conscious about shooting photos in famous national parks because they have been photographed so many times. I hardly took a frame when I took a trip to Yosemite in the late 90. I kept saying to myself, “Do you REALLY think Ansel Adams hasn’t done that better?”

So, to avoid competition, I find myself focusing (pun intended) on the human landscape when it’s available. At least I can be pretty sure nobody else has shot it before, not will they be able to shoot it later.

I look for non-touristy details

Everybody shoots the mountains, and I have to admit to getting in a few frames of them if only to prove I was there, but I like to concentrate on the details that I hope other tourists will overlook.

Black and white photography depends on subtle tones of black, white and gray to convey a message. As a black & white shooter at heart, it’s taking me a while to learn how to add subtle color shadings to the mix. That’s why you’ll see that many of my images are primarily monochromatic photos with a splash of color here or there.

Mount Rainer Photo Gallery

Not all of these photos are spectacular, but if you’ve been considering a trip to Mount Rainier, they’ll give you an idea of what you might see. Click on any image to make it larger, then click on the left or right side to move through the gallery.

Tower Rock Persimmons

Mother’s not going to be happy with me for writing about this.She considers this her personal secret stash of persimmons.

When I got my van back from LeGrand Bros Transmission, I wanted to give it a good workout before heading to Florida. The road from Cape Girardeau through Perry County to the washed-away community of Wittenberg was the right mixture of hills and curves to see if it had any kinks. The final test was to take it on the hilly gravel road that leads to one of my favorite places, Tower Rock on the Mississippi River.

We always make it a point to go up there during Mother’s Birthday Season because there are some of the best persimmon trees we’ve ever seen at the overlook parking area. [Click on the photos to make them larger.]

Most persimmons don’t ripen before frost

Almost every persimmon I’ve seen isn’t ripe until after the first frost. I don’t know if the frost provides something to make them sweet or if the timing is just right when the frost arrives.

Most persimmons will turn your mouth inside out if they are the least bit green. If it’s ever happened to you, you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you haven’t had it happen, come here. I have something I’d like for you to taste.

This tree doesn’t need a frost

What’s unusual about the fruit on this tree is that it ripens without a frost.

When I visited Tower Rock earlier in the spring, I thought this might be a light year. The rain and windstorms had knocked a lot of the fruit to the ground.

When we showed up today, the tree was loaded. Mother picked around on the ground until she found a couple that had fallen off the tree and had that rich, golden brown look. She wanted to taste persimmon a lot more than I was willing to risk, but she pronounced them good. If it had been Brother Mark, I wouldn’t have trusted him, but your mother won’t lie to you.

So, now I’ve let the secret out of the bag. I bet Brothers David and Mark just moved up a notch in the will.

August 20, 2011September 18, 2011

Cape Clouds at Sunset

Here are the clouds we spotted just before heading out to the new Central High School stadium to see if it would make a good foreground for a sunset photo. I’m glad we discovered the Marching Band practicing there, but I would have been satisfied with some cloud photos. This was due south when we climbed into the car. [You can click any of the photos to make them larger.]

Cloud was boiling and growing

Second by second, this massive white mass was boiling and growing larger. It was neat, but I wanted something more interesting in the foreground. In Florida, there are always palm trees handy. Palm trees are a cliche, but even cliches can make a nice photo.

Wife Lila was driving and she cautioned that I should shoot what was in front of me because the light was changing so quickly that the magic might leak out. I’m usually the one saying that, so this was a real role reversal.

Sunset coming fast

She was right (as always), though. The sun was getting ready to go down. As soon as that happened, the wonderful white highlights would go away. Still, I thought there might be a better shot elsewhere.

Aggravating circumstances

Normally I would have hated to have been stuck at a long red light, but this gave me a chance to experiment with the clouds and passing truck traffic at Silver Springs and Shawnee Parkway. The composition isn’t quite what I would liked to have had, but the red light changed to green before a truck with his side running lights could streak by with another truck in front of him. I have to confess I was hoping that the guy in the foreground who hadn’t turned his marker lights on would get ticketed by a cop, but I don’t think the charge of aggravating a photographer is in the state statutes.

If I hadn’t been convinced that there might be a better shot at the high school, I’d have stayed here to work on a little nicer photo. The elements were there, just not in the right combination during this light cycle.

Tag: Scenics