 Before you call my wife and tell on me....... This day the rain fell most of the day in Yellowstone. Deepening the colors . A natural increase in contrast. The overcast sky made photographing black bears - PERFECT! This beautiful gal held my attention for a long period. In fact through at least two downpours. She was so good to keep her distance. We paralleled each other up the canyon for about a quarter-mile. I had a slight advantage that I was higher than her for most the time. Didn't make for the best perspective. Then her elevation and mine leveled out. I lost my slight advantage. A ranger was walking with me though. I thought I had a personal body guard until the ranger asked if I thought I could out run him (him the ranger, not the bear). I pushed it a little when I took this shot. She was probably 50 yards away. Notice that the bear is eyeing the ranger not me. Must be the man in uniform thing. Not often do we get this type of photo opportunity. Especially with crowds gathered. The rangers do a great job to protect the public from the wildlife. I really think we should do more to protect the wildlife from the public. The time that the bear and I walked up the canyon paralleling each other, she only looked over at us twice. Shooting 16 gig with shots of her face down in the grass gorging herself on the greens. In the end one shot was good. I like the sharpness in her eyes. The soft lighting helped with the contrast of her black fur. The grass looks enhanced but is not. This ones a keeper for me. Didn't hurt that I had a great model...........
 Ok,
I am not sure that Alea intended this to be the assignment for photography that makes you laugh out loud.........
Too many times to count I have missed a great shot. At the top of Washburn mountain a grizzly will often pass by. One occassion a very large group had assembled at the last turn-out before heading down the north slope. The hope was to see the big grizzly that has unusually light colored fur. She had walk that similar path a few times the same week. Usually just as the sun was going over the mountain. Almost on cue the grizzly with her two cubs appeared from over the ridge. A mix of emotion from excitement to fear spread through the crowd. It was difficult to photograph. Shooting directly into the sun made for very difficult exposures. Unless you like silhouettes. Most were just elated to see a grizzly in the wild. The more serious photographers frustrated with the conditions. As attention was focused on the grizzly and her cubs like the last note of Beethoven's 5th, I just happened to turn and see just over the hill and down from the crowd another grizzly. Better lighting, and easier to compose. I shot like crazy. I was the only one getting the shots of grizzly "b". Until I mentioned the new arrival just as the best shots were departing. The lesson I learned that night and have seen many, many times is that as photographers you must look all around. Don't miss the small stuff while focused (literally) on the big shot. The photo above was taken when I had set up for a scenic shot last week in Yellowstone. I had my camera and the 24-70 lens on with a polarizer and a .9 ND grad filter ready. The wait was at least 2 hours for the shot I took. Waiting and waiting. The ground was moving all around me. These cute little critters were having the party of the week. Soon I was more interested in these guys than the lighting of the scene I had set up for. Long story short - the 600 was out quickly and set at ground level. I had a blast photographing these hyper-active furry little guys. WHAT A BLAST! The big scene was still being watched though. In the end I was very pleased to get a scenic that I had wanted for years. I now have a file of these guys in all types of poses and actions. Always look at every level and all around you when shooting. The best shot just may be right behind you.
 Today was our City's 4th of July Parade. There is little that attracts obedience in the parade more than when the Color Guard passes by. It gets quiet and respectful. Some tears are expressed. Everyone stands and puts their hands over their hearts. These are solemn times. I am blessed to live in this country. To travel and enjoy my hobbies. To worship as I wish. To love who I love. To respect Women. To love my kids and grandkids. To not have to plant tomatoes. To carry a weapon. To own a home. To work where I choose and have been chosen. To save money. To have a comb-over if I wish. To photograph whom, where and what I would like. To buy gold. To sell gold. To have a choice of where I get medical service. To respect the office of those public officials that serve our country. To publicly disagree with public officials. To grow grapes. To have incredible neighbors. To buy Nelson's Custards Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. To love....... To be loved....... And to feel important........... I am truly blessed to live in this country. I will always defend it's honor. God Bless America!
  Tonight it started to rain in Prescott. I wasn't about to be shut out of a little exploration (with camera in hand). Rain always adds some interesting affects to plants, rocks and trees. The plants above were found just behind the hotel. Rain darkened the soil and greened up the plants. The rocks above had unique colors that popped with the soft light and rain soak. Prescott has some unique features. I was treated tonight with a couple.
 Nikon D-3, 14-24mm @14mm, 1/160 @ f/7.1, ISO 100, -1.33 EV N 34 Degrees, 35.554 minutes West Degrees, 25.103 minutes 5163' above sea level
From a daily average temperature of 55 degrees to 107 degrees. Instead of passing away (how do you spell dieing?) and going to heaven, I've traveled to hell..... Why do people live in Phoenix and the surrounding areas? The heat. I get the same answer everytime when I ask. They always say they like the heat. They get their wish. Man it's hot. If the people like the heat so much why is every building cooled to 20 below zero inside? Passing thru the rental car terminal I noticed several women complaining of the cold. In other buildings I have been here, it is much cooler than building temps in the SLC area. I don't get it. Why not just run fans in the buildings down here if everyone like the heat so much? This is one I will never figure out
Arriving tonight late in Prescott Valley I ran to my favorite spot before dinner and checking into the hotel. This lake is one of the most photogenic lakes around. A couple that was having a picnic their asked that I take a photograph of them. It was their 25 wedding anniversary. Very cordial people. They seem to have the relationship that those with a lot fewer years married have. I hope their years together continue to their longest goal. The photo above was taken from a different location from where I have shot before. The sky and multitude of rock formations give great variety and options to photograph. Tonight black and white fit. If your in Prescott Valley look up this lake.
Kelly....this is my kind of biker! He's has to be the ultimate Yellowstone Tourist! This is how I want to look. Really! Yes, REALLY! Think about it for a moment. I have to sneak out of my house everyday. If not I hear; "your not leaving looking like that are you"? Don't get me wrong. My wife is not a prima-donna. She just has some self respect. She does not buy clothes like crazy or anything like that. She just hair combed, coordinating colors in her clothing, brushes her teeth, shoes look nice. Then there is me. I want to look like "Bear" in the photo above. He's cool. How many people do you know have a helmet like that? The chin strap accentuates his long beard. I wonder if a stylist streaked his beard? Anyway. He pulled to the side of the road on a 70's Honda. Maybe a 450? Now that's really cool. He even is taking out a disposable camera to shoot a grizzly with cub. Non of this "I have the biggest lens" garbage. Does he care what people think? Nope. He's a smart dresser. I should try this more. Levi's and a black top. Anything goes with that huh? He's cool. My dream look. I bet he could take the bear.......
 What did I hear most of today. "How was Yellowstone"? It barely needed an answer. Anybody that even slightly knows me knows the answer to that question. It rained every day, most of the day except Friday. For photography not all bad! The filtered light made for a lot of fairly easy exposures like the one above of the Goose and the Gooselets. What did however make this photo a little difficult was that I was shooting through a fog that was rising just in front of the birds. Look at the bottom left of the photo it is a little lighter or "milky". Thanks to post shooting darkroom opportunities I eliminated the majority that was in the photo. Some call this color cast correction. There a several methods for removing color cast. Here is the way I learned it from the master Moose Peterson. And here is a different method. Learning this technique is essential. I have used the process on occasion like in the photo above. Take the time to learn this technique and you will never regret it.
 Going home tomorrow... It's been a great week. Today it rained heavy most of the day. Still had some great stories and experiences. Can't wait to share. One in particular is the buffalo calf in the photo above. It was my last hours in the park and somewhat emotional. I'll try to get the story out tomorrow or Monday........ Thanks Yellowstone for a week of no sleep and great adventures!!!!
 N 44 degrees 57.338 minutes W 110 degrees 31.304 minutes
 N 44 degrees 46.409 minutes W 110 degrees 44.109 minutes
Holy Cow am I tired. Tomorrow is the last day of this great week of fun. Late in....Early up....
 What an incredible day! Lots of shooting. Three grizz, 4 black bears, Bull elks, etc., etc. But I planned on today being artsy fartsy day.
It is very late. Getting up early again. ENJOY!!
Today I finally found the cinnamon bear that I photographed last year just after it fought with a black bear. He has come full circle. Now he is in love. I witnessed bear love today. I can't post it because this a G-rated blog. So I just left you with them heading of into the evening light together.
If you go on my web site you will see this same bear. The evidence is his eye. When he fought the black bear his eye was permanently damaged. You can see it in the photo above.
If you read my editorial comment this is the grizzly and cub that was intruded upon by a tourist and her daughter. I was fully expecting a long period of shooting and possibly a few real fun shots. BUT NO!
Hayden Valley......a beautiful place at 6:30 p.m.
My belly shot of Sand Hill Cranes just before a woman approched me and my friends. Scaring them away. After reading my comments it should be obvious why I prefer being away from the road side shots. Finding places back away from the public. It makes for more time with the animals. And allows me to reap from the efforts I make to photograph animals in their natural environment.......
What is it with the tourists in Yellowstone? No sign, no warnings, no amount of telling, yelling, or advising gets through to them. I do consider myself a tourist here. Several times today I witnessed ignorance to the MAX! Example #1. I had crawled on my hands and knees for a significant distance to photograph two Sandhill Cranes. When I got to the place I chose to shoot the birds I very slowly sat up and set up my tripod. So here I sit and my camera is inches off the ground. The shooting began. I guess when a guy leaves the road with a very big lens that means act stupid? It was interesting watching the Cranes preen themselves. Occasionally they would look my direction to check for any movement. Believe me I was pretty inconspicuous. Then the birds seemed nervous. And then they were off. At the same time a lady walked (upright) to me and asked what I was taking pictures of. "here's your sign".
Example #2. The park rules say that tourists must stay a minimum of 100 yards from any bear. Of course there are examples of when a tourist comes upon a bear or visa versa. Near Holmes mountain there was a Grizzly Bear and a cub. A significant crowd had gathered. The longs lens stops cars in their tracks. I was at least 100 yards away maybe even farther by a little. My time there turned from a photographer to a one man audience of a comedy and stupidity show. As cars and people stopped they gathered around me. Within thirty minutes I was farthest from the bears. At one point a young lady with a very young child pushed the limits. They were about 40 yards from the bears. Another photographer standing with me whistled and yelled at the women. Soon there was others by her. A grizzly bear can cover 40 yards faster than any person I know by 4 times.... easy. Then the mother and child (human) pushed it a little more. Fortunately the bears departed quickly instead of charging or injuring the tourists. Ok. Here is the amazing part of the event. As the crowd dispersed the lady and child walked past me and the other photographer. The other photography mumbled a few expletives and said how stupid the woman was. And emphasized that because of her actions others can't enjoy the bears. Her response......"I wanted my child to see a bear in it's natural environment" More expletives flew from the photographers mouth. I just stood in amazement. I had three other similar experiences today. Yes the Tourist approaching a very large bull elk to pet it was one of them. I had a long conversation today with one of 'lead" rangers". We swapped stories. His favorite.....the man that tried to climb the same tree that the bald eagles nest was in to get a close up of the eagle chicks. INCREDIBLE!!!!
 Nikon D-200, 600mm lens, 1/1000 sec @f/4.0, ISO 100
Last winter the famous tree holding the eagles nest along the Madison River fell. Everyone was amazed when this mated pair came back to the same spot and built a new nest in a tree next to the where the old one stood. They had been nesting in the old nest for years. Tonight my time with them was fairly short. Two reasons. One is that I forgot my mosquito repellent. Man the bugs were eating me alive. The second reason was that I was on the verge of making a public scene. I thought it best that I leave. There is a prominent sign in both directions that says there is to be NO stopping, standing, parking, or walking for the quarter mile near the eagles nest (the code number is noted on the sign). The park is concerned that the nesting eagles will be disturbed and not return to nest here. BUT NO!!!!!! Like smokers littering anywhere they want, everyone but me was exempt to the posted restriction tonight. A park ranger came through several times and moved everyone out. As soon he would be out of site back they would go. *(&^$%@#%^&
 Nikon D-200, 600 mm lens, 1/1250 Sec @ f/4.0, ISO 320, EV +0.33
With the day mostly overcast the light was soft. The soft light made exposing pretty easy. Most of my subjects to were at great distances. That required me to use the D-200 on my 600 mm lens. The net focal length is 900 mm. Good reach for skittish animals. The ducks in the photo above were fighting over something. Maybe just having a family quarrel. It put my manual focusing skills to the test. You can see that when I was shooting them it was raining a bit. Had to push up the ISO a bit and open the lens wide.
 Nikon D-3 24-70 f/2.8 lens, 1/50 sec @ f/13.0, ISO 200, EV -.67
I loved the effect that the mist/steam off the water gave to this scene. Bad thing is the leading lines go one way and the subject is on the other side of the photo. Oh well...I even waited a while but the elks never ame around. I just like the colors and depth.
 Nikon D-3, 200-400mm lens, 1/60 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 200, EV-.33
Ok our little secret. If my wife finds out I will be grounded from Yellowstone. Just up from Mammoth towards Swan Lake Meadows are a couple of big ponds. Though they are down from the road pretty far, I heard that bald eagles "picked" fish from them. This time of year the eagles are very busy feeding the little ones. So I headed down. Had my gear in my pack, vitamin water, a granny smith apple and my rain gear. On the way down I stopped to rest and for a minute. As soon as I started to walk again, coming over a slight ridge (about 50' away) was this cinnamon black bear. A little less distance than the park recommended 1oo yards. The last time I was anticipating the change of my pants when almost kissing a bear, I fell down and froze. I did not get a shot of the bear charging me. Now the last time it was a full size grizzly mom (with three cubs). This time the bear was a two year old cinnamon black bear. Not too big? We were both a little startled. The photo above is my attempt to get a picture of a bear fifty feet away having a staring contest with me. No time to set up the tripod. Just handheld. I would not normally post a picture with this much motion in the photo. The two of us had a good talk. I showed him my monopod and mentioned that I have been in fights before without the monopod and won. "It's a great defensive tool", I explained. I'm not sure he had heard too many threats from humans before. With a small snort and the show of teeth (from the bear) and a grunt from me. We parted ways. Next time I will set up the tripod and ask him to wait a second and pose for me.
   It's very late and I need to get up early. My whole day consisted of driving to Worland Wyoming and measuring a store. Done. Now the real vacation begins. The vast majority of the day was driving in rain. Now and then some peek-a-boo lighting. I hoped to see this type of lighting today to emphasize our assignment this week. Light. In two of the cases above it really enhanced the landscape and broke it up. One shot was mid day and the others were very late. Tomorrow I will be on the prowl. Up before light to catch.........
 Light. What an amazing thing it is. All colors, all temperatures, direction, reflected, crisp, dispersed, softened, specular. We are lucky as photographers to learn about all the ways light can be recorded. Or not. Late in the day, just before sun down a prime time to record light. What are we recording actually? Items, subjects, animals, buildings, water, etc., etc. REFLECTING light. The building above had so little light that the camera did not make a record of it. Except a silhouette. With every shot I take, time is spent analyzing the light. It's what makes or breaks most photographs. Sometimes I luck out. Most of the time funny words run from my mouth when I see photographs for the first time on my computer. Tomorrow I leave for Yellowstone (my family will still be here). It is supposed to rain all week. That does not damper my enthusiasm for the trip. I have bought all kinds of rain gear for me and my camera gear over the years. Forces me to be creative ( a trait I still have not learned ). Got the lunchables, granny smith apples, string cheese and single ply toilet paper. Not much else is needed. Except my 200 lbs. of photo paraphernalia. I hope to blog everyday. But don't expect too much. My days will start at about 4:30 a.m. and end around midnight. May have to take a couple days to recover. "On the road again" "just can't wait to get on the road again"
 Lindsay gave us the challenge this week to photograph light. More specifically types, i.e morning, mid day and late day. I have a lot of ideas running through my pea brain. One is to not only record light as in rays, curves, kelvin degrees, etc. But maybe our "lights". Like the photo above. A picture of one of the "lights" of my life. I don't even have to point him out. His wonderful personality is always there and up front. This next week I will shed light on some of the lights of my life...... This is how our photography should be. Bringing attention to a subject or scene with light. Recording it in such a way that it is remembered. So the photo encourages a second glance or stare. Or at least a "wow, this photograph is good". Light makes it all happen. Good luck with your(s) and my shooting this week.
 The tanks are in the grounded bedded by 1100 tons of the specified pea gravel. Time for some stress relief...............
Tonight the cameras were out searching for something that moved on two, four or any number of legs. Best thing to do is hike before the sun goes down. Posed on a rock was this cute little guy (the message got out that I was looking for a model). Approaching was a little tenuous. I may be buying another pair of pants. But soon he realized that I was looking for a model not dinner. Close up our conversation turned to his posing. He took my advise to tilt his head slightly to grab those catch lights. I'll send a copy to him to hang on the den wall. I do love that catch light!!!
 Numenius americanus. Yes that would be a Long-billed Curlew. Yikes! Curlew!?? Who came up with that name? The boy named SUE? Look at that beak. Holy freak beak Batman! These guys don't do a lot of necking. I worked hard to get close to photograph them. No Go. Maybe the beak doubles as a radar to find humans getting too close. First time seeing this bird. I was really surprised to see it in an arid valley wandering around desert life. By the looks of the bird they may have been cast out of the Bird Club!
 I threw this photo in for a similar reason. I shot this on the gibbon river in Yellowstone last week. I can honestly say I have never seen a pair of geese standing on a large rock. So there is truth to the story about two birds and one stone........  The cliffs and rock formations near Dinosaur-land are spectacular. This particular one is several hundred feet high. Note the size in comparison to the trees at the bottom. It did not have the red and/or yellow colors that is seen a lot in southern Utah. It was truly a black and white picture for me.
 My job. Drive three and a half hours to a job site in Eastern Utah. This days project at least 5 hours behind schedule. Four - twelve thousand gallon tanks waiting to be installed first thing in the morning. A 42 x 42 foot hole 14 feet deep just finished being excavated. As I arrive I notice a slight problem with 500 tons of gravel that appears to not meet the specifications as set forth during the project bid. My Job. Stop the work! I'm the bad guy sometimes on these jobs. In todays construction market many contractors are looking for every opportunity to cut costs. One of my responsibilities is to insure that we get the minimum specified during the bidding process. The material that is bedded around four - twelve thousand gallon tanks full of gas and diesel is defined very specifically by standard testing procedures. If the material does not meet or exceed the minimum specification there is a potential for a failure of the tanks. That is the reason for the same specification being called out by the Tank Manufacturer. The specification. No more than 5% can pass through a #8 sieve. Tonight in Naples the material appears to have a much greater than 5% amount that could pass through a #8 sieve. Stop the work. I gave a quick lesson on how to collect samples for testing tonight. Called the tester out from under the Lakers Game. Sometime tonight we will get the test results. My bet is that the material does not pass the TEST. The photo above is a Rock Shooter shooting the pea gravel into the excavation. The lighting was backlit. The material that does pass through a #8 sieve can be seen as dust in the photo. Not wildlife. Not A scenic. Not even a new assignment. I thought you might find it interesting....and I couldn't sneak away from the job site get in some photography.
 Nikon D-3, 24-70 f/2.8 lens, 1/4000 second @ f/6.3, -1.67 EV, ISO 200
I have a favorite spot to go to after work if I'm driving from a project in Ogden to home. It is in West Farmington. Most of the bird shots I have taken for the past several months are within 5 miles of this location. It is an incredible spot to watch a storm come in. It is at waters edge and the view is unobstructed. Tonight a real nifty storm came through and a line of cars showed up. Like a drive-in theater we all rolled down our windows and watched the movie. The wind was gusty and cool. All the nearby birds were chattering. Especially the yellow headed black bird. They really have a lot to say. A nest was out of site. But often a black bird would fly into the rush and instantly the loud chirping of the young would begin. Pelicans are still hanging around this area. The man made Blue heron nests are within eyesight and the young are up stretching their wings as if to say the wind gusts create teaching moments for flight. After about 20 minutes the clouds parted slightly and created the light streaks in the photo above. Another opportunity for me to enjoy a few minutes of peace with nature. INCREDIBLE! Post shot in the dark room consisted of Black and White conversion in CS3. Using the scales pushed the red, lowered yellow and pushed blue. Sharpened with Nik Pro Sharpener software. Dodged about 3% in the water in front of the farm. And dodged about 4% the buildings on the farm.
 Please no more cactus photographs! How many different ways can you photograph a cactus? Unlimited ways. This is not an Arizona cactus it is a Wyoming Cactus. There's a big difference. The Arizona cactus like the warm weather a lot more and have a constant tan. They are Cardinal fans and have their own pool. The Wyoming cactus can withstand much colder temperatures. Much bigger skies and can ride horses like there is no tomorrow. I don't want to offend either one but the Wyoming cactus is more friendly with the tourists.
The photo above is an example of stark contrasts. The sharp needles of the cactus protrude from a somewhat easily damaged plant. The rock is as it's namesake, very hard, smooth and dense. Dense not in the literal sense of stupid. Well wait a minute did the saying - Dumb as a Rock..... The interesting thing that I have noticed in Wyoming when hiking about is that little varmit's build homes under the cactus. Trails will run between plants and proceed into a small burrow that was made under the Cactus. Pretty darn smart. That last time I pet a cactus I paid through the lip for days. Who taught these little guys this trick? Have they been pricked themselves burrowing under the plant? Is the plants roots food for the varmit. What is this little varmit anyway? There is so much to explore and photograph out there. Yeeeha! I sincerely hope you all have a great week!!!!
Another shot of Mom Elk cleaning and loving Baby Elk. But look close. It appears that the little guy is nuzzling up to MOM. Click on the picture and look on the log in front of the Elks. The little guy was really interested in the bird on the log. Betcha a blueberry pancake at Jeremiah's that it's the first time he is seeing a bird. Looks pretty curious. At that point the cleaning and nuzzling from Mom was a bonus. The action was fairly slow so the 200 ISO was OK (broke the 1/lens focal length). But then the little guy got a little frisky. It may have been that when the bird flew off, he thought "I need to try that".
 550 MM, 1/100 second @ f/6.7, -.33 EV, ISO 200
 550mm, 1/500 second @ f/6.7, +.33 EV, ISO 800
Pushed the ISO and the EV. The Sun was very low and behind some thin clouds. The increase in grain/noise is minimal. Thank goodness we have so many options to keep us close to the actual scene when it was shot. This has been a great week using High ISO. Thanks Dan, and the group. One week from Monday.....a week of photography in the BIg Park - Yellowstone! For sure I am having a hard time Sleeping. Had an experience tonight and this week to remind me of the circle of life we all have faced or will face. As we get older our parents get older. Yes I am learning a lot at 54! Seriously, we start out as little children with clean and pure brains, thoughts and actions. As we age we may acquire Dimensia or Alzhiemers. My experience with the passing of my father a few years ago, the brain reverts back to a clear mind (at least no memory, short or long). Their bodies and actions require adult supervision and physical assistance. Similar to a child. Patience is a must. The adult with advanced cases are confused, incontinent, belligerent, and sometimes psychotic. All but the psychoses are similar traits found in a child. The circle of life. We are born dependent on our parents. In time our parents may be dependent on their children. There is emotional, financial and time considerations. It is very important that I remind myself that my Mother is still my Mother and deserves all the patience, love, care, attention and time that I can give. She did risk her life for me...literally.
 Yes it is 1:00 a.m. The drive from Cody home should take about eight hours? Another drive in the rain. Until I got to the Madison River tonight. The sun was low in the sky. Peek-a-boo lighting abundant. And a new born in the Madison River with Mom. Getting set up for this shot had to be fast. Only a few minutes before the sun would set. How long would Mom caress the little guy? The checklist ran through my mind faster than ever before. Hand Held? Aperture, focal length, exposure compensation, and ISO all critical to the shot. People saw my long lens and were falling out of there cars to see what I was running to photograph. With ooh's and Ahh's as a backdrop I focused and shot. The calf could not be more than a day old. The cow was cleaning the calf almost constantly. It was one of those scenes in nature that make it all worth it. The attention and sensitive care given to this newborn is profound. His days may be very few. Or he may grow to a mature male with procreative instincts of his own. Whatever the case Everyone standing with me was silent and enjoyed a lesson in motherhood. As I picked up my gear to leave a woman whispered to me in an almost sacred tone, "Wasn't that just beautiful?" "Yes" I replied. "I hope you have a good night" she returned. Still whispering as if trying not to wake a child, "I hope to see them tomorrow" she said in a cautious tone. "If not we have our photographs" I thought "I have my photographs and will keep them close" I said with a big grin and a wink.
 Nikon D-3, 200-400mm, TC-1.7, 1/250 sec @f/6.7, ISO 200, +.33 EV comp.
There everywhere! Years ago I thought they could only be found in California. This group of Pelicans were located just up the canyon from Cody towards Yellowstone. The river is running high and fast. They found this small strip of shallow water to rest. Made for an easy shot. Still drawn to birds I guess. Fascinating behavior. Varied colors, sizes and shapes. Encourages creativity with photographic skills. What more is there to enjoy? Maybe a late dinner at ERMA's Hotel in Cody, Wyoming.
 Dennis R. this one is for you. Driving from Worland to Lovell, Wyoming this scene caught my eye. The problem is I saw it from a distance. Getting close enough required me to cross a small mountain. About a 30 minute hike each direction. I guess this was a expanded test for the old "ticker". I feel OK tonight. To me it is a very interesting geological feature (to Dennis it's probably just another .......). Can't wait for the details of how this was formed. Made for some great photography experiences.
 Nine hours on the road, surely I am going to see one thing to photograph. Focused on getting to Worland, Wyoming before midnight. Rain pouring in sheets for most of the drive. The only visible part of of the Tetons was the white line fourteen feet from my window. Lewis Lake covered in Ice and snow. I think Yellowstone lake was still there. I made it to my hotel with two photographs on the memory card. A personal record for me. Can't think of anytime that 24 hours passed without recording some light. Get up tomorrow work, measure, record, measure, work and then.........more than two photo's!
 Nikon D-3, 200-400 zoom lens, 1/3000 second @f/6.7, ISO 800
Found the quote in the Sunday School lesson I am preparing for this week.
OK
DanP has set us on task....here is this weeks assignment;
Ok guys so we took last week off. Sorry about that, there is no excuse really. Jim, having read your article on ISO, I thought that this weeks assignment could follow that same theme. So, this week lets shoot with ISO in mind, specifically, high ISO. All entries must be shot in an ISO above 400. Be sure to include the parameters of the shot (ISO, f number, shutter speed, lens etc...) in your entries. For the sake of learning (at least on my part) lets not do any noise reduction in post...Should be an easy one for you pros but for me it should be very enlightening...
Can't wait to see the results...
Happy shooting!
I hope to add a forum to my blog so anyone can participate in the assignments. Until then you can follow the blog and insure that your time is spent improving on your photography through the weekly assignments.
Here is a couple of articles to help; (I stand by my comments yesterday that sharpness can be obtained at any ISO, only grain changes(noise for digital).
Adorama
PhotoPro
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Before you call my wife and tell on me.......
