The Blizzard of '09

you leave your bike out for a couple days over the holidays and the

biggest December blizzard in history comes along...

Grendel Dreams of Summer

I have always enjoyed and been fascinated by the Beowulf epic
For the best translation see: Seamus Heaney, Beowulf: A New Translation (Farrar Straus & Giroux, 2000)
and by John Gardner’s book Grendel  where the Grendel/Summer connection came from Grendel's childhood memories. 
The description of the innocent childhood memories of a being that is depicted as personifying evil is intriguing. Grendel’s journey may be reflected today in the violent radicalization that so dramatically affects us all.

The image came about experimenting with some of the HDR software I have.  Through serendipity, I discovered I can combine images in a way that can be aesthetically interesting and pleasing.
This is a combination of a close up of a tree and a medium wide angle of a pond.

his cold cave
talking to his mute mother
the dragon Nothing

moments

winter dreams

echos

NOLA

New Orleans - there is very little that hasn't already been said. The food, the people, the culture, the river - all still there with the synergy that only New Orleans can create. For all the times I have been to NOLA this is the first time I have been able to partake of the visual feast that is as rich and exciting as its cuisine and history.

Garden at the W Hotel Poydras

industrial abstract

Little Debbie of Snack Cake Fame

from my 23rd floor window

Stains

Concrete wall or psyche, Time leaves a stain on it all. The conscious effort to search out and understand those stains is the essence of the journey.

Passing This Way

Passing through life tracks are left – some fraction remains behind. Maybe that is what happens at death – there is nothing left to leave – the trail has run out or it’s been lost.

Beauty Multiplied

Simple Beauty

Triquivalents

Seventy plus years ago Alfred Stieglitz began creating what would become one of his most important contributions to modern photography and art. He termed them Equivalents. They were series of photographs of clouds. Until that time the subject had ruled and at times overruled the practice of photography. Even an accomplished and talented a photographer as Stieglitz was demeaned by statements that the quality of his photographs was due more to the strength of his subjects rather than his abilities.

"I wanted to photograph clouds to find out what I had learned in forty years about photography. Through clouds to put down my philosophy of life – to show that (the success of) my photographs (was) not due to subject matter – not to special trees or faces, or interiors, to special privileges – clouds were there for everyone..." Alfred Stieglitz

The Equivalents were intended to void of all signs or symbols of interpretation and so are considered the first truly abstract photographs.
___________________
The idea of creating a photograph that is purely and solely a depiction of sensation is a life time ambition. Still trying -

A Tik-Tok world

PATTERNS OF PERSPECTIVE

30,000 feet above the Earth's surface

30 inches above the Earth's surface

the long view

Looking toward the west - Mt Scott - Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma

Old Friends

After 34 years you’d think the fascination would have faded. It hasn’t. Every time, there is the same wonder about its life story. I actually do not know for certain how old the cedar is but it has changed very little in the time I have been around. I can’t say the same for me.

Probably started by a bird-carried seed, the decades of long summers, tough winters and ceaseless wind have imbued the lone cedar with a personality far richer than most of its species. Standing solitary near the crest of a prairie hill in a nest of granite boulders it is easily overlooked in the search for bison, elk and longhorn that most people come to the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge to see. It was its character and setting that originally attracted me to stop. In those 34 years I have photographed the lone cedar in all sorts of light and weather. In each image I have attempted to capture the real meaning of the tree and its surroundings. I get close at times but have yet to make an image that for me reflects the fundamental nature of its being – that feels the way the tree makes me feel. And to be honest, I am looking forward to the next 30+ years visiting this old friend in an attempt to create an image that shows its simple beauty and profound nature.

The Rut

planning ahead

young love

an eye to the future

a good wallow

The bison are in rut at the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge. It should last 4-5 more weeks. There is always bellowing, wallowing and tree horning as well as the full out head to head fights. One of the more fascinating behaviors is ‘herding’ or ‘tending’ where a bull tries to restrict access to a small group of cows until mating occurs. The younger bulls will also try to herd a cow away from the main group with varying results and reactions from the herd bull. It is a great time to sit and watch the interactions that go on in a bison herd. Remember! All the animals are agitated and focused on the rut and it is a good idea to use extra caution around them.

8 & 12

July Haiga

Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial

The Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial is a part of my everyday life. I see it when gazing out the window at work. Walking to lunch, heading home at the end of the day, it is a quiet constant.

As with any symbolic place the Memorial has been instilled with a character formed from a collective expectation and the events that happened early that April morning are no less horrific or more understandable today. But, the Memorial today is much more than a somber reminder, it can be a place for contemplation, assessment and hope. And, it is a place of subtle beauty that’s quality is as varied as the skies and seasons.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/beyondscenery/sets/72157614556341811/ More Memorial Images

A Journey of Mystery

The shoe seemed to have a whole story behind it. The question was where did it begin and where did it end.

The Odds

Life finds a way

May Haiga

Published at World Haiku Association

Sacred Heart Mission

The grounds of the Sacred Heart Mission are one of the hidden jewels of history and photography in Oklahoma. There is always a sense of pervading peace as soon as I pass the gate and begin walking in. There seems to be a difference in the light at the Mission, as well. It is just a little warmer, a bit clearer and softer at the same time. There is a timeless feel that comes over me as well. I do not understand how any of this works – just know that it is a common experience the many times I have been there. And somehow it manifest in the photographs I make. Maybe I am more peaceful and methodical in my shooting. Maybe things do slow down to where I can actually see them.
So when you go make sure you have plenty of time because you will certainly lose track of it. And do not be surprised if maybe your images feel timeless.

Near Konowa, Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma the Sacred Heart Mission was founded in 1877 to meet the needs of the recently relocated Citizen Band Potawatomi Indians. On Sunday, May 13, 1877, the first Mass at Sacred Heart was held under the open sky. The mission eventually consisted of a monastery, boys' school, girls' school, convent, college, and church. Sacred Heart Monastery for many years was the center of Catholicism in Oklahoma.

On the night of January 15, 1901, a fire broke out in the dining room of the Indian Boys School and swept out of control. The entire mission was destroyed with the exception of a few small buildings. The bakery and the two-story log cabin are the only buildings that remain today.

Spring Haiga

Spring

HDR of Mountain Boomer in the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge
In Oklahoma you know Spring is here when you see Scissor-Tailed Flycatchers, Meadow Larks, Dogwoods in bloom and Mountain Boomers.

Oh, and your favorite TV show being interrupted for severe weather updates.