Musings from the last best place - Thoughts on living and working in Montana

There's Something About Paths...

I love taking shots of paths. Although I've never done a formal study, I can look back at images I've captured over the years and see that my eye has been drawn to them for some time. I guess it's the promise they hold - the air of possibility - that makes them so intriguing. Or perhaps its my recessive wanderlust - because I hesitate to act on such impulses in my life decisions, could I be fascinated by visual constructs that signify the promise of "what if?"

Here are three shots taken at different times in my growth as a photographer. The first is a shot of a private garden that I took on a walkabout in London almost three and a half years ago. The second I took near a lake in up-state Wisconsin three years ago this fall. Finally, the third I took in Cody, Wyoming this past weekend. While my equipment has certainly improved over the years (the first two shots were taken with a small Nikon 2100; the third, with my Olympus e500), I hope my technique and execution have also improved over the years.

     

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Theres_Something_About_Paths...zip (656 KB)

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Filed under  //   Chelsea   London   Paths   Photography   Shoshone River   Wisconsin   Wyoming  
Posted October 7, 2008
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Cottonwood on the South Fork of the Shoshone - Cody, Wyoming

One of several great things I learned from a Rocky Mountain School of Photography weekend I attended once: always look behind you. After capturing the autumn river shot I'd set out to bag, I turned and saw this lone cottonwood in its fall glory.

Looks like this tree has seen better days, but it's current shape makes it all the more interesting. I hope life is like that: I'm not getting any younger!

Shot with my 40-150mm at 71mm, f14 for 1/40 sec.

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Filed under  //   Cody   Fall   Photography   Shoshone River   Wyoming  
Posted October 7, 2008
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My Favorite River Shot of the Day. South Fork of the Shoshone - Cody, WY

After I'd ventured about 20 miles west of Cody, I finally found a county road that took me back toward the river on public ground. Crossing an old, single-lane iron bridge, I was rewarded with this shot that qualifies as my favorite shot of the day. Sans tripod, I was able to steady my camera on the girders of the bridge to keep things sharp.

Shot with my 40-150mm at 45mm, f14 at 1/60 sec.

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Filed under  //   Cody   Photography   Shoshone River   Wyoming  
Posted October 5, 2008
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Castle Rock on the South Fork of the Shoshone River - Cody, Wyoming

Castle Rock is an interesting geographical feature that juts about 700 feet above the valley floor west of Cody, Wyoming. Famous mountain man Jim Bridger noted this landmark when he passed by here in the fall of 1807. Save the expensive homes lining the river, one wonders if it looked similar in his day...

I chose this perspective because I like the way the butte in the background mimics Castle Rock in the foreground. Shot with my 40-150mm at 55mm, f14 for 1/50 sec.

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Filed under  //   Castle Rock   Cody   Fall   Mountains   Photography   Shoshone River   Wyoming  
Posted October 5, 2008
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Toward Castle Rock on the South Fork of the Shoshone River - Cody, WY

Here's another shot of the Shoshone River that I took today, this one looking west toward Castle Rock. This was one of the few areas I found where I was able to get close to the river without crossing private land - most of the South Fork is land-locked by private property. Consequently, I spent a good part of my time hunting for the perfect river shot. This one came close, but it wasn't quite what I was looking for. That said, I liked that the shot captured the incoming weather coming down the valley. Shot with my 14-45mm at 45mm, f14 for 1/50 sec.

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Filed under  //   Cody   Fall   Photography   Shoshone River   Wyoming  
Posted October 5, 2008
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Towards Carter Mountain Overlooking the South Fork of the Shoshone - Cody, Wyoming

I spent the weekend in Cody, Wyoming while my wife and sister-in-law visited family. Rather than hanging out with the fam today, I decided to sneak out for a drive to shoot the fall colors on the South Fork of the Shoshone River. I forgot my tripod in Bozeman, so I had to take most of these shots hand-held. If you've ever spent time in Cody, you know that this can be a challenge considering the gale force winds that often blow on the South Fork. Today was no exception, and I wound up discarding several blurry shots tonight during post-processing.

This weekend also marked the opening of hunting season - there were several guys wearing hunter orange driving here and there in their pickups. Needless to say, I stayed pretty close to the vehicle (I was wearing black and didn't want to be mistaken for the local fauna).

This shot is taken from above the inlet to the Buffalo Bill Reservoir looking south toward Carter Mountain. Shot with my 40-150mm at 62mm, f14 for 1/40 sec.

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Filed under  //   Cody   Fall   Mountains   Photography   Shoshone River   Wyoming  
Posted October 5, 2008
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