Places I Remember</h1> <article> <h1>Places I Remember</h1> <p>DL Dorr — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 21:34:35 +0000</p> <blockquote> <div style="text-align: left;">“There are places I remember all my life</div> <div>Though some have changed</div> <div>Some forever, not for better</div> <div>Some have gone and some remain.”</div> </blockquote> <p>The lyrics from the Beatles echo in the hallways of my mind when I look at images of special places I have visited. One such place was Wildcat Den State Park near Muscatine, Iowa in the summer of 2007 with my oldest son. I know that the company made it more special in <strong>my</strong> mind. This is also the place where I learned first-hand about mid-western humidity and heat.</p> <p>At the park is an old water powered grist mill which has been restored but is not functional. The building sits next to Pine Creek and a dam which was built in 1839 when Iowa was still a territory; there is also an old steel bridge which crosses the creek nearby.</p> <p>I didn’t get many bird pictures…well, none to be honest…but I wasn’t without some beautiful images to remind me of this memorable place with someone who means a lot to me. Thanks, buddy!</p> <div id="attachment_870" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Pine Creek Mill, Muscatine County, Iowa</p></div> <div id="attachment_871" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Pine Creek Mill and Dam</p></div> <div id="attachment_872" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Pine Creek Dam near Muscatine, Iowa and the Mississippi River</p></div> <div id="attachment_873" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Dragonfly and Iowa Wetlands</p></div> <p> </p> </article> <article> <h1>Gray Day in Glacier</h1> <p>DL Dorr — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 23:30:29 +0000</p> <p>Several weeks ago I visited the park because I was tired of feeling like a captive in my own home. The weather was gray and not very conducive to ‘typical’ Glacier Park photos…you know, the kind that is over saturated with skies that have no character…not a cloud in sight? I futzed around in Apgar taking a few pictures along the lake’s shoreline and along McDonald Creek where there were some ducks nervously paddling around under the predatory gaze of an immature bald eagle. A Kingfisher flitted into a nearby tree for a few minutes and I tried to stand upright on top of the layer of ice which had coated the road. Several times I nearly bit it but was able to scramble enough to gain footing and avoid disaster.</p> <p>I drove from Apgar along the east shore looking for a good spot and found a road-side pull out. I was extremely cautious about walking around the vehicle to gather my cameras and tripod and once I had them I tip-toed off the treacherous ice pad. I headed for the lake on a path between several trees and moved slowly but it wasn’t enough…feet flew straight out and my back slammed into the ice-covered walkway and for a millisecond the lights went out. Next I realized that there was no air in my lungs but had enough presence of mind to relax and let my body’s natural defenses kick in and soon I was able draw a full breath. The next thought in my mind was, “Did you break your back?”. I’m not a spring chicken any more and the force with which I hit the dirt was incredible. My days of floating like a feather were long past. What’s worse is nobody knew where I was! My wife was in Missoula for a conference and the park was unusually quiet…not a soul around. Cell phone coverage is very limited to say the least. I wiggled my toes and moved my feet…no pain. Yay! Getting up was done VERY slowly but just knowing that I wouldn’t die on an icy patch of ground near Lake McDonald was enough to make me want to dance…but I didn’t.</p> <p>I took pictures.</p> <div id="attachment_867" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Powder Blue</p></div> </article> <article> <h1>Where Eagles Fly</h1> <p>DL Dorr — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 22:36:26 +0000</p> <p> </p> <div id="attachment_859" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Where Eagles Fly</p></div> <p> </p> </article> <article> <h1>Weekly Assignment: Femininity</h1> <p>DL Dorr — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:59:18 +0000</p> <p><strong> Femininity: </strong>A characteristic or trait traditionally held to be female. Weekly assignments are still a favorite of mine. This week the assignment was “Femininity”. With this subject there is so much that can be done in an unconventional way.</p> <div id="attachment_846" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><p class="wp-caption-text">The Eyes Have It</p></div> <div id="attachment_847" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Beautiful Lines</p></div> <div id="attachment_848" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Hot Pink</p></div> </article> <article> <h1>Memories</h1> <p>DL Dorr — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:31:31 +0000</p> <p>I have to confess that this week I’ve been going through old pictures I have taken. Sorting through them and thinking of them as old ‘friends’ and dredging up memories of when the image was taken, why it was taken and, of course, where.</p> <p>This one was taken in the panhandle of Idaho, between Blackfoot and Salmon. Exquisite scenery and lonely as well. I remember laying in the middle of the highway to get a shot I wanted. I could see for miles in either direction and no cars were to be seen. The image posted here was taken because of the ominous clouds and the colors of the mountain.</p> <div id="attachment_842" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Ominous Sky</p></div> </article> <article> <h1>Strange Light 2</h1> <p>DL Dorr — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:59:53 +0000</p> <p>Another shot from my recent visit to Glacier Park. The memory of the cool serenity of this mountain lake in the winter is an ideal moment to reflect on. The peacefulness and solitude of that moment are rarities in our culture these days. A treasure to think about.</p> <div id="attachment_835" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Leading Lines</p></div> </article> <article> <h1>Strange Light</h1> <p>DL Dorr — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:40:49 +0000</p> <p>I needed to get out of the house today…even if the skies were gray. Glacier Park is one of the natural wonders of the world and only a few minutes from my house and it’s a favorite place to shoot. The lake was still and the light was strange. I felt as if I were the only soul in the entire park. The silence was holy and fragile. I knew that if I broke that silence the miracle of this moment would be irrevocably shattered. Another wondrous day!</p> <div id="attachment_822" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Tracks in the Snow</p></div> </article> <article> <h1>Telling Stories.</h1> <p>DL Dorr — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:51:46 +0000</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>“It is interesting being a shooter. The pictures you make are like a connect-the-dots game that becomes the line of your life, as real and vibrant as the lines on your face and hands. We tell stories with our pictures. In turn, our pictures tell our story—what we did, and how well or poorly we did it, and, very significantly, if we stuck with it.”</em> <strong><em>Joe McNally in “Sketching Light: An Illustrated Tour of the Possibilities of Flash” </em></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;">Most people who know Digitalmontana Photography are on my email list. At the bottom of every list image is a quote by a famous photographer, Henri Cartier-Bresson, considered the father of photo-journalistic photography. The quote says, “Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again.”. In essence when we shoot we are capture a slice of an unfolding story.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">When I take the time to go through my library of images I see more than the images in front of me. I remember and re-live the stories behind them and I am certain that I am not alone in that respect. Each image triggers a flood of memories and emotions associated with that tiny slice of time. Call me biased if you will, but that’s why it is so important to record these events, to capture our stories to be passed on to others, whether it be family or friends. It is so important to record those moments and places which are special to us, to be able to look back, see where we’ve been, how far we’ve come, how much we’ve changed; how much <strong><em>life</em></strong> has happened to us! When we’re gone, the pictures will remain. They will tell the future our story…who we were and about our lives. Your heirs will thank you.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">Several days ago I posted about the search for Snowy Owls and how we did not find them. Recently I returned to that area with new information about their location and did find them. Not the typical bird found in our area, some experts think the Snowy Owl has been pushed further south due to lack of food or the severe weather conditions in the Arctic.</p> <p style="text-align: left;"> For the Oglala Lakota Indians, the Snowy Owl represents the North and the north wind and were admired and respected by the tribe; in fact, warriors that excelled in combat wore a cap of owl feathers to symbolize their bravery.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">It was a privilege to find and photograph these beautiful birds which are the color of winter.</p> <div id="attachment_814" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Snowy Owl peeks over a drift of snow</p></div> <div id="attachment_815" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Outdoor Theater - Best Seats in the House</p></div> <div id="attachment_816" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><p class="wp-caption-text">A lone Snowy Owl in front of a beautiful mountain backdrop in Northwest Montana</p></div> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: left;"> </article> <article> <h1>Assignment: Backlighting</h1> <p>DL Dorr — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 13:31:43 +0000</p> <p>The most recent self-assignment subject was backlighting. This type of lighting illuminates the subject from behind and can be used very effectively for translucent objects or silhouettes. In this photo I used a strobe flash with a spot grid and aimed it at glass beads I purchased at a local bead shop. I used a 100mm macro lens at F 32:</p> <p> </p> <div id="attachment_811" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Some Are A Little Different</p></div> </article> <article> <h1>It’s Winter…finally!</h1> <p>DL Dorr — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:52:57 +0000</p> <p>The first serious snowfall in our area has finally arrived. I’m sure our local ski areas are ecstatic about that as well as the local economies. Recreation is a big industry in our valley. Here’s to good ole mother nature!</p> <div id="attachment_808" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Lady Winter At the Door</p></div> <p style="text-align: center;"> </article> </main></body></html>