Gary Crabbe / Enlightened Images

File this one under: “The universe ain’t big enough for the two of us…”

Picture: Moving rock at sunrise on the Racetrack Playa, Death Valley National Park, California

Twice in the last few trips I’ve taken, I’ve had my personal space invaded when all around me there was nothing but empty space. I guess that some people just don’t get that personal space can be either important or valued. Many of us nature-loving photographers often seek out places of tranquil, solitary quietness with the goal of trying to convey that in our photos.

In reverse order, the latest incident happened on a November weekday evening in Lava Beds National Monument. Arriving well after dark at the campground near the visitor center, I toured both loops to discover the place was completely empty. Nobody… anywhere… ‘cept me. While cooking my dinner over a campfire, a mondo, need a step-ladder to get in pick-up truck arrived hauling a huge trailer. Out of two vacant loops save my one campsite, they picked the site two spots away from me. For the next twenty minutes, my quiet campfire was rudely interuppted by the constant shouts while they tried to level their trailer into position. Start truck engine: “OKAY… Back up. More. More. STOP! No, go forward. STOP! No, back a little more. OKAY.” Turn truck engine off. You think they’d have gotten it right, but no, this scene played itself out three more times in almost the exact same order. Then to top it off, everytime they stepped out of their trailer, their Super Mag-Lites would beam straight into my campsite. I was almost ready to pack up and move in a gesture of insult when they finally settled in for the night.

OK, that was bad. But even worse is when the person invading your space is another photographer trying to see, then shoot what you’re shooting while you’re working. When I was on the Racetrack Playa with friend and fellow photographer Jim Goldstein and his two companions, we met another photograher who I’ll call Bob. Bob actually lived local to me, so we talked for awhile, and he was genuinely a nice guy. However, once out on this huge dry playa, he would repeatedly walk right up to me or one of the other photographers to see what they were shooting, and proceed to set up and shoot nearly the same shot. In several instances, Bob literally planted his tripod within a couple feet behind me, shooting right past my leg to get as close to what I was shooting as possible. While I liked having someone to chat with, the sad part was that I felt like someone was substituting my own personal vision and experience for their own. The worst moment was at the one instant of transitional light between shade and direct sunlight, he’d walked right in front of what I was shooting, stopped 10 feet in front of me, started fiddling with his gear while his shadow stretched right across the moving rock line I was trying to shoot. All I could do was take a picture of him in my way to record the moment.

I just don’t get it. There’s a whole big universe of space out there, people. It’s one thing if your one of a half dozen photographers trying to shoot Mobius Arch at sunrise in that cramped little spot. However, in a nice big desert, certainly it shouldn’t be too tough to chase down your own little bit of space & vision instead of climbing atop someone else’s shoulder. Bob – If your’re reading this, forgive me… because I did enjoy talking with you, but sometimes, respect for other people’s space should be understood (intuitively) and respected.

See the above picture larger at my archive, or visit my online gallery of Death Valley Photos.

Picture: Rainbow over the “Meat & Potatoes Palace”, near Hat Creek, California (A play off Galen Rowell’s famous photo, Rainbow over the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet.)

I love coming home after being on the road for more than a few days. Returning home to my wife and kids is always it’s own reward, as is the comfort of the house and getting to sleep in my own bed.

But on just about every trip I take, I meet someone who says they’d love to be doing what I do, and how lucky I am running around all over the place and taking pictures. Most of the time I give them a sincere nod of appreciation and token acknowledgement. But under my breath, it’s about all I can do to keep from saying, “if you only knew…”. What I want to tell them is to imagine themselves in my shoes:

My last trip found me zig-zagging and looping around a good chunk of northern California, turning 1413 miles in about six days while working on my current book project. When I leave, I always take some work with me that I hope to get done. None of it ever does get done. Most of the time I sleep in my truck, with maybe only one or two nights in a hotel in any given week. My cell phone alarm usually goes off at least an hour before sunrise. Breakfast usually follows after a few hours of shooting in the morning, and is almost always Peets Coffee & instant oatmeal. Lunch usually gets missed due to driving or shooting, and maybe as minimal as a couple plain tortillas, crackers & cheese, or a quick fast food stop. After a day filled with trying to get as many book locations in as possible, I usually opt to find some deserted road or empty campground to park the truck. Dinner a la backpacker stove is usually a can of Chunky soup, canned pasta, or Salami & Cheese.

This is the life they want, what they wish they can be doing? So often is the misconception brought on by fancy magazines that the travel or nature photographer’s life must be glamorous and full of adventure. Adventure, yes. Glamour, hardly. It’s certainly not all 5-star resorts and filet mignon dinners, though those do dot the landscape on occasion. My good fortune is that I’m just as happy sleeping in my truck and eating canned soup as I am spending a few nights at the Hotel del Coronado. But no matter where I go or how I travel, I’m always happiest when I’m coming home.

See the photo larger at my image archive.

Picture: Morning light on the Battleship USS IOWA (BB 61) as she sits awaiting her fate, moored in the Mothball Fleet, Suisun Bay, near Martinez, California

See the image larger.

Yesterday was a first. It was the first time that I specifically set out to use my boat as a shooting platform for my business, as opposed to a recreational escape. For my current book project, I’ve been photographing things related to California and history. A recent news story caught my attention whereby it was stated that the 50+ old WWII ships parked in Suisun Bay are supposed to be sent off for cleaning and eventual recycling.

Since the turn of the century, the Mothball Fleet had a new flagship with the arrival of the historic USS IOWA Battleship (BB 61). Since that time, this proud warrior ship, and defender of many U.S. Military personnel has sat idle, bididng her time, and waiting for her final disposition. My son went with me on this trip, and even helped steer our boat into position while daddy took pictures. (Read: Went to work.) As we cruised around the area working various water-bound vantage points, this became another great chance to work in a life-learning lesson for my son. When I told him they want to scrap the ship, he asked why no one wants to save it. It wasn’t an easy answer to explain why the people of San Francisco turned down the chance to save this ship as a museum due to a culturally-based political bias against the military.

Now I’m as peace-luvin’, granola & Big Mac eating, anti-war type as they come, but that doesn’t mean I’m anti-military. I have the greatest respect for all members of the military, including members of my own & extended family that have served. I also feel it’s important for all of us to at least show due respect for something that played such a vital role in our country’s history, something not lost on any member of what Tom Brokaw called the “Greatest Generation“. It’s like if you ever go to visit the Memorial for the crew of the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor; pro-military or anti-war, there’s just something about it….

I remember when I was a kid, just about the same age as my son, I got a chance to tour the USS Massachusetts. It’s a memory that stays with me today more than 30 years later. Apparently there are a couple groups trying to save the USS IOWA, and I truly hope they succeed. To see such a proud and mighty vessel sitting quietly is one thing if she’s serving as a rememberence, a reminder, and a teacher. But it’s something all together different to think she’s quietly biding her time before being towed off to be chopped up and melted down as nothing more than mere scrap.

For more info, check out: SAVE THE USS IOWA and Historic Ships Memorial at Pacific Square.

Oh yeah, and as for my son and I, we spent the rest of that November day on flat calm water and almost summer-like weather with temps hoovering near 80 degrees, fishing. The only thing missing from this perfect day was… the fish.

Photo: Tourist overlooking Badwater and the Panamint Mountains at sunrise, Dante’s View, Death Valley National Park, California

It was a long time coming; almost eight full months. As I drove, I kept hearing that old cowboy song reverbarating over and over in my head, “Back in the Saddle Again, Yes I’m back in the Saddle again.” It was a good feeling.

Ever since my accident, falling off that cliff in Death Valley back in late February, I hadn’t yet had the chance to go off and do a real working photo trip. Yes, I made several short ’single-subject’ trips related to my current book project, and I even took my kids to see the Grand Canyon. But I hadn’t just jumped in my truck and taken off on a multi week, work-related photo shoot. That is, until a couple weeks ago. The kids were back in school, my wife’s big work project had cleared a major hurdle, and my deadline was starting to loom on the horizon.

I bolted over Tioga Pass road to beat a major seasonal storm that would surely close that pass, and started my shoot at Bodie State Historic Park. From there I went to Bishop, in part to hold up in a hotel while the storm passed, and to revisit the Mountain Light Gallery – as per my last post. While in Bishop, I connected up via email with friend and fellow photographer Jim Goldstein, and learned that he was heading to Death Valley, a place that had been on my mind for nearly all of this year. I know being over in the Eastern Sierra, I would be just a hop, skip, and jump away from Death Valley, and gosh if I wasn’t dead set on going back to where I had my accident, and seeing if I couldn’t find my old pair of glasses that I lost during the fall. I also wanted to finish the trip I’d been on back when I had my accident. (OK – I also found a reason or two to go there for my book project.)

I must admit, I had those nervous butterflies in my stomach as I drove toward “the spot”. Not only did I get a good look this time of where it happened, but I found both the bush where I had my midnight campfire, as well as my glasses at the base of a bush along the bottom of the fence.

Photos: The bush and campfire ‘ring’ near where I ‘woke up’ on the desert floor in the middle of the night. The ‘cliff’ and where I parked that night. In the light of day, I figured the total fall was closer to 35′, rather than the 40′ I guestimated looking upwards in the dark desert night.

When I finally got back in my truck and drove out of the park, and I was able to reflect on the shots I’d gotten in the park on this trip, I felt like I’d conquered a quiet little demon. Finally, I was on the road working again, and making new images. My perspective once again renewed; I’m glad to still be here, and so happy to share my images with everyone.

“Spirits in the Air” – Cloud rising into blue sky, Eastern Sierra, near Bishop, California

It’s hard to explain; yesterday I spent an hour at the Mountain Light Gallery in Bishop. It was the first time I’ve been there in years, and only the second time that I’ve been there since the plane crash that killed Galen & Barbara Rowell. As I walked around the gallery, there was such a flood of memories, that I could almost sense their presence. More than that, I could almost hear their voices.

Galen was the closest person to a surrogate father figure outside my family, and especially after my own dad had passed away. I’d always felt it was my dad’s hand from beyond that guided me into the door at Mountain Light back in 1990.

I know that both Galen’s kids take great pride in their dad’s achievements, and they’ve done a great job preserving and continuing his legacy. But Barbara had no kids. The gallery in Bishop was her “baby”. I know how much of her heart and soul she put into that place, making it the absolute best it could be. As I walked out the door, I said silently under my breath, “It’s still here, Barbara. Your baby’s still here.”

This morning, while shooting sunrise in the Buttermilk Region, I was focused on the mountains in front of me, covered in the first real seasonal coat of snow. Then something made me turn around, and this is what I saw. “Holy nuts!” I said as I quickly framed the scene. I only had time to burst off a few frames before the cloud had completely disappeared. At this instant, while looking through the viewfinder, all I could think of was Galen’s famous shot of the Split Rock & Cloud which he’d taken within a mile of where I was standing. When I chimped back through the frames to see what I got, I was instantly hit by the feeling that this image was a gift, an acknowledgment perhaps of my own acknowledgment the day before.

What it was that made me turn around at that exact moment, who knows? I have an idea… Once again, all I could say was, “Thanks.”

See the image larger here.

Footnote: This was actually the second time in the same area that I walked away from a shot with that same feeling. The other was when I took this image, the morning of Galen & Barbara’s memorial in Bishop.

Picture: Sunset light on the peaks above Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, Yosemite National Park, California

One of my photographer friends, Guy Tal, posted on his blog, er… web journal, yesterday that he was perhaps one of the last people to ride the photographic coat tails of Ken Burns’ recent PBS documentary film series on the National Parks.

So as to not be the only photographer left who hasn’t made a post on the subject, here’s mine:

I thought the film was great. But as I watched it, one scene stuck out for me more than most others, in part because of my current book project on California’s history. They presented an archival photo of Hetch Hetchy Valley, that was widely considered to be the ‘little sister’ of Yosemite Valley. Last week I was at Hetch Hetchy to photography the reservoir for my book. I also hope to use the same archival shot to show what now lies submerged beneath the water.

As I walked across the dam, that archival image was etched into my brain. It was all I could do to look out over this body of water, and think to myself that what laid before me was done to feed the thirst of a city, San Francisco. It was that thirst, the need for water by a rapidly growing population, that brought men to dam and flood this beautiful haven.

There continues to be a strong environmental push to undam the lake and restore Hetch Hetchy Valley. It’s a nice thought, but I’m afraid I just don’t see it happening anytime soon. The cries of a thirst-ravaged city makes for a powerful political lobby Besides, where else would San Francisco get all of it’s water from? It’s too bad the technology for desalination of ocean water doesn’t exist yet. Oh wait, it does. Must be dollars and NIMBY-ism that keeps Hetch Hetch a flooded shell of it’s former, and natural beauty.

Picture: Early evening light over Mount Diablo from Briones Regional Park, Contra Costa County, California

Two great tests today. The first is this test of the hosted embed widget from my PhotoShelter Archive. (It works.)

The second, and much more significant venture, is more akin to that Anakin Skywalker’s trek over to the Dark Side. This is my very first HDR processed image I’ve posted in public.

I never had a problem with people working to increase the dynamic range of an image. However, I’ve stayed away from the automated HDR processes, preferring to have more manual control. I shot this image a number of years ago, specifically with enough brackets to produce an HDR file. So, today the stars aligned, and an unseen force pushed me to hit the until now rarely touched “Merge to HDR” button.

I’ve seen a lot of bad HDR, and I’ve seen some very good HDR. For myself, when I use the term HDR, I specifically refer to an automated computer process, vs. more manual methods like blends & multi-processed files. And by BAD HDR, I mean some really garish, hyper-haloed, day glo-colored, and mostly unnatural looking shots. I certainly don’t have anything against photographers who process images like that, but it’s just not my visual cup o’ tea. My hope is to keep a more natural look and feel akin to the visual palette that I grew up with (photographically speaking), mostly in look and feel like my old velvia slides.

So will I continue to use HDR. I dunno… we’ll see. (Heard: faint voice of the Dark Side calling.)

And as as footnote to that last ‘look & feel’ comment, I always like to point people to my portfolio and see how easy it is for them to guess which are slide-based, and which are digital-based images.

Picture: When stuff doesn’t work right, this is what can happen…

We all have these kinds of days. It’s part of the modern world, when technology suddenly stops working the way it should, and in a blink of an eye, the easy life we had come to expect suddenly isn’t so easy anymore.

A friend of mine is having some mysterious computer problems. A day before, I wasted a few hours of life when my slide scanner software totally stopped functioning, even though it was working fine the day before.

This reminded me of one of my favorite Galen Rowell stories: I remember walking in to the office one morning after Galen had been trying to put together a slide show. (This was back in the days before digital & powerpoint presentations.) Normally he used a standard 80-slide tray, but for this show he was using an older 140 slide carousel. Same round size, tighter fitting slots. Apparently at some point in the night, the slides must have stuck one too many times. I walked in to his office at 8:30am to see the slide tray smashed into hundreds of little bits on the floor with a hand-written note from Galen. I took a picture of it.

The note says:

This is the last 140 tray I will try to use for a slide show. It did not die a natural death. Give it a suitable burial. – Galen

I’m sure we can all imagine how emotionally gratifiying it would be the next time your computer or laptop suddenly stops working at the exact wrong moment to smash the living crap out of it. Most of us will take a deep breath and call a technician. Very few of us might reach for a sledgehammer. But gosh, wouldn’t it be fun….

I’m getting into a busy season again after a spring of no work, and a summer of little work. Not from the economy, but from my accident & kids home from school. I’m still interested in sharing these business links that catch my attention, but I can’t keep up the pace of doing them weekly as I did during the summer. I hope, and it would be nice to know that there are people out there that appreciate my posting these links.

From Photo Business News: How to Rip off 1000 photos. Posted earlier this month, this is a great report by John Harrington about a woman who planned to scheme her way into a collection of images from photographers that she could sell. This was done through the guise of baiting photographers with the *thrill* of getting their photos published in a book. The post has since been updated to show that her ‘project’ is now cancelled. That seems to prove that there is power behind a group of peeved professionals speaking out against such shallow tactics.

From Bryan Cave’s Art Law Blog: Copyright Myths Debunked. If you’re familiar with Brad Templeton’s 10 Myths of Copyright, you’ll certainly appreciate these as a great adjunct. In fact, Bryan one-ups Brad by providing us with eleven myths.

From APhotoEditor: What To Charge – Advertising Photography. Rob Haggart started this post with an absolutely fabulous idea, trying to give photographers a handle on what other working professional photographers are doing with regards to pricing out a commercial advertising shoot. Well, this first post turns into a bloody war of words with industry consultant Debra Weiss. Rob then goes on to continue the series with a couple other great posts, including an interview with Suzanne Sease about Estimating an Ad Shoot, as well as estimating National & Regional advertising shoots.

From ArtBistro: Portfolio Development for Artists. “Your portfolio is a valuable tool in your arsenal as an artist, and it is often the first opportunity you have to impress and influence those in charge of making the decisions and choices that affect you and your work. By developing and preparing a professional portfolio, every artist is taking a step towards ensuring her or his own success.”

From the Photographers Toolkit: The Best Response to Lowball Clients. John Mireles made this post last month, but it hits the nail square on the head on how to deal with clients that want you to give them a good deal (for them) / bad deal (for you).

From Rosh Sillars: Should photographers have blogs? Want the answer? Read the post.

From David Sanger: Creating Value in Travel Photography. David is a great travel photographer, and former President of the Stock Artist Alliance. In this post, he shares his wisdom highlighting what it takes to separate yourself from the crowd, namely by creating what he calls uncommon value.

BONUS LINKS:

And speaking of Travel Photography; From the Matt Brandon’s Digital Trekker Blog: check out the two part interview with acclaimed photographer Nevada Wier he posted earlier this month, called Depth of Field. Part two is here.

Have you ever wondered what people *think* they mean when they use the word “Commercial” in a Creative Commons License? It took a professional study to figure out that people aren’t all on the same page. Is it “if you make money” like using a CCL picture in an editorial book, or perhaps a weblog that has advertising, or is it the more traditional industry interpretation, using an image to promote a product or service.

Subtitle: How to do a Photo Contest wrong.

Picture: Fall colors on grape vine leaves in autumn, vineyard in Alexander Valley, near Asti, Sonoma County Wine Growing Region, California

Twice in this last week I saw a request related to a Photo Contest for the Verde Valley Wine Trail in Arizona. The reason it caught my attention was because I’d shot a book called the Backroads of the California Wine Country. So anytime I see something about wine or vineyards, my antennae goes up a notch or three. The second time I came across the mention of this contest, I decided to take a look. (Pause for dramatic effect.) Ugh!

From Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: “Can you smell it? That smell? The smell of Mendacity?” OK, maybe not mendacity, but a blatent attempt by an organization to garner free photos for their own promotional use. The first thing I like to do in a case like this is to see the type of images an organization is currently using to promote itself, since it’s apparent they want either “more” or “better”. See for yourself what images they’re currently using to promote the area as an attraction. Compare those pics to my images of California Vineyards. OK, no comparison. My bad.

That was “ugh # 01″ – now look at the rules for “ugh # 02″ :

Upon submission all photo entries become the property of the Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce. Contestants grant the Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce unlimited usage and unrestricted rights of any photograph submitted for the contest regardless of whether or not it is a winning entry. They reserve the right to use the photos in printed or on-line materials and for educational, informational, and promotional purposes without paying compensation to the photographers or the subjects.

Oh, the thrill… Translation: it’s the ‘ol “we can use your photos however we want, even if they don’t win, AND we don’t have to pay you one bloody red cent” line.

(Drum roll) Ugh! # 03 – they don’t even have any prizes listed yet. You’ll win something, but that part is “coming soon.”

L-A-M-E-! (eye’s rolling)

Come on, folks. If you want good images to promote your business, attraction, or area, hire a real photographer. Heck, they can even hire me.

Who knows, maybe “looking good” isn’t that important for a Chamber of Commerce trying to promote area tourism?