Photo of the Day
Photo of the Day: Dusk in Malaga
July is a nice month to reflect on earlier times of the summer. It’s brutally hot, we’ve barely received enough rain to settle the dust in the air, and the wind zaps the energy out of you the moment it picks up. It’s a great time, however, for getting quite a bit of work done on the other side of the camera. Amidst several shoots this month, I’ve spent a great deal of the waking (and some sleeping) hours writing, editing, designing, and tending to those persnickety e-mails.
Through the flurry, I found a memorable gem from Malaga, Spain. During the last few days I spent teaching in Seville, Amanda and I made a weekend trip with two very close friends to their hometown on the Mediterranean Sea. At the end of a great day spent tea shopping, listening to the sounds of a military parade, stopping in at a favorite local pub, and walking along the seaside, we had a pleasant (and tasty) dinner on the balcony of a family flat that looked southwest toward downtown Malaga, and to the southeast, the sea. The slight haze in the air warmed up the dusky light, silhouetting the mountainsides surrounding the city and giving the skyline an Old World glow among the newer construction rising around the 16th Century cathedral affectionately known as La Manquita, the one-armed woman. A nice view at the end of a nice day.
Here’s to hot summer days! More to come…
Photo of the Day: My Backyard
Well, maybe not MY backyard, but it’s what I see every morning while in Scotland. For the next 15 days I’m beginning a new project and touring the glens of Scotland as part of it. There will certainly be further news on the project coming down the pipe, but as for now, I’ll try to leave you with posts of this beautiful country! My Internet connection is a bit spotty, but I don’t consider this a bad thing. So, until next time, have a great weekend, and enjoy the beginning of the summer months!
Photo of the Day: Necesitamos Agua
Most of Texas would certainly be happy with a little rain right now, even if it brought with it a bit of ferocity! This menacing looking thunderstorm came in during September, 2007, and it was what some folks in this area call a “gullywasher.” We definitely could use a washing of any kind right now! Drought cycles come and go, but for those of you that live in semi-arid to arid environments know it’s never easy on the land, its flora, fauna, and other inhabitants. It’s certainly not easy when wildfire ignites and makes its way across thousands of acres.
For those interested, the exposure for this hot storm was 1.0 seconds at f/22, ISO 50 (Canon EOS 5D, 17-35mm f/2.8L @ 17mm).
Photo of the Day: Dolan Creek
One of the more pristine water sources in Texas resides just a short hike up a canyon near Dolan Falls on the Devil’s River. Dolan Creek feeds the Devil’s, much in part from natural seepage from the canyon walls that line its path through acres of wilderness and sparse ranch land. The creek is mostly composed of a hard bedrock bottom, and when the water resides from flood level, small tinaja-like pools, like the one above.
On the fringe of the Chihuahuan Desert and the Edwards Plateau, the juncture of both Dolan Creek and the Devil’s River serves as a miniature oasis for the surrounding vegetation and fauna. Since it is controlled by the good folks at the Nature Conservancy, it’s also in good hands. It’s hard not to be outside during a visit to this area! These kinds of places are becoming fewer and fewer, so if you ever get a chance to visit Dolan Creek or similar areas, enjoy your experience fully!
Photo of the Day: Cranes Take to the Sky
Sandhill Cranes may be my favorite bird to see in flight. Those slender necks and expansive wings set back on their bodies make for an impressive shape taking to the sky. We’re fortunate in West Texas to play host to thousands upon thousands of these migratory animals, as well as a couple species of geese, and one only has to make a short trip to the empty cotton fields surrounding major cities to see large flocks taking up residence during the day. At night, the cranes roost for the night among many of the area’s playa lakes on the caprock.
I spent yesterday evening traveling the rural highways about an hour and half northeast of Lubbock, Texas, in search of some material for an annual report I’m working to help finish. I ended the evening sitting just outside of a large flock of cranes in a stripped cotton field, waiting for them to make their move to a nearby playa. When the sun was about 10 minutes from hitting the horizon, I noticed in the distance a group of cranes and geese rise up in flight through my binoculars, and it wasn’t too long before the field in front of me erupted with the chortle of hundreds of Sandhills. I had positioned myself and the FJammer where I would be privy to a silhouette, and the West Texas sky did not disappoint!
Using an EF 400mm f/5.6 L, I was able to compress the distance and suck that sun in tighter to the cranes in flight, and the underexposure of the silhouette made for a fantastic mix of brushed fire colors and crisp outlines of the birds. I enjoy the group in the distance as well, giving those in front perspective. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’re familiar by now of the magnificent colors the atmospheric debris in this part of the country exhibits, and this is certainly a prime example!
Not a bad way to start the week, huh?
If you’re interested in learning more about and visiting a prime location for observing Sandhill Cranes, make sure you stop over at the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge, just two hours southwest of Lubbock. This is, as they say, peak time for the bird’s appearance around their lakes.
Photo of the Day: Misty Reflections
Across West and North Texas, as well as North Louisiana, we’ve seen a rather mild winter so far. Add a little moisture, humidity, and some sub-freezing morning temperatures, you have a combination for rather clear days and fog on the water. This low fog just south of Sibley, Louisiana, provided a thin enough shroud for reflections across a waterfowl stopover. The stark contrast between white-barked deciduous and the dark tones of the evergreens made the ghosts in the water that much more attractive.
Back in Texas for the time being. New Mexico might be calling soon!
Photo of the Day: December Bluegrass
This small pasture is right next to the house I grew up in on Meadows Ranch, and with the sun setting, it just simply lights up, glowing gold in stark contrast with the rich blues of the thick layer of clouds the sun happened to sneak under for a minute or two. Although in the winter, the heads “turkey-foot” heads disappear, the bluestem variety grass that covers this particular hill is always a pleasure to watch at the end of the day. During the Spring and early Summer, if the rain is right, it’s as thick as carpet and waves in the wind as if it were an ocean of green and earthy brown.
It’s the simpler things in life.
Photo of the Day – It’s a Desert Out There, and a musing on film…
It’s another revisit to the days when Fujichrome Velvia kicked some major tail. What am I talking about? It still does! Every now and then I run a roll through my old EOS 1N, a hardy camera that has not only served me well, but many, many others. In some ways, I prefer the 1N to the 1V…but look at this, I’m talking about film and names of cameras no one online even knows, right?
I tell my students often that starting out on film was a good move (of course, I didn’t really have any choice). I’m not one of those guys that is crotchety about it, though. You’re going to learn photography in a way that pleases anyone if you’re focused at it enough, including those photographers that will hang it over your head that the ONLY way to learn is by starting out on film. I know people that have only shot digital in their careers, and they are doing fine and could give a flying hoohah whether they started out on film or not, and I can’t blame them. They are, after all, making a living at it.
My position is for those who have never shot it to consider it. Without going into all the possibilities and advantages of doing so, consider it PART of the learning process, not necessarily the beginning. I get a kick out of students of mine that try it out after only being exposed to digital. They’re enjoyment is considerable, and it’s like exploring unknown territory to some, which in this industry is a must for ensuring progression!
Oh my, I’ve made a rant…
Photo of the Day: Poage Lake
I’m sitting in the Albuquerque International Airport and testing out the WordPress app for the iPad. I’m heading back to Denver this weekend for a couple of shoots in Fort Collins and Cheyenne, Wyoming (I might even make a quick trip over to Rocky Mountain National Park).
Colorado has been a big part of my summer work this year, and I’m glad it has. Above is an image made back in July of Poage Lake near South Fork. I could get used to this…
More to come!
Photo of the Day: Hunters Lake
We’re half way through a week in Colorado, and we’ve spent a good bit of that time hiking around much like we do in Texas…only it’s a nice 60 to 70 degrees F when the light’s right here. Last night we got back to the car and it was 49 degrees F. I live in West Texas, which is more north than a lot of the state, but we don’t get summer temperatures like this! Luckily we do have the lack of humidity.
Before I run for a little rafting, I thought I would share a shot from just below Hunters Lake, an 8-acre jewel of a pool of water near Wolf Creek Pass. The water is flowing good around here, and many of the shots I’m getting are back in the woods around streams and miniature waterfalls, where it’s even cooler, the light is even and dark.
More to come!
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About Jerod Foster
I'm an editorial and natural history photographer based out of Lubbock, Texas, as well as a photography instructor at Texas Tech University. My work primarily focuses on features and environmental portraits for magazines, books, and commercial purposes, and I'm available for both domestic and international travel.
I'm a regular contributor to the Manfrotto School of Xcellence, an educational resource for amateurs and professionals alike. I'm also a partner and editor for Badlands Design and Production, a publishing house that focuses on high-end coffee table photography books.
- jerod.foster@gmail.com
- (806) 789-6850
