For the umpteenth day in a row we had dismal light yesterday morning but I just had to get out.
By yesterday morning after so many days of being stuck at home because of crappy weather and light I’d developed a near-terminal case of cabin fever. Satellite maps and radar from several online sites showed no clouds anywhere nearby but as it was beginning to get light it quickly became obvious that the satellite link was malfunctioning. I stewed about it for a while but then decided to go to Farmington Bay WMA anyway. I had an itch that needed scratching, decent light or not.
In that dismal light I was prepared to be skunked but when it actually turned out that way it was still hard to take.
This was what greeted me at the 4-way pond – clouds, very low light and a mix of fog and gunk in the developing inversion layer at the base of the mountains. There were a few birds on the pond including two grebe species but it was a waste of time to even try to photograph them. The following two photos will illustrate why.
I found a handsome Rough-legged Hawk, most likely a male, on Goose Egg Hill but even if there hadn’t been branches and leaves between me and the bird it would have been wasted effort to aim my lens his way in that light.
The best photo I was able to manage still wasn’t worth keeping. The American Pipit is sharp but it’s a ho-hum shot with so little light in the eye that I had to enhance the existing catch light to even make it visible at this low resolution.
So I went back to Goose Egg Hill where I had a bit of a view to lick my wounds and sulk a little. While there I could see the new Eccles Wildlife Center in the middle distance in this photo so I decided to pay my good friend Billy Fenimore a visit.
Followers of Feathered Photography will likely remember that Billy is the manager of the Wildlife Center. He’s such a positive, pleasant person and all around nice guy it always lifts my spirits to spend time with him.
I asked Billy to pose in front of their Birds of the Month list, a tradition started by Justina Bernstein, the manager of the previous Nature Center at Farmington Bay. I was delighted when Billy continued the tradition – it’s a list of every bird species seen each month on the refuge and at the adjacent Wildlife Center. It inspires visitors to look for birds that have been seen in the area recently.
As I was about to leave Farmington and head for home I sat in the parking lot and wondered what else I could do to put a more positive spin on my morning. I knew it was wasted effort to tour the refuge again so I called my long-time friend Monica Witucki to see if it would be convenient if I paid her a short visit on my way home. Monica is the wife of my best friend over the last 50 years, Jim Witucki. Readers may remember that Jim unexpectedly passed away recently and I hadn’t seen Monica since Jim’s funeral two weeks ago. I wanted to pay my respects and see how she’s doing and she sounded enthusiastic about me stopping by. So I did.
Monica is very sad but she’s also tough and resilient so I’m confident she’ll bounce back given enough time. We reminisced, laughed and shed a few tears during our extended visit and I headed for home feeling both pensive and uplifted by the strength of her personality and her indomitable sense of humor. Part of my purpose for the visit was to uplift her spirits but she ended up uplifting mine.
As soon as I got home I read Jim’s obituary again. He wrote it himself so it’s strongly reflective of his personality.
After a quick lunch I decided to visit Pixels Foto and Frame to check on the progress of the prints of the “Coyote Fascinated By His Own Reflection” image some of my blog readers have ordered. Management and staff at Pixels have become my good friends over the years because I buy all of my photo gear there and they do all of my printing.
This is Ray Taggart, “The Boss” at Pixels, holding the 11×17 print on metal paper ordered by blog follower Art Lang. The 8×10 prints ordered by others have also been printed and if I say so myself they all look very good. Prints will be shipped today and as soon as that happens I’ll be sending tracking information to those who ordered the prints.
Ray is smiling so broadly because just before I snapped his picture I told him his zipper was down. It works every time…
For locals who may be looking for reliable, professional, knowledgeable and friendly printing services (or a local source for photography gear) I heartily recommend Pixels Foto and Frame. Ray, Will, Grayson and Jake take very good care of me and I’m confident they’d do the same for you.
Anyway, that’s how my day went yesterday. This edition of Feathered Photography turned out to be more personal than I originally intended but I often don’t know where I’ll end up when I begin composing a post.
Good or bad that’s just part of the flavor of Feathered Photography.
Ron
PS – Regarding the last photo: I may know what I’m doing with a DSLR camera and super telephoto lens but it’s another story when I’m using a cell phone and photographing people. Some long time readers will probably notice that I have a tendency to put “bird hats” on my human subjects.
If it isn’t a magpie it’s a Great Blue Heron…
Sixty some years ago, I was on a beach surfcasting with my grandfather very early in the morning and not catching a thing. I whined and he said something that I have always remembered to this day…. “It’s not how many fish you catch (or birds that you shoot”. Be thankful that you are there in the God’s beautiful garden and appreciate every breath you savor enjoying nature at it’s best !!. Yes, there will be days that we don’t catch a fish or the birds will hide from our lens, but be thankful for the moment….. Gary
Gary, It’s true but easier said than done, at least for me.
Read your post this morning and then got waylaid doing bits and bobs around the house (plus a nap) and realized I never got around to commenting.
I’m glad you sought a remedy for your cabin fever. I would say that this was a “full, rich day” as they say in M*A*S*H — lots of heartwarming experiences. And don’t dump the Pipit shot — I quite like it because the lighting — or lack thereof — really emphasizes the scene. 🙂
Marty, a good friend said the same thing about that pipit shot. I’m rethinking it…
Nobody was (and is) a bigger fan of M*A*S*H than yours truly.
I might have to fight you for “biggest fan” honors. 😉
HEHEHE! I LOVE the bird hat!!
And that’s what it looks like here, minus the snow. We’ve got rain instead. Can’t see my mountains, the roads are slipperier than snail snot and Jack and I are grounded. Yes, I GET that itch thing 😉
We all have those days, Laura. I just have the opportunity to whine about mine in public.
Another approach to dealing with PPDs…several years ago I was lucky to be selected an “Artist in the Woods” on the Stanislaus National Forest. The USFS gave me a bunk in a ranger station for several weeks and a small stipend for fuel and supplies in exchange for my services as a photographer, nature artist/journaler and musician. Once done I was tasked with doing a workshop for the public. I had proposed to the selection committee that I’d take a lot of panoramic scenic photos, add some wildlife images and a few vignettes featuring lovely Sierra Nevada high country landscapes, combine those with some of my sketches and musings and package the whole shebang as a multi-media slide show. I imagined it would also work nicely as a campfire program accompanied by live music. Piece of cake.
What I did not count on was the Rim Fire that eventually devastated a huge expanse 40 miles to the south of my location. In the end it included parts of Yosemite National Park along with a large swath of The Stanislaus NF. On my first day’s outing in The Stan high country I was enjoying lunch overlooking the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness from Wheeler Ridge at 9,000 feet elevation when I saw smoke well off in the distance. By the time lunch was done I was enveloped. The area I was exploring and hoping to feature in my work–the landscapes along the Hwy 4 corridor between Bear Valley and Ebbett’s Pass–remained under a lot of smoke and heavy ash fall for the entire extent of my stay…pretty much around the clock for a month. PPDs…in spades.
What saved those days was when it dawned on me to reverse my wide angle and telephoto lenses. Metaphorically that is. Instead of looking for expansive views and long distance shots I searched out every small, easily overlooked natural gem I could find from tiny alpine blossoms to tree frogs and aquatic insects. All were literally right at my feet. I’d mostly been ignoring them until the dense fog of smoke forced me to mind my footing more carefully. The vast majority of my best finds were smaller than a quarter.
Now for the bird specialist this approach for turning lemons into lemonade isn’t going to work but for any photographer or careful observer of nature there is ALWAYS something new to find and document My public workshop and campfire programs–entitled “You Are Here”–spotlighted exactly that theme. In the natural world there is no “Been there. Done that. Bought the t-shirt”. In wild places the more we look, the more we see. Heck, that’s true in any place.
Should you ever happen by the Calaveras Ranger District Station on Hwy. 4 between Arnold and Calaveras Big Trees State Park on the Stanislaus National Forest I believe you can still see a collection of my images hanging on the wall there. There is only one in which smoke is a key player.
More Piss Poor Days salvaged.
Wow, your story illustrates that we should keep our PPD’s in perspective, Jim. There are degrees after all. And sometimes all we have to do is aim a little differently. I’ll try to keep it in mind for the future.
The dreary days of winter! I like the RoughLegged Hawk…if only there was a light in the eye…same with the pipit…it really is a worthwhile keeper. I marvel at the difference light makes…changes everything from being a ‘zombie’. At least you succeeded with human contact and had great smiles…and came away feeling good! These winter months are almost a lost cause here in WI with the sun so low in the sky and lack of light intensity. I have way too many zombies that I just can’t force myself to delete yet. I keep these days open to quilting and am trying to work up the courage for knee replacements before the sun is high the sky! 😫
“I marvel at the difference light makes”
So do I, Kathy. It makes all the difference in most situations.
I’ve been lucky in that I’ve never had any trouble with limb joints. Back joints are another matter…
I love all of your posts. Which includes (how could it not) the personal ones.
Your piss poor day worked out pretty well it seems to me. For you, and for everyone you came in contact with.
I do love your bird hats. Obsessions die hard.
And am very, very glad that you and Monica both benefited from your visit.
To coin a phrase, “All’s well that ends well”. Thank you, EC.
Landscapes, birds, people, photos within photos, dropping in to visit friends, remembering a best friend ( I know, too, it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all), and sharing it all with us. You rock, dude.
I appreciate that, Lyle. “Personal” isn’t for everyone but for me my blog is personal so it seemed somehow appropriate.
Like the personal posts! Sounds like a nice day despite the lousy photo weather and the print of the Coyote looks fantastic! It’s great that you have such a place near you to do business
Thank you, Joanne. Yes, it’s very convenient, especially since they’re so good at what they do.
We have desperately needed rain, 4th day of it in 5 days, so I am studying Lightroom, making labels for my January show, dumping old files, walking in the rain looking for chanterelles, baking bread, making chili. I am productive af. Still bored though.
In re cell phone cameras, the camera in my iPhone 7 is surprisingly good. It is superior to my 28-70 lens for sharp, clear, depth of field shots and about equal for closeups of insects and flowers, assuming there is enough time – it ain’t fast. And it does not have enough pixels, of course. It has a flash setting somewhere, and it has a rudimentary editing function. And it can be set to Silent mode. It’s actually won my respect for some uses. For dark interiors, though, it still is below par.
Martha, I’m so cell phone ignorant I needed help to get the camera set properly so it didn’t take photos that were cropped square, as most of these photos were before I edited them in Photoshop.
Well Ron, you turned a potential dismal day into a positive and heart warming experience. I like that telling your friend his fly was down to get that super smile. Had never thought of that. Nice post to cheer me up on a rainy day here.
That’s an old trick of mine, Everett. It always elicits a smile but you’ve got to be quick on the trigger or you catch your subject looking down at their zipper. Or whatever…
Great that you spent the day constructively and building our prints ! 🙂
I second your endorsement of Pixels.
Thanks, Ron.
Thanks, Art. They’re a great bunch at Pixels.
I love how you worked to find joy in the day. 🙂
It sure beat the alternative, Arwen.
Bird hats! What a er, hoot.
Sally, I was serious when I said I have a tendency to do that, even when I’m the one wearing the hat.
https://www.featheredphotography.com/blog/2016/10/07/an-update-on-my-daughter-shannon-and-a-possible-temporary-change-in-my-blogging-regimen/
A day not wasted even if not what you had in mind! 🙂 Focusing those cell phones is NOT amusing tho if I used it more often…… 😉 “The camera you have with you” thing……. Jim’s obit is uplifting even if sat – glad you got to visit with Monica – sounds like it was good for both of you. Wildlife center with Billy and Pixels Foto and Frame added to a good day! We’re still doing the “wind thing” but not whining too loud – roads are clear and the sun was shining….. 🙂
Thanks, Judy. I was surprised that I actually felt better after visiting Monica rather than worse.