Day after the election. Is it a sunrise or a sunset? Depends on your perspective. I choose to see it as a new day and I will make the best of it…
Deep Thoughts
Tau Zero is five years old! Another year of change – started in Seattle, ended with moving back to Montana. Still shooting with a Nikon D810 but I also added a Nikon Coolpix P900 with its crazy 2000mm equivalent zoom to my camera bag. Will be fun to see what I can do with it.
Looking forward to a fall and winter (my favorite seasons) of exploration, adventure, and photography.
Thanks to everyone for visiting and commenting.
Tau Zero was started three years ago today. THANK YOU to everyone who has visited, subscribed, and shared their thoughts about my photos. When I launched the site I did not think it would last this long. Now I can’t imagine ending it.
Tau Zero’s fourth year should be interesting. In the spring I am planning to leave Texas and find a new place to explore. Looking at many options – if you have a suggestion for a place that combines scenic beauty and reasonably affordable living feel free to comment or send me a note.
260,848 hits to date, 833 followers / subscribers, visitors from 179 countries. Can’t wait to see what the future will bring. Again, and most importantly, thank you to everyone who has made this a great experience for me.
It’s a barn. It’s red. It’s a red barn. In Arkansas. Thought it looked nice. Took some photos. After taking the photos I said “Hi” to some nearby cows. Offered them some beef jerky. They weren’t interested. Not the first time I have tried to get a cow to eat beef jerky. I know I am going to hell for that. Straight to hell. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200.
Prints and licenses are available for this photo.
Sums up where I think (I hope) my life is at – not quite out of the storm but I see blue skies ahead…
Spent the last few days exploring parts of Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona. I do a lot of thinking on the road and a major topic of this trip (suggested by a good friend) was giving myself a break now and then.
I’m my worst critic in more ways than one – this photo is an example. Initial impression was that I should throw it out. Didn’t get the lens flare I wanted, forgot to dust the lens off before shooting into the sun, and on and on and on.
Then I took a deep breath and decided that it’s OK to send this photo out into the world as is.
What does this mean to you? I hope you like the photo, and sometimes maybe do what I did and give yourself a break. That’s my deep thought for the day.
Shot in the Gila National Forest of southwestern New Mexico on a spring morning. Shot with my Nikon D800, Tamron 28-300 lens, ISO 100, and to avoid having the sun blow the rest of the image out I used an aperture of f/22 and a 1/3200 second shutter speed. No filters were used.
Significant events and observations from my roadtrip through West Texas today:
1. If you are going to pee outdoors take a moment to make sure you have wind speed and direction figured out.
2. If someone offers you a food item made with “country sausage” ask about the ingredients before eating. Or just walk away. Just walk away.
3. Added a new species (wild turkey) to the list of critters that chose to end their lives by running in front of my truck. Thinking about keeping tally by painting silhouettes on the side of the truck, kind of like fighter pilots used to do with their planes. But I digress. Why did the turkey attempt to cross the road?
4. Don’t know exactly what I saw in the rest room of that truck stop near Abilene but I let it go on with its life and I am going on with mine. There are some things man was not meant to know.
Summary – Had a great time, can’t wait to do it again.
The end of 2012 is approaching so I take a look back before launching into 2013. A few things I learned this year, in no particular order…
1. Getting exactly what you thought you wanted from life can be a great way to figure out what you really want.
2. You can’t go home again. The place changes, you change, or more likely both change.
3. My slightly odd relationship with readers of this blog continues. Shots I like the most are liked the least by my readers, and shots I am not as happy with are everyone’s favorites. (But I try not to intentionally post shots I don’t like just to drive traffic.)
4. Truck stops are not the best places to explore new food options. Stick with what you know. TRUST ME on this one.
5. For landscape photography cloudy days can be better than sunny days.
6. When you’re on the road it’s always beef jerky time…
7. If you take some photos you don’t like put them away for a while. In a few months or years changes in your perspective and sensibilities, or technology, can make an ugly duckling into a treasure.
8. Some times the creative juices just don’t flow. Accept it. When it happens just relax, do something else for a while, and everything will be fine.
9. Especially in the western USA respect fences and no trespassing signs. There is no shot that is worth getting shot for…
10. Photography and blogging are still great fun for me. Thanks to everyone who has visited and commented, looking forward to seeing where we go next year!
The world is still here, and I feel the need to express my feelings through haiku:
Where is the kaboom?
As Marvin Martian would say
Feel a bit let down…
Even in the darkest hour of my darkest day, there is beauty enough in the world to restore and sustain my soul. That is what I am most thankful for on this day.
Getting out and away can be good for the soul…
I think I’m approaching a crossroads here. Days are getting shorter, I’m not sure how much shooting I will be able to do through a Montana winter, and in general I’m starting to suffer from a lack of motivation and energy.
Disclaimer on this next part – I always greatly appreciate the people who visit here. I try not to look at the stats for the site very often but they can be pretty depressing. Probably half of my traffic comes from three posts that were done close to a year ago. I look at the amount of effort and expense I am putting in and wonder – is it worthwhile?
I have not hit the point where I will retire the blog – but I will probably be posting less frequently as I try to recharge the batteries and figure out where to go from here.
Thanks, as always, for stopping by.
Some images lend themselves to poetry – or in my case, bad poetry. So many ways to go with this one. Memories of the past, man vs. nature, spirit of the American West…
Something like:
Ancient mountains watch
Many men “conquer” the land
Fleeting victory
Try it! It’s fun!
Tau Zero 