Things

Approach

Antelope Canyon, AZ, 2 November 2018 1430hrs

Our Native American guide pointed out shapes and forms, mostly animals.  People handed her their cell phones to get the "perfect photograph" of eagles, bears, and horses.

I saw color, light, and changes.  I saw shades of gray.

Zone Metering in Antelope Canyon is difficult but not impossible.  I bracketed instead, checking out each setting until I found the best one for each location.  The light changed as I moved.

I knew my photos would be unique; the wind, rain, and floods constantly change the canyon.  Where I stood, my camera angle and settings, and the time of day determined what I recorded.  No one will ever duplicate my photos.

I liked that.  It made the place even more beautiful.

Nikon D5100, 22mm, f4, 1/30, ISO2800

Little Aspens

Nothing calls for Monochrome Photography like an Aspen Tree.  Seeing them in person for the first time a few years ago, I finally understand.

The way they shine in any light and contrast against even the brightest sky makes for perfect cold black-and-white photos, my favorite.

What I want now is a large stand of big trees.  I'm talking Pando, of course.

I shot these young trees in the late November afternoon.  Perfect timing.

Wren

Hudson Trail, Manhattan Kansas

Cooper and I were out walking.  I took a quick photo of this little birdhouse and we kept moving.  It wasn't until I reviewed my photos that I noticed the little House Wren checking me out.

Lucky Shot!

The Old Truck

I learned a lesson on this day - when walking somewhere new, take your camera.  I ran across this old workhorse while walking on a new neighborhood path.  All I had with me was my cell phone.

Luckily, the path and the truck were close enough to return that afternoon.  I've been back many times.

A developer is about to turn the area into townhomes, so I expect the old truck will be gone soon.  That will be a sad day for me.

Coastlines

Look at this!  It's cold, foggy, overcast, and windy, and I'm walking on the beach.  I love it, year-round.  It has been a big part of my life since I was a little tyke.

I prefer the Gulf Coast's white sandy beaches but still enjoy those on the Outer Banks and Atlantic Coast.  The Turquoise Coast of Turkey and the Southern coast of Cyprus are amazing.

The California Coast is wasted on me.  Maybe it's because I've only visited there in January.

Humpback Bridge

I love bridges.  I'll stop in the middle of the road for a good Bridge.

The most beautiful and unique covered bridge in Virginia is the Humpback Bridge, at Exit 10, off I-64 West, just before West Virginia.  It is also the oldest.  The wayside there is the perfect place to picnic.  It is well worth the stop and is only seconds off the Interstate.  

Nights

My shot of Comet Neowise was taken in Manhattan, Kansas.

Astronomy became my hobby through my father, the scientist; he taught his boys the stars.

I'm working on my astrophotography.  It's not there yet but I've been lucky a few times.

While in Arizona, I repaired my sister-in-law's telescope, destroyed by a horde of her great-grandchildren running willy-nilly about the house.  Finished, I aimed it at the daytime Moon and used its cellphone mount and my Pixel 6 to take this shot.

Yet Gentle Will The Griffin Be (What Grandpa Told The Children) is my favorite childhood poem.  I hope I'm that kind of grandpa.

Before the Storm

The Keys. June 2018

The Sugarloaf Key Bat Tower was built in 1929 to control the mosquitos.  The bats initially housed there flew away, never to return.  Oh Well.  Nice Try.

I photographed it just three months before it was destroyed by Hurricane Irma, on 10 September 2017. 

It was in pretty sad shape when we were there, with loads of trash, graffiti, and needing repair.

It has been on the National Registry of Historical Places since 1982, but I haven't heard if it will be rebuilt.  Now, it is, probably, too late.

Boats

I took this when Kady, the kids, and I visited a friend's summer house in Kaynarpinar in 1985.

It wasn't a good time, but the little town was pretty.  I used my Canon AE-1 Program with TX 400. 

This shot was taken at Foca, thirty-nine years later, in digital.

Bess

This was my 2005 Mustang.  I set up this photo, my camera on a tripod, and told my daughter what I wanted,   She pressed the shutter; I'm driving.  Perfect Photo by CE Neel and her dad.

I bought Bess off the lot at Town and Country Ford in Bessemer, Alabama.  I drove her for seventeen years and enjoyed every minute.

I sold her in 2022 when the clutch began hurting my left knee and the Stage-2 Suspension began hurting my entire body.  It was time.  Now, it is my heart that hurts.  I miss my car.

Bee once said, "I think you must have a thousand photos of your car form every angle."  That may be true.

Monuments

The only Southern monument remaining in Charlottesville is the one in the UVA Cemetery and its days are probably numbered.  Hell, they even removed the Lewis, Clark, Sacagawea monument.

I spent the better part of a day photographing all of the monuments in the city before they were removed.  I love this town, but it is filled with some of the biggest bozos on this planet.

This is the statue over the grave of Stonewall Jackson, in Lexington, Virginia.  This one seems to be safe but who knows?

Photograph your history before it's gone forever.

In Situ

Ephesus 1985

I studied Ancient History in school, which is why this column has such a hold on me.  I found it on a side street close to the theater at Ephesus, still leaning on the rubble from an earthquake, probably the one in 262CE.

Excavators wisely left this beauty sitting as they found it.

The Regimental Drummer

New Market, Virginia

I shot this as a much larger photo.  Back home, after the day shooting, I realized how powerful this could be, cropped to show just the drummer boy.  I think it illustrates the weariness and sadness in all soldiers.

I took this at New Market Battlefield during a reenactment.

Consider These

I spent the Spring after shoulder surgery in Manhattan Kansas, puppy-sitting, doing physical therapy, and hiking in the Prairie.

At first glance, the Prairie looks like a never-ending sea of green and brown, but if you look deeper into the tall grass, you'll see small flecks of color.

The little flowers (and Cooper) kept me from going bonkers that Spring.

Bones

Nothing calls for black-and-white photography like a good old piece of farm equipment.

I found this old rake while walking through the woods.  I took it in color and converted it to black and white.  

Now, I set my camera on monochrome when something needs B&W.  Somedays, I'll start with it set that way, to remind myself of the first days when I had one camera loaded with Tri-X or Plus-X.

Fun Fungi

Lately, Mushrooms are my Thing.  

It started as I began researching Psilocybes.  When I began looking for them, I realized that there are Mushrooms EVERYWHERE, you only have to look.  They make interesting photos! 

I'm terrible at Identifying them, so I don't try, but I can't walk by one without taking its photo.

I shot these with my camera set on "Vivid."  It's like the Kodachrome of digital photography.

Bugs

This nonsense began when Kady asked me if I wanted to go on a butterfly tour with a "certified naturalist."  The lady really knew her stuff.  Now, I'm on a hunt for all the bugs.

I ordered some Micro Extension Tubes and am trying that, though I find it difficult.  Bugs move or take exception to my encroachment of their space (like the murder hornet in the photo below).  I refuse to kill anything to take its photograph.

I just ordered a bee book.  They are next.

Rails

Harper's Ferry, West Virginia

I'm a Southern Railways kid.  My dad was the Supervisor of Communications.  We rode the train a lot when I was growing up.  Nothing relaxes me like the sound of a train whistle in the distance.

I enjoy visiting old train stations and rail museums and have been known to pull off the road to get a good shot of a passing train.

Southern Serves The South!