Photo of the Day......Fresh Baked Brioche Bread

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Photo of the Day......The Symbol of the American Great Plains

The horse is the icon of the American West.  This free ranging horse was photographed near Little Big Horn Wyoming on August 8th. 2011

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Photo of the Day......Haven't Driven Down Plainview Road is Decades

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Photo of the Day......Mooooo

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Photo of the Day......Abandoned Truck Cab in Prairie Grass

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Photo of the Day.......A Once Grand and Beautiful Home

A once beautiful home now abandoned and in disrepair.  How many stories does this old house contain?  Photo taken in Chadron, Nebraska July 6th. 2011.

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Photo of the Day......Back to the Drought Raqvaged Prairies

I couldn't leave the ravaged prairies of Cimarron County Oklahoma for all that long.  A photo taken on July 2, 2011 of a long abandoned farm.  The grasses bone dry.  The Cottonwood trees, ravaged by decades of wind, ice and tornadoes, hanging on to the little water their deep roots can tap from the parched land.  The people long gone away. 

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Photo of the Day......Stormy Evening Departure

A change of pace from the "ponderous" prairie drought photos.  A Dassault Falcon 2000 departing Springfield-Branson Regional Airport on the evening of July 28, 2009.  

 

Photo of the Day......Sunrise on the Western Pairies of Oklahoma

Run rise at 5:38 AM Central Daylight Time northwest of Guymon Oklahoma on July 2nd 2011.

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Photo of the Day......Abondoned Grain Elevator Boise City Oklahoma

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Photo of the Day......Big Horn Sheep Ewe with Lamb

You all may have noticed I have abandoned the "dynamic" blog format for the older "simple" format.  I hope this doesn't negatively impact your visit.  Even though the dynamic format was pleasant it required a couple extra keystrokes to leave a comment and I am very interested in any comments you may wish to leave on the site.  I also noticed that the dynamic format would not work on the iPhone.  Even though the iPhone accounts for only 5% of the visiting traffic I felt it may be locking some people out.  

I am still working on photos taken in No Mans Land out in the Oklahoma panhandle, recording the drought conditions there.  Tonight I have a related image but a bit different than the usual.  On the morning of July 2nd I spotted a herd of Big Horn ewes with lambs and yearlings climbing up the east side of Black Mesa. I was afraid that they would hurry up the mountain side if I took time to set up the tripod so I attached the 200mm lens with the 2X extender to the camera and held it against a rock to steady my hand and hoped the image stabilizer worked as advertized.  

This photo is of a ewe with suckling lamb.  I am sure she is looking back at me to be sure I behave.  Please notice the dead grass all around the ewe.  Survival is tough for them in this drought.  They survive on grasses during the summer and you can see most all the grasses surrounding them is dead.  

I know very little about the sheep of Black Mesa but I am making inquires and hope to tell you more about them as I post additional photos.

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Photo of the Day.....Prairie Road

I'm still working on photos taken in the panhandle of Oklahoma.  So I've been posting mostly small town and prairie shots lately.   Today I am posting a photo of a prairie road located in the Valle De Escondido in the Northeast corner of New Mexico just off highway 406 just south of the Carrizozo Creek. Looking at a prairie road makes me wonder where does it go and how far?

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Photo of the Day.... Grain Elevator at Dawn

A grain elevator located about a mile Northeast of Guymon, Oklahoma on a very hot shimmering summer morning July 2nd 2011.  it was the beginning of a full day of photo shooting while traveling from my overnight stop at Guymon, OK to my destination Black Mesa Ranch north of Kenton, OK.  

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Photo of the Day......Entering Medford Oklahoma

Entering Medford Oklahoma on a hot 102F/39C July 1, 2011 afternoon.  Driving southbound on US highway 81 running along the old Chisholm Cattle Drive Trail.

Wiki says Medford was founded by Hobart Johnstone Whitley a land developer and member of the board of directors of the Rock Island Railroad.  I don't know when Medford was founded but according to Wiki it would have been sometime between the years 1870 and 1890.  Mr Whitley is better known as the founder of the famous Los Angeles California housing subdivision known as Hollywood.  It is said he and his wife named the subdivision while visiting during their honeymoon. 

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Photo of the Day......Abandoned Kansas Prairie Farm

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Photo of the Day......Wind Blown Cottonwood Tree in Southwest Kansas

I must apologize for the bird identification error in the 10 Sept. 2011 posting.  The bird is a Western Meadowlark and not a Northern Flicker.  I'll check some bird resources next time.  

With that said, I am posting a photo of a wind blown Cottonwood tree in South Western Kansas on 1 July 2011.  Like so many trees on the prairie it seems you can set your direction by which way the tree branches are blown.  If the tree is leaning to your left you must be facing south.  If it leans to the right your looking north.  If the tree is leaning towards you your facing west.  If it leans away from you your looking east.  

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Photo of the Day......Northern Flicker on a fence post

Northern Flicker photo taken on the western approaches to the Bad Lands of South Dakota 

 

Photo of the Day......VFR to Clinton, AR

This is a snap shot I took back on September 11, 2009 of the sectional chart in my lap while taking "Old Blue Belly" to her new home in Clinton, AR [KCCA]  It was a day of low and slow, flying.  

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Photo of the Day......Cattle seek shelter from the blistering hea and dryness

It has been 80 years since the Great Plains drought of 1931 to 38 that resulted in the great migration.  Today this same land is experiencing a drought of equal severity. However there is no Farmstead Act and the Prairies never recovered from the the Dust Bowl SO there are far fewer people living here today.  


Cattle take shelter from the overwhelming heat and dryness under a tree stand on a long abandoned farm house near Guymon, Oklahoma.  This appears to have been the home of a very successful farmer at one time.

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Rollo's Photo World: Photo of the day......Beautiful Golden Girl

Rollo's Photo World: Photo of the day......Beautiful Golden Girl: While roaming along Lynn Creek in North Vancouver British Columbia with my grand daughter there were a group of people letting their dogs pl...

Photo of the day......Beautiful Golden Girl

While roaming along Lynn Creek in North Vancouver British Columbia with my grand daughter there were a group of people letting their dogs play in the water.  This exceptional beautiful Golden Retriever caught my eye.  

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Photo of the Day......Abandoned Farm

An abandoned farm in Baca County Colorado.

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Photo of the Day......Oklahoma Prairie Sunrise

I took this photo on the morning of July 2nd 2011 at 5:43 AM CDT.  The location is just northeast of Guymon, Oklahoma,

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Photo of the Day......Abandoned Watering Hole

Thank you to everyone who are still following this blog.  I have been away on an extended trip covering many states and Canadian Provinces.  As you can guess I have lots of photos.  Too many photos, I think, now that I am beginning to process them.  

Initially I stayed four days at the Robert's Ranch just north of Kenton Oklahoma.  This photo is an abandoned windmill powered water well located east of Boise City in the western panhandle of Oklahoma, USA.  The Cimarron Strip.  No Man's Land.  The Dust Bowl.  It has been 80 years since the great drought of 1931 to 36 that resulted in the great migration.  Today this same land is experiencing a drought of equal severity.  If you are interested in a quick summation of the situation please check out this video.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCu2j-yXY0U

I have attempted to approach photographing this land in the spirit of Dorothea Lang so many photos will be black and white in recollection the the Dust Bowl days.  

 

Dear followers

A wish to apologize for a complete
Lack of posts the past six weeks. Initially I
was finishing An assignment and since July First I've
Been traveling with a comitose laptop, and
Posting via iPhone is impossible. It will be a couple more weeks

Photo of the Day..........Ozarkers, Can you tell me the name of this plant

I spotted these plants growing on the east side of the general assembly building and I have no idea what they are.  They have soft fuzzy leaves and bright yellow flowers on the top stalk.  These plants stand between four to six feet tall.  Any locals know what they are called?  They look semi-arid in origin to me.

Bonus Photo of the Day....Edit Blunder Turns Interesting

While editing a photo I messed up the healing brush settings and got an interesting result so tried some healing brush "painting" and got this.  

Photo of the Day...... I'm a little Thunderstorm Short and Stout

4:30PM at the intersection of USH-65 and Evans Road.  It's a perfectly clear cloudless day except for this one little thunderstorm to the southeast.  Trying to become mean and nasty on some town somewhere.  My guess West Plains?

Bonus Photo of the Day........I'm sure there is a reason??

I am sure there was a reason to put tiny clown car wheels on great big railroad freight cars but I can't think of one.

Bonus Photo of the Day....Lady in Black

Here is a B&W of the "Lady in Black" taken with window light only.  This room is bright and awash in sunlight.  To the right is a skylight that also evens out the room light.  It makes for a very good studio. 

 

Photo of the Day......Low Key Lighting

We learn by doing is the old expression.  I've been dipping my toe into  portraiture.  I have not invested in the studio lighting gear needed so these are crude attempts using only a couple floods and one spot, and natural window light.  I will be posting a few low-key, color and black and white "Noir" portraits over the next few days.  This photo was taken with one floodlight to photo right.  I mixed the lighting around to open and close the light in different areas with different set ups.  As I said.  We learn by doing.  


Finally, I will be revisiting this "Lady in Black" theme again come this fall when the sun is lower in the sky and streaming into the tall south facing windows.  

I have to also mention the real quality in any of these photos is due to the model.  She is awesome.  

 

Make up Photo of the Day..........Self Portrait

Yea.  That's me in the car.  Can't you see me?  It's me, really.  Me and my little Prius. 

Photo of the Day......I can't help it if I am CUTE!

I am Sir Rooster du Purrr.  My heart belongs to an Edinburgh Lass, but alas she is so far away.

Photo of the Day....Hot Ozarks Saturday Morning

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Photo of the Day......Ozarks Hillbilly Billboard Humor

Photo of the Day......Fishing with Gramps

This photo is for Richard James who's Tweet stirred up old memories of Fishing with Gramps Summer 1955.  I was six years old.  If I am in this photo I must be hiding. 

Photo of the Day......Ultimat Vodka

I decided the blog needed a face lift.  I will likely change the color schemes a few more times before I let it ride again.  I will very likely not stay with the introduction photo.  It was taken last year during an assignment for an aircraft sale. The misty trees seemed to be getting tired and depressing.  

Today is an early attempt at product photography.  My goodness but you do have to keep the product clean and dust free.  I wasn't too concerned since I was trying to see what I can do with the lighting first.  

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Photo of the Day......Last Storm Photo

While that beast of a storm moved away showing off it's brilliant rainbow it was not done displaying it's other deadly beauties.  As we gazed upon the rainbow to the east the south abounded with massive lightning flashes.  It seemed as though the storm was lashing out at us one last time.  Reaching back with it's electric fingers.  One last reminder that he was the king of the beasts and we were nothing in his presence. 

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Bonus Photo of the Day......Beauty within the Belly of the Beast

The storm that devastated Joplin, MO 80 miles to the west of us pasted just to the south of us and as the storm passed to the east an intense rainbow formed.  

As I stepped out of the house to enjoy some post storm fresh air my neighbor across the street shouted "Get you camera!  and pointed eastward and upward.  I turned to see an extremely intense rainbow.  In the time it took for me to find my camera low clouds began to obscure the upper part of the bow, and neary obscure the double bow.  Still the ends were extremely intense.   

I am one of thousands of Ozarkers  who took photos of this rainbow and almost all of them are better than this one.  My favorite being a portrait of two people with the rainbow end descending right behind them.  Nice work Kelsenator!  But, still it is worth sharing.  

This tornado storm may turn out to be the deadliest in Missouri history.  I believe it is the worse I've ever witnessed.  Nature is brutally beautiful and seemingly the more magnificently brutal the storm the more majestically beautiful is it.   

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Photo of the Day......Immature Turkey Vulture

Immature Turkey Vulture sitting atop an abandoned grain silo.  I did my homework on this one.  While I was confident this was a Turkey Vulture the lack of a red head made me check the Sibley's bird guide to be sure.  Turkey Vultures are very common around here.  Maybe they should be referred to as Ozarks Robins.

Speaking of being sure, the previous posting is NOT a Monarch Caterpillar but a Black Swallowtail Caterpillar.  Sometimes known as a "Parsley Caterpillar, so of course it does like Parsley.

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Photo of the Day......Yea, I like Parsley

It's been a sadly busy day here.  But, spotted a Monarch Caterpillar munching on Parsley while working in the garden Earlier today.  So I wanted to post it before I head for bed because it will be a busy day tomorrow.  

Prayers and thoughts for my fellow Ozarkers who suffered through what may turn out to be one, if the not the worse, tornado disasters we've seen and we've seen a lot of them.  Especially for those at St. John's Hospital in Joplin, MO which was extensively damaged by the storm.  Mother Nature can so beautiful and yet so destructive. 

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Photo of the Day......Noir portrait series location testing

A Location test photo for a planned "Film Noir" portrait series using Chiaroscuro low-key lighting.  using an old empty building with bare brick interior walls and large south facing window openings. This door would likely be best used with back lighted windows. 

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Bonus Photo of the Day......The road to Blue Eye

View of Hwy 13 leading into Blue Eye, or for you Daniel Woodrell fans, the road to Blue Knee. Read Daniel Woodrell's 'Tomato Red' published by Henry Holt 1998.  I highly recommend the book if you want insight into rural Ozarks culture.

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Photo of the Day......Will someone turn off the damn light?!

Photo of the Day......High Water on Table Rock

I have seen high water on the lake before but this is right up there.

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Photo of the Day....................Happy Mother's Day MOM

Photo of the Day......Galloway Creek

This is a quick work up of one of today's photos.  Galloway Creek.  

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Photo of the Day........Why do I love this photo so much?

I love this photo so much because it is PERFECT!  Orville Fox and Georgia O'Feeffe  at Canyon De Chelly in Arizona.  Photographed by Ansel Adams in 1937.   

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Photo of the Day......Yea I Like Fish

The Tern after diving into the water comes away with a nice yummy fish snack.  I was shooting manually and with the light changing my shutter speed dropped below 1/1000 sec. while adjusting exposure, which doesn't seem to freeze the wings.   If they are there again.  I will shoot shutter priority and let the stops float to get exposure.  Keeping the shutter above 1000 or more.  Again it capture the bird but no prize for this one.

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Photo of the Day......Forster's Terns at Lake Springfield

A few days ago I spotted a couple migrating Forster's Terns fishing on the lake.  I didn't have the proper shooting tools with me so I watched them fly dart  veer and dive straight down into the water for fish.  The following day they were gone.

Today there were lots of them  but unfortunately they stayed mostly across the lake and only a few times came within range of my camera.  Right now for all birds in flight it seems 1/1000-sec is the slowest shutter speed you dare shoot at.  I had more range than that but didn't figure that out right away so I head back tomorrow and if they are there I will try some different settings.  

This is a true action shot but not as sharp and dramatic as is could be.  Hopefully, if they are back tomorrow,  I'll find a spot closer to the action.

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Photo of the Day........Colors of Spring

This is an attempt to show the variety of colors of spring.  Along with the domination of greens there are blues and reds and orange to spice the eye.

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