Cheaha Deer

One of our favorite past times while we're camping at Mt. Cheaha is to watch the wildlife.  We started taking a 50-pound sack of cracked corn with us last summer, so the deer really like us to visit.  Cheaha campground is pretty rocky, so we usually pile up the corn on two or three flat rocks about 20 to 50 feet from our travel trailer.  The deer usually come in the morning shortly after sunrise and again around sunset - sometimes in the middle of the day but not as regularly.

On one trip, the campers next to us offered to loan me the use of their 300 millimeter telephoto lense.  Of course, I jumped at the chance to use it (and now I have my own), so when the deer came a couple of hours later, I snapped this shot which I think highly of.  In case you didn't notice, there is a second deer in the background in the upper right quadrant of the picture.  This is the second picture I've submitted to the Alabama Hiking Trail Society's annual conference and photo contest.

I'm amazed at how well this picture came out.  I was using a lens that I had no experience with, a camera that I'm still learning about, shooting wildlife that are only 40 feet away, not moving to frame images so I don't spook the deer - you get the idea.  But I am so proud of this picture.

-Brian-

Very Bright Sun Dog

Back in the first half of February, I had an opportunity to fly on the ABC 3340 helicopter to view and video damage in Lamar County, Alabama, as well as that at Caledonia, MS, where a school had been hit by a tornado.  Enroute back from Caledonia, we stopped to refuel at the Fayette airport, and I snapped this photo of a very brilliant sun dog in the afternoon sky.  I cannot remember a seeing a sun dog as bright or as large as this one in quite some time.

There was not enough cirrus cloud in the sky to create a double, but that really didn't matter since this one was so bright and so large.

-Brian-

Buck Creek Dam, Helena

One of the main highways through Helena, AL, where I live is 261 which crosses a bridge over Buck Creek next to a small dam.  The dam was built a long time ago and there is still some old machinery sitting on the banks from a time when the dam was fully utilized.  This picture was taken from the deck of Incahoots, a local restaurant owned and operated by Harold and Claudia Deason, on the banks of Buck Creek.

We have not seen much water flowing over the dam for about the last year as the area of Central Alabama has been in an exceptional drought condition for many months.  January and February of 2008 have seen some typical rain for these months, so water is once again flowing over the dam making a nice photo.

-Brian-

Top of Alabama

One of my favorite places in all the world is also the highest spot in Alabama, Mt. Cheaha.  Cheaha State Park is located there and we just love camping there when we can.  This picture is one I took on a little photo jaunt around the park last Fall.  The colors were slow to change, but I think you can see the hint of color there.

I'm going back to Cheaha in mid-March to speak at the annual conference of the Alabama Hiking Trail Society (AHTS).  The AHTS sponsors a photo contest at their meeting, so I've entered this photo along with one I took of my deer (actually Cheaha's deer) which I'll use to make another post.  So wish me luck on this.

This picture was taken on the very top of the picture I posted on February 10 (click here)

-Brian-

Kathryn Tucker Windham

One of my favorite people in all the world is Kathryn Tucker Windham.  She is a marvelous storyteller and is probably the person who singlehandedly got me interested in storytelling.  She resides in Selma, AL, where there is a storytelling festival each October during the second weekend - the Selma Tale Tellin Festival.  It is a wonderful two evenings of some of the finest storytelling anywhere.

The photo above I took when Miss Kathryn visited Helena, my hometown, for a special one-time event in July, 2007, hosted and arranged by Helena's Library Director, Victoria Ashford.

-Brian-

Christmas Sky

Enroute to a wonderful Christmas 2007 dinner with friends, I was stunned to see a rather complex sky with numerous waves.  I've taken to carrying my camera on a regular basis, so I pulled into a cemetery to grab a couple of shots.  The problem was that I could not see all of the sky - oh, is that a good reason to add to may equipment arsenal?  The view above is five "waves" but the series of "waves' extended both to the left and to the right of the photo you see.  My good friend, Tim Coleman, is doing research at UAH on gravity waves in the atmosphere, an absolutely fascinating topic.  In a nutshell, the air acts like a fluid, so just like the waves we see in the ocean, there are waves in the atmosphere - we just can't see them unless the moisture helps out be evaporating or condensing as seen here with the undulation of the air.

-Brian-

Picture of Mt. Cheaha

You'll hear me talk me talk a lot about Mt. Cheaha.  It is the highest point in Alabama and a tremendously scenic place to enjoy.  My wife and I enjoy going there and staying in our travel trailer, but there are also chalets and hotel accommodations.  When we go, we usually take 50 pounds of cracked corn for the deer.  Needless to say, they love to see up pull into a campsite.  In fact, some of the pictures I'll be posting here will be of the deer.

-Brian-

Blog Starting Post

Hello, this is the first post to my digital photography Blog.  I post on regular basis to the Blog at www.alabamawx.com which focuses on weather.  But as many people know, I am a serious amateur digital photography enthusiast, so I thought I'd start my own Blog here for the express purpose of posting digital images that I have taken.

My interest in photography has always been high.  In fact, I used to have a Besseler black and white enlarger and my own dark room.  But I have been a big digital photography enthusiast since I got the first digital camera - a Sony Mavica with floppy disc storage.  I now use a Nikon D70S which I am still learning about even though I've had it for over two years.

I use Adobe Photoshop CS3 which I dearly love.  And that, too, I'm still learning about because there is sooooooo much to know and do with Photoshop.

So this is my introductory post.  I will say that I hope/plan/intend to post one picture a day with a small explanation of the scene.  This Blog will be primarily for family and friends to take a look at photos I've made.  The photos will come from whatever I've taken and I also hope to post one a day.  That goal may be loftier than I can achieve - we'll see.

But no matter what, enjoy.

-Brian-