Ken Reynolds

Summer-time Lull

Unfortunately, I was unable to make the trip to Caprock Canyons this weekend. However, it is only postponed for a couple of weeks, instead of indefinitely. So, keep your eyes peeled, or propped open with toothpicks, depending on your preference, as some stuff from that will be coming in the near future.

So far, this summer has been dull and boring, with not much more to show for it than a few towering cumulus, as seen in the photos below. The only exciting event was the gust front that came through a few weeks ago, but that was largely un-photographable (doubt that is even a word, but it works for me!). Lately, I have been trying to come up with a good summer-time theme to follow for shooting so that I can at least come up with a photo a week to add to my portfolio. Until now, everything I've thought about has required that I drive 6 hours or more into West Texas and spend an entire weekend out there shooting. This is not a huge deal considering I would be roughing it in the backcountry for the weekend -- i.e. cost would be low compared to staying in a hotel -- but, temperatures in Texas, in the summer, are usually around 95F at the coolest and this summer is no different. Plus, gas prices are horrible and the thought of driving anywhere from 300-500 miles, or more, doesn't rest easy on my budget-minded conscience; in fact, when thinking about it, compared to the relative emptiness of my bank account, I'd rather hang at the local pub with my bud and knock back a few pints of Killian's Irish Red beer and chow on some good grub!

Alas, I am resourceful, at best, in these situations, and when faced with a challenge I'll complain about it for a short time and then get into problem-solving mode, as I have this weekend. I finally made a trip out to REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc., an outdoor enthusiast's equipment candy store!) to cash in on my yearly dividend, a nice benefit of being an REI Member. While in the store, I took advantage of their free publications rack and grabbed a publication about all the Texas State Parks. Cha-ching! After reading that, along with a bit of research, I turned up some extremely interesting historical and modern facts about Texas that I had no idea about. I'm keeping my lips sealed for now, until I have actually made a couple of very short, very close trips and have photos to share but, take my word for it, the ideas that I have are exciting!

Also, I realized that we have had some amazing "cloud" days this summer. See, the presence of moisture has not been lacking here in North Texas. The capping inversion, however, has been nuclear at best and will stay that way as long as the High Pressure ridge that is typical in Texas this time of year is present. Anyway, it occurred to me that I could be out doing some cloud photography! I love just regular cumulus clouds, especially when there is a huge field of them drifting lazily overhead, in no hurry to get anywhere fast. So, that will be something to look for here, as well, as I just may resort to driving an hour or so away from the Metroplex to do some "cloudscapes"!

And, with that, I will end this weekend update. Oh yeah, before I forget, I finally downloaded the TypePad web application for my iPhone and, as a result, will most likely be updating this blog with short and sweet updates throughout the week, as time permits, so that will be something else to look for, especially since my iPhone has a 2MP camera built-in.

That's all for now!

Mood Lighting

Today is Friday. TGIF! It's also time for this week's Photographer of the Week. This week I want to direct everyone's attention to Joe McNally (I have linked to Joe's blog; for those interested in viewing his amazing, jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring photography portfolio, there is a link to it from his blog. I highly recommend following that link, but be prepared for a heavy dose of inspiration).

Chances are you have seen Joe's work many times before. He is an amazingly accomplished photographer and his use of lighting in his work is the biggest reason I am a huge fan. I really cannot say enough here to do his photography justice. Just follow the link to Joe McNally's website and spend the next hour or two poring over his stuff. You won't regret it, I promise! I will say, quickly, that Joe's work and passion for photography and creative lighting has inspired me to reassess my appraisal of what I now believe to be the photographer's greatest tool: the external flash unit, whether on-camera or off-camera. Joe is especially adept at using multiple (by multiple, I mean 10 or more, sometimes many times more) flash units, all slaved and located in different places, to create an image that is breathtaking. Needless to say, I will be experimenting on my own with the use of multiple flash units to create unique images, as well. Thank you, Joe, for being so passionate and skilled with a medium that I and so many others love so deeply!

One Other Thing...

To let ya know, I will be making some changes to the layout and presentation of this site. My hope is to actually use this site as my portfolio and blog, but that will be determined later. For now, rest assured that I will continue to deliver the same quality content that everyone has come to appreciate from me.

Thanks!

Midweek Update

Hello, everyone! Just a quick midweek update to let everyone out there know that I have not disappeared again. I hate that I have to work during the week. It leaves me with no time to get any real stuff done, like getting out to shoot, editing photos for my portfolio, or actually building my portfolio web site. Such is life, I suppose.

Anyway, I am planning on getting out Friday and actually shooting at one of our many amazing state parks here in Texas. There are so many to choose from that I am actually in the position of trying to pick one that will allow me to stick to my summer-time/sizzling heat theme. Means I'll have to make a marathon drive to either the Panhandle or down to southwest Texas. It will be worth it, however, since I am shooting not only to capture photos to turn in for my first photo project for New York Institute, but also for a photo contest sponsored by Canon. I won't say anything further here about the contest, but anyone who is interested should check out the latest issue of Outdoor Photographer.

Finally, I do have a post prepared for the Photographer of the Week, but it will most likely not be posted until Friday, so hang tight on that one!

Besides the Photographer of the Week post, I will update again toward the middle or end of the weekend, when I should have photos to post!

Fireworks!

Due to a long-planned family cookout for July 4th, I was afraid that I would miss out on trying my hand at fireworks photography again this year. Fortunately the neighbors that lived about two blocks south of my sister-in-law's house are rich and put on a spectacular neighborhood fireworks show every year. So, I got to have some amazing grilled food, spend time with family that I don't get to see much, and then spend the final 2 1/2 hours of the night shooting fireworks non-stop.

One note, before we get to the pictures; Shooting fireworks is all about knowing which aperture to use and then adjusting the shutter speed after a few test images. Most people will say to use a 4 second shutter, no matter what, but this really depends upon how you want the fireworks to look, as well as how good you are about timing your shots. I will say that none of the photos I have posted below are longer than 2 seconds, and all were shot at f/11 with ISO 100. Again, most people will swear by ISO 200 for fireworks, but as you can see I've achieved awesome results shooting at ISO 100. I think that my trick was to use my 70-200mm f/2.8L IS zoomed in as close as possible to get the fireworks to fill the frame (70mm, in this case, since I was just a block or two away). I tried shooting with my 19-35mm for a good hour before I finally switched to the telephoto and instantly wished I had been using the telephoto all along!

Anyway, without further ado, here are my results.

Apparently, TypePad will only let me upload so many images in one post. So, this is what I have for now. I may compose another post with a few other images later, but we'll see.

Extremely Serene

I wanted to take a quick moment here and "pay it forward" for a guy who has been a major inspiration for me as a photographer.  I will be doing this sort of thing on this blog at least once a week, for the next few weeks, so if you are interested in checking out some great photographers and their work, come on back at least once a week!

This week, I want to bring special attention to Mike Hollingshead and his website, Extreme Instability. He is obviously very well known, or known about, in the storm chasing community, as well he should be due to his amazing storm photography and video. However, Mike is not all about storms all the time. He has a soft spot in his heart for animals, especially the prevention of cruelty toward animals, which I think is awesome! Also, he is branching out into other photographic subjects and, most recently, he has shared some amazing and breathtaking images of the heavens above from the South Dakota Badlands and Devil's Tower in Wyoming. I know I am jealous because, living in Dallas, TX, we don't have clear, unpolluted skies like that here anymore. I would have to drive at least 2 hours to the west, into Western North Texas, if not further, to come close to seeing a night sky like that. Plus, I've never been to South Dakota or Wyoming and have always wanted to go!

Anyway, check out his website, here, to scope his latest images and read a little bit about him. Personally, I'd like to say thanks to Mike for being so passionate about photography and capturing the natural world around us. Thanks, Mike!

6/28/2008 Gust Front

Warning: This post will be rather lengthy.

I hope I didn't scare anyone off with the warning, but I felt it important to note that this will be a long post as I am about to core dump here and let loose some information and changes which I feel are valuable enough to share with those who may be following this blog. Nothing bad, necessarily, just some thoughts and changes that are happening in my life. So, without further ado, let us begin. Also, be aware that I am listening to Tool through headphones, and Tool is insanely inspiring to me, so I may do a complete core dump and system cleanse here!

For starters, I did chase the storms and resultant gust front yesterday. Unfortunately, I was not afforded many opportunities to actually stop and safely shoot photos. I began by sitting in my living room, brainlessly watching the 4-hour special on MTV about the roots and history of Heavy Metal, as well as reading the newest issue of Outdoor Photographer and monitoring radar and satellite for North Texas. Yeah, I was vegging to the max, I admit it! Anyway, I finally noticed a small storm fire-up in Oklahoma, just north of Wichita Falls, and almost immediately go severe. This was exactly what I had been waiting all afternoon to see so without delay I immediately began preparing my photo backpack for an evening of chasing and photography.

Once I had gathered and sorted all of my photography and chasing gear I took one final look at radar and satellite images before shutting down the laptop to take along with me. With that final look I became more excited as more storms had exploded along a boundary extending southwestward from the TX/OK border down into Western North Texas. This was what I had prayed for this weekend! I was out the door, gassed up, loaded up on Arizona Lemon Iced Tea, and on the road north toward Bowie, TX, my initial target for the afternoon.

I intercepted the severe warned storm for Montague County at Bowie, just as planned, and decided to dump US 287 for Highway 51 heading toward St. Jo, TX, and then on toward Gainesville from there. My thoughts were to find a decent county road along 51 to stop on and shoot structure and lightning. That never panned out, as the storm was spitting out CG's almost continuously and none of them were very far from the road. Plus, I never could get out of the heavy rain core. Looking back on the event, I probably should have tracked back to the west, maybe found a ranch road off 287 north of Bowie, and tried photography from the back of the storm. I didn't, however, as my thoughts were actually on getting ahead of the line to shoot from the front and get lightning against the heavy, dark precip core. So, I did just that; I core-punched a raging gust front and experienced one of the most insane lightning events I have ever witnessed in my life. I'll spare details, and describe the highlight; as I was making my way through the core, heading south on I-35 in northern Denton County, I noticed a brilliantly blinding white flash from almost directly behind me. I thought for a moment that my truck, or a car behind me, had been struck by a CG. I whipped my head around to check and caught sight of the CG as it struck a telephone pole not even 100 yards from my location. I saw the blue flash at the point of contact and the amazing shower of sparks. As I turned my head back around to watch the road and concentrate on driving, I saw sparks shower down from the next telephone pole down the line from the one that had just been struck! I cannot say for sure if it was a result of the initial CG hitting the other pole, or if it was struck by a feeder off the main bolt. Still astounding, none-the-less.

Shortly after that incident I encountered the gust front with about 45-50 MPH winds and blinding rain. In fact, I could actually see stray bands of rain being blown from west to east right in front of me. For a few minutes, it actually looked like they were rotating around one huge circulation, but I decided that they were not and that it was just fierce winds blowing them.

By the time I got to southern Denton County I was on the front side of the gust front and in good position to head south a bit and find a place for photography. I decided to drive down to Mountain Creek Lake, located just 5 minutes from my house in southwestern Dallas County, and set up there, as it would afford me the perfect vantage point to shoot the line as it approached.

I arrived at the lake, set up near a boat ramp that was overtaken by a rather large family enjoying a day of jet skiing, good food, and good drink, and proceeded to shoot structure shots of the approaching line of storms. I quickly focused on trying to get lightning shots, but unfortunately, it was too early in the evening and, after a few near misses, along with a few rogue rain-bombs, I realized that it would start raining heavily long before it would get dark enough to shoot lightning. So, I packed things up and headed home. Below are a couple of photos from the lake. I will end this post here and let those who wish read the next post, below, for a little insight into the changes that I have come to realize need to take place in my life if I hope to become a full-time professional photographer.

Change is a Comin'!

Warning: This post will be lengthy.

As I am sure most photographers are, my photography is motivated by what inspires and touches me. I feel with my photography, if you will. Maybe it helps that I am a bleeding heart with a strong moral compass. For a few years, now, my photography has been focused on conveying the natural world around me as I see it. Especially severe storms and weather. In fact, my only goal since I was a kid was to be a storm chaser so I could experience all that severe weather had to offer. I am quickly realizing that, if I want to make a living with my photography, I will have to change course a bit and focus on that which has driven me along in the first place; the things that touch and inspire me.

As I am sure it is with most photojournalists, I have a strong need - not just a desire - to document and convey stories in this world of ours that need to be documented and told. Instead of focusing on writing about these stories and events, I am driven to document them visually, with a photographic camera, and that is where change comes into my life.

When I am standing at the edge of a scene that inadvertently brings tears to my eyes because of its sheer beauty, I know that I have to capture it with my camera. Lately, there have been subjects that I think about, humanity causes, world conflicts, general human struggle to get ahead and survive, that bring tears to my heart's eyes. I know that I have to seek out and capture these events and preserve them for documentation, so that others around us and after us may experience and remember. I have been fairly successful at documenting severe weather this year, but I am feeling an overpowering urge to move forward with my passion and craft and create something good and worthwhile, and lasting, with it.

Unfortunately, there are a few people in my life, close people, who do not share my vision and dream. For far too long I have let these people influence my decisions and, in fact, influence who I am. This will stop. We are only what our dreams make us. Our dreams define us and if we choose not to live our dreams, then we choose to stop living the life, in spirit, that God has blessed us with and, as a matter of fact, has created us to live. Personally, I'm tired of living in disobedience to who I am and, as a result, not tasting the fruits of success or experiencing the satisfaction that comes with fulfilling a dream.

In preparation, I have enrolled in the New York Institute of Photography's online Complete Professional Photography program so that I may find and define my strengths, and hone my skills as a master photographer. As a result, the content and direction of this site will change. I will be holding off on creating a store to sell my images through, for now. Instead, I will be putting together a portfolio page to display the very best of my photographic images, utterly in hopes of eventually generating demand for sales or landing a job as a photojournalist/photographer.

And, this is where I will end this post. Not quite as lengthy as the previous, but full of information that I want my site visitors to know and digest concerning me and who I am.

Stay tuned!

Watching and Waiting

I left the house at 8 AM this morning and almost immediately noticed a decent CU field off to the west, heading lazily S/SE toward the Metroplex. Of course, I had decided not to bring the camera gear with me, but I was not interested in turning around, dealing with stoplights that stay on red for far, far too long, then coming back all over again. Plus, I didn't think there was much of a chance of any real action happening this early in the day.

I stopped at my usual Exxon convenience store to grab some wake-up juice - a can of Monster - and was soon on my way west, toward Ft. Worth. As I neared Ft. Worth I decided to drive through downtown and pick up the Old Jacksboro Highway (TX 199) and take it north/west out of town. As I got into far northern Tarrant county, I noticed some fairly rapid upward development on a dominant cumulus cloud just to the west of 199. I watched as I continued to drive and noticed that it was really not dying off at all, but actually still trying. Once I got into southern Parker county I began to wish I had brought the camera. Alas, I ended up being right after all. Nothing really came of the development and I turned around to head home so I could clean up and get ready for the real action later.

So, here I sit, waiting for the real action. Upon arriving back here at home I sat down to look at satellite images and noticed that the decent looking CU field has almost completely dissolved. Definitely nothing unusual for this time of year. It will most likely be later this evening, after 0z, before anything interesting happens with storms. Besides, I am really only interested in lightning photography anyway, so I don't particularly care if the storms are severe or not, just so long as there is plenty of lightning to watch.

More updates later if storms do fire as anticipated.

Lightning Snaps...

The good thing is that I was finally presented with an opportunity to shoot lightning, from my driveway no less, and I was able to do it in relative safety to boot. The bad thing is that the lightning would not really cooperate with me. Now I understand why shooting lightning is so damned frustrating! Nonetheless, this opportunity was fairly productive and, if Mother Nature cooperates, I should have at least one more opportunity to shoot lightning again over the next few days, although I may have to drive a bit to find it.

Now, on to the photos! These are in chronological order. You can see my near misses, although a couple provided me with dramatic photos anyway, just not the spectacular cloud-to-ground bolt that I had hoped for.

In the first one, you can clearly see a bolt, but it was partially obscured by the tree across the street. Also, with the first one, I had actually just missed the amazing anvil crawler with CG strobe and only caught what you see below. The second one is a direct fire in front of the lens, but the bolt was absent as it was obscured by rain and thus spread out. Finally, the third one shows the flash from a spectacular, highly photogenic bolt that arced across the sky just a couple of millimeters out of frame, literally. Had I turned the tripod half an inch or more, half a minute earlier, I would have gotten it in frame. As I said, though, these are fairly dramatic and I am not displeased, being that this was my first lightning photo op. Perhaps the next few days will net me a better score.