A little ducky tale to tell…

What kind of a title is that you may be wondering…. keep reading, it will resolve, I promise. Some time ago I promised myself that I would get my ducks in a row and start blogging more, that I would give you a little behind-the-scenes glimpse at my projects that I work on. But it seems you have to find those ducks first… they seem to be scattered here and there. That might just be a way of also saying I need to get my act together…

Wait…. no wonder I can’t get them in a row…. those aren’t even ducks… Here we go…. I’m sure she won’t mind? I confess that had I asked for her to sign a release, I would have only seen tail feathers…

Over the last two years, my husband and I have continued to enjoy the outdoors, getting away whenever time allows. It is a way to relax and enjoy each other’s company and the beauty of the world we live in. I was focused on the Snake River for my 2021 calendar; all the while hoping to share some of the beauty that we see. Some of the areas captured are known world wide; others… not so much.

Photography is something that I choose to continually learn about. For instance, improving on different aspects, such as shutter speed, can be done while you’re riding shotgun while your husband hauls corn. I joined him in the fall of 2019 while he drove the semi truck to a farm on the south side of the Snake River in Buhl. The shortest way for us to get there is across the grade, via Hwy 30. Adding to the shutter challenge is the fact that we are not riding in a Rolls Royce so the ride can be rather bumpy. I’m always amazed at the different aspects that riding in a semi-truck provides. As we drove up the grade headed back to the farm, I snapped several photos of the river, sans the concrete barrier, thanks to my vantage point.

While putting your camera settings to Auto so that it tries to pick the best way to capture the moment can, technically, be done, I choose to use manual settings. A friend of ours loves to banter this point to try to get under my skin. I love to banter my point to get under his. We’re both ornery like that. On a trip home from Island Park, as the sun was setting over the Coldwater Area, we came upon the following scene. Try as I might, the changing light, the speed of the pickup, the haste in which I knew the moment would be gone, I became frustrated that I wasn’t capturing the moment. Because I refused to use auto, my PIC (pilot in command) pulled over ever so briefly so that I could try once again. He knows the way to my heart, yes he does.

After a trip to Alaska a few years ago, we caught the fishing bug. Our grown children caught it way before us so they have been anxious to join us – or go without us, as is the case many times. Despite the dangers of taking photos from a boat, I can’t help myself. It’s those days that I don’t bring the camera that we see something extraordinary. And then there are days that I choose to see the beauty in the ordinary. The shutter challenge usually comes when the boat is anchored and the waves are lapping and rocking the boat. I’m not sure what I’m more worried about – dropping the camera or falling in. There’s a good possibility that it will happen simultaneously because I usually have the camera anchored around my neck. Last summer, while our oldest was visiting, he cajoled us in to another trip. We said we enjoyed fishing but it turns out that we enjoy catching way more. On this trip near King Hill, the fish weren’t biting. Maybe we just need more practice but I’m betting it has more to do with patience…. which is another reason I bring the camera…

I’m glad to have finally found my ducks. It appears that they were hiding in the Snake River after all this time… who knows where they’ll be hiding next?

I appreciate all of you that purchased a calendar from me this year. I hope you enjoy the photos. I also hope the insight in to what transpires between pen and paper from between my ears doesn’t frighten you too much and keeps you coming back for more. Because we have twelve months of photos plus some added features to make it through….