Photography is the art and science of capturing light, but for me it is about the journey and the story. Great photos are part of the life experience, a journey that we experience individually, but desperately want to share. Photography is a powerful medium that allows us to share in these experiences. I personally enjoy capturing and sharing photos that evoke the wonder of seeing something new, the joy of special times with family and friends, and the character of things simple and complex. Most people look at a photo and understand the moment, but to appreciate photography is to understand the experience of the subject and even the photographer. In this blog, I'll attempt to share some details on the subjects, but also my perspective as the photographer.
Potomac Flyover
As a part of the Culpeper Air Festival, around 30 World War II-era war planes flew over the Potomac River and Washington landmarks. The flight, honoring disabled veterans, took off from Culpeper Regional Airport and made its way up the Potomac, passing over the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery. The planes, North American T-6 Texans, were first built in the 1930s and became popular training aircrafts for the US military during the ’50s and ’60s.
It's going to be a long winter
We recently took a European river cruise along the Rhine. The maiden voyage of the Viking Mani left Amsterdam sailing through the Netherlands, Germany and France arriving in Switzerland. It was an excellent voyage with opportunities for some fantastic photography.
Even though everyone was there to travel and relax, after a few days it was obvious some of us were intent on capturing the grand scenery of the Rhine "on film" (I can't think of a better term to use - even though "on card" is more accurate). A common conversation starter on the cruise after eyeing the large camera I was lugging around was, "So how many pictures have you taken?". To be honest I had no idea, knowing that the digital age picture count is no longer the limiting factor like it was in the film days (FYI - it's battery life - don't get caught with a dead battery).
As it turns out the final count was a little over 4,000 photos (125GBs of memory cards consumed). Many of them won't be up to par. I'm big on experimenting and I'm not above hammering the proverbial flush nail. To be honest, I have a bit of an itchy trigger finger and technology has only further enabled me. My itchy trigger finger is only partially to blame, because my other hobby after taking photos is reviewing, re-composing and publishing photos. It is a time consuming practice, but one I will enjoy for the months to come. To me it is a way of reliving the trip again and savoring the experience. It's going to be a long winter, but I'll have plenty to keep me entertained.