Paul Lester Photo

Utah is but a couple of days away. Heading towards an over-photographed landmark, such as Zion National Park, Grand Canyon’s North Rim, or Bryce Canyon I’m feeling the challenge, or perhaps desire, to come away with something different.

Certainly, I think that I will come away with quite a few common or cliche shots. I think that it is inevitable; however, my hope is that I can get off of the beaten path, perhaps not spending a great amount of time in the park itself, but in exploring places around it. I’ve visited the park before and remember seeing lovely vistas and impressive views; however, I also remember the throngs of people that were present, too. If you were to search Google images, you’d see thousands upon thousands of shots of Zion, or any other national park that you’d care to search for.

Finding adventure elsewhere
Since it is not my goal to photograph/document the park, I’m willing to go about and explore different areas. Actually, my only goal is to arrive there. Period. After that, I’ll let my mind take me where it will. My knowledge of the area is very limited, but I do remember finding some exciting photo opportunities in and around Saint George, UT. With the help of a GPS, I’ll be more willing to go and explore different locations, knowing that the likelihood of my getting lost is greatly reduced.

When I was in New Mexico, Kate and I spent a significant amount of time photographing picnic areas in the park itself. They provided some cool abstracts. Of course we photographed lots of sand dunes, etc. I’m sure that such photo opportunities will present themselves there as well. Also, there will be innumerable opportunities to photograph people, which is a nice bit of adjunct photography.

The SoFoBoMo influence
SoFoBoMo, I believe, has had an influence on my thoughts of photography. I still love the single image, but now the ‘series’ is part of my thought process. Periodically, the thought of creating a book about my trip to Utah, or anywhere else for that matter, has popped into my head. I have no idea about the content at this time, but the idea is there. I’m almost sure that wouldn’t be Zion specific, but more of an “Exploring Southern Utah” kind of feel. More than likely, the book will take form after the pictures have been taken, at least from my conscious point of view.

What I hope to achieve
I hope to, like I did in New Mexico, come back with some unique images from within the park and outside of the park and surrounding areas. Mostly, I hope to explore and let that sense of wonder creep in and bring back photos that represent that same sense of wonder. Certainly, that is not a measurable goal, but more of an emotion, but then again, photography, at least for me, is certainly about emotion.

If you’ve visited for a while, you know that my topics vary. I’m probably about 80% photography, 20% other. So, if you are looking for a photography post, you might want to head on an look elsewhere, because it ain’t here today!

Robert Louis Stevenson:

A friend is a gift you give yourself

I’m 46 and have been through the most intense 3 years of my life and things are still changing. Mind you, intense means just that, intense. It doesn’t mean that the changes were bad. In fact, they were all very good, healthy, cleansing, and painful. I had to shake off a lot of negative baggage that I’ve been carrying around for longer than I care to remember.

I haven’t been able to think of anything to say about photography lately, so I thought that I’d talk about friends and how important they are. I have a few good friends, and one very best friend. I’d like to start the best friend and then mention the others, not in any particular order, but as they come to me.

My best friend
Without a doubt, my best friend is my wife Vera. I know that sounds cliche, but it is the truth. For anyone who has befriended my wife, they know that there is no one more caring, sensitive, and loyal than her. She is my number one advocate and will tell me when she thinks that I am wrong, but it will always be delivered with a heavy dosage of compassion and thought. She always thinks that I can improve. This is not in a nagging way, but in a teaching way. She’s taught me so much in the past three years. Because of her, I have a much better relationship with my boys and my friends. She’s showed me how to really care about other people, even if I don’t agree with them … especially if I don’t agree with them. She’s a great spiritual leader. She is my heart and I could find no better. I believe that. She is pictured here to the right, with her best friend Tamami, who is Richard’s wife. He thinks the same of his wife. We’re both right! I’m not so sure of what my wife was laughing about, but I’m pretty sure that it was some wisecrack that Richard made!

Gordon
Gordon and I have been friends since 10th grade. That would be about 31 years. We used to live together for a while when we first moved to Texas. He’s married and still lives in Texas but we talk about once or twice every two weeks and he visits me once or twice per year and I visit him whenever I’m in Dallas. Gordon brings a lot of patience and understanding to the table. Sometimes when I just want to pop off and do something, he’s a great calming influence. He’s laid back. We also love to joke around. I could imagine a heck of a time if all 3 of us got together, Gordon, Richard, and me. Tony, my son, likes to hang around with me and Gordon because all we do is tell lies about how bad the other one was in high school. Neither one of us ever got into trouble, but to hear us tell it, we were always bailing the other one out of jail!

Richard
You’ve heard me talk about him and he is the self-proclaimed “student”. Hah, I think that I’ve learned a lot more about things from him than he could ever learn from me. He brings a great wisdom to the table, especially about marriage. He’s been married over 20 years, so he’s about 5 years ahead of me. He and I talk about 2 or 3 times per week. He lives in the Dallas area, too. He and I will be going to Utah together this weekend. At first, Richard is rather quiet, but if you get him going, he can have you in stitches very quickly! He’s got quite a good sense of humor!!! Our wives are best friends and I think that we are climbing that ladder too. This will be our first trip together, ever. Our wifes hang out together regularly. We like to joke and say that they catch airplanes like most people catch buses! They try to see each other once per month, swapping flights every other month. We wish, of course, that they could be our next door neighbors here in North Carolina, but they have many ties in the Dallas area.

Hobbs
Well, you guys know about Hobbs, my Miniature Schnuazer. He’s the best. He’s always happy to see me. Always happy to take me for a walk and is there to comfort me whenever I need it.

So, those are a few of my closest friends. What about yours? Who are they? How long have you known them? How did you meet?

From time to time, I’ll go back and read: On being a photographer, which is a book written in an interview style. It’s a conversation between David Hurn, a Magnum photographer, and Bill Jay. I’ve read it a couple of times and each time that I read it I pick up a small nugget of wisdom that I hope not to forget.

Choosing a subject
Of particular interest was his idea about how to pick a subject. Certainly, this top has been beat to death, so I’ll be very brief so as not to annoy you. He says that you should pick something that interests you. Something that you can study. You should make a list of all of the things that you find interesting. Cross of those items that cannot be represented visually, such as Greek philosophy. Further, cross off those that are not conveniently located or that you do not have access to. The remaining list has the potential subjects that you might pursue. He says that it should be very specific. For example, rather than to say “The Beach”, perhaps you could say “Couples showing affection on the beach.” This reduces down the subjects or actions to a manageable size such that you could create a meaningful body of work.

Pregnant moments
Next, he went on to talk about capturing a good shot. He talked about pregnant moments. Those moments that build to a crescendo and hopefully ‘deliver’. If you see one, you’ll recognize it. The example he used was of a man walking towards a woman; You’re anticipating a kiss; you take a few pictures as he approaches her, move your feet a bit to simplify the elements, continue taking pictures, wait, wait, wait, for the kiss, but in the end, he was just going to get a sandwich. Sometimes those moments work. Sometimes they don’t.

Does one size fit all?
I think that this technique works well for people or animal photography, but does it work well for the landscape, which is basically static, save for the ever changing light? Perhaps the changing of the light becomes the pregnant moment. Perhaps the changing breeze. Perhaps it’s waiting for the sun to be in the right position, shining on that little plant … the moment when all of the elements come together.