Death by Platypus

Well, it’s been two and a half months since my trip, and I just finished writing up the briefest recap of it in our annual Christmas letter that will be going out soon, so I thought it was high time to blog about my photography trek.  Back at the beginning of September, I flew all by myself (my wife graciously took care of both kids for six days) up to Montana for a Mentor Series guided trek to spend four full days doing nothing but photography.  It was an incredible experience that I’d recommend to any aspiring photographer or lover of nature.

Montana was breath taking. I took a puddle jumper into West Yellowstone airport – coming in over rolling hills packed with lodgepole pines  that gave way to a tiny airstrip only at the last moment. We walked across the tarmac to the lone gate. “Baggage claim” was a rack at the front door of the airport where bags were dropped off the back of a tractor. Of course at least 90% of the flight was there for the trek, so we all got a bus to pick us up and take us 5 minutes over to the hotel.  I think we saw the extent of the quaint little town on the ride.  The weather was perfectly crisp and cool the whole time.

The Airport

The trek itself was a blast and very well run. For about 45 trekkers, we had three phenomenal professional photographers serve as mentors who provided encouragement and advice, while also giving critical reviews of our work at the end of the day. They were always around and giving suggestions, but also always gave us plenty of room to explore on our own. The shoots were four LONG days – we were on the bus just after breakfast, wrapped the day with a lecture around 9 or 10pm, then back to our rooms to review our day’s work for the critique session the next morning.  Our last day started with a sunrise shoot, so we were on the bus at 5am and were out again till after sunset.  I definitely learned a ton though – from technical tips, to composition, to post-processing and workflow (which I put to good use during my 8+ hour layover in Salt Lake City on the way home).

Our first day of shooting was spent in Yellowstone National Park, most of which is actually in Wyoming. Our entrance to the park was maybe 10 minutes from the hotel, and within 5 minutes of entering the park, we were stopped by the side of the road to go shoot pictures of a bald eagle sitting in a dead tree not 30 feet from the roadside

The rest of the day in Yellowstone featured our first glimpses of bison (a pair perhaps 60 yards away) and a heartbreaking reminder of how wild the park was – a young elk that had injured itself on a sharp tree branch while running away from some coyotes. We also walked along the boardwalks of the Norris Geyser Basin, Grand Prismatic Spring, and Midway Geyser Basin. The geysers were amazing. For one thing, they were everywhere in the park. We’d be looking out the windows as we drove, and in the middle of this normal looking field would be 4 or 5 streams of steam coming out of the ground or a pool of bluish water bubbling. Also, they each seemed to be unique – either in color (from the sulfur mixing with the water) or frequency of eruptions or force. Of course, we stopped by Old Faithful for an eruption, but honestly I was more intrigued by some of the other geysers in that area.

Our second day was spent at Elkhorn Ranch – a working ranch. We had opportunities to shoot a running of their horses, pose cowboys for shots in the barn, stables or on horseback, and practice panning shots of riders galloping across a field. There was a lot of focus on working with motion, and I think I got to try more new things that day than any other. To top it off, the day was Fall-like – chilly and mostly overcast.  Lovely!

Day three was a long drive out to a preserved gold rush town called Virginia City. We spent the day exploring the old buildings and working with several models in period costumes. It was interesting to go explore some of the old stuff in the town and the railroad yard next door, but I don’t think I got as much out of the day as I did the other three.

Our final day was another LONG day in Yellowstone. Our “sunrise” shot never panned out. We got in place only to see thick fog blocking out the sun. It was freezing – literally. I had frost on my bag and tripod. This made for some very interesting “frost on plants” shots and the mist over the river was fun, so I don’t think anyone was too disappointed. After spending some time warming up in the bus, we drove to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the Lower Falls. This was a beautiful area, with a short hike down to a great viewing area of the falls. We were fortunate to have a bit of a rainbow at the base of the falls for a bit.

Driving back from the falls, we stopped to shoot a herd of about 30 bison, maybe 100 feet from the road. While we were shooting, the bison started crossing the street immediately in front and behind our bus. We got several shots of the bison playing, watching people in cars, and crossing less than 15 feet from us.

For the record, the trek for me was four days of shooting, 3200+ photos, 850+ ”keepers”, and about 50 for the site (originally). While the ranch and ghost towns were fun, Yellowstone was definitely the highlight of the trip. It is an incredible park, at least from the tiny little bit we got to see. I’d love to go back someday on my own and spend about a month there, exploring more thoroughly. And our local professional says Glacier NP, only 8 hours up the road, is even better. Perhaps I need to take a quarter off…

In my photography site, I’ve added two new sets of shots from the Montana Trip – More From Yellowstone and More From Elkhorn Ranch & Virginia City.

As we prepare to go camping in Lost Maples on Thanksgiving Eve this week, here are some shots from our recent camping trip in Bastrop. Making our reservations for late October and November, we assumed there would be wonderfully cool Fall temperatures. Unfortunately, our Bastrop trip had balmy weather in the 80’s, and the report for this Wednesday shows 80’s, with a cold front blowing in at night. We’re keeping our fingers crossed it blows in early enough to cool things off for bed time.

Other than challenges getting to sleep in the warmth and Tyler deciding that laying across his AND my pillows made the optimal camp bed, the kids were great camping. They tooted around the camp site, playing with sticks and rocks, helping us unload the car or cook, and taking Chase on walks.

Quinn with her walking stick	Out hiking
She looks like she’s ready to fend off a bear	Trying to walk Chase; this did not end well
The kids helped feed Chase	Welcome to our tent!
Slow walk on the carpet of pine needles	Tyler giving in to paci envy

As the Holiday season approaches, I realized I didn’t have any really good, recent shots of the two kids together that we could use for our Christmas cards. To remedy, I’d been taking tons of shots of both kids at the park, home, wherever. One morning before work, I had just finished getting both kids dressed for their day, and they were sitting on Tyler’s bed. Tyler was being really sweet with Quinn, so I ran and got my camera. I got these shots of them, plus some others of Tyler hugging Quinnie around her neck, which looked more like he was trying to choke her…

One thing that’s remarkable is how grown up Quinn looks in these shots. She’s getting so big!

Love Quinn’s smile here	And there’s two smiles
She loves to read, just like Tyler

As Fall (in Texas) approaches, photo ops outside become few and far between. I’ve been going through my backlog of photos and posting to the blog or photo site, and am close to being caught up. Recently, I’ve added a couple shots to both my existing Childhood and Bastrop sections on Alpha Dog Photography. Check them out (they’re the bottom-most two shots in each).

And for the heck of it, some photos on my site will soon be available to order via Pay Pay. Just in time for the holidays!

Just after my Montana photo trek and ACL Fest weekend, we took the kids down to Port Aransas with our friends the Pizzo’s. It’s always a nice, relaxing weekend on the beach in mid-September. Not that many people there, temperatures under triple digits, nothing to do but enjoy.

After not being quite sure what to think of the waves last year (he spent most of the time just digging in the sand), Tyler really started getting into it. By Sunday morning, he was asking me to carry him way out into the waves so we could jump over them or let them crash up against our backs. He really enjoyed it.

Quinn LOVED the water. No fear whatsoever. She wanted us to walk her into and out of the waves as they rolled up the beach (never took her in past my calves). There were a couple times when she was crawling on the beach when a particularly big wave rolled farther onto shore than we were expecting. It knocked her over on her back and covered her face for a moment. As we ran to grab her, expecting a bout of crying and clinging to Mommy, she popped right up, laughed, and proceeded to crawl out towards the water for more. And this happened a couple different times!

I didn’t take many pictures during the weekend. However, we did have one lovely pre-bedtime walk on the beach with the kids. The sun was low in the sky, so the light was fantastic. If you like these, I’ve got a few more great shots of the kids at Port A on my photo site.

Quinn: I’m ready to go swimming now, Mommy	Heading for the surf
Taking it all in	Quinn practicing walking on the beach
See? She loved the waves!	Power walkin’ the beach
Toddler in motion	Beach chairs aren’t just for the beach, you know

When I was a kid in Ohio, I have fond memories of driving out to a farm every year to get our pumpkins and gourds. The farm always had elaborate displays – both mountains of pumpkins in carts and scarecrows, ghots, and all sorts of other scary inventions propped up behind the pumpkin displays or standing next to bundles of dried corn stalks. Add to that the ever-gray Fall sky and colder weather. This is what I think of when I think of October, Fall, and Halloween.

The closest we’ve found in Texas (where it was in the 90’s and sunny through the third week of October) was to haul the kids out to Sweet Berry Farms. Last year was the first year we went, and had a pretty good time. There’s a great variety of pumpkins, hay rides, goats, and best of all – pumpkin ice cream. While there, I can almost imagine I’m back home…

Requisite posed shot	Child labor laws be damned!
Tyler feeds one of the goats	Quinn feeds one of the goats
Yeah, she really liked the goats	It takes a thorough two-toddler inspection to be the Hedge family pumpkin
Inspecting the pumpkin from another angle	Does it pass the baby butt test?
Captain of the SS Pumpkin

Earlier this summer, they completed work on a fantastic new park downtown next door to the Palmer Events Center. We’ve taken the kids three or four times before the weather’s gotten cooler, and they love it! There is a pond with fountains, a big hill with a spiral sidewalk to the top, a childrens’ labyrinth, and best of all – a fountain area the children can play in. The fountain consists of 96 separate jets of water that turn off and on and shoot our spurts of various heights in differing patterns. At dusk, LED lights illuminate the spurts of water. It’s a great place to relax and take a picnic dinner on a Friday evening.

In addition to these fun shots of the kids, I’ve got a few more at my photo site.

Tyler’s introduction to Texas geography	Ever wonder why parents always look so tired?
Splashdown!	Tyler begins his dramatic descent down the observation hill
Late sun illuminations	Tyler thought I was chasing him around the hill; instead I went straight up the side and waited
Saving this one for his wedding day	Girl power!!

So I DVR’ed airing of the Decemberists on Austin City Limits. They only got 30 minutes (with the second half of the show wasted on Explosions in the Sky) and four songs. And I think some of their best songs that night (16 Military Wives and Sons and Daughters) didn’t make the final cut. But I did spot myself in the crowd twice, for about half a second each time. Yes, I’m a dork