I posted a high contrast black and white version of this photo a couple of weeks ago. That image was processed to accentuate foreground elements and water. With this version the exposure is more balanced between foreground and background areas. The gently flowing spring offers many compositions to explore as seasons progress.
Springtime weather is always unsettled in North America. This year is no exception. Strong weather sweeps in from the Pacific acting as catalyst, mixing warm moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and cold Canadian air. It is a rather explosive combination which brings predictable destruction to the continent. North America is bound together by natural forces.
Those in the Midwest know the routine and keep a weather eye open. Early yesterday, before dawn, a storm front swept through Texas with high winds and copious amounts of rain. We were lucky, the storms broke north and south leaving us with just a couple of inches of rain. Another storm will follow along in due course; Maybe not so lucky next time.
The wind chime hangs on the edge of my porch facing South and West into the oncoming weather. I’m not a superstitious person but I understand the value of a talisman to act as guardian. There is something ancient in warding off danger with a carved stick or even a small metal bell. Being human, in the face of natural violence, I hedge my bets.
It is interesting looking back at these photographs which were made in 2007 using my first DSLR, a Canon 10D. A couple of things come to mind. First, you can get quite a lot of information out of a 6mp RAW file if the exposure is reasonably good. Also, I used a tripod more then and the images are better for doing so. I was way too busy trying to shoot trophy images to recognize those things at the time.
I purchased the 10D from a pro photographer after he bought a new Canon 30D. In truth my envy for his 8mp sensor camera was overflowing. The older 6mp camera seemed quite inferior measured against such a fine photographic tool as the 30D. In hindsight the 10D was nearly perfect for an inexperienced wannabe photographer.
The 10D started me off on a series of Canon gear, 10D, 5D, 40D and 60D. All had good qualities and each improved upon the previous camera. The 5D was something of an outlier, it had the advantages of full frame capture but functionally it reminded me of a clunky oversized 10D. Only the 60D was purchased new and that was a struggle on my shoestring hobbyist budget.
Fortunately it is easy to find excellent used gear one or two generations old. People still think the newest cameras will always make the best photographs. My current Sony A7II 24mp full frame camera is a generation or more behind current standards. It has quite modest specs compared to newer models. Even so, I sometimes struggle to use all the performance it is capable of providing.
After years of practice I finally get it. Photographers make photographs and cameras capture light. That is a good thing to remember when considering new gear.