Hiking, Making Photos, Thinking...

Photographs are on my mind.

 I went with friends to a presentation at the Museum of East Texas by photographer Richard Orton, "The Upshaws of County Line: an American Family which was his chronicle of the people living in what had originally been a freedom colony in Nacogdoches County. Orton spent about 25 years talking to the people living there and taking photos of the lives. It was a impressive project. 

It got me to thinking about the photos of tuba players I've made over the years. Decades of documentation that I really bore down on when one day I recognized that I had lots of tuba player photos. I have thought that maybe there's a book there but Orton did say during his presentation when he referred to his own book that "people don't make money off books like these."  He said maybe $100 a year. 

So those thoughts lead me to my latest project which is entering photos in the Texas State Parks Photo Contest honoring it's 100 year anniversary. There are a number of prizes such as HEB gift cards and park passes. I probably don't go to state parks as much as I go to HEB which would be a pretty interesting place for a picture study in and of itself. 

I bought a yearly park pass last year which gets you and everyone in the car in for free as well as half price camping. I think I've got my money out of it visiting some of the closest parks such as Martin Dies Jr., Mission Tejas and Galveston Island as well as taking one of the free ranger guided canoe paddles. I also have upcoming camping reservations at McKinney Falls and then it will be tine to renew the pass.        

Today me and Luca hiked the island trail at Martin Dies Jr. I'll probably enter some of the photos in the contest. I've scrolled through the gallery and I think mine are as good as any but then maybe it's because I think my grandkids are the best.

I like the setting of this photo but my old digital camera has started that thing they all do after lots of catfish trips, canoe trips, live rock concerts and just generally being hauled around. The automatic lens cover does not shut well and you get a scratched, foggy lens that shows up in some light. Next camera is going to be the cheapest one I can find. I'm just going to mess it up anyway and with the amount of photos I make the law of averages is that some will be good enough.      

It's not like extreme hiking I did today. The trip was well under two miles but can you imagine how many steps he might have taken? 

When it comes to art I have some kind of life's work done I just need to get it in a form someone might appreciate or learn something from.