Photobook 1/10/23

This marks the first time I've explored more of my county, let alone the city. Having my own car and (for now) a learner's permit lets me explore more than I could as just a tagalong.

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ISO 400 / f5.6 / 1/4000

Barn outside Pottsville, Texas.

Being a driver with photography brain is kinda dangerous. I'm constantly noticing the most mundane thing and wondering if it's worth a shot. With experience, I'll get better at knowing what makes a good roadside portrait.

The gear I brought included my Nikon F4, Panasonic 25mm f1.7, and Albinar 80-200mm f3.9. I ended up using my AF Nikkor 35-70mm f2.8 most of the time. It's incredibly sharp, good range for landscape, and because of its size, lets any passerby or worried property owner know you are just a photographer.

ISO 400 / f5.6 / 1/3200
ISO 400 / f5.6 / 1/2500

F.M. 218 near Indian Gap.
Somehow didn't notice my ISO was so high for the rest of the trip.

One thing I was thinking about is how should I remember these trips. When I get back and start editing, I always fight with myself if I should keep the picture 'true to life' or "Adobe Landscape Color Profile +13 Saturation". Is it too green? Is it too magenta? Is the grass too yellow or too red? Will someone think it's over-edited? The photograph I take will become the definitive memory, is it important to keep it original and un-stylized?

ISO 400 / f5.6 / 1/4000

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Priddy, Texas.
One thing to notice if visiting North Central Texas is the petrified wood.
It's always present in architecture around here.

It's just silly and pretentious to me. IF the camera was jpeg only, that wouldn't represent the ideal 'actual' moment. Nothing could. It's not like future me will ever care about the 'correct' color of grass or red brick because it changed my perception of the memory. Memories are faulty anyway. There's no point worrying yet I still do.

ISO 400 / f5.6 / 1/1600

.A really good Tree near the Flat Top wind farm.

ISO 400 / f5.6 / 1/1600

My beat-up Honda Accord and co-driver.

My plan was to head out towards Democrat Cemetery, a great place name for a very conservative area. Once we actually got up to the turbines, I realized, how do you actually make them interesting? Or in an English teacher sort of way, how do you communicate their presence through photography?

ISO 400 / f5.6 / 1/3200
ISO 400 / f5.6 / 1/2500

For me, it's their sheer scale and alien appearance on the horizon. A wind turbine against the blue sky is a totally different experience in person than through a lens. It's akin to photographing the moon.

ISO 400 / f2 / 1/5000

Dingo enjoying the sun, couldn't leave without a dog portrait of some sort.

ISO 400 / f5.6 / 1/640

A nice cacti.

I took a few shots on film and moved on. I found a really nice sheep farm in the valley as a foreground. It was a nice place to juxtapose such large, alien structures in a familiar rural landscape Simon Stålenhag style.

ISO 400 / f5.6 / 1/800
ISO 400 / f5.6 / 1/250
ISO 400 / f5.6 / 1/100

It's always incredible how quickly colors change at sunset. I do love the way the towers change gold near this time.

ISO 400 / f5.6 / 1/800

Opposite the sheep was a house and a menacing view of one of the turbines. I took out my falling apart 80-200mm and tried hard to keep it in focus. This is the first time I've used this lens.

ISO 400 / f3.9 / 1/250

Albinar 80-200mm f3.9.

Feeling satisfied, I drove home. By blue hour almost every tower was blinking simultaneously. It's actually quite eerie being surrounded by it. That's one thing that's difficult to get across, hundreds of rotating skyscrapers surrounding you. They aren't the subject of a familiar rural landscape, but the context of an otherwise familiar rural landscape.

ISO 400 / f2.8 / 1/20

This shot was a pain. Shooting a large, clunky, metal lens handheld while matching the shutter with the blink of the towers took an amount of effort. But it was worth it. Anyway, I hope to explore more this year. I am way more a photographer than writer but hope you found this post interesting. That's all for now, Jolon.

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