Ross Walker photography

Cattle Ranch Sleigh

2012-02-26T20:19:00.000-07:00

Much of the ranch work in the Bear Lake Valley is still done with horse-drawn equipment.

I visited the Hulme Ranch to photograph cows being fed from horse-drawn sleighs. Chad Hulme drove one of the two sleighs.

The sleighs are used in winter to travel over snow and ice.

A farm dog, Mollie, watches Chad bring in his sleigh for a load of hay bales.

It was a gorgeous morning with no wind and temperatures in the twenties. Perfect for photography.

John Peterson drove the second sleigh.

I hitched a ride and was amazed at how well the horses were trained. John could tie the reins to the post in the foreground and control the horses with verbal commands. Photography was fairly difficult because of the lack of room on the sleigh and a rough ride on the frozen ground.

The big hay bales are sliced into slabs 6 or 8 inches thick by the baler before they are tied into blocks. When the sleigh gets to the cows the twine is cut and slabs of hay are pushed off to form a long line of feed.

Mollie loves being with John on the sleigh and keeps a really close eye on the cows. My thanks go to Jim Parker for inviting me on this shoot, Chad Hulme for letting me photograph work on his ranch, and John Peterson for putting up with us photographers.

Fire Dance in the Snow

2012-02-21T21:06:00.001-07:00

Linda and I watched a Tongan fire dance in the snow last night.

A large number of people crowded the beautiful home of Dr.Charles and Elaine Merrell to have dinner and watch Elder Fotu demonstrate a dance typical of his culture in Tonga.

Elder Fotu is a Mormon missionary assigned to Montpelier, Idaho and the surrounding area. The Merrell's invited community members of various faiths and backgrounds for a wonderful evening of friendship.

1/8 second, f4.5, ISO 400

Elaine Merrell had showed us some beautiful photos she had taken of a fire dance, so we were eager to see Elder Fotu perform.

He was certainly not used to the cold of our mountain city, but was a good sport and thrilled us all with a spectacular show. He was standing in a snow bank, there were light snow flurries, and the temperature was in the 20's. We didn't have much time for photos because the dance lasted just a few minutes. It took a tremendous amount of energy and was very tiring for the performer.

His remarkable performance included fire eating.

1/45 second, f4.5, ISO 1600

1/30 second, f5.6, ISO 1600

I tried several techniques in the short time we had for photos, and was glad I brought a flashlight so I could change camera settings. Flash lit up snowflakes and they looked like bright spots in images. I like the yellow glow from the fire better than the white light of the flash and have not included any flash images in this post. ISO settings higher than 1600 improved detail in his face but produced more noise than I liked. Next time I will try a slower shutter speed to produce a more abstract blur of fire.

Linda and I want to thank Elder Fotu for introducing us to one part of his culture. We enjoyed meeting him. We also thank the Merrell's for a wonderful, unique evening.

Cisco Beach Wave Ice

2012-01-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

Bear Lake went through huge changes over the past year when the water level rose at a record pace and reached capacity for the first time in many years. Trees and other plants that had been growing on the dry lake bed for years started to die off as they became submerged.

Many of these trees were just off-shore at Cisco Beach on the east side of the lake in Utah. Waves that often keep the lake from freezing splashed against the dying trees and formed unique ice shapes.

Sometimes the splashing water ran down the trees and formed bell-shaped ice formations.

Photography was a challenge here. Strong wind, freezing temperatures, and icy uneven footing made it an interesting day. I plan to go back again soon!

Bear Lake is located half in Idaho and half in Utah. Our home is 20 miles north of the lake in Montpelier, Idaho

Millions of shoreline bullrushes also died when the water rose. These reeds washed ashore and were hit by the freezing waves.

Encased in ice. Nature's beauty can even be found in dying plants in freezing weather.

Winter patterns

2011-12-20T20:47:00.000-07:00

This has been a strange winter so far in the Bear Lake Valley. By now we should have a lot of snow on the ground, wildlife should be coming out of the hills, and the ski areas should be going strong. There have been several storms and the weather has been cold, but there is little snow accumulation. So what is out there for photographers?

When you add wind to a little snow you get drifts, and a simple weed with it's shadow in late afternoon light can be beautiful.

When the snow isn't very deep a little grass can stick out and add some simple straight lines to the beautiful snow curves.

The Bear Lake Valley often gets fog when the temperature drops and this can produce hoar frost or "rime". Unlike the snow curves in the first two photos, to get rime there must be no wind at all. The frost forms on nearly everything, often outlining leaves and branches. Temperatures had been below zero for several mornings when this photo was taken.

The background in this photo is fog and naturally a little gray in the subdued light. I was fortunate to find a place where all background detail was obscured. This beautiful phenomenon will usually disappear soon after the fog dissipates and the sun strikes the frost.

Watch your exposure when photographing snow, frost, and fog. The camera will try to expose an average gray, so you might need to add exposure to make your photos white enough. But don't overdo it or you will lose the natural look. If all else fails, exposure can be tweaked in PhotoShop, but it is nice to get it right to begin with.

Crystal, Colorado Ghost Town

2011-10-24T21:37:00.000-06:00

Crystal, Colorado is famous for its picturesque "mill", but it is difficult to get there. I was on my second trip of the year with photographer friends from California. We knew that the road into Crystal is not for the casual driver. It requires an ATV or a high clearance vehicle, preferably four wheel drive, and not too big. The driver should be experienced on very rough roads, and unafraid of driving on narrow, rocky benches with big drop-offs.

In this photo, Bruce Gregory's Nissan Xterra approaches a short bench through a rock slide zone as Stephen Johnson walks the road. The canyon is so steep that much of the road is in shadow in the middle of the afternoon.

The reward for driving the spectacular road is the Crystal Mill. This mis-named building was not a mill, but actually housed a huge compressor which was powered by water from the Crystal River that dropped down the vertical penstock. The compressor ran drills in nearby mines. The building was built in 1893 and retired in 1917.

We met Chris Cox, owner of the famous "mill", who told us that it is shored up with cables on the inside. Local volunteers have done concrete work to support the penstock, and have donated their time and labor to replace the roof. Without their help, the building would have collapsed long ago.

We heard that most people photograph the "mill" and go home, not knowing there is a ghost town just down the road.

There are a dozen or so buildings in a picturesque mountain setting with plenty of aspen trees.

The Cox family has owned the town for five generations. They have fixed up five of the buildings as rentals that are popular with photographers. Some of them even have hand-cranked telephones to connect with each other, but not with the outside world. We thank Chris Cox for his hospitality and information about this beautiful ghost town.

Little Bighorn Battlefield, Montana

2011-09-27T21:40:00.000-06:00

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument was one of my favorite stops on our recent trip to northern Wyoming and southern Montana. I had a lot of preconceived ideas about the area where Custer had his famous "last stand" and most proved to be wrong.

The first thing you see when you arrive is Custer National Cemetery, which was for military veterans and their families until 1978.

I liked the way the sprinklers changed the mood of the cemetery. Bodies of the soldiers who fell during the battle were not buried here, but in a mass grave on last stand hill. Custer's body was sent to West Point.

The Battlefield is adjacent to the cemetery and is scattered over a much larger area than I expected. Monuments to fallen soldiers have been placed where they fell, not where they are buried. Most of the battleground has been left in a natural state so that many monuments rest in tall prairie grass.

These monuments are for Indian scouts who died while working for the American Army. There are also a few monuments for civilians, and brown monuments for Indians from the opposing forces. I expected the battlefield to be on one relatively small hill, but notice the vast expanse of high ground in this photo, and the Little Bighorn River in the background.

Lt. Col. Custer fell on Last Stand Hill. His monument is in the middle of a tight cluster of fallen soldiers.

A modern Indian Memorial is entirely different than all the other monuments and gravestones in the area. This photo is a fragment of a sculpture of Indians on horseback. There are several sections commemorating the tribes and family names involved in the battle, and I enjoyed meeting a family who pointed out the name of their ancestors on the wall. If you enjoy American History, don't miss Little Bighorn Battlefield.

Legend Rock Petroglyphs, Wyoming

2011-09-24T16:55:00.000-06:00

The Legend Rock State Archaeological Site is 30 miles northwest of Thermopolis, Wyoming. Sometimes an on-site caretaker will let you in, but normally you need to get a key to unlock the gate. We got ours at the State bath house at the Thermopolis hot springs.

Petroglyphs are pictures pecked or scratched in rock. The Legend Rock site has an easy trail leading to several panels of pictures. One of my favorites was this Thunderbird in one of the first panels.

Petroglyphs at Legend Rock range from about 200 to 11,000 years old. These animals are among the oldest at the site, so they are not as distinct as newer ones.

Notice the two styles. The animals on the left are outlined and the ones on the right have their bodies filled in, which is known as "en toto".

Animal figures, like the ones above, are known as zoomorphs. Human-like figures, such as those to the right are anthropomorphs. These fantastic figures have horned headdresses and unrealistic bodies.

What is the meaning of something like this? Anthropomorphs are intertwined into one complicated figure with hands in strange places.

A panel under this figure was removed by vandals. This is a common problem at rock art sites so we were glad for the extra security at Legend Rock.

This amazing figure has extra feet, arms in the wrong place, and is missing much of his face. I think his strange personality jumps at you from the rock. Notice the writing in the upper right. When it gets this old, it can be referred to as "historic graffiti" and may even be considered to have historical value.
You can see more rock art at our web site: http://www.hisandhersphoto.com/Heritage/hhheritage.htm

Bighorn Medicine Wheel, Wyoming

2011-09-19T20:16:00.008-06:00

The Bighorn Medicine Wheel is a geoglyph in northern Wyoming. That is, it is a pattern laid out in stones on the ground. This Medicine Wheel has been used for Native American rituals since its construction anywhere from 500 to 1500 years ago. Access to the Medicine Wheel is limited to a few summer months because of its remote location and 9642' elevation.

The trail to the Medicine Wheel is about three miles round trip, and nearly every step is uphill or downhill. At this high elevation it can be a difficult walk for some people, but the high mountain scenery is spectacular. People who have difficulty walking can drive to the site if they can figure out how to get past the log gate. I walked, but had to leave Linda back at the parking lot.

The Medicine Wheel is 80' in diameter and has 28 spokes. The four outer cairns align with the rising and setting sun during the summer solstice. Perhaps the spokes represent the 28 days of the lunar month. The Medicine Wheel appears to be part of an enormous network of regional prehistoric sites dating back 7000 years! Note that this photo was altered in Photoshop to remove a rest room and two cars from behind the back fence.

Prayer offerings are still being left on the rope fence all the way around the Medicine Wheel. After I hiked back to the parking lot I managed to open the gate and drive Linda to the site so that she was able to see it. And, I got to see it twice.

Montana State University picked up two of these photos and used them in their magazine, "Confluence". You can see the article and photos on page 11 here: http://issuu.com/montanastateuniversity/docs/confluence2011

Gebo, Wyoming ghost town

2011-09-13T20:45:00.000-06:00

Gebo, Wyoming is an isolated ghost town near Worland. It was a coal mining town from 1906 until 1938.

There are seven ruined stone buildings curving along the top of a ridge. They might have been nice at one time since they still have remnants of concrete sidewalks, gates, brick windowsills, and other comforts.

The town had 1200 residents in 1929 and buildings were scattered over the desolate countryside. BLM leveled most of the town in 1971. So, why did these buildings survive?

Maybe these stone ruins were on private land so BLM had to leave them standing.

Vandalism and the passage of years have not been kind to Gebo. The town is used for target practice now.

EBR-1 Atomic Museum

2011-08-22T17:02:00.000-06:00

The first power plant in the world to produce useable electricity from atomic energy is located near Arco, Idaho.

Before I continue with photos of the plant...

This object was photographed next to the parking lot. Can you figure out what it is? The answer is at the end of this post.

Experimental Breeder Reactor - 1 first produced electricity on December 20, 1951 and was decommissioned in 1964.

The control room looks like a 50's science fiction movie with dials, toggle switches, and paper graphs. No computers here.

Scientists were ready for all emergencies.

PHOTO TIP:
EBR-1 has a dark interior with different kinds of lighting. Many of these photos were taken at ISO 3200, and white balance had to be changed for some rooms.

Where else can you stand on the core of a nuclear reactor? Fuel rods used to be lowered into this hole which is now covered by plexiglass.

EBR-1 was fueled with U-235 and created plutonium. It was a "breeder" reactor which produced more fuel than it consumed!

The first bulbs ever lit by atomic energy were right here! This circuit is the original, but the bulbs have been replaced.

WHAT WAS THE MYSTERY OBJECT?
It was a HTRE-3 prototype atomic jet engine mounted on a test stand. This monster engine actually worked in a test, but was never placed in the X-6 bomber designed for it. No one ever figured out how to avoid frying the airplane crew while keeping the weight of the engine down, and the program was scrapped by President Kennedy.

Thunder Mountain, Nevada

2011-07-22T19:32:00.000-06:00

Thunder Mountain... the name sounds like some high Sierra location in the wilderness, but it is much more difficult to descibe.

Thunder Mountain Indian Monument is a State of Nevada historic site. Bizarre, artistic, eclectic, artsy, and even kind of scary, Thunder Mountain is a collection of faces, towers, junk, statues, old cars, and buildings made from concrete, bottles, windshields, typewriters, and whatever other building materials the artist could find.

The creator of the monument was Frank Van Zant who later in life called himself Chief Rolling Mountain Thunder. He described his creation as a monument to the American Indian. During his life he was a World War II veteran, assistant pastor, sheriff's deputy, and private investigator, but inspired by a bottle house he had seen in the desert, he moved his family to rural Imlay, Nevada and created his unusual home.

A bottle wall seen from the inside.

Nightmarish faces, deteriorated by years of exposure, are found everywhere you look, peering out from corners or towers, and a Madonna seems to watch you from behind a wire fence. Native American symbolism is everywhere, but other symbols are harder to understand, like an amazing human / butterfly. The site is deteriorating, but the artist's son is trying to preserve and restore it. There is a caretaker on the site, and he gladly let us inside the fence to take photos. There is no charge, but donations are accepted and welcome.

Rent a locomotive!

2011-07-13T22:47:00.000-06:00

One of the highlights of this year's annual camping trip was renting a locomotive for an hour at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola, California.

The 917-D was built around 1951 or 1952 and has a 16 cylinder engine. Visitors can rent this engine or a smaller switch engine and run it around a relatively short section of track.

Ross Walker ran the locomotive under the watchful eye of Charlie, a museum docent. Photo by Bruce Gregory.

Stephen Johnson was the second engineer.

Bruce Gregory got the next turn.

This was the view from the cab as the train traveled around the border of the museum property.

The victorious engineers as photographed by Charlie the museum docent.

Forest City, California - Almost a ghost town

2011-07-08T23:18:00.004-06:00

Day 3 of our 30th annual camping trip brought us to one of our favorite photography subjects, a ghost town. This trip typically takes us to places that most people don't go. We don't look for in-your-face gorgeous well-known places, but rather we go to historic out-of-the-way places that we find personally interesting. Today it was a semi-ghost town in the northern Sierra foothills called Forest City. Some of the buildings here are used as summer homes, but the place is largely deserted.

The first thing you see as you enter Forest City from the dirt road is a cemetery. Many graves here date from the 1880's.

The old dance hall is now an informal museum, open by donation if you can find someone to unlock the door. The sagging building looks extremely unstable but is still used for community events.

The interior has an eclectic mix of historic items and dusty modern stuff. It looks like an attempt has been made to shore up the shaky building with a cable stretched across this window.

An uphill climb reveals a wonderful old school building hidden in the trees. The few people we saw here were friendly and helpful when we showed an interest in their historic town.

30th Annual Camping Trip

2011-07-06T23:26:00.000-06:00

I have been camping for 30 years in a row with the same guys; sometimes twice a year. This has been called the "desert trip" even though we have camped in California, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and Oregon. Check out the story of the "Desert Rats" here:
http://www.hisandhersphoto.com/friends/hhdrats.htm

This year we are camping in the northern Sierra in California. This was the first day of exploration and we included Donner Summit, Yuba Gap, Emigrant Gap, and more.

We heard rumors of indian grinding rocks in a remote location near Yuba Gap. It was difficult to get to, but we did find the grinding rocks. However, the main attraction for me was the surrounding area. There were a number of natural patterns like this huge snag behind a lichen spotted rock.

Another snag had been there awhile and formed a death pattern on the granite.

An un-named marshy pond added color and patterns to the scene.

Reflections of a dead tree made a great subject in the marsh.

I will try to add more photos as the trip continues.

Horse-drawn plows

2011-05-28T21:44:00.000-06:00

There are still people who cling to the old farming methods here in the Bear Lake Valley. Today I was fortunate to photograph three teams of horses and one of mules working a field in the small town of Sharon. As usual this spring, there was heavy overcast and light drizzle, but you can't put the camera away when an opportunity like this comes along. This is not a set-up horse show, but a working farm.

The teams are hitched here before starting work.

Horses pull the plows to dig furrows in the heavy soil, then a harrow pulled by mules breaks up the plowed soil into smaller clods.

Monte Smith works hard to control a four horse hitch of beautiful draft horses.

Monte shows the hand positions needed on the reins that control the four big horses.

Daryl Woolstenhulme owns the ranch, and plows with a massive three horse hitch. What a privilege to be able to witness a scene like this!

Yellowstone in Storm Light

2011-05-26T22:01:00.003-06:00

This is the year for nearly continuous storms in our part of the country. When we visit Yellowstone, we prefer to take photos in great light, but we certainly aren't going to put the cameras away if the weather doesn't cooperate. So, what can be done to get decent photos in storm light?

One option is to use the storm clouds as part of the composition. Here at the Upper Terrace at Mammoth Hot Springs I think the storm complements the steam.

Images with a more graphic composition may work better if the sky is excluded. This tree at the Upper Terrace seems more dramatic with the subdued folds of black hills in the background.

Lower Falls and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone are normally shown with gorgeous yellow color in the canyon walls. But, we were there in light snow and bald skies which erased much of the dramatic color. Without color, one approach is to try to capture the atmosperic conditions while retaining the sweep of the canyon walls and the falls. To do this, one option is to minimize the uninteresting sky, showing just enough to retain the shape of the horizon. That way, the light snow softens the mountain and trees in the background so the viewer can understand the stormy conditions.

Bison Baby

2011-05-23T20:44:00.001-06:00

Spring is the time to see baby animals in Yellowstone, so Linda and I packed the long lenses and headed north. The first day we saw just one baby bison from a long distance. The second morning we saw two more, also from far away. Had the long, hard winter somehow delayed bison births? We had a great time exploring the Park despite stormy weather, but resigned ourselves to the probability that we would not see any babies up close. Then, just before we were ready to leave, we got lucky!

We spotted a brand new bison near the road in a small herd near Midway Geyser Basin and tried to get photos in the heavy overcast. These calfs have a distinctive orange color and are on their feet and active soon after birth. We watched this one try to figure out how to get food for the first time.

The calf nursed from at least two cooperative bison. Had one female, other than the mother, lost a baby so she was still able to feed a calf? This little one should fatten up fast with all the attention it is getting, but it was not welcome everywhere. It got a swift kick when it tried to nurse from yet another bison. We wish we could be there when the baby elk show up in another week or two.

Bear Lake in transition

2011-05-16T21:32:00.003-06:00

Bear Lake is the centerpiece of our valley. Half in Idaho and half in Utah, it is often called the Caribbean of the Rockies because of the gorgeous, variable blue color. But, Bear Lake has been very low for many years. This year's huge snowpack and abundant spring rain have already raised the water level to a point we haven't seen in a long time.

We drove around the lake with friends, Al and Sarah Starr, who were visiting from Scottsdale, Arizona. It was the first really warm day of spring, and the Lake put on a beautiful face.

Reeds and other plants that have been high and dry for years now are in the water. Clouds were reflected among the submerged plants at Bear Lake State Park on the east side of the lake in Idaho.

Further south, we crossed the state line into Utah where the rockier bottom at Cisco Beach was visible around small trees soon to be submerged in the rising water. We don't know how much Bear Lake will rise this year, but the transition is already providing photo opportunities.

Abandoned buildings near Chesterfield, Idaho

2011-05-06T15:44:00.000-06:00

Chesterfield is a well-known restored agricultural ghost town in southeast, Idaho. Our photos of the town can be found here: http://www.hisandhersphoto.com/ghost/hhchest.htm. I recently spent a day with photography friend Bruce Grayum exploring lesser known abandoned buildings in Gem Valley not far from Chesterfield.

The big surprise was this wonderful old school, "Hatch School 1915" according to the sign. I thought I knew the area pretty well but had no idea this was here. The schoolyard is used for farm equipment and hay storage now.

The snow is about gone so the fields surrounding this log homestead are being prepared for planting.

Many farms were abandoned because of the harsh winters, strong winds, and the shortage of water in dry years. Equipment like this disc harrow was sometimes left behind.

These windows were part of a much newer, shingled house that even had electricity and running water at one time. The ruins of a nearby log cabin gave us a clue that this house was the second one on this site.

An old Diamond T truck lies abandoned near the shingled house. The photo was converted to black and white using a filter function in my Pentax K20D camera. I'm sure there is more to be found and photographed in beautiful Gem Valley, Idaho.

Snake River waterfalls

2011-04-17T21:14:00.011-06:00

The winter / spring 2011 water season is the wettest since we moved to Idaho. Here in the Bear Lake Valley our precipitation is 151% of normal. That means that the waterfalls along the Snake River will be blasting until the flow is decreased when the water is diverted for irrigation. Linda and I drove to Twin Falls on Friday to explore the area, and on Saturday morning photographed Perrine Coulee waterfall and the only survivor of the original Twin Falls. Then we met camera club friends Dave and Lynette Bower for lunch and together explored fabulous Shoshone Falls.

Perrine Coulee Falls drops 197 feet over the rim of the Snake River Canyon at Centennial Park. The park is one of the few places in the area where you can drive into the canyon to the river.

The city of Twin Falls was named for similar "twin" waterfalls. One was destroyed when the Snake River was dammed for a hydroelectric plant in 1935.

The surviving Twin Fall roars through a basalt slot in the Snake River Canyon. In a dry year, or when the river is diverted for irrigation, its spectacular 125 foot drop will be reduced to a trickle.

SHOSHONE FALLS

The crown jewel of waterfalls in the Twin Falls area is spectacular Shoshone Falls. Don't miss the chance to see it during a wet spring, but if you wait too long it will be a disappointment. When this photo was taken it was flowing at the rate of 9200 cubic feet of water per second!

This waterfall is 212 feet high which is higher than Niagara Falls. There are great viewpoints from a city park, but protect your camera gear because everything will get wet from the spray. The falls produce beautiful rainbows on sunny afternoons as seen from this more distant viewpoint.

Spring Transition

2011-04-04T14:30:00.001-06:00

A change is coming to the Idaho high country. Spring, also known as mud season, is starting in the Bear Lake Valley and the surrounding high country. We have had a lot of snow and when it melts we put up with mud until the run-off subsides.

Just a few days ago the hills east of Montpelier still had snow, and I photographed this small herd of elk from our deck. Now most of the snow is gone and the elk have left for the back country.

A young moose in neighboring Star Valley, Wyoming was content to rest in willows near the Salt River and let us take pictures. Once in a while she nibbled a twig as we watched.

As the snow melts and bare ground appears, migrating sandhill cranes and Canada Geese look for food in fields where cattle are being fed. These were seen between Montpelier and Ovid, Idaho.

Photographers, grab a long lens and come to the Bear Lake Valley to look for wildlife!

The winter of 2011

2011-02-27T19:29:00.006-07:00

The east has gotten all the publicity for their big winter storms this year, but the west has also had a lot of snow. So far, no really big storms, but a steady accumulation has made life interesting. We got 33 inches of snow in February in a series of storms that blasted the Bear Lake Valley.

We went to the historic downtown area of Montpelier during a break in the daily snowstorm. Snow must be plowed to the middle of the street where it is stacked until it can be hauled away.

Of course you need to dig out your car before your trip downtown.

We drove north about five miles where the beauty and history of the valley appeared in Bennington, at the Mose Wright cabin. Imagine raising 12 children in this tiny cabin in snowy conditions like this? Mose Wright was my wife's great grandfather, a Pony Express rider, and Idaho state legislator.

Winter Wildlife

2011-02-01T17:38:00.004-07:00

This has been a cold, snowy winter in the Bear Lake area. Winters like this tend to drive the wildlife out of the hills to lower ground where food is easier to find. We have had deer in our back yard eating our shrubs, and twice moose have spent time in town. There have been plenty of opportunities for wildlife photos.

This bald eagle gave me the evil eye from a tree near Laketown, Utah. I photographed an eagle just one tree away from this one a year ago. Could it be the same bird?

A Mountain Cottontail at Cisco Beach didn't seem too concerned as he tried to keep a bush between us, and I finally got a few shots before he left.

Mule deer are everywhere, like this four point buck near Pegram, Idaho

Swans and ducks seem suspended in the mist of a warm farm pond in Round Valley.

People around here don't always sit at home with their feet to the fire during winter.

Grab your camera and come to Bear Lake!

Go Jump In The Lake!

2011-01-30T16:16:00.003-07:00

Linda and I photographed the second annual Bear Lake Polar Plunge on January 12th. Dozens of people lined up for the chance to jump into Bear Lake at the Garden City Marina in Utah to raise money for Primary Children's Medical Center.

The water was nearly freezing temperature, and jumpers needed to dodge the floating chunks of ice.

A costume contest added to the fun.

Most people decided to get out of the water quickly.

Chariot race photos

2011-01-29T11:14:00.004-07:00

Chariot races in Wyoming? Every January chariot races are held in Afton, Wyoming on Saturday afternoons. The races are a straight line sprint using two horses pulling a home-made chariot down a dirt track plowed out of the snow. We always enjoy our 50 mile trips to Afton and have a regular routine with stops at Rocky Mountain Seafood, Alan's Photo Store, and Dog Eared Books.

These photos were taken on a warm day during a rare January thaw, creating a muddy track that made for interesting photos.

Notice the horse on the right with all four feet off the ground!

Each race takes about 23 seconds. A fairly slow shutter speed blurs the background and emphasizes the speed.

Rookie blogger

2011-01-28T21:44:00.003-07:00

This is my first attempt at blogging. My wife, Linda, just had foot surgery so we are tied to the house for awhile. So, it is a great time to experiment with a new project. This blog will be primarily about photography. Linda and I met at a camera club in California, the Alameda Photographic Society. After moving to Montpelier, Idaho we started the Sharp Shooters Camera Club and started displaying our photos on-line as http://www.hisandhersphoto.com/. Montpelier is in the beautiful Bear Lake Valley in southeastern Idaho, and it is a photographers paradise for anyone who loves the outdoors. I hope to show a photo or two here whenever we go out on a shoot, and also post some of the activities from our camera club. We love to explore the west to photograph out-of-the-way places, wildlife, ghost towns, and more.