Category : Uncategorized

 

Some days you just feel like it’s going to be a great day!  Today sure was one of those days!!!  You’ve already seen the cheeseburger above, and yes it’s is a certified 5 Pickle burger!!  No doubt about that, the best news is it’s only about 12 miles from my house!!  You know excited that makes me!  Even better the burger is from a great new restaurant in London, Kentucky run by the Greer family, J.R. Greer, Jr and his Dad, we all call him Elmo.  Elmo married Marsha Saylor who was the younger sister of one of my best high school friends,  Susan Saylor in Harlan, Kentucky, and that makes them almost family!!!  But you know the rules this is an honest rating, I don’t do any other kind, their burger is great!!!!  Did you hear 5 pickles!!!  Congrats JR,  that puts you in some high company!

 

 

 

 

The  Smokin’ Barrell is located right off I-75, at the North London Exit, ( Exit 41), at 41 Shiloh Drive, London, Kentucky 40741.  Put it in your GPS and check them out when you’re traveling North or South on I-75

 

They have great Bar B Q,  well I am sure they do, their sweet rib sauce is some of the best I’ve tasted, and lots of other great menu items!  I’m going to do my journalistic duty and go back and try some more things,  for you guys – of course!!   Aren’t I a nice guy!

 

Speaking of nice the best thing of all was JR and I talked and our faith came up and he showed me a video of him playing the piano with some great gospel hymns with the guys on music night, wow that is exciting, an incredible burger and new brother in the Lord, could this be any better!

 

 

 

Hey I’m serious, this place is wonderful and they will soon have a Bill Fortney original hanging on their wall in the place, no they didn’t buy one,  they didn’t even know who I was, I just want you to see it when you drop in for a burger!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

 

 

I just got back from two weeks with Jack out west, Oregon Coast and then in the Palouse. so much to share on so many topics, so let’s get started!!!  The picture?  All tied up in knots, the mood of today’s post!!!!

 

This Mornings Shooting in Washington.  When someone asks me why I have a Concealed Carry Permit and carry, I simply point at the tv, any tv, on any day.  Our world has gone mad, and our country has too.  The political fever is way out of hand.  It is good and healthy to have opposing views, it keeps a country balanced, but the way we are handling it right now is beyond even dangerous.  When my candidate looses, I am disappointed, but I don’t threaten people and vow to work endlessly to make the winner fail, even it it  hurts my country, no for me it is and always has been country first!  This has to stop, if  it doesn’t, I don’t want to even think about where it will lead!

 

Trouble out in Workshop Land!!!!!  In previous posts I have talked about how so many icon locations have become a “no go” because of crowds.  This past week in the Palouse I heard something equally upsetting.  The farmers and residents of the Palouse are among th nicest and most welcoming people in America.  Years ago when we visted the farm with the rusted implement wheels the lady and her husband that owned the farm had a picnic table in their small front yard, when we arrived she brought out freshly baked cookies and milk and a one page info sheet on the fencing her husband had so lovingly built!!!  He has since passed away and she is in a nursing home, and the house is now fenced off and has no parking signs.  While the farm is still open to the public the behavior of many photographers and groups has made it much less welcoming.  Jack and I heard endless stories about farmers that have asked photographers to leave, blocked roads and more than one farmer blew past us throwing up clouds of dust with scowls on their faces!  Yes they knew what they were doing!!!!  All of this and Jack has a great relationship with many farmers and our groups do not do anything to upset the land owners.

 

There is a gathering storm here, and not only in the Palouse, it’s happening all over the country.  So not to preach but here is my solution.  Let’s adopt a new atttiude, Do unto others as we would like htem to do to us.  This may mean that we don’t get a few shots we want, but the payoff will be a better relationshiip with the world.  This is not a suggestion, if we don’t we will slowly become  less and less welcome and shootng in the world out there will only get harder and more restrictive.  Need I say more.

 

The lens experiment!  A few days before I headed out for the past two weeks I told you guys that I was leaving the 18-135 at home and taking a large selection of other lenses and I thought you might like to know what I learned!  First, the 18-55 was far and away my most used lens and I was reminded it is superlatively sharp..  When I need a little more reach the 55-200 was my choice and it is more than sharp enough too!!  The 100-400 was extremely useful on Steptoe Butte and at harbors, very handy when you can’t float, fly or walk on water!!!  I did use the Fujicrons a few times and I love them all, but they were a duplicate since the 18-55 covered all those focal lengths.  I took the 16mm f 1.4 and used it a few times, nothing like it when you need it like below!

 

Fujinon 16mm f 1.4

 

Here are a few 18-55 shots that I was pleased with.

 

 

One night on Steptoe Butte I didn’t take anything but a 18-55 so I could work with the students, the light went golden and Jack loaned me his 50-140 and wow is that lens tack sharp even hand held, that’s gonna cost me!!!!

 

 

I also took the 56mm f 1.2 and the 10-24 and the 14mm f 2.8, and…..I never used any of them.  So “What did I learn?”  For this kind of travel/nature work, if you don’t need to get very wide, wider that 24mm. an 18-55, 55-200 and the 100-400 can get you through almost all fo it, the 50-140 and the converters would work too!!!

 

Blessings,

 

the Pilgrim

 

 

 

 

The Palouse region of Southeastern Washington State is among the most breathtaking landscape locations in the lower 48 states.  This year a combination of factors has changed the overall appearance.  A long snowy winter that did not let up until well into spring and falling wheat prices has led to the farmers decision to not plant about 40% of the fields.  The result?  Lots of the images that show endless folds of lush green fields now show a patchwork of brown and green and the green is behind the usual growth rate and in some cases looks thin compared to this time of the year’s usual appearance.  Still this is a beautiful place and we had lots of opportunities to capture the beauty.  It has been non-stop so I apologize for not posting sooner, but here are some of my favorites!

 

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

Lens info:

 

All shots of Palouse from Steptoe Butte & Sunrise clouds   100-400  (Hand held)

• Because of stiff winds, removed lens shade and used OIS plus High ISO and shutter speed.

Granary in Acros   100-400

American Flag   100-400

Cremo Cigar wall   18-55

Always 5 cents    100-400

Crossland Turkey Farms Truck  18-55

Red Barn  18-55

Full Service Gas sign  18-55

 

 

 

Be Prepared!  That is the Boy Scout’s Motto and as a photographer you have to live by that motto too!!!  Jack and I arrived in the Palouse to a surprise, less risk green fields than I’ve ever seen!  It seems the winter was long and hard and the price of wheat has also dropped, so less fields have been planted and lots of ground lies brown and bare.  The long fields of view with rolling green hill after hill are simply not here, this year.  What to do?  Thankfully  Jack and I are prepared and with a lot of scouting have still found enough lush fields, old rustic barns and Americana to produce some great images.

 

My point to this blog entry is not to boo hoo about the less than ideal conditions, but to make the point that as a shooter, you have to learn to make lemonade out of lemons!  This is still a strikingly beautiful place with lots of very interesting things to compose and photograph.  The next time you find yourself challenged by conditions, step up to the plate and find a way to make it work for you!

 

 

 

 

One of the biggest impediments to good photography is “expectations”!  We go to a location expecting to see something we are familiar with,  and it throws us when that’s not what we see.  When you don’t see what you were expecting, expect to find something you never expected!!!! (lots of expecting words!)  It’s disappointing to not get what we want, but sometimes if it offers a great opportunity to prove you are truly a shooter and you can find something you may like even better!  Kicking and screaming won’t change the circumstances, but putting on your thinking cap may well produce unexpected, but wonderful images.  I certainly intend to prove that this week!!!  Come along and we will see!  My bet is we will!!!

 

 

 

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

….and laugh!