Revisiting Images From A Recent Trip

I am in the process of revisiting images from a trip I took to Italy about 3 months ago. I took thousands of images and am finding that it's been helpful to have stepped away from them for however many months. I am noticing details now that I definitely overlooked when I first ran through the images... Venice in the winter really had dreamy light. The shot below was taken near our apartment in the evening and it's of my younger son Charlie. The image was taken using an aperture of ƒ1.2 for very shallow depth of field and no flash was used...

Charlie Price. Venice, Italy.

Camera: Nikon D3s

Lens: Nikon 50 ƒ1.2

Silver Creek

Cumulus clouds and wind and smoke from refuse piles rolls over the clean Picabo Hills and stinks of cottonwood limbs and scorched dessicated weeds. It's spring near Picabo, Idaho.

Spring. Silver Creek, Idaho.

I keep a photography journal where I store thoughts, ideas, quotes, etc. Below is a quote that is a favorite by Theodore Roosevelt:

 

The Man In The Arena

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly, who errs, who comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end triumph at high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

Bud Purdy

Bud Purdy, an Idaho icon, passed away two days ago at his home in Picabo, Idaho at 96 years of age. Bud was many things including a steward of the land and a gentleman with a core work ethic that garnered respect throughout the west. For those of you who do not know, I work as a guide for the Purdy's out of Picabo Angler in Picabo, Idaho. Below is a video on Bud:

 

Bud Purdy in February of 2014. 96th Birthday Celebration. Picabo, Idaho.

Amy Lou's. Mackay, Idaho.

"Can I take your portrait?" I asked Amy Lou a few mornings ago at her restaurant in Mackay, Amy Lou's.

"It won't be the first time," she responded with a bit of a smile. Amy Lou is sassy to say the least. But she really is a warm hearted person who both takes your order and cooks your breakfast.  No need to order your eggs scrambled or sunny-side-up as you'll get your eggs exactly the way she cooks them.

Amy Lou. Mackay, Idaho.

Big Wood River Rainbow

The warm 50˚ weather is behind us--for now at least-- and we are in the more typical low 40's and blustery weather. It blew today and last night at lower elevations as hard as it has blown all year. Semi trucks were blown over on bridges near Twin Falls today...

Below is an image of a rainbow on the Big Wood River near Ketchum, Idaho.

Big Wood River Rainbow. March.

Big Wood River

It's Midge Madness on the Big Wood River, Idaho at the moment. While the water is a bit chalky in color from recent rain, it is improving in clarity daily and the dry fly fishing is very good. In lieu of fishing today I sat in a run with my camera and tried getting as close to rising fish as I could get without spooking them. Below are two of the images I took.

Feeding Rainbow. Big Wood River, Idaho. March.

A midging Rainbow sharks near the surface of the Big Wood River. March.

Big Lost River

While early to mid-March on the Lower Big Lost River can be quite cold with a wicked north wind, there are often bonus days and yesterday was one of those exquisite, warm and calm late winter days in Mackay. Incidentally, this is not one of those you-should-have-been-there-yesterday rants... The next 3 days are forecast to be in the 50's which is a recipe for a magical day. It's midge madness and with the slightest of cloud cover the baetis have been good to strong.

A young angler and a bent rod. Lower Big Lost River.

Low, clear water make the Lost River a de facto spring creek in the winter months. That also means strong midge and baetis during the heat of the day.

Window Light

Rain has melted away much of our snow below 6,000 feet and my yard shows it; rotting fall leaves and a brownness that lives under a snowpack for months reveals itself and once buried baseballs rest where they were frozen in time and a palpable earthy smell travels through cracks in the doors with a warmth greater than winter. Days are longer now and the hills near Hailey, Idaho are mottled white and brown, a snowshoe hare slowly morphing into the next season's coat.

Below are two images taken near a window in my house.

Yard & Reflection. Early Spring. Idaho.

Journal & Stool.