View from the Road

 

I will admit when I started this job to really enjoying my life on the road. Having grown up somewhat sheltered in my small Michigan town, the thought of traveling to many places throughout the Midwest WAS exciting. What I longed for in those early days was the airline trips. Each time I packed my bag and was headed to the airport it was truly an adventure. Though I will admit exotic locations such as Atlanta, Cleveland and Spartanburg do not seem to head up everyone’s locations under exotic, it all was an adventure to me. In those early days I was given over to the road and driving. Logging sometimes 50,000 miles in a year behind the wheel and only seeing an airport for personal vacations and the twice yearly trip to Atlanta for training or a sales meeting.

The world and our group has gotten smaller since then. With especially the second one changing each part of our group and how I work. We have gone from 10 to 4. That means less car rides and more plane rides. It also means a few less stays in hotels and many more frequent flyer miles. This must be even more exciting to my eyes you might think.

In those early years when we got together in sales meetings I would hear the grizzled sales veteran say how difficult the travel was and I had to stretch to believe their stories. You board a plane and 2 hours sometimes less sometimes more you are someplace outside of the Midwest and not behind the wheel anymore. The topography is different, the weather is different and sometimes-even people look different.

Now I am the grizzled vet and know the terminals of some airports by heart. I know the short cuts through Atlanta and O'Hare. Where the Gold Star Chili is in Cincinnati. I know too many 3-letter airport names. I know when I'm going to eat healthy and I know where I am not. I know pretty much where the TCBY's are; I can even name a few of the people that have helped me at some airports. I've drunk too much OJ on flights and too many Delta cookies. Mostly I opt for the peanuts. I'm away more than I'm home I find the mattresses better at hotels than my own and those chocolates can be quite tasty if savored properly at the Ritz-Carlton.

The good part is what I see, the customers I contact and where I go. Do I have complaints, well yes we all do with what we do, but mostly when I step off that plane even when I'm tired and caught an evening flight to catch my son or daughter in some school function or just put them on the bus to get to school in the morning. I want to be there. I'm happy to be there and I want to help the customers who have entrusted the company I work for with their business. I miss my family, but this is what I do. The stuff at home, I hope I do better, but that next baggie of peanuts will make a nice snack, Oh and can you top of my OJ and add some ice please?



Picture taken with my iPhone at some airport somewhere.

Photograph what is around you: Photo of the Day

I was on on a recent trip to Ohio and the birding hotspot Magee Marsh to photograph migrating warblers. For those that aren't aware when you arrive at the wildlife refuge you follow the road all the way back to just along the Lake Erie shoreline. You will see a large parking lot and then signs for the boardwalk trail. During migratory seasons you will also see 100s of birders and photographers. During my recent trip there I fell in more with the photographers as you might expect.

Since this was my first experience photographing small birds and a warbler is very small compared to my winter bald eagle activity. Because of this I fussed quite a bit over which equipment to use. I settled on The Nikon 300 AFD with a Better Beamer and the D3 and D300 bodies. I did have mounted on a tripod the Nikon 600 AFS. Since the birds moved quite a bit and never seemed to stay in one place for any amount of time, the 600 was difficult to manuever. The boardwalk isn't very wide once you open the legs of the tripod so there is the chance of a tripping hazard or worse the camera tipping over hazard. With a D3 and a Nikon 600mm that is not something that I cared to watch or have happen.

Most of the good shots I got was with my older AF version of the Nikon 300 f/4. I might next year want to bring the 200-400 AFS with a TC. I may also want to move my equipment to a monopod because that will allow me to be mobile which I found to be very important as the birds jump in and out of the trees and move around quite readily.

I once again found the best photos to be taken with the D3 over the D300. This was not just the full fram photos, but even when cropped. I can only say that this is my experiance and yours may vary. I was also not pleased with the focusing speed of the older Nikon AF 300 f/4. AFS has really spoiled me and there isn't much room for error with birds that are able to move and twitch while on the branch that fast.

The above photo is taken of an amish family that came to do some bird watching at Magee Marsh. I found their outfits very photogenic and since there was some free time between birds I snapped a number of pictures of them. I also got some candids of people around me whose expressions I found interesting. Though I have never been a "street photographer" I did find this foray into street photography somewhat interesting, especially since I had birds as a backup.

Chicago Skyline from Navy Pier: Photo of the Day

On a recent trip to downtown Chicago to celebrate my 1st wedding anniversary as most suspect I did take a little time out to photograph.  Though on these occasions I try to keep it to a minimum since this time is intended to celebrate family, I always fight the urge within myself to watch the light.  These types of outings were exactly the reason why I purchased my P&S camera the Panasonic LX3.  If you have followed this blog on a regular basis this camera more and more has become my daily camera.  It will never replace my DSLR’s for the more serious work, but in many cases since I am limited by time and in some cases space I have found it invaluable. 

My wife on our first anniversary was not going to wait for me to set-up too many shots or to carry around a tripod; the LX3 fit nicely in my jacket pocket or in some cases her purse.  I was able to bring it out quickly, snap the picture and often she never knew that I had taken a photo.  Sneaky guy I am. 

Above is the Chicago Skyline while taken from the Navy Pier Ferris wheel.  This Ferris Wheel is modeled after the 1893 World Columbian Exposition that was held in Chicago and was the first Ferris Wheel.  Though imposing when you first arrive at Navy Pier at 150ft of diameter.  It would be dwarfed by the original which soared to a height of 250ft!

Kate and I decided to rake a ride up and this quick snap of a beautiful spring day in Chicago was the results.

Panasonic LX3 converted in Aperture, some Nik Color Efex Viveza was used on the sky and the Local Contrast Filter from Nik Color Efex 3.0 finished it off.

On another note I could continue to post photos each day for quite sometime I find that my ability to write articles up to the level that I would like is limiting me.  I find there are too many easily spotted errors making their way into these pieces.  Because I am a one-person operation as writer and chief editor I will push my schedule back to a more realistic 3 days a week schedule.  This should help me start having some quality control of the articles and still keep my day job which currently pays all of the bills.

Now if someone wants to make a large donation I could farm out the articles hire an editor, quit the day job and just take photos.  Send this donation via Paypal to bcmielke (at)gmail (dot) com

Lady Slipper in the Smoky Mountains: Photo of the Day

Lady Slipper in the Smoky Mountains, originally uploaded by BCMielke.

Just being friendly can help you with pictures. I a recent trip to the Smoky Mountains I was hiking up a trail that just a couple of years early had netted me more pictures than I could possibly take in only the first mile. This time however I and my pack trekked all the way up the mountain a good 4 miles with not much to show for it other than sore muscles.

On the way back down I chatted with some other photographers on the way up exchanging what we might have seen and where to find it along the trail. In this case one shared with me this Lady Slipper that was back in the woods and not known to me. I quickly got directions from him and went off to find it. Had I not been friendly or shared my knowledge this picture would have never happened.

Panasonic LX3 Local Contrast filter from Nik Color Efex 3.0

Chicago Construction Sunset: Photo of the Day

Chicago Construction Sunset, originally uploaded by BCMielke.

Timing is everything for a sunset picture. Especially if the sun itself is in the photo. When I first started making photographs seriously many years ago I was surprised how fast the yellow orbital fell below the horizon. You don't have much time in which to capture the sun, especially if you want to place it someplace.

There are many tools you can use to show where the sun will set, sunrise/sunset charts, iPhone programs and most have something on their GPS. I prefer in most cases to just leave that to happenstance. That is what I did for this photo.

Nikon D700 Nikon 24-120 Lens, converted in Aperture.

African Statue: Photo of the Day

African Statue: Photo of the Day, originally uploaded by BCMielke.

I always walk through the Atlanta Airport. For some there is an easy train ride, but as many times as I have flown into the ATL, I always walk past the trains and onto the long walkway to Baggage Claim. It's only a mile and you are blessed with artwork from Africa and other places while you stroll.

These statues have been in place for quite some time and they are well lit and professional maintained. I always pause at one of the pieces as I make my way through the gallery. This was sculpted by Edronce Rukodzi from Zimbabwe. You can find his gallery here.

Airplane in the Rain: Photo of the Day

I will admit as a child to loving every disaster movie made during the mid to late 70s. Poseidon Adventure, King Kong, Towering Inferno and Earthquake. Above all else the series of movies that were about airplanes titled Airport. There was at least 5-6 of these made about every two years. There even was a spoof of these movies that was popular as well; the Airplane series of movies was equally popular maybe even more so.

The best of this series in my childhood memory was Airport ‘77 which had the plane crashing into the water and resting some 60 feet below the surface. I remember all of my friends discussing this for months after we were first able to watch this movie on TV. Some may not know, but there wasn’t any DVD’s or VCR’s back then. A first-run wasn’t seen until well after it exited the theater and “sold” to television for the “Movie of the Week”

Another memory etched in my mind of an earlier film, I remember the scene of Charlton Heston tight-roping across a line to get into the cockpit in Airport ’75. The first Airport I don’t remember being that riveting, with a bomb threat being used to captivate us. I believe the series ended with Airport ’79 crashing into the snow, the plane changed then and the series died. Substituting out the 747 for the then faster than sound Concorde STS. For a decade though the 747 was THE plane if you were a kid.

Even though in the movies the plane was destroyed it still didn’t matter. I still was infatuated with the 747 and it signified to my adolescent brain that an adventure was going to take place! 30+ years past that point I still can’t help but think when I see a 747, something big and adventurous was going to take place. I’m sure this might sound odd I still feel that way about the Titanic, another great submersible from years before.

Though I currently fly quite often and have been in many different aircraft I to this day have never been in a 747. That adventure has never happened for me. I’ve seen them on the runway, watched them take off, but have never been close to one.

While walking through the Detroit Metro Airport today parked patiently waiting for passengers to embark on that adventure that I have longed for was not one, but two 747s. Who knew that their safety net was in Detroit Metro

Like the excited kid that I still get on occasion I just had to stop and gape. Seeing the little bubble where the first class cabin is as well as the cockpit where the pilots fly, it was as beautiful up close as it was in the movies or on the runway. While standing there gaping at my good fortune, I almost forgot to flip out the camera and snap a few pictures. This one through the rain is my favorite.

Panasonic LX3

Magee Marsh

I made a side-trip to Magee Marsh along the shores of Lake Erie yesterday. Beginning the second week of May this spot will be a birding hot spot for migrating warblers. They will rest along this last stretch of trees before they make the long flight over Lake Erie to Canada. They wait in this grove of trees for a tail wind to help them make the flight. Usually their next stopping place is Point Pelee National Park, this also is an amazing place to photograph the warblers as they stop and rest. Today though as I walk the Boardwalk trail I don’t see any warblers, what I am able to do is to fill up my own soul.

My van for work is a moving communications devise. I travel for work attached to my Blackberry as many are, I handle multiple levels of communications, from Vice Presidents to manufacturing people that make the end-user products that the product I sell goes into. I have to assess each of these conversations and ask questions for what is needed to help understand the situation the best way. I do this while driving, walking, flying. Each can be intense in it’s own way. What many people take for granted in what I do, I work at each day. I won’t say that my job is any more difficult than any other, but my understanding of the situation is what shapes decisions on both companies platforms.

Regardless of what you do for a living all have to find solace somewhere. I do in photography and the places I get to take side trips to. One such side trip is to Magee Marsh in Northern Ohio. The boardwalk trail is the highlight of where the warblers are in the month of May. There will also be a lot more bird watchers during that month than there are today. Today I have the trail to myself. You could hear the wood planks with each step I took. I like trails this way, they help me think and recharge.

For this short walk I didn’t even take a camera. As most know that is a rare occasion for me. I was enjoying the sites, sounds and smells of the trail and wildlife around me. After this trip I was listening to a podcast about Stephen Johnson at 7 Photographing Questions that helped me understand this better. Stephen spent some time describing how best to capture your photos. He felt you had to not only experience a scene with all of your senses and emotions, then you could practice your craft better.

It hadn’t occurred to me, but I do this very same exercise quite often in my photographic journeys. Times where I lock everything else except what I experience around me. No distractions, just the solitude. I had one such walk that I previously blogged about among the Bristlecone Pines. You sometimes need to feed your soul and then your able to practice your craft. I was doing some soul feeding today.

I walked into the wooded seclusion and from the moment I entered I could hear many different variety of birds, the red-wing black birds were the most recognizable, but there were also, jays, woodpeckers, robins and cardinals. Not being a birder myself there were many unidentifiable species. The seclusion was nice. The peaceful sounds, site and smells energized each of my senses that were used to road noise, traffic and the smell of old McDonald’s bags. Even though the morning was very cold, the brisk walk was worth every step. No camera, no phone and about ¼ mile on the trail and I didn’t have any worries.

I felt guilty for not taking any pictures of my experience a little later as I was leaving the park. Along the road out there are dikes on both sides of the road. Along those I spotted some Egrets and later a Blue Heron. From my car I hauled out the D300 and the long lens to capture the above shot. It was cold, windy and rainy. The bird didn’t move, just sat there for at least 10 minutes while I was there and even longer since I only observed for that long. My life had come back to me at this point. The phone rang and conference calls began, decisions were made and conversations and situations were analyzed. I clicked a few shots off of this Egret during one of those conversations; otherwise I just sat and watched, until he decided to fly away. Maybe he was doing the same, as I was earlier on the boardwalk. Filling his soul.

Photo of the Day: Marshall, MI

Traveling again this week. I found this Sunflower in a store in Marshall, MI. Marshall has a bit of history and is also home to Schuller's of the processed cheese fame. Good restaurant and good food though. This sunflower was located in a flower shop and they were kind enough to take some pictures with LX3.

Camera: Panasonic LX3 converted in Aperture with just a tad of Tonal Contrast filter from Nik Color Efex 3.0