MY TAKE ON CANDID PHOTOGRAPHY

SNOOZIN ON THE COUCH TODAY

Cloudy day but hey, at least it wasn’t freezing cold, raining or snowing.  And, that at least is a bonus.  Very encouraged to see how fast the snow is going away now.

DUSTING OFF THE BIRDFEEDERS FOR ANOTHER SEASON

Today was spent again on grounds clean-up & hauling out a few summer lawn ornaments.  Some bird feeders were taken out of storage, dusted off, filled & hung up in our front yard.  Looking forward to some bird photos soon but it’s a little early yet for the colorful songbirds to arrive.  The utility trailer is out of the carport, mobile & ready for action.  Cover is off the Motor Cycle & the bicycles are out of the shed & back into the carport.  We’re a little behind this year we’re getting there:))

I ENJOY TAKING CANDID PHOTOS:))

Some reader’s may remember the post I wrote back on December 1rst of 2010 regarding OUR VISIT to the Grapevine Canyon Ranch near Pearce, Arizona.  I just read this morning on EVE'S POST that she has decided to call it a day after 30 years of love & devotion & sell her beloved Grapevine Canyon ranch.  What an absolutely beautiful ranch & property this is & I feel so fortunate that we had a chance to meet Eve when we did & spend a couple hours at the Ranch.  Oh, how I would love to win a big lottery right about now:))

 

In catching up with another reader’s question, Christopher said...."My question is about taking pictures of strangers in public. As an example, you took several of people in Bisbee. You might have taken some people working in a restaurant, etc.  How do you go about taking these pictures? What is your method or approach?

 

Well, that can be a tricky bit of business but as I understand it you can take any photos you wish on public property unless 'no photos' signs are posted.  With Facebook, You Tube & shows like America’s Funniest Home Videos there doesn’t seem to be any hard & fast rules about taking photos anymore.  Basically it comes down to the discretion of the person holding the camera.

 

For me the key is to be considerate & sensitive to my surroundings & I never post a photo that I feel would be offensive to whomever I have photographed.  I do not keep a Rogue’s Gallery of unflattering pictures either, I just delete them.  If I feel a particular candid photo of someone would be acceptable to them, I will publish it.

 

I am also comfortable with my motive for taking candid photos of people once & awhile because they are not for exploitation or profit & only appear here in the blog.

 

Just as I see beauty & character in landscapes, flowers, animals, birds, architecture, etc I also see a beauty in people going about their business of being their natural selves.  Just as in nature, no poses, no forced smiles & no coercing the subject into an unnatural setting.  I very briefly tried my hand at Portrait & Wedding photography many years ago & quickly found out that was not for me!!

 

 

I find many people of the American southwest particularly interesting because there just simply seems to be so many great characters there.  Anyone who has ever been to Bisbee Arizona will understand that & it is Bisbee where a few of my ‘candid character’ photos can be found.   MY BISBEE ALBUM. 

HE’S MY GRAMPA….NO HE’S NOT….HE’S MY GRAMPA!!!!

   

I like to take candid photos of people who dare to be different & I have a lot of admiration for those types of people & their courage to break the standard society mold & just be the way they want to be & look the way they want to look.  And, that’s why I occasionally like to photograph them.

  

Most times I use a long 300mm telephoto lens so I am never in anybody's face making someone feel uncomfortable.  Very few people ever know I have taken a picture of them.  If I am in an area where people are drinking alcohol I will probably not take any photos for obvious reasons.  I never approach anyone & ask if I can take their picture because that just defeats the whole purpose of people just being themselves.  I leave that kind of approach to the portrait photographers.  I am also very quick in taking the photo.  If I see someone sitting on a bench maybe a couple hundred yards away I will pre-focus my camera in an opposite direction for about the same distance then casually pan back to the area of the bench taking the photo as I keep the camera moving.  That way I am not making the person feel uncomfortable if they see me a couple hundred yards away with a camera steadily pointed at them.  Other times walking down a street my camera just comes up, auto focuses in about a second or two & I hit the button for a single photo & the camera comes down again.  Time elapsed, about 4 seconds.   Sometimes I just leave the camera hanging low down from my neck & as they used to say in the old wild west days….shoot from the hip.

  

 

If I think the inside of a restaurant or store is nice, has some great colors, designs or architecture, I will just go ahead & take photos of it.  Occasionally I have been asked 'why' I'm taking a photo of something & I have just simply returned the question asking if they had a computer & explained about the blog & gave the person a Bayfield Bunch card.  Always nice to sometimes get an email a few days later saying they checked out our site & how much they like the pictures:))  I feel my photos are done in good taste & have always been understood & received that way. 

 

Last summer I happened to see a family fishing in a very picturesque setting & I took some photos of the natural area they were fishing in with them in it.  I knew the photos were going to be nice so before I left the area I gave them a Bayfield Bunch card & briefly explained our blog & to look for their photos at the end of the day.  They were thrilled & so was I knowing I had provided them with some nice memories of a quiet family outing in a beautiful setting.  That always makes my day.

 

And, like I have said before, my photos are not for sale or profit so I have no ulterior motives for taking candid people pictures other than to put them in the blog here once & awhile at the end of a day.

OH OH, & EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE THERE’S A FASTER GUN ON THE STREET NO MATTER WHAT OLD WESTERN TOWN YOUR IN………

There is one area of candid people photography that I do stay away from though.  It’s kind of unfortunate because the subject matter can provide some of the greatest photos imaginable & that is the area of Children.  Because of the obvious sensitive nature in this day & age I would not recommend taking pics of children without a parent’s permission.  I did take one of small boy running across a street in Bisbee this past winter & a couple years ago took a picture of a Mother playing with a couple of her Children on the green grass of Borrego Springs Christmas Circle one morning at a Farmers Market.  I was quickly taken to task that time by a fellow blogger’s comment the following day for taking unauthorized photos of children.  So, it’s just an area of photography I generally stay away from now.  Too bad, because kids facial expressions & antics in a playground for example just make for the greatest photos.

In conclusion I will just say again it is up to the discretion of the photographer.  If you take a photo of an old lady standing on a corner waiting for a bus with a guitar around her neck & she chases you for 3 city blocks & lays a beating on you with her big red hand bag, well……so be it!!  Good luck Christopher:)) 

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A photographer from a well know national magazine was assigned to cover the fires at Yellowstone National Park. The magazine wanted to show some of the heroic work of the fire fighters as they battled the blaze. When the photographer arrived, he realized that the smoke was so thick that it would seriously impede or make it impossible for him to photograph anything from ground level. He requested permission to rent a plane and take photos from the air. His request was approved and arrangements were made. He was told to report to a nearby airport where a plane would be waiting for him. He arrived at the airport and saw a plane warming up near the gate. He jumped in with his bag and shouted, "Let's go!'' The pilot swung the little plane into the wind, and within minutes they were in the air. The photographer said, "Fly over the park and make two or three low passes so I can take some pictures." "Why?" asked the pilot. "Because I am a photographer," he responded, "and photographers take photographs." The pilot was silent for a moment; finally he stammered, "You mean you're not the flight instructor?"

--------------------------------------------------------------
EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

BISBEE PHOTO ALBUM

http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/BISBEEARIZONAAFEWFINEPHOTOMEMORIES

Tourists see the world, travelers experience it. 
BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

A GOOD OLD SPRING YARD WORK DAY.....LOVE IT:))

SO HAPPY TO SEE THAT WHITE STUFF GETTING OUT OF TOWN!!

My spirits were so lifted this morning when I caught the first glimpse of morning sunshine filtering through the pine trees.  Whenever we return from our winters in the southwest I always seem to go through a post trip blues state with this year being a rather bit too bluesy.  I think it was all the snow & cold rainy days plus road lag from our hurried trip home.   If we even remotely think of, or I write something about coming home before April 15th next year I want someone out there to seek us out, hunt us down & come give me a darn good swift kick in the ass!!!!  And yes, I know I used the 'A' word!!

  

SO NICE TO BE SURROUNDED BY THE COLOR GREEN AGAIN:)) 
With that ‘butt’ thought in mind I took mine outside this morning & began the big Spring clean up.  Can’t tell you how much that improved my attitude just being out in the fresh air doing something physically productive finally.  Love to get on the end of a lawn rake & a wheelbarrow.  So gratifying to begin making visible progress on the yard mess.  Great to feel the muscles getting a little sore, a little tight & a little tired.  I love dat feeling:))  Still patches of snow on the ground but I was able to work around them.  The snow load off our roof in the back yard is another story & I figure another 2 weeks before that is all melted.  We hit a high around 55F under sunny skies so it ended up a very productive outside day.
 

THIS BLONK OF ICE & SNOW ON OUR FRONT DECK CAME OFF OUR ROOF & WAS NEARLY TWICE THIS SIZE A WEEK AGO

   

TODAY I WAS ABLE TO FINALLY CHOP IT UP & SHOVE IT OFF THE DECK...A LOT OF WEIGHT THERE
From nostalgia in Seligman Arizona to lunch on the banks of the Colorado River to a lone Rattlesnake getting close.  JOE & NANCY are having themselves a fine time in their new Jeep Wrangler exploring Arizona’s unendingly beautiful landscape.  As Joe says, “Doesn't get any better I don't reckon.”  And in my opinion he is so right:))

FRONT YARD IS SLOWLY EMERGING FROM WINTER'S SIBERIAN LANDSCAPE

For all you horse people out there, be sure to check out John’s post over at THROUGH GATES OF GRACE about their visit to the Kentucky Horse Park just outside of Lexington, Kentucky.
 

<<< WE CAN STILL SKATE ON THE FROG POND

Two new Followers to welcome today.  Andy Altes has joined us as well as Mary Jo at LIFE IS A DANCE.  Welcome aboard folks:))

And, a few more questions from readers......  A couple people noticed a photo in Wednesday’s blog showing Kelly walking with 5 dogs.  This was taken while we were ranch sitting near McNeal Arizona & the two black dogs on each side of Kelly are the Ranch dogs.  That’s Gleason on the left & Pearce on the right.  Both dogs were named after area ghost towns.  And of course the other three Desperados are our very own Bayfield Bums.  Another reader wonders about boon docking sites near Bayfield.  Unfortunately, boon docking is a relatively unknown word up here in this Canada place.  Best & most abundant boon docking sites are in Arizona & California.  Seems the further east one goes, the less land for free camping.  In our area I know of no place where people can boon dock.  If it isn’t Crown Land up here, it is farm land.  With our boon docking preferences we ourselves would likely find it hard traveling in Canada finding quiet free out of the way places to stay.  I’m sure there probably are some spots but we are not familiar with them.  Ontario & Arizona are two different planets & I will blog about why I think that is shortly.
 

MIGHT JUST GET ALL THE BIRD FEEDERS UP & RUMBLING TOMORROW TOO 

Phil wondered about my mention of a Mini Minor in Wednesdays blog.  Did I mean a Morris Minor?  Well, actually both terms are correct…MORRIS MINI MINOR.   I actually had two of them & one had the starter button under the driver’s seat.

THERE IS A BIG MOTORCYCLE LURKING BACK THERE THAT IS JUST ITCHING TO GET OUT & BURN UP SOME ROADS:)) 

Russ wondered about the positions of  constellations in the night sky between where we are in Ontario & Arizona.....I find that it is a wee bit disorienting because I am used to seeing star patterns & constellations in specific areas of the night sky here.  Down south, those positions are changed slightly.  In Ontario I am used to seeing the constellation Orion lower in the southern sky but in Arizona, although Orion is still there, he is much higher in the sky.  I cannot see some of the horizon's northern stars & I see one's on the southern horizon that are not familiar.  The night sky is still basically the same but the positioning is off just enough to disorient me some nights when I first look up.  It takes awhile to change the night sky map in my head from northeast to southwest.

BAMBOO GRASS CAN BE KINDA MESSY IN THE SPRING >>>

I had another question from a reader regarding my thoughts on taking Candid Photos.  I do have some thoughts on that alright & I will answer those questions in tomorrow night's blog.  My brain seems to be running out of oxygen right now thanks to all the super great outside yard work exercise I got today.  I love dat stuff:))

 <<< GONNA BE A COUPLE MORE WEEKS BEFORE ALL THIS ICE & SNOW MELTS ON THE SHADED NORTH SIDE OF THE HOUSE
About the 14 new tires….4 went on our Santa Fe last summer & 4 went on our Jeep in October.  2 also went on the front of our Motorhome in October & 4 just went on the back of our Motor Home in Kingman, Arizona a couple weeks ago.  The old one’s were just looking soooooo bad & we were both soooooo uncomfortable with that!!

LOOKS LIKE THE HEAVY SNOW LOAD THIS YEAR HAS BENT OVER MY DEAD TREE LIGHT POLE HANGER....YEP, GOT A LOT OF STUFF TO FIX THIS SPRING

GROANER’S CORNER:((  
After every flight, Qantas pilots fill out a form, called a "gripe sheet," which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems, document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight.

Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by Qantas' pilots (marked with a (P); and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by maintenance engineers. By the way, Qantas is the only major airline that has never had an accident.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.

S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.

S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

P: Something loose in cockpit.

S: Something tightened in cockpit.

P: Dead bugs on windshield.

S: Live bugs on back-order.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent.

S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.

S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.

S: DME volume set to more believable level.

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.

S: That's what they're for.

P: IFF inoperative.

S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

P: Suspected crack in windshield.

S: Suspect you're right.

P: Number 3 engine missing.

S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

P: Aircraft handles funny.

S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

P: Target radar hums.

S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

P: Mouse in cockpit.

S: Cat installed.

And the best one for last ...

P: Noise coming from under instrument panel, sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.

S: Took hammer away from midget.

--------------------------------------------------------------
EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

BISBEE PHOTO ALBUM

http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/BISBEEARIZONAAFEWFINEPHOTOMEMORIES

Tourists see the world, travelers experience it. 
BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

ANSWERING A FEW READER QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR RV TRAVELS

TONIGHT’S PHOTOS ARE A RAMBLING BUNCH OF SOUTHWEST MEMORIES

This morning’s cold gray wet day had me wishing I was sitting on the porch of the little Lazy W ranch near Elfrida Arizona watching the birds at the feeders framed by a beautiful sunrise over the Swiss Helm Mountains.  Dusty Springfield’s song, ‘ Wishin & Hopin’ kept playing in my mind.  A lot of wishing these days but not too much hoping anymore:((

I see Joe & Nancy from the RV'ING BEACH BUMS have been exploring in & around the Grand Canyon.  Sure nice to have a Jeep to get at those hard to get places:))

I seem to recall a reader asking awhile back about costs & expenses while on the road for the winter.  I know there are some RV folks out here who keep very detailed records of money spent & some of them have posted those details giving others a good idea of what to expect when traveling.  We are not great record keepers in that department here at the Bayfield Bunch but I can tell you that this past winter’s trip cost us $3,252 for Motor Home gas & we traveled 6,164 miles.  I can also tell you that a tire repair at a Walmart facility in Douglas Arizona cost $10.  I’m now wondering if that’s where our Jeep ownership went missing!!  And, I’m happy to report we paid less than a hundred dollars for RV Parks in the 5 months we were away:))  I’m guessing that our second highest cost was for propane followed closely by our Verizon internet plan.  Kelly does have a lot of receipts & things squirreled away & does keep some kind of record of stuff but I don’t know too much about all that.  Sometimes the less AL knows, the better.  We do seem to spend a lot of money on groceries though but if we were home for the winter we would still have to spend that food money anyway plus the cost would be higher in Canada.  I won’t tell you how much we had to pay for 14 brand new tires in this past year though because that bill still leaves me a little weak in the knees.

Sometimes we are asked about the price of gas & what kind of gas mileage we get with the Motorhome.  I don’t have an answer for either one of those questions & I sometimes figure it’s better that way.  Knowing how many miles the rig gets to a gallon can get a little depressing especially when one knows how far one has to go & the cost figure involved to do that.  I just figure once the decision has been made to go from point A to point B there’s no point in fretting over costs.  It’s the way it is & costs are what they are regardless if you can afford them or not.  Just get out there & enjoy the journey as best you can…..while you can.

 

I have been asked a few times why we wouldn’t just go half the distance in the winter time to Florida or Georgia instead of the long distance to the Southwest.  I have been to Florida 4 or 5 times now & Kelly actually lived there for a short period of time many years ago.  I can still remember driving my VW bug down in the summer of 64 & seeing my very first of ever live Palm tree.  I remember all the lush vegetation & how everything was so green, neat & clean.  I remember stopping in Silver Springs where many episodes of Sea Hunt with Lloyd Bridges were filmed in those days.  Couldn’t get over how crystal clear the water was.   I really liked everything I saw at that time & thought how nice it would be to live there some day.  Close cousins had already made the trek to Florida back in the 50’s & my Aunt Jean followed suite in the early 60’s & is still there.

In the early 70’s a friend & I delivered a car from Toronto to Vancouver & my thoughts of where I would like to live someday changed somewhere on that journey.  Little did I know that after seeing British Columbia for the first time on that trip I would actually return to live there just a few short months later.

It was probably somewhere in the States of North Dakota, Montana & Washington that my love for the scenery I was seeing began to grow.  The mountains of the west coast had an impact on me that I still remember to this day.  Loved what I saw on that Volvo delivery trip so much I headed back to BC with all my stuff in another little VW Beetle.  I won’t go into all the details of my time living in the Okanagan Valley’s picturesque little town of Vernon but Vernon was still little at that time & I understand it has grown substantially since I left there back in early 75.  Anyway, my few years spent in British Columbia cemented my love forever with the mountains, valleys, forests, streams & lakes of the west coast.  .

In May of 92 on another journey I saw the mountains & deserts of the American Southwest for the first time & was immediately hooked by the vast panoramas of Arizona’s Monument Valley in front of me.  Stood on the north rim of the Grand Canyon & knew I had to return to this land someday…..somehow.

Wasn’t until December of 04 that an opportunity presented itself for Kelly & I to get away for a short two week break at Christmas.  We had a small Class C Gulf Stream at the time we were using for local weekend camping trips.  With map in hand one cold December night I determined the closest place for warm weather with mountains was in the southwest corner of Texas.  A place called Big Bend National Park.  With that thought & destination in mind, we were off.  That fast trip down to Big Bend & back was the first time Kelly had ever seen the Southwest & she was hooked from then on as well.

 

In the Fall of 06 we began our annual winter journeys to New Mexico, Arizona & California.  Those were the States with the mountains, the deserts, lakes, streams & forests.  Those were & are the States with the wide open spaces, stars from horizon to horizon, glorious sunrises & sunsets, history that can still be seen, a different laid back lifestyle from the faster paced & much heavier populated Eastern States & for our outdoor interests, a far greater variety of things for us to see & do.

Neither Kelly or I are at the age & stage yet where we are content to just sit in one location for the entire winter.  Especially not me.  The Southwest gives us the opportunity of moving through a constantly changing environment.  We can travel short distances & go through any number of climate changes with constantly changing scenery around us.  Our boon docking lifestyle gives us the freedom to camp on the desert floor among the giant Saguaro Cactus or high in any if the mountain ranges beside a quiet lake in a forest.  We have endless miles of dusty back roads to travel, thousands of acres to freely camp on & call home plus fine highways & Interstates with much less traffic.  We have sunrises & sunsets at our door to say good morning & good night each new day.  Mountain vistas are never out of sight & few destinations are unattainable. 

Florida & Georgia have their own beauty, their own charms & attractions & they offer a pleasant alternative winter lifestyle for multitudes of northern folks but they just don’t hold the same attraction for Kelly & I.    I have often said that if I can’t spend my time in the great vast stretches of the Southwest I would sooner stay home for the winter.  That challenge may very well present itself sometime in the future & I may have to eat my words & make a difficult decision but until that scenario arises we will pull out all the stops to get ourselves back to our beloved second home in America’s great Southwest for just as long as we possibly can.

And, someone asked, ‘any regrets buying a Jeep?’  My short answer there is, NO!!  The Jeep has performed perfectly since the day we brought it home in June of 2010.  That silly little plain Jane piece of metal with it’s boxy looks, bumpy ride, & techno gadget freedom from Bells & Whistles is one of my all time favorite vehicles.  And, as I have blogged about several times before, I am a fellow who has had a lot of vehicles over the years.  I have had the loaded bells & whistles cars of course & they were all very nice but I just wanted to go back to my driving roots with something that is a challenge & fun to drive again, goes anywhere, simple to repair & doesn’t frustrate my head with a lot of onboard computer gimmickry wanting to adjust my seat, the lights, the radio volume, keep my right foot warmer than my left foot or dust me off & comb my hair every time I get in it.  I also like the fact we can turn that square little bucket of bolts into a complete convertible any time we want too.  Doors come off easily & the windshield can fold forward onto the engine hood for that wooky Beach Buggy look.  The Jeep takes me back to my early days of gearshifts & clutches driving Volkswagen Beetles, Mini Minors & various Sports Cars. (a 64 MGB, 59 Triumph TR3 & a 1956 Austin Healy)  Have always preferred a stick shift to an automatic anyway.  Especially in smaller vehicles.  Just more fun to drive & you can even smoke up the tires once & awhile just like the old days.  Still love to get that gravel spinnin sometimes:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  And here’s a little something for all you cat owners out there……

• What do you call a cat that has swallowed a duck? A duck filled fatty puss.
• What is the difference between a cat and a comma? One has the paws before the claws and the other has the clause before the pause.
• Did you hear about the cat who swallowed a ball of wool? She had a whole litter of mittens.
• What do cats like to eat for breakfast? Mice Krispies
• What does a cat that lives near the beach have in common with Christmas? Sandy Claws.

-----------------------------------------------------------EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

 
BISBEE PHOTO ALBUM
http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/BISBEEARIZONAAFEWFINEPHOTOMEMORIES
 
Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
 
The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
 
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.