Welcome to My View

In the late fall of 2002, I was fortunate enough to be in Big Bend National Park. Big Bend is an amazing place for so many reasons, one of which is that is it the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert in the United States. It was established as a national park in 1944 and designated a Biosphere Reserve in 1976.

The agave lechuguilla is an indicator plant of the Chihuahuan Desert. One of it’s common names is “shindagger”. It has been reported to flatten tires and one woman had a tip of the spin in her leg for six months before it disolved. I had heard stories and been thoroughly warned about this plant.

Late one day, after shooting during the evening magic light, and as darkness was rapidly falling, I was scurring around gathering all of my equipment scattered around on the desert floor. I took two steps back, looking for some piece of equipment and suddenly stopped — uh oh! Without moving the lower part of my body and holding my breath, I cautiously peered over my shoulder to catch a glimpse of the image below. I very carefully took two steps straight forward, looked at the sight again, let out my breath, took in a deep one and —- of course, unpacked a lens, set up the tripod and tried to capture what I had just felt (my view) at the moment I peered over my shoulder.

Fortunately, no serious damage was done to the photographer.
I welcome and very much appreciate your comments on the image.

Canon EOS 1v mounted on a tripod, Fuji Velvia ISO 50 (scanned and converted to black and white), 100mm macro lens, f/2.8

Thank you for visiting My View.

Hello and Welcome to My View

For quite some time, I’ve needed an outlet to share the many images I have accumulated over the years and continue to accumulate.

And, so with great trepidation and excitement, I am launching My View.The blog is called My View because my view of the world has always been a bit skewed – or so I’ve been told. Many of my images reflect that. In great scenic landscapes, I see details. In details, I often see landscapes. In both, I often see softened edges or swashes of color. Sometimes, I hear or smell the color, or feel the whole scene. Are you getting the picture? Well, that’s my view. Of course, not all of my images are “skewed”, but many of my favorites tend to be.

Along with thanking Craig Tanner in the About Marti section, I also need to thank Ted Byrne who “gently” pushed me toward this project for the past year. If I’d not promised Ted I’d have it ready by now, it would probably still be a work-in-progress.

On this opening day, I want to share one of my favorite images with you. It was taken on my first real expedition with this strange new technology called a “digital camera” in one of my most favorite places in the country. In addition to being a beautiful place for landscape images, I have a great emotional attachment to Big Bend National Park and the areas surrounding it. This is my favorite image from my 2004 visit to the park. As time passes, you will see more images from Big Bend from 2004 and from earlier years.

All constructive comments and suggestions are welcome as they will help me grow as a photographer and a person on this journey we call life.

Thank you for visiting My View.

“Dancing Agave”
Big Bend National Park, November 2004 
Canon 10D, 16-35mm L lens at 35 mm, 2.0 secs at f/22, handheld (zooming while shutter open)