I happen to be one who loves the snow; however, the snow fall here in southeast Missouri doesn’t stay around real long. If I had to deal with it all winter long, like those in the deep north, I may be on the other side of the fence. Even if you are a hater of snow, you have to admit; it is quite beautiful.
NOTICE: All pictures are the property of Double D Acres LLC and cannot be used, reproduced or copied without written permission from Double D Acres LLC.
One afternoon while fishing Bismark Lake in Bismark, MO a thunderstorm moved into the area. It stayed at a distance, and I was able to get some pictures. The sun had just begun to set.
With new technology and computers, the art of photography has changed immensely. Adobe and many more companies have added editing tools to enhance the photograph. The possibilities seem endless. I was a hold out until recently. I refused to use these tools until another photographer named Dave Shultz got me to think outside of the box.
Now photographers aren’t finished after the shot. It is just the beginning. I prefer Adobe’s Light Room. It is loaded with many possibilities. Like anything in life, there are those that love it and those who don’t. It does things that you can’t do with just a camera. New photo editing software has changed the world of photography. Good or bad, I think it will be around for a while. What say you?
Thanks for reading. I would love to hear what others think.
“The river has great wisdom and whispers its secrets to the hearts of men.”
Mark Twain
The St. Francis River is 426 miles long and is located in southeastern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas. It is only floatable in spring or after heavy rains. It passes through Wappapello Lake that was a result of a dam that was constructed in 1941. Anglers can fish for largemouth and smallmouth bass. There are also catfish, bluegill, sunfish, and crappie. The St. Francis is the most diverse Ozark stream.
The Hubb’s, golden and spothanded crayfish make the St. Francis their home and can only be found in the Ozarks of Missouri and northern Arkansas. The St. Francis crayfish is only found here and nowhere else in the world. Six mussel species are also found here.
Two state parks that the St. Francis River meanders through are Silver Mines Recreation Area and Sam A Baker state park and both have camping available. Sam A Baker has a separate equestrian campground. They also have hiking trails and picnic areas. Baker also has equestrian and bicycle trails.
High water over the bridge in Silver MinesThe water recedes
I have many fond memories of the river as an adult and as a child. I don’t know how many pounds of catfish we caught. We used to pay a farmer to cross his field to the St. Francis and we would set up camp. He had an old wooden boat he would also rent us. One night around 11 pm we were tight line fishing for catfish. Our camp was below Wappapello dam and too far away to hear the siren indicating they opened the dam gates. My mom stands up and said here comes a boat. Yep, you guessed it. Sure enough, our boat. We had pulled it up on the sand bar around the bend. The water had come up and set the boat free. We started trying to hook it and my dad finally hooked it and reeled it in.
“There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are.”
Ernst Haas
I have two passions in life, photography and flyfishing. Tonight, I am going to share my photography. I am a landscape photography. I use my photography to promote conservation. I hope you enjoy.
Trail inside Silver Mines. Dock divingSt. Francis RiverAbandoned milling operation in St. Joe Park in MissouriCivil War Reenactment at Fort Davidson in Pilot KnobBourbeuse RiverAbandoned building in milling operation.Drag racing in Bonne Terre, MO
I hope you enjoyed my photographs, and they didn’t bore you. Be kind to one another and spread the love.
“Every artist has a central story to tell,and the difficulty, the impossible task, is trying to present that story in pictures.”
Gregory Crewdson
Photography is an art, and the photographer is the artist. There are those that will say this isn’t true however I have to disagree. Both must have a passion for what they do, along with creativity and a good imagination. A photographer only has one time to snap a photo then that moment is gone forever and can’t be recreated.
When l am framing a shot, I examine every possible angle I can shoot it from, then I imagine what I want it to look like. It requires an eye for detail, patience and flexibility. Light is a key composition and can greatly affect the photo. In a studio one can use artificial light but in nature one must learn to use what light is available.
When I take a picture, the subject must excite me. I sell my photographs and I have to rely on people buying them. If I’m not excited, I can’t expect the viewer to be excited. I have to capture the viewers’ attention and hope they buy it.
In Bruce Barnbaum’s book The Art of Photography Mr Barnbaum lists 14 elements of composition. They are light, color, contrast and tone, line, form, pattern, balance, movement, positive and negative space, texture, camera position, focal length, depth of field and shutter speed. There is so much more involved than point and shoot.
I am basically a landscape photographer. I love nature and am mesmerized by a river. Sunrises and sunsets always grab my attention. It never seems to fail that I see the best ones when I am driving down the road. They can be short lived, and the photographer has to act quickly. When I go hiking, I always have my camera with me. Quite frankly I suck at portraits, and I am in awe of those who have mastered it. Wedding photographers I think have the hardest job. It takes a lot of patience and creativity with some imagination. I am in awe of them.
There was only about 10 minutes between these two photos, and it changed quickly. I took them in Silver Mines Recreation area. This is the St. Francis River that meanders through the park. It is located between Ironton and Fredericktown, Mo. Kayakers love this area and have kayak races here in the spring when the water is up. When the water level is up the kayakers head for the river.
I hope I haven’t bored you with my photos. In closing I am going to post a few more photos I took when hiking at Silver Mines.
The first two were taken of the trail and the last one was a photo of what is left of the damn that was built when the old silver mine was in operation. Thanks for reading and remember to be kind to one another and spread the love.
Today the city of Caledonia had its Blackberry Festival, and the little town was flooded with visitors from out of town. We decided to take some time and go check it out. While walking around the little village the Shabby Chic Painted Rooster was able to grab our attention and we decided to take a closer look inside.
The shop is known for their famous Fragrance Cookie and Tart Melts, and Warmers, Goat’s Milk Soap, Lotion, Hand Crafted Sweatshirts, Vintage Items and Home Decor. Hours: Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Thursday and Friday their hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m… They are closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. There was plenty to see and had a great selection of items for sale. You can reach them at 636-232-8509 and they are located at 129 S State Hwy 21, Caledonia, MO 63631. shabbychicpaintedrooster@yahoo.com
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