Last horse show of the summer is in the books (ok, so it's Fall...). Four days of Working Equitation with some beautiful horses and amazing riders. Today is a holiday, and I took a vacation day tomorrow, because I'm going to need two days to recover!!
Montana Magic Photography
Photography is my passion. I've been taking pictures since I was old enough to understand that if you press that little button, the camera makes a picture. I have taken photos with my grandmother's Brownie, a pinhole camera, film, and now digital. Join me on my photographic journey!
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Monday, October 9, 2023
Summer's Over!
Friday, July 1, 2022
Cirque Ma'Ceo
First day of Cirque Ma’Ceo, and I’m excited to be shooting photos for them! I hope I can get some good ones. It will definitely be tough, because the tracking on their spotlights isn't working so they won't be able to follow the performers around the ring. But I have a new and faster lens that hopefully will help, and I'm going in early today while they're setting up the "big top", so I can get in some practice shots inside.
Can't wait to get started!
Saturday, May 25, 2019
Day Two at the Bison Range
I had set my alarm for 5:00 this morning, but woke up 4:30 (that’s what I get for going to bed so early last night). I got up and peeked out the back door - still dark out. I went back to bed and lay there, not really thinking about anything in particular, and trying to go back to sleep for a little bit, but of course I couldn’t. I do have to say that this bed is probably the most comfortable one I’ve ever slept in!
Once it started getting light out - within half an hour or so - I got up and got dressed, grabbed my camera gear and cooler and headed out the door. I hit the back road to the range and got there at 5:45. The gates were wide open, even though the sign says they open at 6:00, so I drove right on in. I hit the bathroom in the picnic area and headed up over the mountain.
I had run into a couple of young ladies yesterday, who said they had seen a bear with two cubs, just as they headed up the mountain road. One of them was there for the first time, and got video of the cubs, running and chasing each other. She said she was live on Face Book with it! Damn beginner’s luck. I looked like crazy but never saw them.
As I topped the hill at the river overlook, there were five or six Mulie bucks on the road, and they walked down the road ahead of me for a few yards and then headed down the side of the hill. I stopped to see if I could get photos of them down the hill, but they were nowhere to be seen.No badger this morning, but the bison bulls were still at Elk Lane, and at least I saw a few Pronghorn today, but not much else. As I got to the end of the road, I made a quick decision to go over the mountain again. Still nothing. I stopped at the picnic area and had some lunch, then headed back to the lodge.
Back at the lodge I opened up the back door to let in some fresh air and to listen to the birds, and sat down to upload the photos onto my laptop. Before long I heard some commotion outside my back door, and got up to take a look. A guy was setting up a loudspeaker right off my patio, and I stepped out to ask him what was going on. Apparently there was going to be a wedding at 2:00. Great…. I asked him if he was going to be blasting music right outside my room, but he said no, it was just going to be a little music before the wedding, and if it bothered me I could tell him and he would move. There were kids racing around screaming, people talking and laughing - quite loudly - and some woman with a cackling witch’s voice, screeching - ok, laughing - but it sounded like screeching, over and over and over again. OMG, this is what I try to get away from! I closed the door and turned the a/c on high, but it didn’t manage to drown out the noise - enough. So I shut down my computer, put away my camera gear, locked the back door and closed the drapes, and headed next door to the museum - thankfully they were open.
If you happen to be up that way, check out this little museum. The cost is $6 for adults, not sure of a kids' rate. Lots of local history of the Salish tribe, and the early settlers to the area. Pretty interesting stuff, and a nice break if, you've been on the road all day. They offer guided tours, which are very informative, or you have to option of a self-guided audio tour. I've done both; it's just personal choice.
After an hour and a half of wandering through the many displays, I went back to my room. The reception had moved into the private dining room, but there were still lots of people outside, and being too noisy for my liking. So I loaded up and headed back to the Bison Range. Only took the short road this evening, as it was already almost 6:00, and I knew I would probably not be off the mountain road before 9:00, and did not want to get locked in!
The short road was a good choice this evening however, and I rounded a bend in the road just before the corrals, and found a herd of around 30 elk, grazing in the field just above the river! Mostly cows, but a few young bulls as well, and got some great shots!
Friday, May 24, 2019
Free Weekend Road Trip
Pauling Creek |
American Badger |
Bison Bull |
Chipmunk |
Where the Forest turns to Prairie |
Going down the other side, there is a steep grade for about 100 yards. Use the lowest gear you have and don't ride your brakes! Pumping them slowly keeps your car at a good pace for this hill. You'll also see a sign that reads; "Lake Missoula at its highest point". Lake Missoula is an entirely different post. Stay tuned.
Arrowleaf Balsamroot |
Teasel |
Western Meadowlark |
At the bottom of the hill, the switchbacks end, and there is a turnout where the winter road stops. From this point on it's two way traffic. This is one of my favorite spots to stop, shut off the engine and get out to stretch my legs. There are a number of large rocks/boulders there, and they make a great place to sit and take in the absolute quiet of the prairie. From this spot you can just sit and listen to the silence. All you'll hear is the breeze blowing through the prairie grass and sagebrush, birds singing, and an occasional cow mooing from a neighboring ranch. No cars, no radios, nothing but pure peace and quiet. I could sit at this spot for hours. But keep a sharp eye out; and don't go wandering out into the grass. This is also badger territory, and you don't want to run into one of these critters. There has never been a reported incident of a badger attacking a human, and seriously they'd rather avoid you, but if they feel threatened they can get quite nasty, and it's better to be safe than sorry. You don't want to be the first victim!
Blue Copper Butterfly |
While sitting here I also noticed some small, blue butterflies. I've always known them as Mountain Butterflies, but officially they are called Blue Coppers. I watched them as they "Puddled"; butterflies take in nourishment from mud. Really! All butterflies do this; there are many minerals in the soil that they need to sustain themselves, and today this spot was a good feeding ground.
At this time of the year, the wildflowers are in bloom all over the range. Right now it's mostly Arrowleaf Balsamroot, and the hillsides are covered with them. There is also Shooting Stars, Wild Hyacinth, Monkshood, a few Scarlet Paintbrush, among others that I can't identify..
Pronghorn Doe |
The Patio at My Room |
Cow Elk |
The View from My Room |
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Free Weekend!
The Bison Range opens their gates at 6:00 am this time of year, and I'm typically there by 5:45. My reason for getting there so early is to be the first one on the range. No other vehicles have been out there yet, scaring off the wildlife, and I always have a much better chance of seeing more animals and getting some good shots. I drive painfully slow there, looking not only ahead of me, but on either side, looking up, looking down, and even keeping an eye on what's behind me, because you never know when a bear will wander out from the bushes along the creek once you've gone by. The sign at the beginning of the mountain road says to allow two hours for the driver over the mountain, but I think they need to add a disclaimer that reads: "Photographers allow a minimum of four hours." Seriously. If you really want to get some good shots, you have to take your time. It makes me crazy when someone goes blasting past you on the road there, doing 35 miles an hour in a 15 mile an hour zone and never stopping or even slowing down, and then gets back to the visitor's center and complains because they didn't see anything. I just want to smack them upside the head. So yes, I take my time, I drive slow. I will pull over and let you pass if you absolutely must. But the animals are certainly not in a hurry, so why should you be? By the time I get over the mountains and back to the visitor's center, it's darn near 2 or 3:00 in the afternoon. By then I'm tired and can't even imagine spending more time at the reservoir; I just want to get home.
This weekend I also had an all day photo shoot scheduled on Saturday, and I really did not want to drive all the way up to the Bison Range on Friday and the drive all the way back up to the reservoir on Sunday. Then I got a call that the event I was supposed to shoot had been cancelled. While normally I would be disappointed at the lost income, this time I hung up the call and said "SCORE!", and booked myself for two nights at the Ninepipes Lodge! My last two summers have been very busy with photo shoots, and I was excited to have an entire weekend to shoot photos for ME.
When I made the reservation, they only had one room left, on the west side, which faces the highway... ugh! The sound of the trucks rolling through late at night would keep me awake all night. But, I took it because I had no choice. At least it was also facing the lake, and that couldn't be all bad, right?
Eight days and counting!
Friday, June 29, 2018
The Great Blue Hunter
While you may be able to train a dog, cat or horse to stand quietly and patiently for a photo, wildlife has its own agenda. You just flat never know what they are going to do. You have to be prepared for anything. It takes a lot of patience to be able to sit in one spot for what might seem like hours, just to get a single decent photo. It takes skill to know the proper settings on your camera to get the right exposure. It also takes a lot of luck.
There are times when I simply stumble upon an opportunity. The photo here was one of those times. I was driving into a wildlife refuge and spotted the heron in the "yard" of an old historic house. Because I had already set up my camera before I entered the refuge, all I had to do was get close enough for a good shot. There were some large cottonwood trees along the front of the yard and I hoped it would be enough cover to allow me to approach more closely.
Great Blue Herons are ridiculously skittish, and I've never been able to get very close to them. This one however, was focused on something that I could not see, and it was pretty much oblivious to my presence. That, and the fact that a vehicle being a pretty good blind (you just don't look like a human if you're in a car), I was able to get fairly close. As I started shooting the bird suddenly darted its head out and came up with his prize. I was able to grab a few more photos before the heron flew off and left me with what was possibly a once in a lifetime shot.
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
My Wild West
I love shooting behind the scenes; capturing not only the camaraderie, but also those moments of preparation, anticipation, and tension. I had to find a way to do that!
Then I found the Northern Rodeo Association, which holds rodeos all over the state of Montana. Membership is a lot less expensive than the national organizations, so I figured this was a chance to break into a new and exciting type of photography, so I joined. I missed the first rodeo because I did not have my membership card yet, but looking forward to several more in the next few months, and hopefully some great photos!