It almost seems like a scene out of a James Dean movie, doesn't it? I've always said that being an Urban Photographer was the treasure hunt of all treasure hunts. You go looking for one thing and come up with something you never expected to find and that fits like a piece of a puzzle into the whole scheme of things.
Going to the doctor on Tuesday set me back a couple of days. Day before yesterday, I never left the house. It was the last day for a while of low humidity and fall-like temperatures. In short--it was my kind of weather. Then, this Equifax thing jammed up the Internet and consumed time to get nothing but a hold pattern more like a plane circling than waiting for a customer rep. Seldom do I give up, but I also know when to cut my losses (time wise) and I hung up. But, the point is that it was a big waste of time and that threw off my schedule. So, yesterday, I had to get back out and do some shooting. These days of 10 or 15 meager shots just didn't cut it to fulfill my goal. The majority of my portfolio is shot in Spring and Fall. I have tried to increase the Summer and Winter stock but the fact remains that Spring and Fall are my kind of weather and my kind of scenes. However, again, I bring to mind the words of the fictional character on the
Golden Girls, Sophia, who always had the cookie cutter answer that never went out of style when she would look directly into the camera and say : "
You never know!" That would apply here because I have really been working this summer to increase the stock of Summer shots that are published and it has been a good summer for me in doing that.
Next week will slow me down again with another doctors appointment. It seems like you never can regain the lost time, even when you try to work harder to make up for the time lost. But, I do enjoy doing what I do. It's a hobby that pays back some of the cost, too. I was reminded a few years back that Urban Photography doesn't always have to be the best shots, too, but that doesn't mean I don't try to be better with each click of the shutter. The example pointed out that there was a very important time in American history unmarked of the actual spot where President Kennedy's plane was parked at Love Field. When Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as the new President following the death of John F. Kenned, no actual location was ever marked. One reason was because Love Field had been upgraded with runways and taxiways, the tarmac was never marked that day after the Dealey Plaza shooting. And, because of security and other reasons, the general public was not allowed out on the tarmac. There were not a lot of camera shots out side but plenty of the swearing in ceremony aboard Air Force One. As it turned out, there was one local photographer who had an image of the plane that could be used to pinpoint the actual location. Today, there is both a marker on the tarmac and a placard inside the terminal window looking out to the placard on the tarmac. So urban photographers do catch things that most others do not.
This weekend, I plan to go down to Lee Park and shoot the empty base where the Robert E. Lee on horseback statue sat until yesterday afternoon. I had shot the area with candles all around when Tony Romo, then quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys had gotten married. That is another story that I feel some comments coming forward, but the time isn't now. So enjoy the oddity shots with a bit of humor from the past that still rears its head today.
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| Fog Cutter N528VA cleared to make departure turn onto runway 13R at Love Field. The horizon of the plane is adjusted to cover the line of sight from the tail to the top of the construction cranes, not the horizontal plane of the runway. |
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| Shotgun Shells left on the ground. When as a kid I went bird hunting with my uncle, grandfather,and dad, back in the early 50's they picked up there shells even then. This shows how people today could care less. |
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| Most teenage drivers that lived on the wild side could recall those days of doing these donuts on the pavement. This is atop the new Sylvan Bridge that crosses the Trinity at Trammel Crow Park. It's where the long semi-circular ramp comes into the top to the bridge at a T-intersection where there is lots of room to do crazy things like this. There are cameras there. |
