This is hardly the image I expected to bring back from the river bottoms this afternoon, but the opportunity was too good to pass up. Yes, that's right...this image was shot at around 4:30 in the afternoon. With the use of a polarizer and a throttled-down iris, I was able to get this picture to look a little more like an enchanted evening.
Photography is SO cool. If you haven't tried it, you're missing out on a whole new perspective on the world. One doesn't have to start out with an expensive camera; I didn't. It's like high-performance motorcycles, really... you should get something you can handle first, get a bunch of experience with it, then trade up to something more capable and grow into it.
Perhaps the greatest tool I've ever had available, however, isn't a fancy camera. It's the expertise of my friend Kramer, who really ignited my passion for photography. He's got a ton of experience and an intricate knowledge of the North Dakota wilderness, and he's helped me to begin to grasp an understanding of both. We've actually worked together for 18 years at various television and multimedia companies, but it wasn't until we got to shoot photos together at our current job that his love of still imagery rubbed off on me.
I've got an advantage by having a friend who's the Encyclopedia Photographica, but it's not just technical knowledge that one has to pick up. One of the first things I learned was that "being there" is perhaps the most important element of a photograph. The "right place, right time" element of a picture is one that can't be Photoshopped; either you got the picture, or you didn't. That's why I learned to lug my (heavy) camera with me all the time. There have been many cases in which I'm glad I did, and a few times where I'd left it at home where I regret it.
Photography, much like motorcycling, snowboarding, SCUBA diving, mountain biking, karate, or any of the other things I've tried to cram into my busy existence, is a way of life. It's a way that I'd recommend to anyone in a heartbeat...not just on a "spooky" Sunday afternoon.
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These deer don't have to...as long as they stay put. They seem pretty comfortable along the Heart River in Mandan, near the YCC. They were grazing pretty happily when I came along, and weren't even took shaken by the presence of me or my truck. If they know what's good for them, they'll stay within sight of that crooked red and white sign!
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With temperatures as much as twenty to thirty degrees below the statistical normal for this time of year, it looks like someone got caught unprepared in my neighborhood. I spotted this poor little guy huddled under a car, trying to keep warm. I don't think this is Greg because he's a little too plump for my recollection. Nevertheless, it's hard not to have a little bit of sympathy for a cute, furry, shivering creature.
Naturally, one wishes we could cuddle, coddle, and provide for every little creature out there...at least the cute ones, anyway. Obviously that's neither prudent nor even possible, and wild animals don't really want to be cuddled anyway. But I'm reasonably sure this little fella will do just fine in the cold, especially once his fur thickens for the approaching winter.
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Today's snowfall came in an unusual, spotty fashion. As I watched the waves of snow roll by, I noticed this big column down ol' Highway 10. While I stood taking this photograph, it felt like a similar column of cold and snow rolled right over the top of me! With highs today almost 30 degrees below the statistical normal, it sure was a chilly day. Not chilly enough, however, to keep the camera in the bag.
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( 3 / 322 )After helping a friend move in the rain tonight, I drove past Bobcat and saw a few picketers putting in a cold night. They waved as I went by, obviously trying not to look like they're standing out there in raw greed. I waved back but I certainly disagree with them.
Factory work has never struck me as particularly stimulating. I've always considered that the reason that I know a lot of people who like making Bobcat money, but don't really claim to love their job there. But there are plenty of people hiring around town...if you're unhappy with your job, thankfully there are plenty of other places hiring.
What's that, you say? They aren't paying as much as Melroe at those other jobs? You mean those other places don't pay you a signing bonus every time the union's collective bargaining agreement comes up for renewal? Then what are you people so darn upset about?
I worked happily at KFYR-TV for 14 years. When I left in 2003, I could have marched directly over to Melroe and started at a dollar per hour MORE than I had made after almost a decade and a half working at KFYR! And I dare say that editing commercials, generating graphics, and directing newscasts for a four-station TV network is a little more complicated than hanging parts on a paint rack.
Don't get me wrong...like I said, I worked happily at KFYR-TV for those fourteen years. I didn't leave because of money. I worked the same sort of silly hours that one would expect at Melroe. But yet I made do pretty well; before age 30 I owned a house, had 5 motorcycles and a beater car...and Scooter, of course. Maybe the people picketing right now need to learn to be content with what they have, because I can guarantee they're making a lot more than many other Bismarck-Mandan workers.
I tried the union thing once...in fact, I was even the shop steward at KFYR. The lesson I took from it was that people who work very hard get treated the same as people who don't. Other than that, I really didn't see a huge benefit. We had even less leverage than the Bobcat workers due to our smaller numbers and, after realizing it was a joke, all the employees let their memberships lapse.
So...now these people want their entire health care paid for by Melroe. I don't get health insurance at all from my current employer, and I knew that when I tried very hard to get hired there. I've never figured it's his obligation to provide it, either. Employers offer benefits like a health plan as an incentive to hire employees...in this case, there were far greater incentives for me to join the company. If health insurance ever gets that important to me, well...then I suppose I'll look for a similar job that offers health insurance benefits. But I'm certainly not going to storm into my boss' office and demand that he provide it. I'd be even less likely to stand outside our office with a sign whining about how unfair he is for not acceding to my demands.
My unsolicited advice for the striking Bobcat workers is to shut up and go back to work, or shut up and go get a job that provides everything that you demand. If you find such a job in the Bismarck-Mandan area, let me know. I'm pretty sure all my readers would like an application and an address to which they can sumbit their resume'.
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