Big Bend Photography

I was out in Big Bend National Park for a photography workshop last week.

The backstory is a friend of mine who also loves BBNP and photography called and asked if I wanted to do a girls trip and I was HELLS YEAH.  Then we signed up and I discovered it was being taught by a guy I knew from elementary-high school.  Wow.  So I wasn't sure how that would go.

Then we got to the park and I got my Boquillas cherry popped.  (It was fabulous, btw.  Highly recommended.)  And then we went by the burn damage because I wanted to get some shots of it.  We were talking about photography on the way there and just from chatting with my friend it was obvious to me that I was going to be the least experienced person there.  And then, in my freak out, I completely forgot how to do anything.  It was terrible.  I was terrified.

The good news is the instructor was super friendly when we met up with him and it really wasn't awkward.  And the class was small - just me and my friend and one other guy.  We went and got our tent set up in hella wind, and then went to shoot the sunset.  In the process of that, I managed to remember how to use my camera and even ran some learning experiments, and somehow I became at ease.

The following days were filled with pre-dawn mornings to shoot stars and sunrise, mid-day editing, and then sunset/star shoot evenings.

It was not the sort of workshop where the instructor took a shot and asked us to replicate it.  It was more like we'd find a location and then find stuff to shoot.  It was really cool because we'd all be within 100 yards of each other, but everyone would come out with something different.

Long story short, I came out with about 20 shots that I'm quite pleased with, and about 5 shots that I'm really really super mega pleased with.  I came out knowing how to use my camera soooooo much better, understanding my settings better, but also and most importantly, stretching myself in terms of finding my shot and also really looking for light.  It was really a perfect trip.  There were a lot of imperfections, but all together, it was perfect.

I've been thinking a lot about it since I got back.  I've been trying to work through the shots and do some editing.  There is a contest right now at the Bullock museum that I want to enter and I'm trying to figure out exactly which I should submit.  The thing is, for me, this is where uncertainty creeps in.  There was one shot of bluebonnets that I got while I was there that was backlit.  I was originally shooting with the rising sun at my back but at one point I turned around and I saw how the light was filtering through the seed pods and I just thought it was the most lovely thing.  And the instructor practically nutted on it.  But I put an album of my favorites on Facebook and it is one of the least liked ones.  So I started questioning everything.  Then I was chatting with a friend and he said maybe it is a shot that only a photographer would love.  It kind of killed me.

Another of my favorites is a backlit shot of the instructor's wife with their dog.  My "friend" said it looked posed.  In truth, the location was selected so she'd be silhouetted as the sun went down, but goodness help me if I could figure out how to pose a dog running up and leaping into her owner's arms!  This was really a shooting break and therefore about as candid as you can get.

Gah, now I'm questioning everything.

I was talking with P this morning about it all.  He was telling me that he actually likes one of the burn shots that I got.  He was saying that it looks "dreamy" because of the shallow depth of focus that I chose and how it sort of distorts the fore/background.  "Dreamy" was the word that the instructor chose for the bluebonnet pic.  And it is the word that I'd choose for the dog pic.  And then I started to think... is "dreamy" my style?  That would actually be pretty neat - if it were and if I knew it.

P.S.  Totally unrelated, but I've been dropping weight since I got back from BBNP.  I was 149.4 when I left, up from 148.4 due to hormones.  When I got back I was 148.4 and I was ok with that - I didn't hike a ton and I was grateful not to have gained.  But then as soon as I got rehydrated and settled it dropped to 147.4 and then 2 days later to 146.6.  Now I don't know if that 146.6 is real yet or not, but for whatever reason I'm SUPER excited about it!  It isn't a goal weight or anything, but it is less than 7 pounds away from the upper end of my goal weight range and for some reason less than 7 feels imminently more achievable.  Like suddenly, after all these months, I can see that this is really happening.  I'm also really proud - I am in the 4th month of losing and I have continued to lose through multiple trips and other temptations.  I am solidly on the wagon and I am steadily losing and I am really proud of my consistency this time.

P.P.S.  We WERE in the green last month!  Just barely, but GREEN!

San Felipe Shoot Out 5K Race Report, Or, My Slowest 5K Ever

I did not know this would be one of the crazier races I've ever done, but oh, it WAS.

I was excited about this, initially, because I thought it provided a good reason to go camp near home for only one night.  I was even more excited that they had primitive shelters and I was able to reserve one.  I was concerned in the week leading in to the race because of all the rain we had been getting.  I kept checking the website to see if they'd call it.  They never did, so I figured it would be ok.

We got to the park and got all set up and picked up my packet and then it was basically dark.  (This was Friday night).  By the way, the shirt for this race is BAD ASS.

I slept well, yay air mattress!  There was a gentle rain that night, but yay shelter!

The next morning I woke up and spent an epically long time in a bathroom line, then headed to the start.

What struck me at the start was that these people are HARD CORE.  I guess that makes sense.  I mean the concept of the actual "Shootout" race was run a 5K, then a 10K, then a Half all in order.  So yeah, there were some serious serious runners standing around.   There were also jokers in floaties, and I really REALLY didn't get what an omen that was.

They started us off all together and I started near the back, knowing I was seriously outclassed.  This was supposed to be fun for me.  Less than 100 yards into the race there was a looooooong puddle.  Puddle may not be an accurate description.  There was a probably 50ft section of trail under 3 inches of water.  And people were running straight through it.  I was all D'FUQ???  I picked my way on the side, trying to keep my feet dry.

About 50 feet farther on, I got it.  We came up on another long underwater section, and this one went around a bend and there was no telling how long it actually was.  I gave up and went in.  It was COLD!

From there it was more of the same, little mud, long "puddle", little mud, long "puddle".  No rinse.  Lots of repeat.  Then we went down a hill through a creek, but it was still only maybe knee level and very short - maybe 20ft long.  I figured that'd be the worst of it.

Boy was I wrong.

What is important to note about those 2 photos is THERE IS NO END IN SIGHT.  It is also important to note that this is not the deepest we went through.  This is just the only time I felt secure enough to take a picture.  No, I'm not kidding.

There was one section that was literally chest deep on me, and they had two volunteers (heroes) standing on either end of a BRIDGE that was under 4 feet of muddy water, and the first guy said, ok, you're about to step on a bridge that is about 2 ft wide.  You need to walk straight to the other guy to stay on it.  DUUUUUUUUUUDES.

Then after that there was another looooooooooong waist deep river section.  Like 200 yards long.  Then we looped around on the driest part of the course that I saw all day, then did it again.  Then finished.

It. Was. Insane.

So anyways, it took me just under an hour.  I think the final was 59:40.  No joke.  My slowest 5K ever by more than 20 minutes.  Totally justified, though.  Hardest 5K EVAR.  And don't forget craziest.

I think part of what is the craziest about the craziest 5K ever is that it wasn't even meant to be a crazy one.  It was just meant to be a trail run and then we got like a foot of rain in the week ahead and suddenly it was this epic thing.  Don't get me wrong - I would totally do it again.  Because what an experience!

Anyways, I had to shower after to get the mud off.

Then I took pics.

Then we went over to San Felipe de Austin Historic Site and there were bluebonnets!