Palomino Portrait
Some images unfold before you very quickly. I find that I draw on my Photojournalistic training more often then not. It doesn’t matter if I’m shooting the fast changing light in a stormy landscape or a wildlife shot of a bird fishing for dinner. The decisive moment happens very quickly. Be ready but be aware. Know what’s going on around you but be able to concentrate your focus when things start happening. Here I was taping a video photographic tip when the Palomino on the ranch heard me talking. A very curious horse she came over to check the scene out for herself. Not wanting to miss the shot I pulled my camera off the tripod got the horse’s fly mask off (it makes her look like a superhero) stepped to the side to recompose the shot. I got one frame and she was gone. 30 seconds total, 3 seconds before she left. She walked away with a carrot I walked away with a shot that I’m very pleased with.
Bird of Paradise
One of the more dramatic first signs of spring here on the Ranch. The flowering Bird of Paradise. Shot well into twilight this image is a perfect example of ”keep shooting after the sun sets.” The blues and purples of the flower came alive. The textures of the pod. The pearl quality of the flower takes on a metallic look. There is an almost Alien Movie quality at work here. The pod is ful a sweet sticky goo syrup. Alien might be the right word as Strelitzia Nicolai is a native of South Africa a world away from South Florida.
Of flowers and scars
Don’t give up.
A Magnolia can take 15 to 20 years to bloom. I’ve only seen this little one bloom once and it has not since, which has been over a year. I find the whites and the curves of the bloom to be visually interesting. It’s as if Apple took some design cues from this flower. This image is less about a plant and more about doing what you do. You may only produce something beautiful once in a long while but don’t give up. This little guy has been through three hurricanes and looks a bit like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. I like the blooms imperfections. They tell stories. I’ve got this scar on my hand from running for the bus in first grade. I fell on the ice picked myself up and got on the bus. The drive took one look at the rock in my hand and the blood gushing out and said “I can’t let you on like that.” I didn’t know what to do….I can’t miss school I thought. Next time you are out with a group of friends have a scar story time, you’ll learn something new about them. And they you.
On the Ranch
For a decade now my family has run a ranch on the northern tip of the Everglades. This ranch provides a home for rescue horses, dogs and the odd cat or two. We are stewards of the land, care takers of the endangered Cypress. The ranch is a habitat provider for Snail Kites, Alligators and a pathway between protected park lands for the Florida Panther. We plant native species to provide cover and food for the wildlife and eliminate invasive one. Sometimes it feels like a tropical Ponderosa, the Cartwright’s never had to deal with Hurricanes.
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