Photo Heavy Spring Post

Another beautiful trip to Hells Canyon last week. I can't believe how everything has changed in just 2 weeks, but such is Spring I guess. I love being up there in the spring. The weather and the landscape is so dramatic and in a month it will all be hot and brown. Enjoy it while you can. I was lucky enough to be with my coworker Patty who loves my photos and is extremely patient in letting me capture things. She was even willing to pull off the road for me to get these fields of Yellow (Arrowleaf Balsamroot). The weather was so dramatic that it made for beautiful backdrops. As I shot these photos I was thinking that although I may not be the best photographer on the planet and I need more education on how to manipulate my camera for better more dramatic photos, I think I do pretty well in the mean time, and for me, my camera has become a tool, a friend of sorts which helps me to document not only my life but the life of others and the world around me. I recall living in Texas and my friend's mom was sick with cancer. Just before she died she had an all girl party at her house. We had wine and cheese, we laughed a lot. I brought my canon and some black and white film, and i hung in the shadows of her beautiful garden as I took some of the most candid and vulnerable moments on film with she and her daughter, daughter-in-law and best friend. It was something I could give back to them for making me a part of their family. I had no idea she would not be with us a few months later, and I was glad to be able to frame those photos and hand them over to my friend after her mom had passed. To me, that's what's more important. Today I am going over to a friend's house to take some photos of her and her beloved dog Sadie. Sadie has cancer and in less than 2 months will probably be gone. This will be hard for me (as it makes me think of my own two critters and their mortality), but I think it will be a good thing for my friend to have when Sadie is no longer here. She and Sadie have traveled all over and hiked many mountains and ran on many beaches. She will be very missed, and my thoughts are with them both. And so, when I have no idea what to say, I know what to give.
Enjoy the spring, and capture it as you can!
SJ