A Christmas Bargin

by Michael

So winter will officially be here in a little more than a week and it got me going back through a few of my autumn photos that I hadn’t posted anywhere. The weekend before Thanksgiving, Karen’s family got together in Broken Bow, OK and we went up to spend some time there.

Broken Bow is also home to the beautiful state park, Beavers Bend. Well, needless to say, we had to take a detour through the park on the way home to see the colors. As we came to the Mountain Fork River we stopped and observed two guys in a kayak and thought it made for a peaceful scene. I got out my camera and made this exposure to remember the moment.

Now for the promised bargain. This shot along with many others, are available for sale at my Fine Art America site. And between now and December 26, 2016, you can use discount code “GTUFMA” at checkout and they will reduce my markup by %50.

So go to http://MHamptonPhoto.FineArtAmerica.com and check out all the cool things you can get with my photos printed on: cups, towels, duvet covers, shower curtains, iPhone cases, and yes, even  prints, framed and unframed, to hang on your wall.

Another reminder to always keep your camera handy.

Michael

Road-side Attractions

by Michael

Driving home from another family visit in Oklahoma with Karen in the passenger seat, she once more points out something photographic on the side of the road, proving once again her worth as a co-pilot.  🙂

It was a cloudy, drizzly, and surprisingly warm drive home here in mid-December, and about 3 hours into the trip Karen exclaims “There’s a nice looking covered bridge back there.” So, I pull over, let all the vehicles I had passed go by, and then turn around to go back and investigate. Now we have driven this route probably at least 10 times since we have moved to East Texas, but for whatever reason, just never noticed this. And with the warmth of the overcast day and the damp fallen leaves on the ground, it certainly was a photographic scene.

I stop, take out my camera and proceed to make a few photos.

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Now for the interesting part. As I finish up, I see a gentleman in a 4-wheeler coming down the driveway. I decide to wait and talk with him. As he approaches I tell him how much I like his little bridge and ask if he was coming to investigate the strangers stopped in his front yard. He said he didn’t even see us down there and was just putting some fuel stabilizer in his take and getting it mixed up. He did say that people come from all over to take pictures here and even have people come to get married here, so he’s used to the attention.

I thank him and he drives off. I get back in the car and drive off. Karen mentioned to me that she’s glad I’ve started keeping a camera handy when we are traveling. And with her eyes looking out for opportunities, so am I.

Michael

Listen to your Wife!

by Michael

Here is a life lesson.

When traveling on a turnpike at 75+ MPH and your wife suddenly says, “STOP!! PULL OVER!! I SAW A BALD EAGLE!!”, the smart thing to do is to stop, pull over, and ask her to clarify. This is exactly what happened this weekend as we were traveling to Oklahoma for our yearly Thanksgiving family get-together.

For some reason, let’s just call it providence, I had decided to leave my camera out in the back seat on this trip. Usually, nothing happens so it is safely stored away in the back with the rest of the luggage on these trips. The drive to family is about 4 hours and we were at about the 3 hour mark, making good time when the aforementioned actions took place. I pulled over.

After discussing the fact that what she likely was was just some exposed broken branch in a tree, she finally convinced me to back up. So here I am, backing up on the shoulder while traffic is whizzing by, narrowly missing a mile-marker sign (oops) when Karen declared, “I see it!” It was quite a distance away, and I still could not see it. So I hand her the camera. Of course, my camera settings are completely different than hers so she has a hard time getting a shot but once she does and shows me the proof, well, I hop out of the vehicle with the camera and head toward the field.

There were a line of trees between the and the great bird, but I was able to get a couple of clear shots before it flew off.

So, listen to your life and you may just see something amazing!

Oh, and here are a couple of shots of the Bald Eagle! Quite a distance away, and shooting through a stand of trees, but still a magnificent bird.

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