Southwest Exposures

Comings&Goings

Santa Fe Photographic Workshops

I had the chance to travel to Santa Fe last week to participate in another photography workshop, focusing on landscape photography. My particular course, aptly entitled The Art and Science of Landscape Photography, enticed me to sign up with hopes of learning more about the “science” and technical aspects of this genre. Somewhere in the class syllabus I was encouraged by the adage, “If you master the craft, the art will follow,” but I also quickly recognized that I was the most inexperienced photographer in the group, short on technical skills (which I already knew) and photograph editing with Light Room, a sophisticated software program that helps one with photo management. Glen Randall, the instructor, is a professional photographer who has published a handful of books and is a master of both landscape and nighttime photography that is truly breath-taking. He is a technical wizard too and probably was shaking his head a bit as he skeptically eyed his pupil, who looked dazed and confused, in the back row of the editing lab.

Researching and “scouting” a good photo

On the first day Glen preached the value of good photographic scouting work before committing to a specific shot. For instance, his approach taught us specifically to focus on the early and late light of a day for landscape images, and he utilized the application, Sun Surveyor, to understand the timing and angles of the sun for your intended shot. In addition, he introduced us to a web sight called The Photographer’s Emphemeris (had to look that word up during the morning break) that is essentially an electronic topographical map data base with capabilities to track celestial objects as well. In other words, if you want to capture an image of the sun arising below some natural arch in some national park, you can predict timing and details for the sun and moon elements before even going into the field, knowing for sure that some high mountain isn’t going to block your beautiful light in a potentially magnificent landscape photo. Yes, lots of technical precision here, pushing my own photo IQ to an entirely new level.

Ghost Ranch and Georgia o’Keeffe

Most of our days during the week were twelve hour affairs with the mornings being devoted to learning various concepts and to editing our own images. I relied upon my classmates to help me gain at least a basic understanding of Light Room, the photo management tool, as I tweaked various histograms and experimented with a host of strange looking buttons and ambiguous toggle bars to achieve surprising effects on my different images. The afternoons were devoted to driving and then shooting landscapes, several times at sunset, in national parks and at national monuments. We did a lot of hiking with tripods, cameras, and lenses and explored novel and interesting geologic formations. Ghost Ranch was strikingly beautiful and served as one of Georgia o’Keefe’s homes, both the site and the inspiration for much of her art work. The week was a ‘rigorous’ one in all respects, and I returned home, armed with some new photography concepts and a few editing skills that could be game changers.

Jim, Story, Campbell & Santa Fe Prep

The true serendipity of spending a week in Santa Fe was having the time to catch up with old, close friends – Jim and Story – and to meet Campbell, their youngest daughter, who is a junior at Santa Fe Prep. Jim and Story overlapped with Amy and me during graduate school in the late 80’s and early 90’s before moving to Santa Fe Prep where they have worked for over 20 years. Jim is head of school and just recently announced his retirement for the close of the 2020 academic year. While running the school, Jim has also kept his hand in coaching and teaching, always wanting to keep a close connection with his students and colleagues. Story has served as Director of College Counseling and varsity girls’ lacrosse coach while raising their three daughters (Jim also helped, I believe) along the way. As I toured the campus and met with members of the community, it didn’t take me long to realize the collective impact that these two life-long educators have had on this unique and wonderful school.

Worth the Read, Listen, View

Amy shared with me a wonderful article about Korean grandmothers finally getting a chance to learn how to read. If you read one article in this posting, this is the one. I also had a chance to listen to several segments from Michael Lewis’ podcast, Against the Rules, which is a great listen as Lewis explores the “arbitrators” of society’s systems. The first podcast about NBA referees, Ref, you Suck!, will be especially entertaining for anyone who follows sports.

Linda Wood, a good friend, passed onto me a wonderful NPR podcast, A Bouquet of Poets, celebrating National Poetry Month and highlighting the the work of several notable poets. Following the next couple of photos is one poem that I particularly liked.

Uptown, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Even though it’s May & the ice cream truck
parked outside my apartment is somehow certain,
I have a hard time believing winter is somehow,
all of a sudden, over — the worst one of my life,
the woman at the bank tells me. Though I’d like to be,
it’s impossible to be prepared for everything.
Even the mundane hum of my phone catches me
off guard today. Every voice that says my name
is a voice I don’t think I could possibly leave
(it’s unfair to not ask for the things you need)
even though I think about it often, even though
leaving is a train headed somewhere I’d probably hate.
Crossing Lyndale to meet a friend for coffee
I have to maneuver around a hearse that pulled too far
into the crosswalk. It’s empty. Perhaps spring is here.
Perhaps it will all be worth it. Even though I knew
even then it was worth it, staying, I mean.
Even now, there is someone, somehow, waiting for me.

Hieu Minh Nguyen

Articles of Interest

Was ‘Game of Thrones’ Too Dark On Sunday?

An Era Defined by Fear

Why Does Exercise Guard Against Cancer? Inflammation May Play A Role

Are Mountain Climbers Selfish?

5 Minutes That Will Make You Love The Piano

Why Don’t Women Get Comebacks Like Tiger Woods

An Amputee’s Toughest Challenge Yet: Her 140-Mile Run in the Desert

Why ‘Find Your Passion’ Is Such Terrible Advice

And Finally

At week’s end I experienced a bit of a snafu when I learned my flight home on Saturday morning had been cancelled due to a snowstorm in Chicago. Not receiving a whole lot of empathy after a quick call home, I scrambled and got the last seat available for a flight to Orlando, followed by a 4 hour layover, before a late flight back to Hartford. Ah, the romance of air travel.

Two events, however, made this part of the journey memorable. On the first flight fifty high school students, headed to an international business competition, accompanied me. Shortly after takeoff, the flight attendant made a special announcement and proceeded to read a poem, on behalf of one of the students, which concluded with a prom “ask” to one of the female students on the flight. Lots of cheers, celebrations, and of course plenty selfies.

Near the end of my layover in Orlando, the gate agent announced that an “honor” flight had just landed with war veterans from both the Korean and Vietnam wars. He asked that people in the gate area consider standing to recognize these remarkable patriots. With a back drop of bagpipe music and unceasing applause, these veterans, some in wheel chairs and others slowly hobbling, emerged from the plane and graciously acknowledged the fanfare. Quality, just quality.