Outdoor Views Through a Lens

There has always been a deep love for the outdoors in my life. Recently, I went back home to New Mexico and spent five days up in the high mountains of the wilderness. I was elk hunting and ended up with an amazing bull, but there is so much more than just taking an elk. The thing I find most magical about these experiences is the lonely, but soul filled feeling of being tens of miles away from other humans. Words can not describe the beauty and rawness of the places we went, but photographs can help. I view photography as a way of helping capture and preserve moments that we wish to remember forever. Now these photographs do not portray the place or moment to it’s full extent, but as my mind slowly starts to fade away they help me remember what those moments felt like. I find myself extremely grateful for the ease and convenience of cameras in today’s day and age, because of all the moments I will be reminded of later. 

ISO 100  -  1/400 sec  -  f/8 ISO 400  -  1/250 sec  -  f/5.9

Photo Credit: https://wendytorresw.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/the-role-of-portraits-in-the-early-days-of-photography-and-portraits-today/ The evolution of photography is fascinating. From a box with a small hole to DSLR cameras the changes in photography have made extreme advances. These advances have changed the world dramatically. Photography has made it possible to access images from around the world that previously never would have been seen. For example, in a textbook for education, a child in rural  Kansas can view images of children in native cultures on the coast of Australia. Photography allows to further educate people by the power of visualization. The progression of the technology within  photography has been a part of some of the major moments in the last 180 plus years of history. I have linked two articles below that outline the advancement of photography. https://contrastly.com/the-evolution-of-photography/ the-evolution-of-photography-getting-back-into-the-

“When you photograph people in color, You photograph their clothes. When you photograph people in black and white, you photograph their souls” is one of my favorite quotes from Ted Grant. I have always had an interest and admiration for black and white photography. This last week I stumbled across a black and white photo during the civil war. After researching and going through the National Archives website, I have a new value and respect for each and every one of those photos and photographers that captured moments from the war. I believe there is a raw component to black and white photos that can not be replicated in color, and it is very special. Attached below is the National Archives website with many photos to view. https://www.archives.gov/research/military/civil-war/photos#toc-portraits-2