I say little, because he was only about 5 - 6 feet long. That puts him in adolescence. This place was really cool. I'd heard about it, but had never gone there. This little guy was laying on the bank which is between 5 and 10 yards from the trail I was on. He bolted after I got a couple of shots of him, and hung out in the lake for the rest of the time I was walking around.
My goal for being out there, was this observation tower which they have. It stands 4 stories high, and I should have been able to get some pretty remarkable landscapes, but it was closed. I'm not sure if it was because there were high winds yesterday, or if there was some sort of damage to the tower. I could have snuck my way up, but there was a parking lot full of deputies, and they had canine units with them. They were having some sort of gathering or training session on the grounds of the park, so I didn't risk it. I can always go back. I did get some good shots from ground level though, so it wasn't all a loss. I shared one of them today on the CSP Instagram. If you were following me on there, you would have seen it. I will be posting more from yesterday, and from my other photoshoot on the lake in the coming days. I have a bunch to share, so head over there and follow me if you want to see them.
On my way home, I saw the perfect place for a photoshoot. It was the back of this old downtown building that has a wrought iron stair case. I saw the picture in my head, well I ghost image in my head, but it began clarifying as I thought more about it. I don't know if it will happen though, because it is very specific. I saw a woman in a wedding gown with her face fully covered by a veil, then the gown became red with a red veil and it was more of a mourning gown. She was leaning forward on the rail looking off in the distance for her lost love. It would be a beautiful shot, but I would have to find a model with that dress or something similar. I would also need to bring a ladder with me or stand on the roof of my car to capture the image. It has to be an eye line shot. Yes I could shoot from the parking lot below and it could be ok, but the real image is eye to eye. If I ever get a chance to shoot there, I will get that shot or one very similar to it. I would love the widow take on it, but maybe a goth vibe would work as well. The staircase has the right amount of gothic abandonment to it, that would lean towards a goth vibe. It could work. The story would change in the image, but it would still be compelling.
That's what I want to do with photography. I want to show you compelling images that tell a story, whether it be a landscape or a portrait. You know the old saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words". well, I want to tell those thousand words. I already write them, why can't I show them to you as well.
Speaking of writing, something odd has been happening with The Patchwork Knight. When I go to look at the stats for the story, I've noticed in the last few weeks the an RSS feed has been attached to a couple of chapters, and I'm not sure what to think about it. The views on the feed don't count towards my view totals, so that bothers me, but it could be promoting the story, so I'm excited about that. The real problem though, is that I can't find out where the RSS feed is. There is no link or information on that. I thought it might have been attached to the front page of Medium, but when I looked, I couldn't find my story there, so I have no idea who is sharing my story. I am releasing them once a week on Monday's now, and I just added a few chapters over there today. I am into January with the the ones I put up, so there is quite a bit more to get through, not to mention, that I'm still writing it. The last two chapters I moved over, where perfect. That's not a brag, it's just that I didn't have to correct anything or rewrite the story in anyway to create continuity. I was pretty proud of that. I doubt it will hold up though. I'm sure more mistakes are to come.
It's time for Favorite Song of the Week. I missed it last week and I'm not sure exactly why, but it's time for a holiday, a Billie Holiday that is. If you have been reading this for any length of time, you know of my love for Lady Day. The beautiful soulful music that came from such a tortured spirit. The tone in her voice has a natural sorrow that could have been from her drug use, or maybe the life she had lived growing up, either way, it soothes my own soul. When I listen to her, I get that feeling of wishing I had lived at a different time, so I could have met her, or seen her perform live, but I live now, and have to settle for recordings. I give you Billie Holiday with the incredible Jazz standard,"All of Me".
Ruth Etting first recorded that song in 1931, and no one has done it better than Lady Day. Just listen to it, and fall under it's spell. The tinny ragtime piano, with the muffled horns and that sultry sorrowful voice. It's truly perfection, and I won't hear any word against it.
Time for me to go dream about a time that never was for me, and see Billie perform in my dreams. Peace in and goodnight.
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