Left Blackfalds around 4pm and headed south toward High River. I am ashamed to say that I have lived half my life in this province and never been south of Calgary. The landscape gives a little shift south of Calgary, grass is a little longer, a little greener and there was less smoke in the air. The wind has come south as well today, the massive wildfire in High Level is clouding up the skies from North to South. Leaving Blackfalds was yellow and eery, the sky got bluer as I travelled but I feel by morning it will be sopped in here too. Should make for some interesting photography. Sadly if I was hoping for some great sweeping landscapes I don’t think I will be getting them with all this smoke but on the bright side, smoke diffuses light beautifully and will make for some cool images.
I came down here to attend a photography clinic called Shoot the West with photographer Scott Baxter. The theme if you haven’t figured it out yet is western culture, cowboys and such. Tomorrow we meet in Longview and go out the the John Scott Ranch for day one of shooting, cowboy characters! I am super excited.
My objective is to get back to my roots. On more level than one. Back to just letting photography be … (shrug) I’m not sure what I have been inside a studio for a long time. Time to stretch my legs. I want to add to my photo library of images to use in creating fine art composites and maybe put together a collection for a book.
What I don’t want to do is just shoot willy nilly and come home with a thousand images that I will never use. I hope I can make myself really look and see what I want to capture and take the time to do it right. I don’t have time/clients/professionalism controlling this outcome, what will be must be from me. I am super excited about that too.
Right now I am sitting in a hotel room drinking wine from a plastic bathroom cup and eating ketchup Doritos for supper, and I don’t have kids to put to bed or responsibilities other than to myself. I will check my gear, and make sure I know where I am going tomorrow and let the rest be.
Thanks for coming along on this journey with me. I hope to post a few pictures tomorrow of the days work so tune back in.
