Playing with Light

Another new beginning for me. A unique creative opportunity to simply relax, play with camera gear, do fitness stuff and teach has begun. Not only do I get to learn more about yoga, pilates and mobility training from Jessica Baak, but I also get to play with my lighting techniques. Not only that but I am also teaching her how to create promotional imagery for herself. Explaining how I light a scene was a lot of fun for me. Basically it's the mythical "Win-Win" situation. I get to learn more fitness stuff, get a model to practice lighting techniques with and get to teach techniques for something I love to do. She gets to learn a useful promotional skill and gets some fun photos. By happenstance one of the places she trains folks at is a short walk from where I work! So expect some fun imagery to be posted soon.



#bluemoundsdharmacenter #pilates #pilatesbody #reformer #fitnessjourney #fitness #martialartslife #limber #training #fitnessaddict #dharma #namaste #feeltheyogahigh #yogafit #igyogafam #meditation #yogaaddict #yogaeverywhere #yogaeveryday #yogainspiration #yogagram #practice #fitnessgirl #yogagirl #yogajourney

A Natural Darkness

The Cave's natural environment is total darkness. A darkness so devoid of natural light you can only find it deep underground and leagues under the sea. It feels like a thick, black woolen cloak on a foggy night's stroll. The weight of it presses down on your back gently. It's warmth off setting the drooping gravity of it as it tries to slowly envelope you. I find I am being drawn into it, carrying only my tiny shielded flash light as I hum my way along the passages alone.

#speleothems #limestonecave #galenadolomite #cave #activecave #Stalagmite #Stalactite #calcite #caveformations #caveofthemounds #jewelbox #nationalnaturallandmark #usdepartmentoftheinterior #nationalparkservice #nps #usdi #nnl #usinterior #NationalPark #naturelover #travelwi #wisconsin #wisconsintrails #wisconsinparks #driftlessregion #driftless #driftlessarea #wisconsinlife #discoverwisconsin #travelwisconsin

A Learning Experience

After shadowing tours and reading material for a couple of weeks today I began to feel ready to conduct a tour on my own. How I want to present this amazingly still growing "active cave" has been brewing in my head ever since they told me I'd be giving tours. I know the only real issue I may have is when it comes to timing. The allure of covering all the fascinating details is very strong. In caverns that began to form nearly a million years ago you can find evidence of an ancient ocean that predates any (as of yet known) land-based ecosystems. That was 400 million years ago. You can see fossils of shelled Cephalopods and other life that flourished around ancient coral reefs. And then there's all the chemistry, geology, history of discovery, cave culture nomenclature, learning the nature of the elements and how they combine, the Collembola, luminescence and the list goes on and on... My brain is happy.





#speleothems #limestonecave #galenadolomite #cave #activecave #Stalagmite #Stalactite #calcite #caveformations #caveofthemounds #jewelbox #nationalnaturallandmark #usdepartmentoftheinterior #nationalparkservice #nps #usdi #nnl #usinterior #NationalPark #naturelover #travelwi #wisconsin #wisconsintrails #wisconsinparks #driftlessregion #driftless #driftlessarea #wisconsinlife #discoverwisconsin #travelwisconsin

A Spring Blizzard

It's April in Wisconsin. Usually there are flowers starting to bloom and you run around in shorts all day. Not today though. On the plus side, after hours of shoveling snow someone said to me, "Go take photos of this crazy weather!" I was just getting into an artistic groove when I was then diverted underground. It made for a bizarre counter to having been out in the weather all day. When I resurfaced it took a while before I could see again. Who knew heavy snow could be so pure and bright?







#blizzard #caveofthemounds #jewelbox #nationalnaturallandmark #usdepartmentoftheinterior #nationalparkservice #nps #usdi #nnl #usinterior #NationalPark #outdoorlife #getoutside #liveoutdoors #getoutthere #naturelover #prairie #prairieland #oak #oaksavanna #findyourpark #travelwi #wisconsin #wisconsintrails #wisconsinparks #driftlessregion #driftless #driftlessarea #wisconsinlife #discoverwisconsin #travelwisconsin

Drekahofud

So today I experienced a bit of ironic humor that seemed aimed at me in a very personal way. I went to attend the monthly Marketing Committee meeting at my local Chamber of Commerce. They have been using me as a travel photographer for a while now. I also offer them tidbits of advice stemming from my own professional experiences as an artist. Today's meeting was very memorable for me. During their presentation of the new look & feel of how marketing material was going to be branded I couldn't help but notice the photo. I give them access to a number of images but don't pick for them which they use. They happened to use one that I took when I first moved to town from Pennsylvania. My father, pictured on the left, had driven the eleven hour trip to see where we lived. As he left PA he must have realized he'd forgotten to get my daughter, pictured on the right, a gift. So he picked up the little blue bear at a Turnpike rest-stop gift store. it just happens to say, "Travel PA" on it. I used to work for them while I lived there covering various assignments for their travel magazine. So here I am, sitting at a marketing meeting aimed at boosting local travel, where I hope to expand as a local travel photographer, looking at a photo of my daughter clutching a marketing item aimed at boosting travel to where I once did travel photography. I chuckled to myself the whole way to the Cave...

#mounthoreb #moho #travelwi #explorewi #wisconsin #driftlessregion #driftless #driftlessarea #wisconsinlife #discoverwisconsin #travelwisconsin #midwestliving #explorewisconsin #viking #dragon #drake #drakeships #dreki #drekahofud

Sunny Morning

I've been arriving early to work these past couple of days. This particular morning was sunny, crisp and cold. The birds were all singing and the place felt so peaceful I could barely hear the traffic on the nearby highway. I can't stop thinking how lucky I get. My commute here is about and 8 minute drive down a country road while doing the exact speed limit. I'm looking froward to warmer weather and taking the bicycle trail that goes from near my house directly to here. I think it's a casual twenty minute ride? I'm also trimming down a lot. I can't believe I am averaging walking over ten miles a day!

#caveofthemounds #jewelbox #nationalnaturallandmark #usdepartmentoftheinterior #nationalparkservice #nps #usdi #nnl #usinterior #NationalPark #outdoorlife #getoutside #liveoutdoors #getoutthere #naturelover #prairie #prairieland #oak #oaksavanna #findyourpark #travelwi #wisconsin #wisconsintrails #wisconsinparks #driftlessregion #driftless #driftlessarea #wisconsinlife #discoverwisconsin #travelwisconsin

Radiance

The very best part of photographing a wedding is sharing in the excitement of the moment. When the couple is so madly in love that the officiant can't keep a straight face the emotion becomes very tangible. I too can feel that thrilling excitement emanating from the union taking place. It's part of why I choose to cover weddings. Who wouldn't enjoy being able to bask in a setting where Love is very evident and warms everyone present?

#bride #wedding #weddingphotography #weddingphotographer #weddings #madisonweddingphotos #wisconsinweddingphotographer #wisconsinphotographer #madisonweddingphotographer #wisconsinwedding #madisonwedding #wisconsin #madisonwi #wisconsinlife #midwestliving #midwestmoment #weddingplanning #weddingideas #weddinginspiration #weddinginspo #wisconsinbride #wisconsinbridemag #lovemadisonweddings

Limestone stalactites

I love that I am once again learning about scientific wonders in a very up-close and personal way. As I follow the various tours into the Cave I can see how my experiences and what I'd learned at the Carnegie will come into play when I give my own tours someday. It's like I spent all those years learning from that place only to be finding myself in this one. It's a place where I may be able to share what I have learned. I will also be learning a lot more. So much more. By the end of the day my brain has a sensation that's almost a silent hum as I try to process what I have seen.

#Speleothems #Stalactite #caveformations #caveofthemounds #jewelbox #nationalnaturallandmark #usdepartmentoftheinterior #nationalparkservice #nps #usdi #nnl #usinterior #NationalPark #naturelover #prairie #prairieland #findyourpark #travelwi #wisconsin #wisconsintrails #wisconsinparks #driftlessregion #driftless #driftlessarea #wisconsinlife #discoverwisconsin #travelwisconsin

Ganglion

It was a glorious day. While we slept the weather dropped many inches of snow on the Mounds. Underlining the layers of fluff was a fine sheet of slush that couldn't grip the ground. Crystalline structures clung to the branches like the the refined and form fitting evening gowns of Red Carpet starlets. If you are familiar with my Instagram feed you'll know how thrilled I am with my yellow, spring steal snow shovel. I took it to work with me. Soon after arriving my shovel & I were dispatched. After a night of FOR REAL not sleeping because I was concerned I wasn't going to get enough physical exercise through "Gym Time," I found my bliss. For hours I worked in a stunningly beautiful setting as the sun broke through the clouds. By the time lunch time arrived I knew exactly what I wanted to photograph. Post lunch was a detailed inspection of the caverns. As I write this hours after work my wrist pedometer is showing I've walked nearly thirteen miles. I should be tired and ready for bed but my mind is reviewing nearly all the visual details I took in today. While that is normal for me, now I am focused on one very specific location. I also saw very real life forms underground for the very first time.

#caveofthemounds #whiteoak #nationalnaturallandmark #usdepartmentoftheinterior #nationalparkservice #nps #usdi #nnl #usinterior #NationalPark #outdoorlife #getoutside #liveoutdoors #getoutthere #naturelover #prairie #prairieland #oak #oaksavanna #findyourpark #travelwi #wisconsin #wisconsintrails #wisconsinparks #driftlessregion #driftless #driftlessarea #wisconsinlife #discoverwisconsin #travelwisconsin

The Negative Spaces

Any early April blizzard begins to roll in.For me it's a chance to see how the Oaks have arraigned themselves on the hill. The freshly fallen snow merges with the sky. I see a pattern of black, grays and whites. In the negative spaces I can visualize the curving lines of the hill. With in a year or so I should know where/when the sun rises and sets. It feels like when I used to do preliminary sketches before working on projects. After my second day of training there I can see I'll be learning a lot. It just so happens that the other new guy that I'm training with is a professional Arborist. I can't wait to learn more about the native tree species. As we checked the grounds yesterday one last time he began to explain a little about the different types of oaks.

#caveofthemounds #jewelbox #nationalnaturallandmark #usdepartmentoftheinterior #nationalparkservice #nps #usdi #nnl #usinterior #NationalPark #outdoorlife #getoutside #liveoutdoors #getoutthere #naturelover #prairie #prairieland #oak #oaksavanna #findyourpark #travelwi #wisconsin #wisconsintrails #wisconsinparks #driftlessregion #driftless #driftlessarea #wisconsinlife #discoverwisconsin #travelwisconsin