Spring where art thou

   Above photo is a shot of the road heading out to the east entrance of Zions....  I suppose even the beautiful red rocks of southern Utah can look good with a little dusting of snow.

Good Manners for a Wedding Shoot

Just a few important points to remember when shooting a wedding ceremony, that have nothing to do with lighting or composition or ISO setting.
WHERE IS YOUR GOOD SENSE !
1- Your are not there to be part of the event. You are supposed to be as invisible as possible.
2- Never forget the first rule if you have been requested to shoot during the ceremony.
Sometimes the Bride might need a reminder that a wedding is real, it is life, and to experience it completely, without a photographer stepping into the middle of it, shooting away, or blocking the view of others with all the light boxes and other equipment and an assistant in tow, vying  for space with the flower girls.
3- Sure you want to build your portfolio, but do it on your own time.  You have not been hired to disrupt their special day because you want 500 shots to edit - when 75 really  good ones that never need a bit of editing would be far better.  
    If you want a shot that looks like you are right up there with the pastor, minister or judge....just invest in a good zoom lens on a second camera, and help bring back some sacredness to the event.
   Wow,  I feel so much better now that I got that off my chest.
By the way....I was so happy with the photographer we hired for the last wedding I paid for... she was absolutely great!

End of a sad day

For the entire account of this story - see the previous post.  Just after I was through  typing and posting it, I checked on the fawn.  No sign of life at all but I did notice this one tear that had not been there before.  Do deer cry, or is it just a biological function that happens at death?  I made the call to the DWR.  A very detached woman  took down the address and said that they might not get here till tomorrow.  I cried a bit while I swept  hay off the porch, and then took the photo.

Just not in my front yard

     Deer die in the winter here all the time.  The low last night was 13 degrees.  We certainly have had colder nights in the last 2 weeks, but the freezing temperatures  have kept the snow cover on the ground and it has taken a toll on  all the animals, but especially the deer.  Deer have caused problems around here with their indiscriminate browsing, or jumping out in front of cars after dark, and so I've never been too concerned when  hiking up the hill, beyond the deer fence,  I discover what is left  after the snow has melted.  It's just Natures way of keeping things in check.  The weaker die off and life moves on....... and it's okay until it happens right under your nose.
    We woke up this morning to find a small fawn curled up by the front porch.  Frost had formed on it's fur, but the head was up and it seemed alert.  I  went to the neighbors barn and gathered a bag full of grass hay, but the poor thing was too far gone..... For a time it used the pile of hay  for a pillow to rest on.  I mixed a gruel paste of dry milk, flour, sugar and warm water and slid the pan up close. The fawn did not even sniff at it.   I called the DWR, and all they do is come and pick it up after.....  So I have just waited and watched.   As the temperature warmed up I had hoped that the hay might get eaten, but no such luck.  The frost has melted off the fur as the sun has warmed the brick on the house... but it will only be another hour or so, I guessing. 
     This happens all the time on our hillside, but it is so much easier when they die in the dark, anonymously and 200 yards up the mountain, instead of the warmest little corner in our front yard.

Sunset on the Lane

Just a few random shots of stuff while walking along the lane at sunset - day before yesterday. I like how the last rays of sun hit the fibers of the shaft of wheat - don't know what the red reflection was in the grass. What color are snake eyes??