Photography and Road Trips

Do you travel to photograph or photograph as you travel?

I start out thinking that I pick our vacation destinations partly because they are beautiful places filled with lots of photographic opportunities. However, there are certain things you learn about yourself any time you set out on a big adventure. I learned these things last summer on our two week road trip to Montana. Our end goal was Glacier National Park, beautiful photo opportunities around every curve in the road.

My husband and I took almost a week of planned wandering to reach our end goal. We, translated into I, wanted to see some other National Parks along the way, places we had never been to before and may never get to again.

Our first major stop, after traveling across Michigan's very long Upper Peninsula, was Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. What a beautiful place, filled with historic old buildings and a volunteer park ranger who was willing to take the two of us on a personal tour of a historic fishery and tell us lovely historic tales about the family that lived there. Read the post I wrote on the Hokenson Fishery here.

After we left Apostle Islands we traveled along U.S. 2 which meanders west along the top of Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana.

So many sights of delight were spied through my car window, yet we could not stop at every one or it would take us all day just to get across Wisconsin, and we needed to be in central North Dakota by nightfall.

My husband was probably grumbling under his breath that we would get there so much faster if we dropped down to the Interstate where you could travel at a heart racing 80-85 mph. Instead we traveled along a two lane highway at a sedate 65 mph. The beauty of America is not found along the need for speed Interstates, but it can still be found in all its decaying glory along the unhurried scenic highways and back roads.

When we reached Montana and Glacier National Park all photographic joy had left me. Maybe it was having to pass by too many inspiring photographic sights along the way that left me unfilled and a bit depressed. Maybe it was the thought "What could I photography differently that hasn't already been photographed a million times." Most of all though it was the feeling of always being in a hurry. I was more than content to travel the park, and hike the trails with just my trusty iPhone, leaving my dslr in the car.

I did get a few shots here and there that make me happy, but for the most part Glacier was captured on an iPhone.

I learned a few things, well a lot of things, about myself and my photography on this trip.

• I don't want to feel hurried when I am photographing.
• I don't like shooting landscapes.
• I prefer to shoot structures, give me a derelict shed or a rusty barb wire fence any day.
• I shoot really well on historic tours, which you would think would be a hurried situation, but I like shooting while I am listening.
• I need to speak up and have my husband pull over occasionally to fulfill that longing to photograph the decaying beauty of America's back roads.

So this brings me back to my initial question. Do you travel to photograph or photograph as you travel?

Circle, Montana

I was fairly certain that there had not been a blog post written about Circle, Montana. I was almost right, I did find one when I googled Circle, Montana. A blog about this guy that picks a random latitude and longitude and writes about their watershed, he has not actually been there. Sorry but that did not peak this girl's interest.

What I did find when I googled Circle, Montana was that in the 2010 Census there was a population of 615, down to 607 in 2011.

Circle, Montana began as a cattle ranch in 1883. Over years the ranch changed hands as was often the case, eventually sheep were added to the ranch. Out necessity a supply store was opened on the ranch to benefit Circle ranch and other local ranchers. Thus a town was born.

Today, Circle is mainly a pass-through town. A place to stop and get gas on your way to Theodore Roosevelt National Park or Glacier National Park. Which is exactly what we were doing, going to the bathroom, buying snacks and getting gas on our way from Theodore Roosevelt to Glacier. This state of pass-throughness was confirmed by the clerk in the gas station that we chatted with for a minute while buying our snacks. My husband asked her if they had many local customers, and she said "no" mainly people passing through.

Circle is not a come and stay destination. Which is too bad. So much of the small town charm has been lost, lost to the Interstate Highways where speed is a necessity. We must hurry to get to our next destination, no time for exploring or wandering.

I personally prefer the back roads, the small towns, this is where life happens, where Americans really live. The good, the bad and the ugly of it all. You never know what unexpected treasures you will find if you just slow down a little.

*Joining Kim Klassen at Friday Finds.

Siyeh Pass - Glacier National Park

There it was, the hike I had been dreading. Yet it was the hike that I had been training for since January, even though at that time I did not know its name.

I have to admit that the idea of 10.3 miles scared me even more than the 2135 feet of elevation gain.

I chose not to take my dslr on this trip and carried my iPhone as my only camera.  I made a very wise decision.  We moved along at a pace that would not have allowed me to stop and take pictures the way that I would have enjoyed. With my iPhone I was still able to take pictures and keep moving.

The final push to the top was a series of switchbacks that I seriously thought would never end. I am so thankful for my trekking poles, and a supportive husband that kept saying "Just take your time".

Thanks Mallory Huizenga for documenting this for me.

The top was worth it. Completed with a stone added to the Cairn pile.

This photo gives a better idea of how high up we were.

The snow patch to the left of the "X" is where the cairn pile was and where we stopped for lunch. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich never tasted so good.

This is one of my favorite moments at the top. Dad and daughter :)

The way down was so pretty with lots of greenery and little streams crossing the switchback paths.

The possibility of a bear encounter is very real here, so we were happy to be hiking as a big group.

This was part of the group and obviously I was not the official photographer. 

Sunrift Gorge at the end of the hike.

After six and a half hours of hiking I was so ready to be done, but I had accomplished a great goal. The hard part is now I have to set a new one. I guess we will see what next year brings :)

P.S. If you are interested you can watch this 4 minute video of the hike. This guy has hiked all 734 miles of trails in Glacier National Park.  Crazy!

Joining Kim Klassen for Friday Finds since I found the confidence to do this hike :)

Going Back

One of the girls in the FaceBook creative group that I am a part of recently posed the question "Has anyone gone back and re-edited some of their older photos with your increased knowledge and skill base?" I didn't respond to the question and it is probably good that I didn't since I would have been the only "no".

Denise's question got me think though. It made me think about PLACES that I would like to go back to and photograph again. Bringing with me so much more knowledge and more skills than I had the first time, so that I can achieve a much better SOOC (straight out of camera) shot. Also now having the advantages of shooting in RAW and editing in Lightroom and Photoshop.

Our Montana trip from 11 years ago immediately came to mind, since I will have the opportunity shortly to go back and reshoot at some of those same places. I was looking through the album from that trip and I just had to laugh grimace at some of those pictures. That was back in the days of film, so no post processing possible. I couldn't believe how many of the pictures were not clearly focused, occasionally I got lucky, and how I gave no regard to light at all. Many photos of Glen and/or Mallory had sun/shadow dappling across their faces.


I still used the photos to tell a great story of our trip, which has never been a problem for me, but YIKES on the skill level.

Mallory having her foot taped after a 3 mile hike in Glacier National Park

By contrast:

 Mallory at age 18 after climbing a mountain in Glacier National Park - July 2012

What a difference 10 years makes :)

One of the four pictures of me in the album

One of the saddest things though was that there were only 4 pictures of me through out the 66 page 12 X 12 album. It is almost like I wasn't even on the trip. I have already informed Glen that that will need to change on this trip. Thankfully I am much more comfortable having my picture taken these days than I was back then, but how sad to always be behind the camera and never being a part of the trip by being in front of the camera.

So the answer is "yes" I do want to go back and try again, bringing with me better skills, better equipment and so much more knowledge.

Is there someplace that you would love to go back to and photograph with your increased skills and knowledge? I would love to hear.

There She Goes Again...

She is off on another adventure.
And with her goes a piece of my heart.

See you in four weeks in Montana my darling!