I love roaming the back roads and this past weekend’s trip was exceptional. I found a few nice photos, got to roam as a guy is wont to do, and even found a location I’d been seeking for quite some time. These bridge footings were a particularly pleasant surprise and, since the water surrounding them was completely frozen, I was able to try several angles over the course of a half hour until I found something that I liked. I was even able to position my flash and trigger it remotely to fill in some light where needed. After all, as my photographic mentor taught me, “lighting is simply controlling the shadows.”

My photographic mantra is that any photo trip is a success if I come back with even one image that I like. That holds true for trips like this one, where I was looking for a very specific shot but couldn’t find the location…I came back with a few different shots that I really like, so I don’t really mind that they weren’t the one I was looking for.

The photo I originally sought evaded me, but only because I got a late start. The sun sets pretty early right now, even though the days are steadily growing longer. Next time, I’ll head out earlier and hopefully get lucky, stumbling upon the photo I’m chasing!

I already have the best views of these unique formations marked in my GPS. I was dismayed to see the clouds begin to roll in a little while before sunset, but there was still color in the clouds before they began to thicken.

Adding to the mix was a pair of horses grazing in the field along the highway. I was sitting in my truck when I nabbed this quick shot and a few similar to it, and then I bolted home. I had just received a phone call from my four year old, wondering when Daddy was going to be home. “Soon,” I told him…and put the wraps on a pretty decent photography day. I’ve got plenty more from that trip that I haven’t posted yet, but they’re on the way.