By Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette:
HAVE CAMERA, WILL TRAVEL
When I leave the house, it’s usually a safe bet that I have a camera in my pocket. (Well, somebody has to feed my blog every day.)
Some people suggest that a camera can interfere with truly experiencing a moment, but the way I see it, taking photographs is like writing a poem, it causes you to focus intently on what’s before you.
Dave and I went to Salina for a holiday dinner with his family over the Thanksgiving weekend. There is no direct route to Salina from Emporia, but there are a couple of well-worn trails. For years we tended to follow the same path, taking the quickest, shortest way.
Every once in a while, we would veer off the regular trail and check out a quiet county road instead of the highway.
Then, our love for exploration increased dramatically about five years ago when Dave and I got digital cameras. At that time we also started our websites, giving us each a place to post our photos. With cameras, suddenly this old state became a brand new adventure.
Dave once owned a portrait studio; he took senior pictures and photographed weddings. In my younger days, I was a photographer for my high school yearbook and for the Larned Tiller and Toiler newspaper. Both Dave and I had gotten away from our photography roots over the years, partly because film and processing was so expensive.
Armed now with digital cameras, free “film,” and a viewing audience on our blogs, we are trying to shoot all of Kansas.
Now, on those Salina trips, instead of breezing down the road, Dave and I photograph the sunrise blasting the face of the ranch house at the Tallgrass National Prairie Preserve. We stop to capture morning shadows in the folds of the Flint Hills. In May and June, we pull over and shoot close-ups of springtime wildflowers.
Every little town along the way is a feast to be devoured by our cameras. And if you take a look at the map, there are more than a dozen small towns between Emporia and Salina including Wilsey, Hope, Dillon, Delavan, Woodbine, Gypsum, Navarre, Burdick, Lost Springs and Ramona.
One day we stopped in Carlton and photographed the closed school and the playground where a wooden teeter-totter was ripe with splinters. An old steel jungle gym reminded me of bruises and of fun times with my friends during grade school recesses.
In our statewide travels, I tend to look for courthouses, churches, and old gas stations to photograph. Dave aims his camera at water towers to add to his water tower gallery. But we both have other interests and subjects; Dave can often be found lying in the weeds photographing insects.
With a camera I began to notice that no two grain elevator complexes are alike. You’d think an elevator is an elevator, but while the vertical cylinders appear similar, there’s a variation in them from town to town. And every co-op has its unique assortment of side buildings, metal grain bins, and augers.
Our Thanksgiving trip was on a Saturday, so there was plenty of activity when we cruised through White City (pop. 505) in northern Morris County. I photographed objects in the window of the White City Trading Post; Dave stepped into the Huskie Hometown Market and took pictures of a morning coffee klatch.
On this trip we went way out of our way, following U.S. 77 to Junction City and then over to Chapman on old highway 40. In Chapman, I took a few pictures to compare with photos taken a month after the 2008 tornado.
Returning to Emporia, we drove by Herington Lake. Dave, looking over his shoulder said, “If you want to stop, we might get some good shots here.”
Our timing was perfect; the sun was about to set on the lake. Still water reflected wispy cirrus clouds as well as the blazing orange and purple sky. On that 60-degree evening, it was warm enough to sit on the dock and watch the kaleidoscope turn in the western sky.
Instead of flying past things, our cameras continually give us a reason to stop, to notice, to catch all the details of this life on the prairie.
Copyright 2009 ~ Cheryl Unruh
oh wonderful as usual Cheryl. You’ve made me do some stopping along the way with your blog and columns. Thanks.
Gorgeous photo and compelling write-up, Cheryl! I saw a sunrise coming south on 83 around Garden City on an 8-degree Saturday that was nothing short of spectacular. This photo reminds me of so much that I see “up there”. Thanks for putting them up. EFH
Ain’t it the truth! I am continually relearning the same things. Well said.
i got a german spotting scope with a camera on it mark could take pictures with it i am to old for it also have a bynoculers with a camera in it i can run it good for wildlife. has dave ever tryed that?
HE CAN GET GREAT PICTURE WITH HIS CAMERA’S i have a friend from england that takes bird pictures wirh a camera with a three foot lens
and 4 to 5 inches across. i started to late in life.
Cheryl — All I can say is a resounding and hearty “Amen!” Digital has turned photography on its head and made it fun again. Cruising down the road with an eye not on the final destination but evocative images to capture is what life is all about. You and Dave do a remarkable job of it. I’m thankful to be able to share the journey.
I really appreciate your amazing and wonderful photos and words! You and Dave have enriched our lives.
Now, if I could only figure out where the penguin is…….
I love my little Canon Powershot and try to emulate Cheryl by carrying it with me everywhere I go. The Canon is what Cheryl uses…it is the size of a deck of cards. Thanks for the camera consultation, Dave.
Excellent column again, Cheryl. This time a little about the motivations of the author.
Loved this line. “…Dave can often be found lying in the weeds photographing insects.”
Once again, a wonderful article. It is true that the digital camera has made photography fun again. I should always carry my camera with me, because when I don’t, I see missed opportunities. Thanks Cheryl and Dave for your pictures and stories.
I love that teeter-totter! What a perfect expression of days gone by, things that get forgotten…and a fair dose of melancholy.
Print that.
Ditto to all the above. My favorite phrase is “watch the kaleidoscope turn in the western sky.” I especially enjoyed hearing about your backgrounds in photography. That explains a lot. I also have a Canon Digital Elf and never leave home without it. G:-)
I think of you and Dave often when we take day trips around the area. I agree with you on digital. It has made picture taking so much more rewarding.
I didn’t expect to pick up a camera again, but it is more fun than it used to be now, taking photos and finding meaningful ways to share them. There are so many ways to build communities on the Internet, and they are also getting easier and more powerful. We’re meeting great people and finding some real friends.
Your photos have encouraged me to slow down and take a closer look at every little bit of Kansas I pass through. Nice column.
A good camera, a good eye, and a good pen = good outcomes.
My $100 Samsung goes almost everywhere with me.I have taken over 3000 pictures so far this year.Before digital cameras I only took 50-100 pictures per year.This place is what got me started taking pictures of small towns.