The nation as a whole including the Siouxland region will be celebrating the holiday Memorial Day this weekend. Traditionally it kicks off the summer season as community schools and universities end their school year and families and folk look forward to a summer vacation. But a number of folk around the country will be remembering loved ones and those who served in the armed forces at various Memorial Day service this weekend.
Communities large and small will host celebrations to honor those who stepped up to serve their country. Some will truly eulogize these service men and women, some will give lip service knowing it may benefit or help them is some future endeavor, mostly political. A cynical view, but one that’s been proven time and again.
Most times at the beginning of the weekend of Memorial Day families will visit the gravesites of their loved one to set out flowers and some graves will be honored with a small American flag that volunteers will post next to the grave of each service person. A small act with large implications for a small thank you for their service and sacrifice. Families visited the Omaha National Cemetery and paid their respects, spending time to catch the departed souls with up to date news items, reminiscing about the shared past and current happenings.
A large debt that is owed by all who live freely and should take a moment to quietly remember before pursuing those summer joys all also look forward too.
There are various gardens in and around Siouxland that are fun to visit and explore. The indoor garden at Lauritzen Garden in Omaha, NE adds a bit of an educational aspect by listing the name of the plant so one can become better informed at what they are seeing. The same is true for the plants one comes across outside while traversing the garden’s grounds during the various season.
The indoor garden allows visitors a chance to shake off the cold winter months by enjoying these plants in their enclosed habitat and still enjoy wonderful plants. And the colors of some of these are simply amazing.
Sometimes when photographing, the flowers are wonderful subjects, but it is the color they produce and show the viewer that then becomes the subject, aided when the window rooftop allows in strong sunlight, somewhat filtered by the glass or whatever light passthrough material is used for the indoor habitat. On a cold winter’s day, or cold spring day, the color is fun, something to remind a person that yes, better, more seasonal weather is approaching, and a chance to just enjoy nature.
My travels throughout Siouxland to small towns and communities always provides an opportunity to see doorways. And for some odd reason I find doorways a fascinating subject. I have not found similar doorways in most places I have visited. I suppose the odds are similar to winning the lottery. Infinitesimal chances of any two being the same. So although shapes and construction might be similar, doorways are not.
It’s always fun photographing in Siouxland to watch the “light play” that can occur depending on the time of year, day and whether or not Mother Nature grants a reprieve so the sun shines, and it’s also a clear day.
With the recent wacky weather seen this spring, the Siouxland weather also changes capriciously. And I was glad it was no hallucinations one day when I saw some Canada geese and other waterfowl swimming among diamonds on a pond that I check out from time to time. Rich in the moment of light, if not in wealth, the day just shone a bit brighter.
Sometimes when I am photographing in Siouxland and various parts near it, I have self-discussions concerning perspective and what I want to show in a photograph. Some decisions are easy with the subjects easily discerning what I show. The angle is good but do I include more or less of what I photograph?
When I first photographed the pillars I saw them in black and white, grey tones with light and shadows. Only after photographing a bit did I notice the pigeon sunning itself and ignoring the other “tourists” who were enjoying a day out after some blustering winter weather that was sticking around. The stone in the larger shot easily shows off the texture of the rock. Getting closer it becomes more about the pillars and the light and shadow play. Tighter still, the pigeon then comes into play.
And if one photographs in color, a whole new dynamic is created.
Sometimes while out photographing subject matter is not of any particular interest to me, but rather color or light and shadow. The object or place photographed might or might not be of any significance. But rather what is created by its and surrounding tonality. A snippet of space with no apparent past or future. It just is. A moment in time. Sometimes that is enough.
No matter where I might roam in and around Siouxland, there are always choices to be made when shooting photographs. And depending on the subject or location and other particulars like lighting, choosing to make black and white images or color can sometimes be a tough choice.
I like color for when it really work and is as much the subject as whatever the photographed subject is. But then, black and white could be a crutch when subjects are boring and the contrast between light and shadow creates some dynamics in the photo. But then, like color, it becomes the subject more than what is photographed.
And tonality in black and white is important. The top photo uses darker shades to set off the buildings and architectural elements while the next photo the middle grey doesn’t enhance the image, but doesn’t necessarily detract either. So then it’s incumbent upon the photographer to frame the subject so it will stand out from the surroundings if that is the intention of the photographer.
And color is just that, color. People see their surroundings in color and do not give most times a second thought what they are seeing. So is the image more banal because color becomes a default or the norm? Choices. Sometimes too many, sometimes not enough.
When out photographing in and around Siouxland I sometimes make “artistic” esthetic decisions on the fly. Shooting with a digital camera one can “work” in black and white and then again in color. A lot of folk I know always, always shoot raw images and later decide what to do and state they then have plenty of image “space” to do as they believe an image should be represented, that is, their presentation of their artistic vision.
And that is good. Everyone sees differently. When teaching a photographic location class through a Lifelong Learning program at a local community college, the group would travel to 4 different locations that I would select. And these were vary and change with the seasons, indoors, out of doors, morning and evening. I wanted students to work in various conditions so if they happen to be traveling for vacation for other reason and wanted to photograph something, they could acquire a skill set and thought process that might help them navigate what it was they wanted to photograph and how to photograph it as well. Plus these sessions reinforced the basic photographic skills taught in another course about shooting manually, selecting appropriate white balance, or not, and picking an aperture and shutter speed while shooting in manual. It was all to get people comfortable in using their individual cameras and making informed choices when photographing rather than relying on the camera to make decisions for them. Aperture priority never takes into account low ISO settings and even slower shutter speeds while trying to achieve the desired depth of field for an image, and then the photographer realizes upon returning home that there is little usable from their most recent excursion.
A recent discussion by some local camera club folk revolved around in camera and software editing skills and not truly representing the scene photographed as it was. Press the shutter and no cropping and minimal toning and voila, a Henri Cartier-Bresson moment. But that may not be what the photographer intended. Ansel Adams photographed a lot of landscapes and always brought a vision of how he wanted the scene interpreted. From his selection of lenses, film, filters, processing (over or under) then the printing and the use of his zone system.
The world revolves diversity of thought and vision. Although recently some might question that. So open and thoughtful debate should always be a good thing. Respectfully done of course, but then again, there will always be a few zealots not in agreement or nice about how they respond to others. Sad really, to be stuck in time with no before or after.
As March grows nearer along with the “official” spring date the landscape in Siouxland will begin changing like everywhere else. And sometimes it’s not the grandiose landscapes that can draw one’s attention, but those “scapes” that are small in nature.
Somedays it is very easy to walk by and never cast a glance at the small things always taken for granted. Thoughts of “I don’t want to get my feet wet” course through my head as well. Let along lying down in the grass to make a photograph. But then these scenes would never be recorded or seen by others if one wanted to share. Let along someone else really caring about blades of grass. But the seasonal moisture decorates the surroundings in some marvelous ways. Some are just more slippery than others.
Watching birds in various places around Siouxland whether it’s a backyard, a park, a nature preserve or some place in the rural areas, it seems that a landing perch can be described as “any port in the storm” approach. It gives the bird a place to momentarily access its surroundings and whether it wants to continue its present course or deviate from one.
No matter the perch, the little guy’s antics can still be entertaining as it quizzically looks about deciding on a course of action, which sometimes just staying in place. It also tests the skills of a photographer to be quick enough to “catch focus” and compose before it flits away to another perch or just somewhere else. I am still working on the quick focus aspect and trying to keep the little bird’s head in focus rather than a tail feather. And some days are better, and I never talk about the 100 or so plus photos taken that will never see the light of day. But, practice makes better if not perfect.
I live in the Siouxland area that encompasses a wide swatch of land in northwest Iowa, northeastern Nebraska and southeastern South Dakota. The people that inhabit this area are generous folk and your basic honest, Midwestern people you like to have as neighbors. I explore the area and share observations, mostly photographic, sometimes through video, and and short text. All images and video are copyrighted material of the author.
Jerry Mennenga, Sioux City, Iowa
jerrylmennenga@yahoo.com
lostinsiouxland 