The Quality of Light

Stephen and I were discussing shadows and changing light in relation to his paintings and my photography. On my drive through the Southwest in the spring of 2008, I didn't have the luxury of arranging my shooting schedule to the changing light - I pretty much had to shoot what I saw when I saw it and move along. Generally, the lighting at midday is much less dramatic than at sunrise or sunset but, if you look for it, you can usually find something to snag your interest.

When we got deeper into our discussion of reflected light, the picture above came to mind. I took it in Antelope Canyon from a cruise boat on Lake Powell. The rim of the Canyon was over 100 feet above the lake level. In this instance, the rock face shone reflected the clear blue sky for the most part and appears cool to the touch. But to the right, where the underside of the rock reflects light from the red sandstone, the edge of the Canyon almost seems to be catching fire.

On a somewhat grander scale, the canyon wall - even when in the shadow of the sun - is comparatively well lit by reflected light from the opposite face of the canyon. In contrast with the sky, the red sandstone is clearly warm. I find it especially interesting that in this picture, the sandstone seems even warmer than the glow of the sun itself, barely masked by the rim of the canyon.

Another variable affecting the quality of light is the angle of incidence. This study of the texture of the canyon wall was shot almost perpendicular to the wall - well below the canyon rim - completely in shadow, and lit primarily by reflected light from the opposite wall. Indeed, without knowing exactly where I was when I took the picture, I wouldn't be able to tell that this picture wasn't in direct sunlight.

NAS Kingsville, TX

Can you say South Texas? Rattlesnakes, Prickly Pear, and Santa Gertrudis cattle. The King Ranch and Padre Island. Tony Joe White* and "Polk Salad Annie".

On November 5, 1967 - 42 years ago today - I reported for duty at the Naval Auxiliary Air Station Kingsville, TX. I was an Air Controlman Airman (ACAN) fresh out of Air Traffic Control "A" School at NAS Glynco, GA. I'd been in the Navy since the previous March, finished boot camp in June, and been mugged on Jacksonville Beach, FL in July. I had an early pick among classmates from available duty stations - but none of the "Prime" duty stations was available (Barbers Point, HI, North Island, CA, or Pensacola FL). I followed the conventional wisdom and passed up sea duty on a carrier, briefly considered Argentia, Newfoundland, and Keflavik, Iceland (also considered sea duty - there must be a reason for that) and settled on Kingsville because it was only 200 miles from home (there was nothing available near Asheville, NC).

 

Kingsville was a good place to start out, with plenty of local traffic - three oversized training squadrons (VT-21, VT-22, and VT-23 flying Grumman TF-9J Cougars), and regular visits from wandering Air Force birds to keep things interesting. It was here, on one of my first trips to the control tower, that I saw a flight of two T-38's from San Antonio (Kelly or Randolf AFB) in a surprise break at midfield for runway 35 between numbers three and four of a flight of four Cougars in the break for runway 13 (the duty runway). Apparently, none of the pilots even saw their opponents in the traffic pattern, and everyone in the tower was struck dumb. For my part, I was so traumatized by the event I fairly jumped at the offer to attend GCA school and spent the next seven years in Radar, where you didn't have to watch actual airplanes.

*In 1964, Tony Joe White's band played an uninterrupted engagement of eight months, six nights a week, in a Kingsville club. I have to assume the club was The Inferno. He was still coming back regularly when I left Kingsville in November 1969, and always packed the house.

Halloweens Past

When I sent my last post, I saw the date and remembered I'd collected these pics Halloweens Past. I only regret that I missed the Halloween at Inks Lake many years ago. I invite any of you who remember that weekend to tell us about it below in a comment.

1984 - David and Lisa after a hard day of pre-school at Child Craft.

 

1986 - David at our home in Powder Springs, GA.

1986 - Kat (Nicolette) the Cat in front of Grandmother's house in Grand Prairie. I scanned this from Mother's collection, so I suspect Cathie or Dad took the picture.

 

1987 - David as Dracula at home in Powder Springs

1999 - Nat the Bat at home in Austin. Maureen sent me the pics.

2006 - Lauren and unidentified friend at home in Arlington.

 

2007 - Allison, Gillian, and Lauren at Ellen's and Stan's in San Antonio.

2007 - Allison and Lauren w/ jack-o-lantern in San Antonio.

2007 - Kat and Gillian in San Antonio.