A Little News

So, what does a photographer do on vacation? Shoot pictures, of course. Just not photojournalism. Now some of you may not consider driving 1,200 miles one way with wife and five of the eight kids anything like a vacation. I happen to enjoy my wife and kids; although, I admit that there are times when it can get a little testy when everyone is all cooped up like that. Makes one wish for a motor home except for the diesel prices. I also really enjoy driving and seeing the country. Probably I would have made a good over the road truck driver if things had turned out differently.

Any trip to New York to visit my wife’s family involves copious amounts of food. I packed on somewhere between three and five pounds and enjoyed every morsel. And this wasn’t even a big feast trip like some have been. Then, during the cold months, there is usually snow. For a boy born and raised in the South, snow is a rarity that I can savor and enjoy for a week then drive away from. It is a bit like playing with someone else’s kids. I can have a good time with them but at the end of the day they go home to momma and I just go home. Cool!

The other part of the New York visits is the chance to soak up the wonderful landscape that central New York state presents. I suppose the mountains are part of the Adirondacks and the area is absolutely beautiful. The landscape gets down in my soul like nothing in Alabama ever has. I guess I would feel differently living there but it certainly is refreshing just for a visit. I had the rare opportunity to spend some time alone in the snowy woods, just me, my camera and God. Let me tell you, two out of three ain’t bad. I think I was the bad part in the equation.

On this trip, for the first time in my life, the portion of Psalm 23 that says, “He restores my soul,” became a reality to me. Those walks in the woods either by myself or with my children were refreshing in ways that I cannot even begin to explain. But, when the last evening of vacation rolled around and I began to reflect on those quiet times, I began to realize how badly I had needed to have the batteries recharged. It made me thankful for a trip that at first glance didn’t seem like something I wanted to do.

The one thing in photography that has always appealed to me without fail is the natural world. I love to shoot nature. I love to shoot landscape both small and great and I love to shoot animals. Oops, I mean, photograph animals! I guess I keep going back to food. Kind of a one track mind, or stomach. Back to photography, my first magazine published image was many years ago in Popular Photography. I won second place in a contest for a picture I took at a natural spring along the Natchez Trace Parkway not too far from my home. Now, whenever I need a good refreshing, I get out into the woods for a good photo adventure.

This post may seem to be a bit off topic for a photojournalism blog but let me tell you, photojournalism has a way of wearing you down from the inside out. Whatever you do to get refreshed is as important to your career as any piece of equipment you will ever own. So chill out, take a hike or do whatever makes you happy and get a good soul restoration

About the photos: I found this beautiful little patch of ice along a creek bank in Russell Park in Ilion, NY. The creek ran beside a cross country ski trail which I was hiking with three of my little kids. I shot the photo with a Canon EOS 5D (love that camera!) and a 24-70mm f2.8 lens. The other photo is from a marsh that is right behind my sister in law’s home on Route 5 in Frankfort, NY. It was shot with the 5D and a 70-200 f2.8 with a 1.4x teleconverter. For more photos, check out my Flickr page by clicking the link in the right column.

Photo copyright Gary Cosby Jr. The opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.