I heard that line in a movie, and it described the way I feel about photography.

Technology has moved us all forward in one way or another whether we approve or not. For instance, my mother, has never used a computer and would not know where to begin. Forget a cell phone, she is doing good inserting the DVDs into the player hooked up to the T.V. that was installed for her. The man she is married to, has refused to open a checking account for years and pays everything with cash from their social security check. Now, after all this time it is mandatory that social security checks be direct deposited. No more mailing. They are now forced to accept this change and be a part of the movement.

As a photographer of more than 40 years I can honestly say I miss the solitude of the darkroom from my early years. The smell of stop bath with its vinegar-like odor circulating around the small space where I eagerly awaited the image in the trays to appear like magic. Learning the art of tones and gray scale, working with filters on the enlarger. It was a well learned experience and one part of the traditional way I long for at times.

In the many years as a student of the profession I have witnessed a lot of change. Anyone can buy an expensive camera now a days and shoot decent shots. Even seasoned photographers. And if the shot is mediocre then one can open the image in Photoshop and tweak it to death. This is where I am thankful for the traditional teaching. In my humble opinion, I feel it is up to a photographer that wants to hone his or her craft to excel above a candid shot, learn the details of the trade. Learn the functions of the camera and learn how to read the light that is given to you each day. Learn to make your best work happen within the camera and use the light instead of so much editing.

The cameras we work with today are very intelligent if we take the time to study how the controls work. It does not have to be that complicated. Believe me, I am an advocate for simplicity and strive to create the simpleness of my art, getting bogged down in the technical aspects is something I try to avoid these days. But there are per-requisites required before launching into the deep. Taking the time to learn these things will help one become a better photographer in the field.

I know that with bird photography, there comes much cropping. But the truth is in the original detail of the shot, make it your own.

So yes, as the title implies, I still have a great deal of respect for the traditional but there are some things about change that have made my photography life easier and the truth is, some for the better.

c 2012 deborah kunzie - photographer

My father is responsible for setting the standards of life for me but somewhere along the traveled road I gave it up for more personal gain. He always told me more than anything else in the world Deborah, make sure your name stands for something great. I took that to mean worldly possessions, a great job, great whatever. I was wrong.

Early in life I found great interest researching the Masters of Photography and the Masters of Writing. I studied their wisdom, their work ethics and their greatness. How their minds worked. What their names stood for.

My best discovery was reading about a man called Victor Hasselblad. He was born into a family of visionaries and raised in the family business. A business that would later be the manufacturer of one of the worlds finest cameras. A shy, sensitive boy who loved country walks and surprisingly a love for bird watching. His passion grew into photographing the birds and would stay with him the rest of his life. He kept detailed notebooks of his findings and made suggestions and improvements so that he could one day build one of the finest pieces of photographic equipment ever made.

Hasselblad was a camera I used early in my photographic career. The elite of all cameras in my hand gave me a feeling of greatness. Achievement in all respect of the word. Wrong again. I let the pride of ownership blind my original vision. My eyes, a gift of grace from God, the one thing I needed in order to be a great photographer were eyes of Holden. Full of myself. So pre-occupied was my mind that the blessing right in front of me, and in my hands  I could not see nor feel. Funny thing though, how that magic magnetic needle inside of me was always pointing in one direction to my proper called path.

I realize of course, my vision and calling was given to me at a young age, I just had to follow the light. But like many others, I strayed every now and then. Only to come back in alignment with it after God let me flounder around in life and do my own thing. I tend to think it was O.K. that I did, because He was clearing the way on my path so that when I did come back I had a better view of my former vision. And there it was, always ready to lift me up to a higher level.

It has taken years for me to truly understand the meaning behind my fathers words. I wanted greatness for my own sake. Position and power for personal gain. Not as a service to others. It was my motives all along. God gave me a gift of seeing early in life, but until my heart and motives were in the right place my gift would never be merged with greatness. It would just simply be a struggle and years of confusion. And it has been indeed. The beauty of it all is that even though my path was many times altered, by my own doing, God has taken those many years I used to think wasted on my part and turning them into a way to help others. A service to others.

How?

By allowing me to tell my story. Because during the the time of writing it, I am being lifted out of my self-absorption which has in the past made me miserable. It has helped me forget myself and launch a wider, deeper stream of Divine revelation. In the process I have been given a set of new eyes and a more tender heart and a better understanding of just how much the Love of God has toward mankind.

I heard a story once of two groups of people who had died and found themselves in separate rooms in eternity. Both groups found themselves with very long arms and no elbows. In the first room they were very sad, distraught, and tearful because, without elbows, they were unable to bring the food to their mouth. But in the second room there was laughing, rejoicing and singing as they sat across the table from one another and fed each other.

So using my gift, which is the desire of my heart, to communicate with the world the Love and Hope that is available to every person, I am being shown greatness in a new light. The truth of the matter is this, the search for greatness is found in being a servant and having a servant’s heart.

c 03-09-2012 deborah kunzie - photographer

For me as a nature photographer is the early morning hours. Not so much for this young pair of sibling Great horned owls I have followed and documented this year.

The morning time is when they should start settling in for a long days nap, as you can see the sandman is slipping up on one of them.

Photographing early provides me with the right light so I can paint a picture of my subject in its peaceful state. The morning light bears a stamp of a poetic vision. Not to harsh as the daytime light suggests, but just the right softness and detail needed to capture Nature’s beauty.

I am very much appreciative that my choice of art is best served in the early morning hours. It is when I am at my best as well. The calm and peacefulness of the waking hours with very few individuals around is a facet of my work I like the best.

Good thing I chose to photograph birds as my primary subject, being a bit of a recluse person I have no one else to blame but myself if I fail to get that perfect shot of the day.

Limited distractions, alone in the arms of creativity, no limits or time restraints, just me, my camera and my vision.

Why did it take me so long to get here?

]]> http://deborahkunzie.com/2012/03/the-most-important-part-of-the-day/feed/ 0 http://deborahkunzie.com/2012/03/deep-thinker/ http://deborahkunzie.com/2012/03/deep-thinker/#comments Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:39:52 +0000 Deborah Kunzie http://deborahkunzie.com/?p=1252

c deborah kunzie - photographer

The desire to leave all else behind and jump right into photography full time was not something that came at a late stage of my life. Looking back, at a very young age, I know when the call on my life was given to me. The problem is I did not heed the call. Oh I worked at it for a few years but I gave into persuasion from other people. I allowed myself to be lead into a world of back stabbing, immortality, and painful choices with my camera, the world of fashion photography.

I began following other things I thought I wanted to do but in most everything I did, the camera was always with me. The desire to be the best wildlife/nature photographer I could never left the pit of my heart. I never quite grasped the secure feeling that I could make a living from the type of photography I wanted to do and so I would stumble back into another type of work for the simple reason of paying the bills.

It is a great feeling knowing what I wanted to do with my life at such a young age, but there is no value in it if the decision is not made and sticking to it.

Over the years I prayed for God to allow me to be that photographer. It never dawned on me I had to give in and set the fear aside and go at it, even with wobbly legs. I soon found out that when God is allowing you to go for your dreams and we don’t listen He has ways of getting our attention.

It started for me last year. My health was already a bit of an issue and then in July, stressed from too much work and trying to grow a business larger than it was, I came down with a severe case of the shingles. Eight weeks of torment. My immune system (which is already compromised) was sinking lower and lower. The heart condition I have was getting worse and I was falling apart.

I began to scale back my work load as much as possible. During all this time I still found time to photograph nature. It was the only place I was at peace with myself. It was during the course of this illness that I repeatedly kept telling myself to get out of the work I was doing and go for the gusto. Photography. I began steering my course in that direction but then again, along the path, I decided it wasn’t the right time.

Then the night of August 30th, 2011 I had a dream. It was the most visual and real dream I think I have ever had in my life.

I was walking down the street where I grew up, I was carrying my camera, and walked past a hedge. I was trying to look over it when a huge Hawk flew over the top of it and with his talons grabbed the top of my head. In my dream I could feel the pain on my head. Then I woke up.

The following Monday night I dreamed I was at the hospital, in a stupid hospital gown looking for the radiology floor when a nurse directed me to the elevator and said its one floor up. I got on, the door was glass so I could see everything, meaning, I was looking at the outdoors as if the elevator was attached to the outside wall.

The door closed, I moved my finger toward the button to push but before I could the thing took off so fast going straight up. I was clinging to the wall in fear trying to push the button for the next floor in hopes it would stop there and let me off. It didn’t. All the way up fast to the 44th floor. What was weird was this hospital was only 4 stories tall. I could see the entire city and I could feel the desperate attempt on my apart to stop this thing in my dream.

Finally it stopped and the door open. I took one step out only to be greeted by someone, I have no idea who, holding a huge Owl with its talons out. The person shoved the Owl my way, it grabbed the top of my head and this person said, Remember the dream you had where the this bird stuck its talons in your head?

I grabbed the Owl and shoved it back  and said, yes I do, but it wasn’t an Owl it was a Hawk.

I woke up soaked with sweat.

Two weeks later another dream.

Again, I dreamed I was in the house where I grew up, walking down the street with my camera and the same huge Hawk flew down from a limb behind a bush. I quietly and slowly passed by so I could see the creature and photograph it. I could not get my camera fixed and was desperately trying to get in a position that would get me the shot. I saw the top of his head, he had landed on an animal of some sort, I never saw what it was, he looked up at me and flew over the bush. I could feel him dragging his prey and his body on top of my head.

He stopped. Right on my head.

Wrapped his lags around my neck and his tail feathers were outreached on the top of my head.

I stood there in amazement but scared. He began to squeeze my neck with his legs, not hard just applying pressure. I yelled for Denise (my shooting partner)to get a camera and shoot but she never could find one.
There I was with this huge bird wrapped around my neck not making a sound.

Then I woke up.

Dumbfounded with these dreams and desperate to find an answer. A week or so went by and no more dreams.

Then on September 9th 2011, this incident took place. This is a real live story.

This day happens to be my deceased fathers birthday. He is ironically the main reason I fell in love with photography and gave me my first camera at nine years old.

Over the past couple of days we were having a tremendous amount of rain, the mornings were a beautiful orange glow. Almost as if God had hit the tint button.

I decided to stay close to home today so I could catch up on some work. Made the coffee and sat down at my desk which overlooks the garden area and much to my surprise I noticed a baby bird clinging to the cross bar of my outdoor table. I quickly rushed out to see if it was hurt. The little guy allowed me to wrap my hands around him and check to see if he was injured. All seems O.K.

I sat him back on the ground and watched him try and flap his little wings. He ran across the floor and tried ever so hard to make those wings lift him off the ground. No luck.
I returned to my desk where I watched him all morning in hopes mom or dad would come find him. He looked much like a mockingbird to me. In fact at one point a mockingbird landed on the fence watching him, but the baby bird made no attempt to notify it.

A couple of hours have passed when I noticed a dove landed on the floor next to him. Alas! Mom!

She flew back and forth inside the garden area trying to get him to follow. I think he likes it here. I kept an eye on him in case other creatures decide he would be a quick little meal.

Sept 10th. I wanted so much last night to put the little guy into a crate or something to protect him but I didn’t. I left him alone.
It rained most all day again and I went out to search for him. He was gone. I looked everywhere. No sign of him.

Sept 11th.

I went outside to try and work in the garden to get it ready for fall and there he was. He let me squat down beside him but when I reached for him he flew on the fence. Oh great, I thought. I heard the scream of a hawk overhead, looked up and saw a huge one flying over. I went outside the fence thinking I would scare him back inside on the ground, but no way. He flew on top of the house where he stayed all day and night.
I was so afraid that he would be gobbled up by something.

Sept 12th.

I walked outside to wash off the porch and there he was. In the very same spot. I talked to him a bit and he walked toward me. I reached down but again he flew to the fence. He sat there for two hours. I know this could just be nothing. But with all the things going on around me plus the dreams I have had about the hawk and owl, it seemed more than that to me.

I know that evil cannot transform into a dove. So I had no thoughts of this being some evil related.

The night of Sept. 13th, he was still around. I watched from a bedroom window as it’s mom came and sat beside him until it was completely dark. I wanted so much to keep him in a cage at night but I decided to allow nature to take its course. I had a rather uneasy feeling and for the first time since my father had died I could feel his presence.  The next day was Sept. 14th. The day my father passed away. It would also be the day the little dove would cease to live as I found his remains later in the day inside my garden.

Still uncertain about changing my life, I had another attack of health issues come October. Blood work showed an inflamed liver and elevated levels in other areas. One problem was I had to go into surgery asap, to remove my gallbladder that was housing a one inch in diameter gallstone. After nearly dying in surgery, I had plenty of rest time to think about my next move.

c 2012 deborah kunzie - photographer

There are a million and one ways to get one’s blog post, articles and photos in front of our readers and onto their computer screen. Everyday, we are bombarded with a new gadget, a new tool a new way of tweaking and piddling and adjusting content on our websites. I know this better than most, because it has been my job for the last several years as a web developer.

It was my duty to keep up with all the latest and greatest and most effective items to use based on the suggestions of the so called “pro’s” so that I could test and pass along to my clients.

As much time as I have spent keeping myself updated on how to build the perfect most attention getting web site, double that time trying to do the same for a photography site is time I could have put to better use. To say the least I am tired.

Truth be known, it does not have to be as difficult as it appears to be. One very important thing I have learned through the course of it all is this, what works for one and sometimes a few DOES NOT work for all. My suggestion to all those in the hunt, find your comfort zone and get to work on what you do best. Keep it simple. You have heard it before. A web site can be just as effective in today’s market place in a simpler form as those with all the bells and whistles. (more on this later)

For sometime, now I have been on a quest to make my life more simple, and clearing the work load off my plate so I can spend more of my time outdoors doing what I love best. PHOTOGRAPHY.

It is no secret to those close to me, that I have been spending time scaling back on my business and turning it around to focus more on developing a better sense to the world of nature and taking care of my health. Soon, the cards will be in place to shut the doors on one era of my life and spend every moment I can, “refining my vision.”

If you have been a constant reader of my blog, you will have noticed the new simple look of my site. Easy to navigate, easy to read and as I mentioned in this blog, a new way of sharing my work with your friends and family.

This is all a part of getting my life and the next phase of my life under control before it gets out of control.

So the next part of change coming is the way my readers receive notice of a new blog posting on my site. For the last several weeks I have used a newsletter service that is pretty much automatic, once everything was tweaked and coded and styled. I also recommended it to a few clients but have discovered there is a huge learning curve with it for most, the source being “Mail Chimp.” It has many good points but for me, it requires extra work I am just not seeking anymore. In trying to drive clients to a solution for their own sites, and drive them away from my control and the need to hire me for setting up these services I have found this to be a rather difficult task with most of them. It requires a bit of coding and has a significant learning curve when trying to use this tool, but most things do.

So What now?

Well, I can tell you what I am going to do.

Many of you have been receiving my newsletter inside you email inbox each time I post a new article. That is about to change. I am deleting the service. Primarily, because I know how tired I get of emails and I know you do as well. Unless I have asked to receive them. But I don’t want it to be a job for me so, from now on, there will be three ways to keep in touch with me, and hopefully you all will.

1. Drop by my blog from time to time and see if there is something new. (I do not have a schedule of blog postings, I am not going to make commitments I can’t keep).

2. Join me on my Facebook fan page, I use it more and it is open to the public. (Join me now) Also posted in the navigation bar at the top of this page.

3. I used Google’s feed-burner before, it has some good, some bad qualities to it,  so for those that enjoy getting news inside your “inbox” then this is for you. Sign-up or subscribe to the right of this blog.

I am for once in my life looking to go full speed ahead with my life long passion. I have been here before, but never letting it crowd out all else from life and giving it my full-time attention. No more. I have given  too much of my life doing what other people needed me to do. Not that I haven’t been grateful for it, its just I need to allow the duration of life I have left one more shot of getting it right.

c 2012-deborah kunzie - photographer

Wildlife photography is a way of relaying to the world information about the subject I as a photographer seek. Trying to capture the subject in its environment and how they interact and survive is the vision I try to communicate with my images. Often times when surrounded by other photographers I study a photographers actions, I listen at times as to how many snaps of the shutter is firing based on the action of the object in front of them. I am amazed at how many photographs one needs of a bird sitting on a branch sleeping. I will shoot one or two of the same if it appears that is the only shot of that bird I am going to get for the day, primarily for documenting and nothing else.

I shoot for the action, the behavior and the emotion of an image. The image needs to portray the words not written or seen. The image has to speak for itself. As a photographer, I play the role of communicating, and with my camera I try to evoke an emotion from the viewer about the image in front of them, defining the photographic message.

Capturing most birds in action is often a very challenging task. Educating myself on the life and habits of birds is what has enabled me to capture those special moments. It didn’t happen overnight by any means, it has taken time and something I am still learning. I have studied their movements, their habits, how they interact with other animals, their own kind and more importantly, people. This helps me to predict the next move so that I am prepared to grab the shot.

The above image was not a drive by shot. I waited for an hour for this Red-shouldered hawk to appear. Last week I discovered a nest being built by the pair and the female has been sitting on the eggs. With only a small window of opportunity the male flies in with a mouse on a nearby tree. Within seconds the female leaves the nest flies over and the male gives the fresh catch to his companion to devour. He flies over to the nest, sits on the eggs and waits until she is done with her meal and comes back to the nest to take her place once again on the soon to be family. The opportunity was not there for me to photograph the food exchange, so the image only shows the viewer an action of ripping apart its food.

The next image will show the small remains of its meal and preparing to fly away.

Note: A new action I have put into place on my website is the ability to now send FREE e-cards to your friends and family or to purchase the photograph shown on a greeting card, post card or flat card to help me continue my work and spread the word about my love of nature. Share them on Facebook or Twitter.

c 2012 - deborah kunzie - photographer

The past week has been very busy for me as I continue to make plans to change my personal and work life. Business is changing and so am I. Health got worse, and change was very much a needed thing.

In between the process I manage to slip away for a few minutes here and there to continue following the family of Great horned owls you have seen posted here on my website.

It is getting more and more tough to get photos of these little guys since they have attracted a huge audience. Each time I visit I see new photographers and other new faces just looking. Even though it pleases me very much to see people enjoying various aspects of wildlife it is still a concern that these creatures have their space.

So, when I see too many people surrounding their domain I slip off into another direction and capture images much like the one above.

This poor Osprey attempted three times to catch an afternoon meal but each time he failed. Shown here shaking off the excess water before one more dive.

great horned owls | c deborah kunzie-photographer

That today I would walk away with another unique image, unlike others I have shot of these two busy bodies.

As I approached the nesting tree I noticed from a distance that several photographers were not standing on the usual side of the tree where these owls live. Getting closer, I learned why. The pair of chicks were clinging to the tree trunk and putting on a bit of a show. I found a spot far enough away from the nest so I would not disturb them (unlike many other folks) and began shooting. The experience was quite comical to say the least.

They watched everyone gather near them and fortunately it did not seem to disturb them as they continued climbing a step or two then rest for a few minutes.

This years chicks are growing faster than the previous years, or so it seems to me. I had a dream the night before they were already fledging so upon spotting them on the side of the tree I was thinking my dream had come true.

It has been my great fortune to witness so many species of animals in nature. It is a calm feeling and a reassurance that God still exist beyond human actions.

The rhythm of the morning and evening, the patterns of the clouds in the sky, the structure of the landscape and at times, even the smell of nature. All of this holds unconditional qualities to the soul.

To have the opportunity to co-emerge with nature early in the morning as she wakes and prepares for the day is the best therapy in the world.

Stealing time away from built structures and stepping into the dimensions of nature, even if on a small scale is a soft transition.

Morning such as today will hold a pleasant place in my memory for a long time. Seeing the two owl chics on the nest with the break of morning as it comes alive shining through the branches on their little faces is something to behold. Better yet, watching the rare occurrence of two river otters swim by me playing, fishing and watching me is even a greater treat.

Alone, in nature, experiencing the flirting of its mystical powers.

Want to see the otters? Check out my flickr site and there you will see

and then there were two…

Two and a half weeks old and these Great horned owls are drawing a rather large crowd of photographers. It is so exciting to see them interact with their mother and each other.
They are growing fast and even though Owls sleep during the day as a rule, these inquisitive little creatures keep mom sleeping with one eye open.

The first year this pair has  birthed two chicks and what a treat. I can’t wait until they are left alone to explore more of the tree cavity they inhabit. In the previous years it has been fun photographing one chick, now with two, I think we are in for some great shots.

The Great horned owl male is a model of a mate sitting close by with a watchful eye and dropping food into the nest just at the appropriate time. When danger is near he lets out a soft hoot to make the female aware of the situation. He will fly from his branch where he perches in a flash to remove or scare off whatever gets near the family.

These owls are lovers of solitude and I hope with the growing population of fans they  do not choose to abandoned this place and go deeper into the woods next year. It is such a blessing to experience this activity in nature.