5th Annual Photo Alphabet – Part II

December 27, 2012 by 12 Comments

E is for Enchantment and Energy.

Enchanted Pool © 2010 Bo Mackison

Enchanted Pool © 2012 Bo Mackison

I find I am often enchanted by the things I see in the natural world. It can be as wondrous and rare as this Yellowstone National Park’s turquoise hot springs pool or as ordinary as the pattern of bark on a backyard tree, as uplifting as a hovering hummingbird sipping nectar from a garden flower or as down-to-earth as the cracked mud along the edge of a pond during a drought.

Having a camera available encourages me to look more closely at patterns, details, the ordinary and the extra-ordinary, but now I add time for simply being in my surroundings when my schedule is open. I find an earthy spot, get comfortable, and spend time in/with the natural world.

Motionless and close the earth, I gain a tremendous amount of energy by taking the time to be still.

F is for Focus and Framework.

Two Portals in Black and White

Two Portals © 2012 Bo Mackison

Focus is basic. When I take a photograph and I want it to resemble what I imagine, I pay close attention to the focus. Do I focus on only a part of the photograph or do I set the depth of field so that the entire photo is in focus? Do I need a sharp focus or a soft focus?

Focus is also one of the basics I consider when I am working on a goal, or choosing a plan of action. It helps me set a framework in which to work. It is impossible to know the body of knowledge on any subject, or at least it is for me. I am not a specialist, but a generalist. So I focus on learning a bit about many things and I don’t limit myself to a specific photographic genre or technique, to a certain style of camera or software.

I would rather explore, learn as I practice, and shoot whatever captures my interest. There is always more to learn. I will never want for a photographic subject to study or a new technique to practice.

G is for Gratitude and Gardens.

Two Benches

Garden Benches © 2011 Bo Mackison

A popular phrase, one that’s even been adapted by mainstream advertising, is “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” I have always liked the idea behind the words – life is a journey, one that follows a long road, perhaps, winding and twisting, through cities and through deserts, scaling steep mountainsides and wandering through woodlands, walking alone, running with a crowd, even standing on the side, unable to take another step without rest or support.

Recently I read another quote about the journey, one that I also identified with. Perhaps because I spend much time in gardens of all sorts, perhaps, because I concentrate on the noticing more than the going, it is a good fit.

life is a garden,
not a road

we enter and exit
through the same gate

wandering,
where we go matters less
than what we notice.

~ Bokonon

H is for History and Healing.

Half Empty or Half Full?

Half Empty or Half Full? © 2012 Bo Mackison

While I enjoy visiting sites steeped in history and reading about ancient cultures and traditions, I have learned that studying ancient cultures is one thing, but living in the past is an altogether different thing.

I can’t go back again. I can’t change what has already happened. The best I can do is learn from past mistakes, make a strong intention to not repeat those mistakes, and then live in the moment.

Healing comes, not from replaying old wounds and old stories or reliving one’s errors in judgement. Healing happens by working intently to learn from one’s mistakes and beginning each day with a fresh start, a day to be lived deeply and relished.

Part III of the 5th Annual Photo Alphabet continues with  iPhonography thru Muse.

 

 

 

 

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Norris Geyser Basin

December 7, 2010 by 8 Comments

Sun Rays through Norris © 2010 bo Mackison

We explored Norris Geyser Basin on an early October morning. We arrived before sunrise. The temperatures had dropped to nearly freezing overnight, so we were alone in our explorations. Perhaps everyone else thought warm rooms and hot food were a better choice than dark and spooky geyser basins. Personally, I was quite enthralled with this magical looking land–a setting that one might expect in a few of the scarier fairy tales.

Mineralized Forest © 2010 Bo Mackison

Standing water from geyser eruptions has turned this Lodgepole Pine forest into a rather ghostly, mineralized forest, especially when seen before dawn. The near freezing temperatures made the steam from the geysers all the more visible. Since there are over 180 thermal features in Norris, this place becomes a steamy place when the temperatures drop. Even daylight doesn’t help much.

Norris Geyser Basin at Sunrise © 2010 Bo Mackison

See? Sunrise doesn’t provide much light, but it does add some interesting reflections and light to the many geyser runoffs in the basin.

Back Basin © 2010 Bo Mackison

The Back Basin at Norris contains stands of trees that are in varying degrees of decay. It is park policy to leave the trees as they fall, unless they are an obstruction to traffic or a safety hazard. Lodgepole pines have a shallow root system, and so larger trees are easily toppled by strong winds or they absorb the minerals in the geyser runoff.

Fogged In Trees © 2010 Bo Mackison

More cold. More steam. More trees standing in cold air, but in steamy fog.

Crater Spring © 2010 Bo Mackison

Crater Spring is one of the few pools on the Back Basin loop. Norris is the most changeable and unpredictable of all of Yellowstone’s geyser basins. It is one of the hottest areas in the Yellowstone region. Geologists doing test drills have found water temperatures over 400˚ F at depths of 200 to 1000 feet. They also estimate that this geothermal area has been continuously active for over 150,000 years.

Steamboat Geyser © 2010 Bo Mackison

Back Basin is the location of Steamboat Geyser, Yellowstone National Park’s tallest, though unpredictable, geyser. Steamboat is most always steaming or spouting, but only minor eruptions of 40 to 60 feet have occurred in recent years. When the geyser was having major eruptions, water was forced upwards nearly 400 feet. Steamboat was at its peak performance in the 1960s, erupting more than 100 times in that decade. It has steadily declined since then, and there have only been a few major eruptions since 2000.

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Springs and Pools of Yellowstone

December 6, 2010 by 4 Comments

Crested Pool © 2010 Bo Mackison

Crested Pool is a sinter (or silica) pool; its crest is made of layer upon layer of sinter that has been laid down over the centuries. This is one of Yellowstone’s super-heated pools, and it is surprisingly deep at 42 feet. Crested Pool is in the Upper Geyser Basin, north of Old Faithful Geyser and the Old Faithful complex.

Chromatic Pool Landscape © 2010 Bo Mackison

Walk further north past Crested Pool, and Chromatic Pool comes into view. Chromatic Pool and Beauty Pool seem to exchange brilliance. When one pool cools and its colors lessen because of a decrease of bacteria, the other pool seems to heat and its colors deepen. Chromatic Pool seemed to have the better colors when we were visiting in early October.

Chromatic Pool © 2010 Bo Mackison

The deepest part of the pool actually reflects the color of the sky. The other colors–usually reds, browns, yellows–are the result of bacteria and algae mats.

South Scalloped Spring © 2010 Bo Mackison

There are a pair of scallop-shaped springs near each other. The water level of Scalloped Spring is several feet below surface level. This is thought to be an un-natural occurrence and is presumed to be the result of human interference. The South Scalloped Springs gurgle and slurp, and occasionally spill water into Firehole River.

Shield Pool © 2010 Bo Mackison

Shield Pool, so named because of its shield shape, is across the path from Crested Pool. It’s colors are not remarkable when compared to the more colorful hot pools, but I love the different depths and swirling waters.

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Memories of Yellowstone

December 2, 2010 by 7 Comments

Back to Yellowstone. As slowly as I am editing my photos from our trip to the western and southwestern National Parks, I may need the rest of the year to finish the job. I’m going to start posting several photos at a time, or it might take me until the end of 2011! Here are a few more thermal features from the boardwalk that extends north of Old Faithful.

Beauty Pool © 2010 Bo Mackison

Beauty Pool shows a wide range of colors, most due to the presence of micro-organisms which thrive in extremely hot water.

Grand Geyser and Vent Geyser © 2010 Bo Mackison

I captured a rainbow while I was photographing Grand Geyser  (right) and Vent Geyser (left). Just before Grand erupts, it emits a roaring from deep within its chambers, soon followed by a burst of water which can reach heights of 150 – 200 feet. The Vent Geyser, the little one shooting off to the left at an angle, is a companion geyser. It almost always erupts when Grand does, though it continues to shoot bursts of water and steam into the air long after Grand has quieted.

Steaming Giant Geyser © 2010 Bo Mackison

Love these geysers that make their own spurting cones. These geysers are most often the older geysers, and have been around long enough to put down layers and layers of geyserite. I never did see Giant erupt, but it was gurgling and hissing much of the time I watched.

Crystal Geyser? © 2010 Bo Mackison

Might be safe to say that if you go looking for Crystal Geyser in Yellowstone, you won’t find it. I did though! I had to get a photo of the water bottle from “Crystal Geyser” in front of the hot, sulphur-y Grand Geyser. Personally, water from a geyser would be one of my last choices for quenching thirst. Just sayin’!

Riverside Geyser Rainbow © 2010 Bo Mackison

We were amazingly lucky on our geyser walk. First we saw Grand Geyser which began erupting as we were approaching it. Great timing on our part! And then another half mile down the trail and Riverside Geyser is spurting across the Firehole River. Doubly perfect timing. Riverside Geyser is one of Yellowstone’s most consistent geysers. A century ago is was spurting every eight hours or so. Now it is likely to erupt every six to seven hours. The rainbow was quite a pretty sight, a lovely bonus.

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Copper and Shell Fountain, Artist Elizabeth Eaton Burton

November 13, 2010 by 10 Comments
Copper and Shell Water Fountain in Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel Lobby

Copper and Shell Fountain © 2010 Bo Mackison

One afternoon we spent a few enjoyable rainy hours wandering around the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel in Yellowstone National Park.

We had tea in the lobby while a fire roared in the fireplace. Then we checked out the Map Room. I took a few photographs of some of the more interesting nooks and crannies including this tiny space, just big enough for a table and two chairs.

And finally we discovered this quaint, copper and shell water fountain.

It took me awhile to track down the information about this artistic creation. I picked up an information sheet about the fountain while we were at the hotel, but in the distraction of arriving home and then preparing for a long weekend trip to New York City, I filled a large pile of brochures and maps in a box to organize some of the clutter from the studio. And then I forgot where I put the box.

A couple of days ago, while in a studio-cleaning mood, I rediscovered the box, and found the story of the fountain. Again.

Since I had tried to find information on the internet, and found nothing, I will write more than usual. It seems the fountain is rather a mystery.

When Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel was renovated in 1993/94, the fountain was brought out of storage and restored in its original space. Evidently it had been removed from the hallway of the hotel and stored in a warehouse in Gardiner, Montana in the mid 1980’s during an earlier remodeling job.

Why it was removed is unknown. In fact, much of the history of the fountain, an Arts and Crafts style fountain with a koi fish design, is unknown. Research in the Yellowstone archives gives no details regarding when the fountain was first installed in the (1937) hotel lobby or why or when the fountain was first obtained by Yellowstone.

The fountain was crafted by metal smith and artist Elizabeth Eaton Burton, a Santa Barbara, Californian.

She worked extensively with metals in the Arts and Crafts style in the early 1900s. It is estimated that the fountain was made circa 1910. The fountain is signed by the artist in her distinctive mark, an oval incorporating a central “B” surrounded by a rounded “E” to the left and a reversed rounded “E” to the right, making up the monogram “EBE”.

The spigot of the fountain was originally a thin copper tube out of which water continually flowed. An on/off switch was added during the re-installation in 1993/4 and the edge of the shell was smoothed to repair damage. Otherwise, the fountain is as it was originally designed.

The fountain has lovely detailing and is truly a work of art. It’s rather amazing that so little is known about it, but we celebrated our finding of such a hidden treasure by having a drink of cold water from the re-fashioned spout of Burton’s copper fountain.

(Some of this information was originally compiled by Randy Ingersoll, Music Coordinator for Xanterra Parks and Resorts, September, 2010, and provided to the public in a written handout distributed in the lobby of Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel.)

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