Stephen Kirkpatrick

Thursday, June 21, 2012

The Longest Day




June 20, 2012 - 14 hours and 18 minutes
Madison, Mississippi

Sunrise 5:53 a.m. 
Sunset 8:11 p.m. 







First Photo - 5:16 am
Alligator at Dawn


Last Photo - 8:32 pm
White-tailed Deer at Dusk



June 20, 2012 was the longest day of the year. I’ve set out to capture the longest day several times over the past 30 years, but something has always happened to derail my plans. One year it rained all day, other years I had conflicts that didn’t allow me to shoot from sun up ‘til sunset, and one year I abandoned the project midday when I realized I hadn’t done the morning justice. In general it takes a lot of physical, mental, and emotional energy to shoot all day, but mostly it is the drain on creative energy that kills you. 

I determined that yesterday was not going to be that way. I was going to push myself to the end. And it finally worked. I was blessed with an active day of light, subject matter, and a variety of settings that all worked. Even the moving sunset that I had hoped and prayed for came to fruition.

 I captured these shots with my new Nikon D800. I also brought along my 
On A Roll camera in case I saw something worthy. While several things certainly had potential, I passed on all. (This prompted thoughts about what a difficult project On a Roll really has turned out to be, which I’ll discuss in an upcoming blog.)

When I arrived home at the end of the day, I was sweaty, dirty, and exhausted, but elated. By the time I showered and relaxed with a glass of wine and a chicken pot pie, it was 9:30 p.m. I said to my wife, Marlo, “This has been the longest day,” an old cliché that had taken on a new meaning.

Below are a few shots from that longest day (I took 880 photos.) I hope you won’t think I’m bragging when I say that my sense of accomplishment was more  than I had imagined possible.






5:53 am
Great Blue Heron at Dawn



6:27 am
Coreopsis


 6:55 am
Shed Spider Skin


7:14 am
Buckeye and Dew


8:22 am
River Cooter in Cypress Swamp


8:36 am
Green Treefrog


9:46 am
Lotus Flower


9:53 am
"Cottonmouth"


10:38 am
Swallowtail on Button Bush


10:59 am
Squirrel in Swamp Light


12:26 pm
Trumpet Creeper


 12:47 am
Golden Silk Spider


1:29 pm
Black-eyed Susans


2:39 pm
Young Toad and Mushroom


3:37 pm
Blackberries



3:44 pm
Passionflower


4:55 pm
Red-winged Blackbird


5:17 pm
Red-winged Blackbird Young







5:24 pm
Short-tailed Vole

5:31 pm
Purple Gallinule


5:34 pm
Purple Gallinule Young

 
6:10 pm
Canada Geese


6:57 pm
 Rosy Apple Aphids


7:47 pm
Red-winged Blackbird Calling


7:57 pm
Wood Duck Pair


8:27 pm
Sunset over Lake




Sunday, June 17, 2012

Big Daddy

For Fathers Everywhere





White-tailed Deer - Buck & Fawn
November 1998
from the book  
WILDER MISSISSIPPI




Tuesday, June 12, 2012

A Break In The "Roll"

I spent last week on a photography assignment for the United States Department of Agriculture/Natural Resources Conservation Services  in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, shooting agriculture and all of its extensions. It was hot, humid, and sometimes rainy but a productive time. Thanks to all the NRCS staff who made the shoot a good one. A special thanks to Sarah Graddy, public affairs specialist, from Washington, D.C., who spearheaded the project.
          Follow her blog at: http://blogs.usda.gov/category/conservation






Below are a few stats and photos.






1 week

3 states
14 meals
27 locations
89 bottles of water
568 “Is it hot enough for you?”
2015 miles
3284 photos

     

Soy Bean Field



Organic Farmers



Grading Field



Crawfish Coming Into Trap



Roseate Spoonbills Taking Off



Mother and Child In Cotton Field



Hydroponic Lettuce



Shiitake Mushroom Production



"Got Milk?"



Fresh Vegetables



Sorting Tomatoes



Native American Examining Longleaf Pine