Time conspires with the forces of nature to render all things impermanent.

Matt onstage at the Missouri Theater, before the show. I had a great chance to wander around the Missouri Theatre with my camera recently and it was pretty fun. The only problem was that I only had my digital camera with me. I’m just not as enamored with it anymore. But it does the job in a pinch.

Rio and I explored this old abandoned gas station off I-70. He was shooting away gleefully with an old camera body I got on ebay for parts. He didn’t mind that there was no film, or even a lens for that matter, so long as he could take pictures too. He especially liked the timer, so he could hold it out at arm’s length and get pictures of himself. More from this location in the next couple of days.

Kemper Military Academy in Boonville, MO.

The library at the old Kemper Military Academy in Boonville, MO.

Rio showing off his catch - a 5 lb. catfish.

Sorry for the long absense. Thankfully, I’ve been busy with a photography-related endeavor. I had the chance to be the official photographer at a local horse show! So I’ve been building a new online gallery which allows clients to order prints on the site. Nifty!. I plan to improve the look and layout eventually, but my priority for now is to have a functioning site that is reasonably presentable, and this one fits the bill. This event was also my first chance to do some serious shooting with my new old camera. Overall, I’m afraid I’m not completely satisfied with it. In addition, my digital camera also proved to be sub-par. Shutter lag and sports photography just don’t mix. And yet, I’d say I came away with some respectable shots. But I could do better. Sometimes, equipment does matter. More on that later. It’s past my bedtime!

Lamine River, Boonville, MO.

Steve and Big Sandy, of Big Sandy and the Flyrite Boys. And look - they were wearing the same shirt.

A dancing girl dressed up as Dorothy, in honor of The Ditty Bops.

I finally acquired a battery cover for my Mamiya. I had to buy 3 camera bodies for spare parts on ebay, and only one of them had a battery cover. But I only needed one, and the cameras were cheaper than buying a single part online. Those battery covers are apparently pretty hard to come by. Anyway, my new toy is powered up now, so I need to get acquainted with it. It’s the first camera I’ve ever owned that has interchangeable lens! It came with a Mamiya/Sekor 1.8/55mm and a 3.5/135mm. It also came with some filters (but no polarizer!), but they only fit the 135mm because the other one has a bent ring. Oh well. I hope to get out and shoot this weekend. I’d also like to shoot with my Olympus as well. That’s my current favorite. We’ll see if the Mamiya can displace it, but I kinda doubt it. Or rather, I imagine they will each serve distinct purposes, and serve them well according to their strengths. But I sure do love that little Olympus:)

Now for some photos from our camping trip. This is the Niangua River in Lebanon, MO. A fine river indeed.

Sorry for the lack of posts. Again. I meant to pre-load some images before my mini-vacation, but time (that elusive fiend) got away from me, as usual. Which is also why I didn’t warn you that I would be away for a short while. But here I am, and although I’m exhausted, it was well worth it. We took a little float trip down the Nianga River and camped out for 3 days. We brought 7 kids and 1 dog, plus some more family that met up with us at the campground, and we were one rowdy crowd. We swam, we paddled down the river all morning, we fished (Aubrey caught 3 sunfish), we roasted weiners and marshmallows, we sang and played music, we made mischief. And of course, I took photographs. Not as many as I would have liked, unfortunately, because I was unable to bring them on the canoe with any assurance they would stay dry in a worst case scenario. Our canoe (Rio and my dog, Chico as crew, Me as Captain) ended up being one of three that didn’t get dumped all day, out of the 7 canoes in our party. But I’m no gambler, so I left the cameras behind. I’m going to finish up this series on the Cooper County Fair before I post any from our trip. Because these are full of fun, too.

Those are our boys in the far seats, having a blast.

Another from the Cooper County Fair.

UPDATE: This photo has been awarded the honor of First Prize in the 2006 Visions Photography Exhibition.

Yippeee!