Shooting when the light and action is right!!

 

Regardless of what my intended subjects may be I am a stickler for shooting in the best light conditions as possible. Also, if action can be included in the scene I will go to great lengths to add this wonderful secondary interest point. Of late I have been shooting on a great project that allows me the luxury of having a diversity of subject material. Since I thoroughly appreciate a varied subject selection the constant change keeps me on my toes and ready for about anything the country can throw at me!! Hope you enjoy the following images as much as I enjoyed taking them!!

 

 

Panning a javelina on the run!

 

 

Cow dog after a workout.

 

 

Wild swans at sunrise and 24 degrees!

 

 

Working dog and loving what he does!

 

 

Work hands with enthusiasm!!

 

 

A fine athlete! 

 

 

Eyes in the sky!! I would hate to be a wood rat and in the open with no place to go!!

 

 

 

Nothing like ending the day with a shot like this! All images taken with a Canon 1D Mark IIN and a Canon 500 F4 L or Canon 400 F5.6 L. All photos hand held.

Have a great weekend!!

Wyman

I Lost a Friend today…Bo the Wolf

In a recent blog I introduced you all to my two wolf buddies, Bo and Suzie. Today I drove up to Bo’s broken body lying beside the road and viewed with sadness the passing of a creature whose ancestors once roamed these very ranges less than a century ago. I laid him to rest atop a hill in the badlands overlooking a region where the now extinct Texas buffalo wolf once hunted in untold numbers. Now, beneath a canopy of stars on this autumn night I hope that his spirit is running with the wild ones from another time. I will not forget my Bo, as in the words of the great naturalist Aldo Leopold…” I realized then and have known ever since, that there was something new to me in those eyes-something known only to him and to the mountains”.

Adios my special friend…your buddy, Suzie, misses you greatly…

Wyman

Photos of a big land from above and then on the ground

 

Flying again has reminded me of the importance of a plane in my field of work. I love shooting aerials but too being aloft allows me to scan the country for land locations that might lend to good images. Of course good images depend on quality light so I plan both my aerials and ground work when light conditions are favorable. 

Enjoy the latest from the sky and from the land!!

 

Wyman

Another Day in a Big Land

 

Spent another evening in some big country looking for shooting locations and grabbing a few shots along the way. The morning began very breezy with a north wind blowing uncomfortably strong until late evening. No living creature that I am aware of enjoys stout wind so I saw little activity until the wind began to subside.

 

Once the cool of evening began to settle over the land many wild critters began to appear. Some were pretty subjects and others not so pretty but all seemed pleased that a calm night was at hand.

 

All images taken with a Canon Mark II N and a Canon 500mm F4.0L lens. 

 

Wyman

Wolves roam the rolling plains of Texas once more

Back in the summer a fellow gave my youngest son a pair of 4 month old wolves. I suggested that Pate not take them with the reasoning that the wolf way has evolved after some 1 million years of refinement. In other words, he will not be able to realize his plan of turning a wolf into a hog hunting dog! After about a month Pate announced that he was tired of the wolves chewing up his headstalls and bridle reins and that I could have both critters. So I am the owner of two Canis lupus and have come to appreciate them as the incredibly intelligent creature that their are. Neither are penned up and the male, Bo, has been neutered. Suzie, the female, is beautiful and very shy to all except me. I can catch and scratch her at almost any time however the male is more reticent and will not allow anyone to touch him. Neither have ever offered to bite and always come to meet me with wagging tails and a grin.

Dry dog food is always available 24-7 but they prefer a skinned wild hog or a pair of jackrabbits to the dog food. I try to kill a couple of 40 lb hogs every three days to keep the wolves happy and sedentary.

Enjoy the pics of Bo and Suzie, two Canis lupus who bring the fragrance of wildness back to the rolling plains of Texas, almost 100 years after the extermination of their ancestors…

Wyman

Book Signings for Inspiration Texas Style

 

Texas Star Book Store - Abilene, Texas

Two book signings were hosted today for our first body of work, “Inspiration Texas Style”, from our publishing company, Badlands Blue Star Productions. Texas Star, an Abilene bookstore owned by Glenn Dromgoole and the Old Post Office Museum in Graham offered wonderful venues for the signings in both cities. Had Texas Tech not taken such a dreadful spanking from OU the day would have been 100 % successful!!

 

Giving award to first place winner at photo contest

Photos were taken by business partner, Texas Tech faculty member and fantastic photographer, Jerod Foster.

New Book – Inspiration Texas Style

Hey Everyone!

The new book, “Inspiration Texas Style”, is now out for purchase. It features a fantastic introduction by icon Texas author John Graves as he describes his sentiments on our Texas. The body of work includes my own images paired with quotes from Texans as they describe what the state means to them.

“Inspiration” is the first title published by our new company Badlands Blue Star Publishing, a collaborative effort between my wife, Sylinda and our friend and fellow photographer Jerod Foster. Jerod was also the chief designer on this body of work.

Signed copies of the book can be ordered by going to my web site: www.wymanmeinzer.com.

Airborne once more – and loving it!!

After attaining my private pilots license in 1977, I flew a variety of planes for the next 12 years. During this time frame, I used a fixed wing aircraft for a variety of purposes, including aerial photography, working cattle for local ranchers, and basically terrorizing my friends who were so unfortunate to be caught in open country with no place to hide!

My favorite plane to fly was a 1940′s model Aeronca Champ, although I also flew a variety of others, including the typical 150s, 172s, and the older stuff, such as a PA-20. Even flew an open cockpit bi-wing aerobatic craft for a period of time. Recently, my good friend, Bob Moorhouse, offered me his plane to fly, and I took him up on checking out in his 1946 Model Aeronca Chief. After over 18 years of being grounded, I have once more taken to the sky!! I’ve been using the plane to augment my current book project shooting aerials and marking shooting locations by GPS.

Included here are some shots of the area around my home region taken from the cockpit of the venerable Chief! Enjoy!