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A few days ago I was out photographing a photographer and he stopped along a remote gravel road in Lincoln County, near a small portion of wetlands where he knew some birds would be hanging out. He was using his iPod to call in some Savannah Sparrows that he wanted me to shoot but ever since trying out his 7D and his 500, my enthusiasm to capture birds has subsided. It feels ridiculous to try and photograph those beautiful creatures without the proper equipment. Even though I've done it well a time or two.

He called over a sparrow and I took a shot or so but didn't like the background or the sage it was sitting on. What had gotten my attention was this old, abandoned house that sat a little behind us and off in a field. I stretched my 80-400 out to its max, turned in my seat and focused on the composition that my brain saw. There was the sun shining bright on the white building, the old tree without leaves, and the dry grass left over from winter. The barbed wire hanging loosely on the the old posts and sticks that once separated the house from the field and running haphazardly, capped off the image. I was most attracted to the bland, gray sky behind the old house and the way that it set off the mood of a time forgotten. I knew that this would be a black and white photograph when I took it into Photoshop for processing.

When finished with this image it tugged at my emotions and then I knew it was my vision, the one that I meant to make.

The photographer asked, "what are you shooting?"

"That old place behind us, I'm attracted to the light that is falling on it."

I'm not sure if he saw what I did, he didn't say a word. I felt somewhat self-conscious about taking the three shots but it was my vision and that is what I'm seeking to find. He is a fantastic photographer and I admire his work a great deal, but I don't want to copy it. I want to discover what it is that pulls at my heart strings.

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