I went to Antelope Island this weekend with other photographers who belong to Mapleton Camera Club. We had a good time and got a few good pictures.
American Kestrel getting into his groove. I took this picture of an American Kestrel in the town of Genola, Utah while out shooting with my good friend Randy Day (http://randalday.com).
It just so happens that I met the real Santa this year. He showed up at MCC (Mapleton Camera Club) just before we went home. I feel lucky that he let me and some other photographers take some pictures of him while he was there.
Honestly, I have never had memories from my youth come to mind with any of Santa’s “Helpers”. However, I guess when you meet the real Santa, who is sincere and caring, recollections of your youth begin to come to mind, such as, the many times I would stay up late at night on Christmas Eve with my brothers trying to hear when Santa entered my house. I remember those feelings of excitement and joy that Christmas time would bring. Seeing Santa made me remember a specific time when my three brothers and I were positive we heard Santa’s reindeer on our roof. By the time we got enough guts to look out the window we saw Rudolph’s red nose in the sky above our bedroom window headed off to the next town. We were convinced it was really him. Sad thing is, I was so caught up in taking his picture, I forgot to ask him if he saw us looking out the window.
I can’t think of anything more stupid than driving yourself to the edge of the lake, standing out in the cold weather, drinking several beers and then throwing your bottles around the shore line and in the lake, then driving yourself home drunk (probably with no fish).
Yes, I know, there are many fisherman who love the sport and the relaxation that fishing can bring them. I myself enjoy the peace a river, or lake, can bring. Unfortunately, there are people who just don’t care about the lake, the fish, people on the road, or the beautiful scenic places where they decide to fish.
So, just like every other beer commercial, or beer ad on the TV, or in a magazine, I took some pictures that fake the real world as I described it, and show how glamorous a littered glass bottle by a drunken fisherman can look. No, I am not promoting the stuff, rather I am hoping that by reading this, if you drink, you drink responsibly and do not litter hoping a photographer will one day come along and clean up your mess.
I wish I could say that I took this somewhere in the wild; however, as you see, the ground this fox is on is very similar to grass…mowed grass 
. Some friends of mine, found this fox traveling on the back streets of Spanish Fork, Utah. I am sure if they were to release this fox, it would make it on its own 
.
Thanks Peggy and Jennifer for letting me come take pictures.
I took this in Lancaster County on a Sunday Afternoon.
I took this at the Springville, Utah Rodeo and then lost the original when my hard drive went out.
A few of my photographs are on exhibit at Mapleton Heritage Museum (115 S. Main, Mapleton, Ut) from July 24th to December 1st. The museum exhibition is open to the public at no cost every Saturday evening from 4:00-6:00 pm.
If you get a chance to come by and see the exhibition, I will be there the last two Saturdays in August and the first two Saturdays in September.
All photos can be purchased. The 8 X 10 photos are $95.00 and the 11 x 14 are $135.00. All are double matted, in a black frame, and behind glass.
Will Payne works for Rocking B Rodeos as a Pick Up Man. Will is one of the many cowboys I love to photograph. You can tell he loves being a cowboy. There is something I really enjoy about photographing a person who loves what they do. Will lives a lifestyle that can see through his eyes. Great still images tell the viewer a story without titles, introductions or stories to explain them.
Hats off to you Will, you are an American Cowboy, through and through.
