Salt Fork Images

Sunday, February 3, 2019

Forget 2017 and 2018. Let's talk 2019....

It's been a long time since I updated this blog. Let me tell you why: /crickets

Yeah, that's right. I've got no good reason for failing to update my blog since 2016. So let's just start over.

Hi, I'm James and www.SaltForkImages.com is where I keep over 140,000 of my favorite photos. There was a time when I shot people. Not so much anymore - except for my exceptional little grandson. Recently I'm back to focusing on nature and travel. Outside of photography I spend a lot of time building little campers with my brother. We started a company a few years ago called Gateway Teardrops and we continue to build and sell campers in central Arkansas. I like designing and building campers. It's another outlet for my creative tendencies.

In the last couple years I've traveled to Europe twice, Idaho and Wyoming several times, and South Carolina a bunch. I've taken lots of photos and I've had a lot of fun doing it. I'll share a few of my favorites below. Before I do though, I'll share my best photography tip:

Get out there. It's really hard to shoot memorable photographs from your couch.

One of my biggest struggles in photography is finding inspiration when I'm not traveling. It's easy to be motivated walking around Barcelona or Rome. It's easy to get up early to chase elk during the rut in Jackson Hole or to witness first light over the Atlantic Ocean at Isle of Palms. Charleston, Jackson, Monte Carlo, Marseilles, Rome and lots of other places make it easy for a photographer. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a great photo-op. But what do you do when you're stuck at home and you feel like there's nothing out there to shoot? My solution is to load up the gear and take a drive. Go back to the spots you've shot before and look for something new. Seasons change. Weather changes. Shoot the things you shot before but force yourself to look for a new perspective. Go somewhere you would normally shoot with a wide-angle lens and limit yourself to a zoom or vice versa.

Enough with the tips. Here are some favorites from the last couple years:

Sweetwater Creek State Park - Douglasville, Georgia

Pineapple Fountain - Charleston, South Carolina

Marufo Vega Trail - Big Bend National Park - Texas

Sunset - Parker County - Texas

Sunrise at Holly Lake - Grand Teton National Park - Wyoming

Neckar River - Heidelberg, Germany

Cologne Cathedral and the Rhine River - Cologne, Germany

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Fall Color - Grand Teton National Park - Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Carriage Tours in Charleston, South Carolina

String Lake - Grand Teton National Park - Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Backyard Bobcat - Parker County - Texas

Muledeer Buck - Rockefeller Parkway - Wyoming

Bull Elk in Morning Light - Grand Teton National Park - Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Jenny Lake - Grand Teton National Park - Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Arthur Ravenel Bridge - Cooper River - Charleston, South Carolina

If you want to see more, click on over to the collection of my favorites and browse as much as you like.

- James

Saturday, December 24, 2016

How was your 2016? Mine was pretty good....

It's time for my annual blog entry! Seriously? What kind of blogger am I?

Oh well. Here's a synopsis of my 2016.....in pixels!

I waded across the Paluxy River in Dinosaur Valley State Park near Glen Rose, Texas, in March.

April 1st found us at Enchanted Rock State Park near Fredericksburg, Texas. The bluebonnets were in bloom and the hiking was fantastic.

We stayed at the weirdest B&B near Enchanted Rock. The accommodations were... strange, but there were a few interesting photo ops. I like rust; just sayin'.

In May we traveled to New Jersey to visit our daughter's future in-laws and got to do a side trip to Philadelphia. Here's Independence Hall...

I also made a new friend. Meet SJ.

In June we were back in Idaho and Wyoming. I never get tired of the Tetons.

July got us back to Idaho with a little trip to the Sawtooth Mountains near Ketchum. This is McGowan Peak and Stanley Lake.

I also captured my all-time favorite photograph of the love of my life, Jill.

Teton Creek never disappoints if you have a good tripod and a long exposure.

Timing is always important too. Here's a July rainbow in Hayden Valley in Yellowstone National Park.

August was hot. And I was stuck in Texas. It made me sad.

But September picked up with a trip that included Idaho, Wyoming and Utah and a first big camping trip in our Gateway Teardrop camper. Oh by the way, Gateway Teardrops is a company that I started with my brother back in 2015 and we build cool little campers. Check them out here.

There was a little camping in Grand Teton National Park...

and then in Bryce Canyon National Park...

...and then a little Zion National Park on the way back to Texas.

Then we wrapped up the year with a few days in December at Folly Beach, South Carolina, as we prepared for our daughter's wedding in Charleston.

This was one of my favorite spots at the beach.

Here's another.

And of course, no wedding would be complete without a shot of the bride.

That brings us to the end of 2016. I hope your year was productive and that you got to spend time with those you love. May the Lord bless you in the coming year. Merry Christmas!

James

Friday, January 1, 2016

A Look Back at 2015

From Big Bend National Park on the Mexican border to Glacier National Park on the Canadian border, 2015 was a great year for me and my camera. I saw some cool places and got to shoot some really interesting things. Here are a few of my favorites:

Chisos Mountains - Big Bend National Park, Texas