Today, I’m taking a look back to January 2014. January 2024 is also an anniversary of sorts – I published my first blog post this month 10 years ago on a WordPress.com site. Over these 10 years, some years have been better, others not so much so; some have been more productive, others not so much so. But, they all have one thing in common – they’ve all been interesting.
Looking through the images I made in January 2014, waterfalls appear to have been the theme for the month. This first image was the waterfall at the Lake Bailey Dam at Petit Jean State Park. I had learned the existence of this waterfall while on the internet one night, and I made it a mission to find it, and find it I did. I had to endure 40 degree temperatures in the wind while wearing a shirt and very light jacket, but I braved the conditions and made this image.
This image is one I just recently discovered in my archives. This is a small waterfall that flows into Cedar Creek, the source of Cedar Falls, the signature waterfall at Petit Jean State Park. The waterfall is framed by Davies Bridge, a bridge that was built in 1934 by the Civilian Conservation Corp crew that was building Petit Jean State Park.
The next image is one of my early photographs I made at Collins Creek. This was another location I had learned about from the internet, and it took me some time to find it. This image is unusual for me from the standpoint that I photographed it in the late afternoon whereas most of my photography is done in the early morning. But, if you read my “Photography Goals 2024” post, you’ll see that one of my goals for this year is to start photographing at different times of day, not just early morning.
I made this picture in the Lorance Creek Natural Area, which is about a 45 minute drive from my house. As I was walking back to my truck to go home, I looked up and noticed these leafless trees silhouetted against the sky. Finding this composition was happenstance, but I learned a very valuable lesson when I made this photograph – look all around you for subjects, including up.
That’s my 10-year look back. I hope you enjoyed this month’s trip back in time.