Time to re-engage
The quote most often attributed to Winston Churchill goes:
“You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.”
In more ways than one, this has been my life for the past few years. I had been doing event consulting work for a local municipality, but in 2023, I began experiencing medical issues that required most of my attention. In both cases, obstacles forced my photography to take a back seat to other issues. I recently started focusing on a black-and-white strategy in both some of my older work and, most recently, people. An artist friend of mine, Margaret Drake, a superb sculptress, needs a headshot for an upcoming exhibition in Wickenburg, AZ. We also took some photos of her latest work, which is a large chuck wagon with a four-horse team for the catalog. Here is some of the work I did for her earlier this year. 
My friend Conrad owns a piece of property on top of Chalk Mountain near Glen Rose, Tx that in every respect, looks like a scene from Tuscany. Conrad is a well known desinger who’s house looks like a Tuscan villa repeat with marble pillars and ornate gardens. Last year I brought my grnaddaugher here for her Senior pictures (color photo) and last week was there at night so I set up the tripod in the same place to get a sense of what a night shot would look like. Actually, I was waiting for the moon rise only to find out it would be way past my bedtime so I settled for the BNW above. We can see the Milky Way from here but there was too much light from the city. The specs in the top photo are actually stars and do look like specs on the lens. Now that fall is here and the air is clear, I will work on the moonrise and Milky Way soon.
The light in the fall is the most wonderful time for photographers. Crisp and clear with no humidity in the air allows me to work with different views and possess. Here, my friend Jean is walking along the site of the pond and with no wind, the reflection is wonderful. I do believe that black and white images convey and lovely tone of the photo and brings outs the true image I was looking for.
Scott Gipson 