I RETURNED TO VISALIA
Years before I took photography seriously, I met my lovely bride right here in the bustling Tulare County city of Visalia. Not long afterward, we were married. Then we left. To the Oklahoma Panhandle. I left the Panhandle in 1990, only to return in 2004. Here it is 2018 and I am back in Visalia with the same wife and a growing young man.
There have been many questions as to “why” and negative comments about California and so on. For those that know me know exactly how I feel about the politics here and this will mark the end of that topic for this particular blog post. When we decided to come back, the photography side of me actually looked forward to it. A new world full of possibilities.
Visalia has grown some since we left 14 years ago, and Fresno and Bakersfield are right down the road. What does this mean for me? Simply put, a lot more people to reach out to that need and want professional portrait and wedding photography. Over a million more people within what I consider my service area.
It also means new landscapes to explore and photograph. I step around the corner outside and I can see the Sierra from the street when the sky is clear. A two hour drive and I can be exploring the Pacific Coast or the wonderment of Yosemite.
A QUICK DRIVE TO LAKE KAWEAH
I have already spent some time out in the “what is old is new again” landscape by taking a drive up to Lake Kaweah for a quick sunset session. Along for the ride was my trusty old Pentax K-5 II. I also had my new camera body, a Nikon 750 along. Even though I did not have what would be considered a proper landscape lens, I did have an old 50mm that got mounted up and I was able to learn a little bit about the 750 in a field environment.
All in all, when it comes to one’s surroundings, no matter how negative on the surface they appear, it’s what I can do with it in a positive light and that will be my mission. Please enjoy some of the images I created during my first outing.
