To see more images go to www.burkephotography.biz Look in the Newly Added images and the Sundial Bridge page.

I never enjoy taking photos of the Sundial Bridge in Redding California. Architect Santiago Calatrava designed the Sundial Bridge in Redding. the $23 million footbridge It crosses the Sacramento River and never touches the water. The working Sundial is 700 feet long, 23 feet wide and 217 feet high (pylon). The bridge weighs 3.2 million pounds (1,600 tons) and is composed of steel with galvanized steel cables. The deck materials are non-skid glass panels in steel framework with granite accents. The foundation consists of 115 tons of rebar, 1,900 cubic yards of concrete and a superstructure of 400 tons of steel. 200 tons of glass and granite were utilized in deck construction. The bridge contains 4,342 feet of cable and the pylon is 580 tons of steel.

Another Pow Wow Moment

A young Native American dancer reacts to her friends that are taking part in the Redding Rancheria Stillwater Pow Wow that was held in Anderson over the weekend.

What I love about shooting the Pow Wow (besides the great light) is the way the Native American's honor their pasts. They pay so much attention the their moments in history. There was one part of the opening ceremonies on Sunday that was so moving. During the grand entry a feather fell from one of the head dresses. The announcer asked to clear the arena because of this incident. I was a bit confused. Then he explained why this fallen feather was so important. A link to the past and a link to a bird that gave part of himself. It was very moving.

I also love the tradition of the native dance. There is a lot of respect that surrounds the Pow Wow. I was not able to take photos of people without their approval. That can often ruin the moment. So I tried to gain permission early and go back and photograph the people later.

All-in-all a great experience for me to photograph and I came away from this event inspired, excited and I had a heighten level of respect for the Native American's.

Technically Speaking:
I shot 3192 images. Wow, that is almost 100 rolls of film. I mainly used my 17-55 and my 80-200. Since there are three photos I'll only mention the top one. I shot it at 7:12 pm and the light was perfect. The late sun adds excitement to photography because of the warmness of the light. The lens was set at 55mm and the ISO at 400. The F-stop was 3.5 and shutter speed 1/250. The white ballance was set for sun.

Stillwater Pow Wow

This weekend the Stillwater Pow Wow takes center stage at the Anderson Fairgrounds.  I have the fortune of photographing this event for the Redding Rancheria and Win-River Casino.  This is a great event with lots of moments.  One has to be very respectful of the tribal members and ask permission to take photos.  The outfits are colorful, the energy is great and the atmosphere is festive.  If you are thinking about attending, do so.

I shot this photo at last years event.  If you follow the link above you will see other photos I took.

Technically Speaking:

I shot this photo at sunset on the second day of the event. I was laying on my belly to get this shot.  There are grand opening ceremonies each day.  That is a great time to shoot.  It is late and the sun sets fast so bring a flash.  This was shot with my Nikon D200 with a Sigma 14mm lens.  The ISO was 250.  The F-stop was 4 and shutter speed was 1/400th of a second.

A Fireworks Moment

Capturing Fireworks has always been fun for me. When I started out I would try and hand hold the camera with a three second exposure and I would get a blurry mess. Still I was amazed at how the light etched the darkness. Needless to say I have shot many fireworks since then and I found some techniques that work for me. I don't just shoot the sky anymore, I try and get some reference points in the photo. On the bottom of this photo you can see other enjoying the show with me.

One thing that hasn't changed for me over the years is the excitement of fireworks. I still love the larger then life booms and the bright colorful lights. I still get excited waiting for the show to happen. I love being as close as I can get so I can feel the show as well as see it. It is a great moment to sit back and enjoy.

Last night at Anderson Explodes, (Anderson had to postpone their fireworks because of the historic wild land fires that we experienced in July) Annie (my daughter) and Robby (my son) went down to watch. They had the same anticipation that I did and they were totally in the moment with me. We were not disappointed. The show was great and the traffic wasn't that bad either.

Technically Speaking:
This was shot with a Nikon D300 and a 17-55/2.8 lens on the camera. I had the ISO set to 200. The camera rested on a tripod that was near the ground. Long exposure noise reduction was turn on. The aperture was f/10.0 and the shutter speed was 10 seconds. I had the white balance set to sunny. The focal length of the lens was 28mm.

A Bridge Moment

Zach Schuette enjoys swinging on one of the supports that make up the Sundial Bridge in Redding, CA. The bridge is a place to explore and be a kid.

I feel very fortunate to live where people vacation. Not that I will live anywhere else in the near future but if I do, Redding has taught me that I always want to live where people vacation.

Vacation in Redding? Yes! Maybe it was the commercial on cable channel 8 (that I have actually watched all the way through) but within an hour from Redding there are a multitude of different types of recreational experiences. From skiing in Mt. Shasta to hiking at Lassen Park. From night kayaking at Whiskeytown Lake by moonlight to enjoying a walk across the Sundial Bridge, I do live in a place that people vacation. I love what this area has to offer.

I love the fact the McConnell foundation brought to town a bridge that has gained world class status. Obviously I love it, I have a whole section dedicated to it on my website. I enjoy the bridge because it brings people outside (the way I hope downtown will do some day). The Sundial Bridge is a place where you hear multiple languages, you see people from all over the state, nation and world. People taking photos, laughing, running and just out having fun.

I picked this photo for my blog because it shows the bridge being interactive. It shows a boy's wonder and exploration. It shows kids having fun. Look beyond the boy hanging from the support and notice to others in the background. They are all exploring; the way kids do. They are having fun.

If you haven't been out to the bridge in a while go. Take a camera and be a kid.

Technically Speaking:
This was shot with a Nikon D300 and a 17-55/2.8 lens on the camera. I had the ISO set to 200. The aperture was f/9.0 and the shutter speed was 1/800th of a second. I used natural lighting, taking advantage of the great light shining on Zach's face. The focal length of the lens was 17mm.

Simpson University Graduation Moment

After receiving her diploma from Simpson University last fall, a student celebrates with other graduates (I don't often get the identifications with photos I shoot at Simpson).

I love the energy from this new graduate. She was just so excited to share her accomplishment with her family and friends. She is totally in the moment.

All too often we are wrapped up in our busy lives. We are on our cell phones, texting friends, listening to our iPods or daydreaming about another place and we are not present in the moment.

I am guilty of this myself. I am not happy about it but it is what I do. One think about photography is you don't get the opportunity to do anything else but pay attention to what you are photographing.

I'll talk more about this in future postings.

Technically Speaking:
This was shot with a Nikon D300 and a 17-55/2.8 lens on the camera. I had the ISO set to 200. The aperture was f/10.0 and the shutter speed was 1/200th of a second. I used a fill flash with a diffuser to fill shadows. The focal length of the lens was 48mm.

Feel free to e-mail me at myshutter@mac.com.

Also check out my website at www.burkephotography.biz. I have a selection of local stock art.

Welcome - Turtle Bay Moment

Hello and welcome to my blog. My goal is to provide a new photo each week that is photojournalist in nature but could be from other aspects of my photo life.

I love photography because it is all about capturing a moment.

I have more than 20-years of photojournalism experience. I spent 14 of those years working at the Redding Record Searchlight. I continue to freelance in the Redding area. I have covered assignments for the New York Times, Associated Press, Simpson University, Redding Rancheria and many others. My work has appeared in local publication and national magazines.

My first image will be from a moment at Turtle Bay Exploration Park in Redding.



A mom and daughter share an experience of playing with parakeets at Turtle Bay Exploration Park in Redding.

What makes this photo for me is the mom's face. She is so full of joy and her eyes tell the story. The daughter is the focal point of this image but photos that have a journalistic edge should have multiple levels.

Technically Speaking:
This was shot with a Nikon D300 and a 17-55/2.8 lens on the camera. I had the ISO set to 250. The aperture was 4.0 and the shutter speed was 125th of a second. I used a fill flash with a diffuser to get some light on the subject's faces. This did cost me in the fact that the birds in the foreground are blown out (too bright). I feel it was worth the sacrifice. The focal length of the lens was 26mm.

Let me know if you like this type of blog. You can e-mail me at myshutter@mac.com.

Also check out my website at www.burkephotography.biz. I have a selection of local stock art.