Week 11: Birds, Horses, and a Little Bit of Everything
It feels like another mixed bag.
PHOTO JOURNAL 2026
James Bradley
3/19/20264 min read
It Feels Like a Mixed Bag.
Week 11: Birds, Horses, and a Little Bit of Everything
Week 11 of the photo challenge has me still plugging along. This week feels like another mixed bag of me trying to figure out what kind of photographer I am becoming. Trust me when I say this it is a lot of work. I got shots of horses, a real cowboy, multiple different types of flappers, a strange tilted alley photo from Freak Alley in Boise, and a darker landscape shot with the buttes in the distance. It is not exactly a tightly organized theme, but that is kind of the point right now. I am still shooting whatever catches my eye and trying to learn something from it.
I got several horse pics from my buddy John Waymire’s place. The pony is one that he is training to be a pack horse for his guide business. These photos are kind of different for me because the subject is pretty much standing still and unless you have not noticed the bulk of my shots are of quickly moving wildlife. Unless I am shooting landscapes, which I am horrible at. I like these because they are not dramatic. They are just simple moments. I think I need to do more of these. The close up of the pony is pretty cool. There is something about the eye, the fence, and the shallow depth of field that gives it more personality.
The duck photo is my favorite this week. I like it because it has action. Wildlife photography has been one of the things I keep pushing myself on, and catching birds in flight is not easy. They do not care about my camera settings, my focus point, or my feelings. Rude, but educational. This shot feels like progress to me. It is not just a bird sitting still. It is movement, timing, and reaction. I can see what I am going for, and even if I still have plenty to learn, I like that this photo shows me trying to catch the moment instead of waiting for the world to politely pause for me.
Eagle shots are another step forward. I am starting to understand how much anticipation matters with birds, which are not particularly easy to anticipate. I cannot just react after they move. If you wait, the moment is already gone and the camera is basically saying, “Good luck next time, buddy.” I still miss plenty, but I am getting better at watching behavior and trying to guess what might happen next.
The tilted alley photo is exactly the kind of photo that makes me laugh because I know what I am attempting to do. Whether it is successful or not remains to be seen. I am experimenting with angles, lines, color, and probably convincing myself that turning the camera sideways makes me artistic. This one I entered in the photo critique at my photo club night and they tore it up. They criticized the depth to field, the focus point, the lack of subject and a few other things. One thing I learned from the research after this critique is about a shot called a “Dutch tilt”. It’s a technique where the the camera is tilted to create emotion, drama, and chaos in some situations. I had done it unintentionally and I had paid for it. Maybe the point is to make everyone tilt their head like a confused dog. Either way, I like that I am trying something different. Don’t misunderstand me when I say the photography club tore me up. It was an honest critique, but I am still a bit thin skinned with photography because I don’t know any better. They were right on the money.
The buttes photo is probably my least favorite this week. I like the idea of it, but the lighting is way too dark. There is a mood there, and I can see why I took the shot, but it does not quite hit the way I want it to. That is part of the learning curve too. Sometimes the scene feels better in person than it does when I get it back on the screen.
Week 11 is still a little all over the place, but so am I, so at least I’m consistent! Wildlife, landscapes, animals, street scenes, and whatever else wanders into range. There is not a tight theme yet and there may not ever be. There is progress however. I am learning what I like, what frustrates me, and what I need to practice.
Overall, this week feels like another step in the right direction. I am starting to see the difference between taking a picture because something is there and taking a picture because I am trying to make something out of it. I do not always pull it off, but I am getting closer.
That is becoming the point of this whole thing. Take the photos. Learn from them. Laugh at the mess. Keep going.
I would love to get some feedback from you all about the photography learning process. Please feel free to shoot me an email through my contact page.
Thanks for reading!
