By Ted Grussing
… he probably didn’t make a call on the UNICOM or to the Tower before he decided to take to the air, but this Drake Ringneck duck is definitely on the go and another step or two and he’ll be airborne … think of running down a road and flapping your arms at the same time; naw, much more fun watching this little guys do it with water flying everywhere as he accelerates.
I’ve had a lot of calls for more wildlife shots and am beginning to get out there and search for the shots. All the excitement of hunting without the need to kill my prey … I have Basha’s and some nice restaurants for food, and the thrill of the hunt with a camera is just as real as using the guns … and I get to shoot the same critters day after day if they are still around. It’s actually more difficult to get a good shot with a camera than a shotgun. I use a spot focus and have to lock on with this very small spot before I begin to shoot and then pan the shot and rely on that and the tracking feature of the built in focus system to stay on the duck. Kinda like hunting ducks with a .22 rifle and iron sights. When I lock on and stay on I get amazing results for sometimes up to 40 or more pictures … if not, 40 or so shots only worthy of the bit bucket. Always fun and what a treat when you do a quick check after shooting a sequence and finding some great stuff.
Down to Scottsdale again tomorrow and if I have time I want to get some more shots of Lake Pleasant. Cork and I kept our motorhome at the RV park there for several years and fell in love with the lake and area. Those were the days when I had a hangar at Turf and did most of my soaring out of there and we were only about five miles from the airport. Good times and now good memories and making more every day.
Max Ehrmann, had a degree in English from DePauw University and in Philosophy from Harvard. He also was an attorney and worked in the family meat packing business; at age 41 he left the business and practice to devote his life to his writing. Near the end of his life he told an interviewer “At DePauw I contracted a disease which I have never shaken off. The disease was idealism. Because of it I did the thing in life I wanted to do – Writing”
Have a positively beautiful day … life is good … we’re breathing and is there really a better way to start and live a day? Methinks not, so smile and share your joy … do what you want to do and never look back!
Cheers,
Ted
… do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and stars;
you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
… with all its sham drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
Excerpts from Desiderata
— Max Ehrmann
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The easiest way to reach Mr. Grussing is by email: ted@tedgrussing.com
In addition to sales of photographs already taken Ted does special shoots for patrons on request and also does air-to-air photography for those who want photographs of their airplanes in flight. All special photographic sessions are billed on an hourly basis.
Ted also does one-on-one workshops for those interested in learning the techniques he uses. By special arrangement Ted will do one-on-one aerial photography workshops which will include actual photo sessions in the air.
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