Caddo Lake straddles Texas and Louisiana. It is an almost mystical place that speaks to me in mysterious, unknown tongues, with beautiful, eerie, and mysterious landscapes.
I am drawn to Caddo’s Bald Cypress trees and elusive wildlife, and I go as often as I can. I took this picture on April 18, 2015 with my Canon camera. It had rained all night and the sky was spitting sprinkles when I got to the lake about 6:30 a.m. I was waiting on my guide to go out on the lake and as I rounded a bend of the road, I saw this amazing scene as streaks of sunrise peaked through the overcast sky. As quickly as it arrived, the sun then disappeared like a ghost in the morning fog. But I got my picture, and it is one of my favorites. This image was chosen for a San Antonio exhibition several years ago and hangs on a wall in my home.
This is what I know about God the Creator. He is an amazing artist who paints and sculpts some of His finest work on Caddo Lake, Texas. And, if you arise early in the morning and venture onto the lake, you cannot help but witness His artistry like no other time of the day. As a lover of Caddo Lake, I view myself as more of a documentarian photographer, capturing ever-changing perspectives as the morning light slowly moves across the trees and water.
Black and white photography is timeless and creates a sense of depth and definition without the use of color.
I honed my photographic skills during an era when black and white film photography was the norm. This elegant Great Egret allowed me to mentally travel back in time. I can see myself in a darkroom, pan-developing this print, gently rocking the developer over the print surface, watching, and patiently waiting as the image comes alive and defines itself on the paper. Fifty years later I did the same thing, but this time using Photoshop.
In a nod to those throw-back days of Dektol and D-76, Photoshop is not as poetic, but it sure gets the job done! I simply love this image. It softly whispers, “Caddo Lake” to anyone who has been there.
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy a few more images of Caddo Lake.
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