Don Hume talks about OUR photography
It is our desire to capture and highlight the beauty and artistry of nature. Nature is more than just beautiful, it can be awesome, it can be inspiring, it can be powerful, and it can generate emotions from sadness to euphoria. It is our hope that you will enjoy our work and experience some or all of these emotions.
I first became interested in photography when, as a co-editor of my high school yearbook, I was handed a camera and asked to capture pictures of the highlights of the school year for the yearbook. Then while in college my parents gave me a 35mm camera and the interest only grew. After college, the love of photography was put on hold as the demands of work and family became my first priority.
With the advent of digital photography, my interest was spiked again and the journey to today began. The thirteen plus year journey from my initial 5mgb camera to today’s powerful digital SLRs was an amazing learning experience. And upon my retirement from the corporate rat race in 2006 I actively returned to my love of photography and combined it with my appreciation of the beauty of nature.
My wife, Linda, always enjoyed accompanying me on photo shoots and was a valuable assistant. Then one day she picked up one of the extra cameras and lenses and discovered for herself the challenges and pleasures of nature photography. Since that fateful day she has developed a passion for catching birds in flight.
Our favorite subjects are birds, and particularly the beautiful wading birds found along the Gulf Coast. Members of the heron family, in particular, are especially magnificent during mating season with their special plumage which helps them attract a mate for the season. The only problem is that they don’t pose for you, they don’t like you to get too close, and they tend to mate in remote areas where they will not be disturbed by humans, except for those us who are willing to sometimes spend cold February and March mornings in a boat trying to catch them at the peak of their beauty. But that “problem” is what makes it such an enjoyable challenge. The transformation of the great egret during the spring mating season from a pretty white bird to the magnificence of a white bird with graceful nuptial plumage, green lores, and beautiful display rituals which result in the acceptance of a mate for the season is truly a transformation that demonstrates nature at its best. Yet, as you can see in the galleries, the offspring of those rituals are not exactly things of beauty.
We have to recognize the guides we have used to obtain some of our best pictures of Gulf Coast birdlife. Bryan Champagne of Champagne’s Tours and Kevin Sims of Aransas Birding Charters have been invaluable. Their knowledge of their respective areas is outstanding and they understand the needs of photographers. I cannot recommend them highly enough to anyone interested in exploring Lake Martin or the Aransas NWR area. Links to their sites are provided in our LINKS section.
It is our philosophy not to do any major digital enhancing of our photographs. On occasion we might make an exception to this guideline if there is something spectacular hidden behind the “noise” that mother nature put in the way to hide the magnificence of a photo. We do make adjustments to tonal qualities to optimize what the camera saw but we do not desire to change or alter the beauty of nature.
The pictures shown in the galleries of our website are just a portion of what we have done. It is our hope that you will enjoy them and find the beauty of nature to be as awesome and inspiring as we do. Please contact us if you are seriously interested in any picture or the subjects of any picture. We may have other pictures which could fulfill your needs. So please email us with your inquiry.
Most pictures are available in some of the standard sizes that facilitate framing. Typically, all pictures may be available in one or more of the following sizes: 5”x7”, 8”x10”, 11”x14”, and 12”x18” and can be matted is sizes 8”x10”, 11”x14”, 16”x20”, and 18”x24” respectively.. Dependent on the individual picture I can also arrange to provide sizes up to 20”x30”.
Pricing varies by size, presentation, paper used, whether it is matted or unmated, and framed or unframed. Shipment of framed pictures is at the customer’s risk.
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All text and photographs shown on this site is copyrighted and property of Donald J. Hume. Unlawful copying and/or distribution of content contained within this Website may result in the pursuit of criminal charges and actions against said party.