Elusive Quarry

Badgers are mysterious.  Despite their ubiquitous presence in Wisconsin sports culture, these shy creatures are rarely seen in the wild.  For this reason, wild badgers seem to carry with them an almost mythical aura shared by the likes of wolves and mountain lions.  And a badger's paradoxical personality of extreme shyness and extreme ferocity helps add to the mythology.  This week, we broke through the myth.  On an excursion to the Dry Landing area of the Upper St. Croix, we got a fleeting glimpse of a badger as it ventured out of it's burrow to check us out.  Thanks to a steady hand and quick trigger finger, Jordan was able to capture a photo.  It was a thrilling experience for everyone.  Below are also some other photos from this week. 

-Ben Thwaits, project leader

"When I first saw the badger, I was amazed and very excited.  Once I captured the photo, I started to think of how much it's like me.  It spends most of its time burrowed in its hole hiding from the world.  But now I am feeling more like an eagle, spreading my wings and soaring to new heights to find a better life." -Jordan, age 17.

"This photo really gets to me because of my struggles with addiction.  The only way to explain it is that it shows me a different kind of life--a life where creatures live free and how happy life can really be if you want it to be.  This eagle and other creatures out there have to survive death and life, and they have to protect themselves and who they love,  just like us people of the world have to do." Photo called "Lifting Off" by Cody, age 16

"Underwater Mystery" by Logan, age 12.  The photo was taken with a half-submerged underwater camera.

 

"River over Rocks" by Kayden, age 14.  Kayden is starting to master artistic blur effects using slow shutter speeds.

Expedition Success

One week.  Torrential rain.  Miles of bushwacking.  Early mornings.  2400 photos.  One amazing experience.  That sums up last week's photography expedition of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway.   Exploring was the name of the game. We hiked and paddled the stretch from Gordon Dam to CCC Landing, then drove south and explored the backwaters and dalles between St. Croix Falls and Somerset, and finally we ended the trip by exploring the Upper Namekagon between Namekagon Dam and Pacwawong Dam. 

What made this trip truly unique was the manner in which the boys got to experience the river.  Most people experience the Riverway from the seat of a canoe.  However, we have discovered over the last few months that photos area easiest to create from the river banks.  When you slow down, photos begin to emerge that you would otherwise miss: a bee on a flower, the playful way water trickles over some rocks, a songbird resting in the shadows.  It is from this place of stillness and patience that the deeper spirit of the river begins to reveal itself, and we tried to maximize such opportunities for ourselves on this expedition.    The experience was more than can be described in words, so I'm thankful this a photo blog.  Below is but a small sample of the amazing photos the boys created last week.

I want to extend a special thanks to NWP staff members Tim Eckert and Jason Greatsinger for making this venture a success.  Jason was able to capture some amazing video, Tim proved to be the most talented fish filleter I have ever met, and both were passionately dedicated to the cause. 

-Ben Thwaits, project leader.

"I love this picture because when I took it, the ducks got so comfortable with me.  I was able to get really close, and it almost seems like you can reach through the photo and pet them."  -Devante, age 16.

Devante revels in the feeling of a good shot near Namekagon Dam at sunset. 

Life is like a sunset

Beautiful and quick

Never knowing when it will be laid to rest

So I take this life and try my best

But always seem to do the worst.

To get through this there needs to be more

Of the things that make me feel whole

-Photo and poem by Lee, age 16.

  Lee gets acquainted with a new friend near Buckley Creek Camp on the Upper St. Croix. 

"I took this picture as the sun was setting.  I snapped the picture knowing that the sun would reflect off the water.  This picture means a lot to me because it shows that if something shines on you, you can shine it right back and make it more brilliant and peaceful."  -Matt, age 15. 

Matt settles in for some low-light photos at Pacwawong Dam. 

"This picture was taken at Interstate Park, near St. Croix Falls, which is my hometown.  For me, the river is a place I go to fish and relax and get away from it all.  I just loved being on top of this cliff looking down on the river with the beautful trees and sky.  It makes me feel at one with all the beauty of nature."  -Mike, age 17. 

Mike get up close and personal with a turks-cap lily on the Upper St. Croix. 

"I was taking a picture of a lily pad as we were floating in a canoe a couple miles below Namekagon Dam.  I looked up and saw the the deer walking real slow.  I was so excited, and I was able to get a picture!  She probably was wondering "What on earth are these people doing?" but she didn't seem scared.  When she got to the other side of the river, she just layed down in the grass and looked like she was napping.  It was an amazing experience to see."  -Travis, age 13. 

"I call this picture "Streaming Life."  I was laying in the water at Pacwawong Dam to get the shot, and I was worried I wouldn't get it to work before it got dark.  But I knew I had to keep trying.  I was using a 15 second shutter speed and tripod to get that blurred look of the water I was going for.  I finally got just the right shot.  To me, this picture shows that the river is full of energy, full of life in a constant flow.  And I feel like my life is just like the river--I have all this energy, and my life is now just beginning for the first time." -Derek, age 17. 

Derek always did whatever it took to get the shot.  Here, he sits in the current as Jason looks on with the video camera.

Expedition!

Every plot needs a climax. Monday, July, 12 will represent the climax of “In a New Light” to date. Accompanied by three staff, six of the boys (DeVante, Matt, Mike, Travis, Derek, and Lee) will embark on a one-week photographic expedition of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway with the mission of capturing its hidden secrets on film. We will seek out the most beautiful, sublime, and mysterious areas of the Riverway, immerse ourselves in the spirit of these places, and emerge with photos to share with the world. We will crawl through swamps, bushwack through dense forests, and paddle many miles to reach our destinations. Staff member Jason Greatsinger, also co-owner of Black Ice Outdoor Productions, will be videoing our expedition in its entirety.  This is the stuff that life-changing experiences are made of. 


We would like to extend a heart-felt thanks to Interstate Batteries for donating batteries for this expedition, which will be invaluable in minimizing the time we must retreat to civilization to recharge our equipment.

-Ben Thwaits, Project Leader

Becoming Artists

The group of five young men who joined our program about 40 days ago (Jordan, Kayden, Dakota, Logan, and Cody) are quickly approaching the half-way point in their journeys as photographers.  By now, they have learned the fundamentals of operating the equipment, and are just beginning to to master the process of translating those technical skills into artistic expression.  If past groups are an accurate indicator, we will now begin to see stunning artistic growth as each learns to percieve his camera not just as a collection of buttons and lenses, but as a powerful emotional conduit.  Enjoy this group's selection of photos below.

     "Orange Bug" by Logan, age 12.

"Lonely Lily" by Kayden, age 13. 

"Painted Turtle" by Jordan, age 17

"Green Life" by Dakota, age 14

"Taking Flight" by Cody, age 15

Power and Metaphor

Susan Sontag captured it best when she wrote in her essay, On Photography:  "To photograph is to appropriate the thing being photographed.  It means putting oneself into a certain relation to the world that feels like knowledge--and, therefore, like power." 

Just as the boys put themselves in positions of power by deciding, among infinite possibilities, which sights are worthy of their lenses, they also establish control by deciding what those photos mean.  Nature provides the richest source of metaphors imaginable, and the boys have become fluent in interpreting these metaphors to better understand themselves, their struggles, and their successes.  Below are photos and interpretations from last week's excusion on the Upper St. Croix River.  

"When I first saw this scene, I only saw one bird.  I went to grab my camera, and when I came back there were two.  The mother had come in to give some insects to the father to feed their babies in a nest close by.  They just sat there for a while and let me get pictures.  For me, this picture makes me think that I just want to be a good father some day, and change my life so I can take good care of my kids."  -Photo called "Yellow Bellied Sapsucker Parents" by Mike, age 17 

 "To me, this dragonfly symbolizes hope, and also brings a smile to my face. It is so fragile and delicate, but so beautiful at the same time, and when it flies it is so fast and powerful.  We all have many sides."  -Photo called "Green Dragonfly" by DeVante, age 16 

"I was fishing when I spotted this spider.  It was the size of a tennis ball!  Most people would be scared, but I was just amazed, and knew it would make an awesome picture so I grabbed my camera.  I felt amazed to watch a spider walking on water." -Photo called "Spider on Water" by Travis, age 13.   

"In this photo I see a calm, settled rock sitting in the middle of chaos as the river smashes against it. It's just like my life.  I used to feel like the river smashing against the rock, but now I'm the rock sitting calmly as the river flows around it." -Photo called "Rock in the River" by Derek, age 17.

The artist intends these two pictures to be presented as a pair.  "The fish remids me of my life - hazy and unclear.  Sometimes I think that's just the way life is, but other times I just want things to be clear like the flower.  But I don't always know how to do it."  -Lee, age 15 

Reverence

Last week, we explored some of the smaller, more intimate waters of the upper Namekagon River. The moment we stepped out of the van, I was struck by how particularly focused and silent the boys were. There was a hushed, almost heavy mood within the group as they each stalked their own masterpieces. It was that same sense one feels in art galleries or cathedrals or museums: that there is something special about the place, and it just wouldn’t feel right to talk loudly or move quickly. I think the word for it is reverence. The Namekagon’s galleries of current and cathedrals of pine elicited the strongest sense of reverence among the boys that I have witnessed yet in the project. Here is a sample of last week’s photos.
-Ben Thwaits, Project Leader.


At many points in my life
I’ve struggled to stand against the wave.
When the wave comes
I stand waiting.
It’s building up taller than life.
When the wave gets close to me
I stand my ground
And wait to fall and tip over.
But now I stand
and face the struggles of life.
And after the wave flows by me
I look back
and see the mistakes I have made.

Photo and poem called "Facing the Wave" by Mike, age 17.


"We were driving back from our day on the river, and Chris spotted the bear cub. We started taking pictures from the van, and the bear seemed calm, so we got out to get better shots. I was pretty scared because I thought mama may be close. When I got out of the van, I made the grunting noise that a mama bear would use to comfort it's cub, and when I did that, the bear turned and looked at me and I got the shot. I was shaking the whole time!!" -Derek, age 17. Photo titled "The Bear."

Photo called "Rapids" by Matt, age 15. Taken in the rapids below Pacwawong Dam.

"I was walking along the river and I saw this butterfly, and I thought it would be a good shot. It felt really good to take this photo, but I can't explain why. I just feel amazed that I was able to get this shot." -Travis, age 13. Photo called "Resting butterfly."

Photo titled "The Iris" by DeVante, age 16.


I’m your reflection, can't you see
Though I'm only there in the brightness
Going through life with distortion and ease
Now I can see that the mirror’s a blur
And you never were who I hope to be
Never now, never then, will I want to be
Your reflection once again
Now I see what I'm meant to be
Nothing like you and more like me.

Photo and poem called "Reflection" by Lee, age 15.

Day with a Ranger

We recently had the privilege and honor of a spending a morning on the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway with NPS Interpretive Ranger Joan Jacobowski. Ms. Jacobowski is an expert in, among many things, plants and wildflowers, and we were given a glimpse into her incredible depth of knowledge. She could tell us about the names, natural history, and traditional uses of virtually any plant or flower we saw. Her guidance complemented the boys' photography perfectly, and she greatly enriched their connections to the subjects they were photographing. Her enthusiasm was absolutely contagious! We had a blast, and can't wait for our next excursion with Ranger Jacobowski.

-Ben Thwaits, Project Leader

Ranger Jacobowski admires one of DeVante's photos.

Ranger Jacobowski tells Mike about irises along the riverbank as Derek and DeVante photograph them.

Lee gets down and dirty for some closeup shots.

The boys explore Olson Prairie for photos as In a New Light project assistant Chris Flottum looks on with the video camera. This prairie was part of a controlled burn about a month ago, and newly emerging plant life made for some stunning images.

Mike defies the notion that Hawkweed is "just a weed" by using it as the subject for some beautiful photos.