Calm Photos

During many travels throughout rural areas of the Buckeye State I have had the good fortune of visiting several locations that provide glimpses back through history and how the original Ohioans (the pre-European settlers from 10,000 BC through to the 18th century) lived and worked the fertile flood plains of the many river valleys and hunted in the woodlands that at one time covered nearly the entire area now known as Ohio.

Miamisburg Mound, Serpent Mound, Sunwatch Village, the Newark Earthworks, Mound City Group in Chillicothe and Ft. Ancient in Oregonia - these are sites I have walked and photographed and represent just a few of the hundreds of archaeological sites scattered throughout Ohio. Many of these sties were built and occupied first by the Adena cultures, followed by the Hopewell and Ft. Ancients. Their ancestors - the Shawnees - were the last native people to occupy Southern Ohio prior to their populations being decimated by the eventual contact with the European Settlers, beginning in the 1600’s.

I have always been intrigued with Native American Culture, particularly here in Ohio. My interest probably started with the stories of human bones discovered in hillsides near where my grandparents once lived along Tait Road in Moraine, not too far from Sunwatch (pictured below). Construction of a home was delayed while archaeologists were brought in to carefully mark and exhume the sacred remains.

The land of Ohio is not only rich in natural beauty, but infused with human history - a history of a people who learned to live in harmony (or as close to it as possible) with the ebb and flow of nature and the skyward journeys of the sun, stars and Moon. Similar to the ancient Celts of Western Europe, the Adena, Hopewell and Ft. Ancient people worshiped and respected all that the ‘Great Creator’ provided, recognizing the divine in every animal and plant they came in contact with and the wonder and beauty of the light of the never-ending circle of the seasons.

By no means do I have a background in archaeology. For that I highly recommend Brad Lepper’s book, Ohio Archaeology: An Illustrated Chronicle of Ohio’s Ancient American Indian Cultures, published by Orange Frazer Press in 2005 (you might also see a few familiar Jim Crotty nature photographs in there as well). What I do claim is my interest and respect for Native American Culture, which is why I was excited to hear about the annual inter-tribal powwow held every June at Ft. Ancient. This year’s celebration was held during the weekend of June 7th and 8th. I was there on the 7th to capture a few images of “A Gathering of Four Directions.”

The color and movement of the dancers were wonderful to photograph and the atmosphere of the event was great to take in - from the beats of the drums, to the chants and songs within the center of the circle and even the background chorus of cicadas - all combined to re-awaken the spirits of those who danced on this land before.

BLACKFIVE: Ernie Pyle

Just recently a photograph has surfaced showing Ernie Pyle after he had been shot and killed while reporting on the 77th Infantry Division (US Army), fighting the Japanese on the island of Ie Shima in April 1945.

My Uncle Robert Crotty, 83, who I have a tremendous amount of respect for, was just 100 yards away when Ernie Pyle fell, being struck by a Japanese round from a hidden machine gun. Uncle Bob was later wounded in action during the same campaign for Okinawa, at the Battle for Shuri Castle. He left the 77th with two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star. Unfortunately I didn’t even know about his experiences on Okinawa when I was there during the summer of 1987 as part of my ATD with the United States Marine Corps Reserve. It wasn’t until much later that Uncle Bob opened-up one evening and went into some rather painful detail about his experiences in combat.

Ernie Pyle reported the horrendous experience of combat during World War Two directly from the front lines and from a grunt’s eye view, all the way from North Africa, o Italy, through France and then over to the Pacific. He was the very lifeline of communications from the troops in the field to the folks back home, and he did it the old fashioned way, with pen and paper.

The original “embedded” reporter. Ernie Pyle set the bar high for those who would later follow in his footsteps.

I have several 30″x40″ mounted prints that are displayed on easels here in my Centerville studio/gallery. I also frequently use these prints when doing presentations and workshops on nature and landscape photography. The prints are becoming a bit dated with a few scratches and dents, but these images are still a fine representation of my body of work when it comes to nature subjects.

With one print in particular - “The Three Sisters” - I am always amazed how just about everyone who sees this print will identify the subject without the slightest hesitation. “Oh wow - the three sisters in Sugarcreek.” This particular setting of three, 550+ year old Oak Trees is more recognizable than my prints of Ash Cave, Cedar Falls, and dare I say, my famous Dayton skyline. Seriously.

There is something about these grand remnants from the woodlands that at one time covered all of Ohio that has captured the imagination and memory of those who have visited and hiked the trails at Sugarcreek MetroPark, which is located a few miles southeast of the Wilmington Pike/I-675 interchange near Bellbrook. The Three Sisters are perhaps one of the best known “natural” landmarks of Dayton’s MetroPark system.

What I love about this image is that I’ve captured the Oak Trees in a morning mist during late autumn. In fact it was the first weekend of November back in 2003. This was prior to me going completely “digital” with my photography. I used Fuji Velvia in two cameras - a Canon 1V (35mm) and a Mamiya RZ 67 Pro II medium format (6×7). The best results came from the Mamiya medium format, which also included a Mamiya-Sekor 50mm lens. Because of the low light and the slow speed of the film (50 iso), I used a Bogen tripod with a Kirk ballhead and cable release. Also used was a Sekonic L-508 light meter. This was landscape photography in complete manual mode. I still have the Mamiya, and every once in a while I dust it off and haul it out to the field. Although I love my Canon 1D’s, there’s just something so rewarding about framing a shot through the big viewfinder of a medium format camera.

I love working in a landscape covered in mist or passing fog. There is a depth and feeling added to the composition that draws the viewer in. This photograph can also be considered a classic representation of Celtic spirituality. It has all of the elements - old growth forest, mist-shrouded branches, natural progression of the seasons, and the tree that the Celts consider to be most sacred, the stately yet haunting Oak.

Since the time that I photographed this scene I have been informed that one of the old Oaks was struck by lightening, burning the tree from the inside out. However, much of the outside structure remains. Naturalists from Five Rivers MetroParks have dated these trees to be over 550 years old. I try to imagine what life in the land we now know as Ohio was like at the time these three trees were mere saplings, and all that they have witnessed since.

Of the many memories I have of that day six years in the past, one of the most telling actually came on an evening that following February, while watching the Opening Ceremonies to the 2002 Winter Olympics. It was Sting performing “Fragile,” a song that continues to haunt and bring to the surface a wound that perhaps will never fully heal.

If blood will flow when fresh and steel are one
Drying in the colour of the evening sun
Tomorrow’s rain will wash the stains away
But something in our minds will always stay
Perhaps this final act was meant
To clinch a lifetime’s argument
That nothing comes from violence and nothing ever could
For all those born beneath an angry star
Lest we forget how fragile we are

On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are how fragile we are

On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are how fragile we are
How fragile we are how fragile we are

- Fragile, by Sting

SunWatch Home Page - Ancient Indian Village - Dayton Ohio

Ohio has some truly wonderful archaeological treasures dating back to this area’s original human inhabitants. Remains of burial mounds, ceremonial earthworks and long-forgotten villages can be found concentrated along many of the river valleys that criss-cross the Ohio landscape. Many of these sites are attributed to Native American Fort Ancient Culture, which predated the cultures that are more commonly known and associated with the encroachment of Europeans on North America.

A book I highly recommend is Brad Lepper’s Ohio Archaeology, published in 2005 by Orange Frazer Press. It is probably the most comprehensive volume about the Native American cultures that once lived in the endless woodlands of an Ohio landscape, now for the most part long gone.
One of the best sites to visit and learn about the Fort Ancient people lies just south of Dayton. SunWatch Ancient Indian Village - part of the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery - sits along the western bank of the Great Miami River. It’s not easy to find and feels quite of bit out of place when driving through the heavily industrialized and not-overly -picturesque hamlet of beautiful Moraine, but once there it is easy to imagine what life must have been like prior to what we refer to as “civilization.” The staff at SunWatch have done a stand-out job with an excellent visitor’s center and reconstructed dwellings as well as presentation of the thousands of artifacts uncovered at the site.

One of the pleasant surprises from our visit was experiencing the coolness of the inside of the reconstructed homes, which was nice given how hot and humid it was outside.

The original inhabitants of SunWatch were worshipers of the mystery of nature and avid followers of the light of the seasons. Everything about their lives involved the signs of earth, sun and sky. When to plant, when to harvest, when to hunt. Everything had its’ time and season, like the concentric circles obviously used in the layout of their own village.

In today’s society of immediate gratification, cell phones, wireless laptops and digital disconnection I think we can stand to re-learn a thing or two about the natural rhythms and mysteries of nature and life that are just outside our doors, perhaps learning from teachers who have been quietly waiting for over 1,000 years.

Summer in Ohio is chock-full of opportunities for colorful event photography, from county fairs to small town festivals to art shows to music performances.

This past Saturday was the reenactment of Morgan’s Raid at the Gorman Heritage Farm in Evendale, near Cincinnati. For those who may not know their American Civil War history too well, Confederate General John Hunt Morgan was the cavalry raider who personally brought the Civil War into Ohio through a daring incursion that involved nearly 2,000 rebel troopers, skirting the northern neighborhoods of Cincinnati on July 14, 1863. The raiders traveled light and fast, taking what they needed in the way of food and fresh horses as they went. Unlike Lee’s much larger and more spectacular invasion of Pennsylvania just a few days prior, Morgan’s objective was not to actively engage in a fight but rather to divert Union forces away from their campaigns in central Tennessee. Morgan and his men were eventually caught. To this day his famous raid is still marked with several reenactment events in towns along his route.

Although I’m not quite yet to the point of dressing in a wool uniform, eating hard tack topped with weevils and collapsing from heat stroke under a July sun, I do enjoy attending Civil War reenactments. Not only are there some wonderful opportunities for candid and event photography, but these events are also a great way to learn about history and get a glimpse of just how difficult life was in mid-19th century America and the physical, mental and emotional price paid by those who served in what I consider the one conflict that truly defined the United States of America.

At the event at Gorman Farm I had also had the opportunity to meet Civil War author and researcher Richard Baumgartner who recently wrote a fascinating book titled “Buckeye Blood,” published by Blue Acorn Press. Richard did the research for this book, which is a complete account of all the Ohio regiments that served at Gettysburg, over a period of seven years. I literally devoured my copy when I got back home that afternoon. The first-hand accounts of the battle, as well as the profiles of individual soldiers and officers serving in these units, were fascinating to read, especially from the viewpoint of the citizen-soldiers who came from my home state.

The Gorman Heritage Farm was the perfect setting - restored barns, rolling fields and gardens full of summer flowers. Most of all I was impressed with the friendliness of the staff and volunteers - quite welcoming, cheerful and helpful. Perhaps because they knew I wasn’t there to steal their horses and raid their crops, unlike a previous visitor who came through during another July morning back in 1863.

The gardens and grounds of the Gorman Heritage Farm -

September Dawn, the official site – a film starring Jon Voight and directed by Christopher Cain; in theaters August 24.

We lived in Utah from February 1997 to December 2000. The story of the Mountain Meadows Massacre was pretty much well-known and common knowledge amongst most of the people I came in contact with and in the local media. I never had the impression that it was some deep, dark secret kept under wraps by the LDS Church.

Not that I’m trying to make excuses for what happened or trying to defend the past actions of the LDS religion, but I can’t help but question the timing of this movie. Perhaps some political implications ?  You decide.