My Poems
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South of somewhere
Searching for someplace4 lines, 26 comments, December 29, 2007. In Personal.
My Guestbook
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brevity on October 1aw. thanks!
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BabyGurlz : Love on September 29I love taken pictures what training do I need to have that job
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XxXDeath-WishXxX on September 29hey how are you?
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Rend the Veil : Lovely! on September 28I realy enjoyed your photographs, from one fellow photographer to another, my stuff is nothing as special as yours, Beautiful work
Rend
My Blog Links
In addition to visiting my photography site at http://www.stephenbrunophotography.com/, please
visit my blogs and please leave comments on my Guest Book or on postings:
http://stephenbrunowordsmith.wordpress.com/
http://stephenbrunophotography.wordpress.com/
Come visit my MuseArts online store!
About Me
Who Am I? Well, here is an element or two of my creative side....
I am a professional writer and photographer. I am completing three diverse novels, several short stories and a number of eBooks.
All of the photographs posted on All Poetry with my poetry and prose are ones that I have taken.
"I believe that artists, writers, and photographers are vigilant observers by inclination, background, and training. My life, which includes each of these professions, serves me well in developing and enhancing intuition, observational skills, focus, natural instinct, dedication, curiosity, compassion, and patience. People tell me that I photograph with an artist's eye. I believe that it comes from my naturalist's heart."
I remember a special experience I had at Yosemite National Park in California when I was a child.
It was around 9:00 P.M. during the summer and I heard a man at Camp Curry call to Glacier Point.
"Hello, Glacier!"
Then the man at Glacier Point called down with a faint echo, Hello, Camp Curry!"
The man at Camp Curry then said, "Let the fire fall!"
Then I barely heard, "The fire is falling!"
I saw a glowing waterfall of sparks and fire start at the top of a distant mountain and watched as it fell for about 30 seconds.
Later I learned that someone pushed a large bonfire of red fir bark evenly over the edge of the cliff, appearing as a waterfall of fire as it cascaded about 4,000 feet down the mountain. This was the tradition of the Yosemite Fire Fall. I was so into the fire fall that at first I did not notice a girl about my age also standing alone beside a large tree watching the burning bonfire lighting up the mountain in the darkness.
I cannot really explain how it happened but I found that when she and I apparently gravitated toward each other we were side by side, as the fire fall was nearing its end. We looked at each other speechless after such a wonderful experience and lightly kissed each other on the lips. Then we turned and each ran away as fast as we could in the opposite direction. I never saw the girl again but the combination of the incredible fire fall and my first kiss endeared me forever to the glorious power of nature.
At age seven, I encountered my first bears in the wild, in Yosemite National Park. I hiked away from my family’s canvas tent cabin at the Curry Village campground and walked down toward one of the many cold rapid moving rivers in the beautiful valley. I became lost that morning in the splendor of the Giant Sequoia trees and the lush green meadows in the valley floor.
I easily recall that when four adult Black Bears (actually more cinnamon) and three cubs strolled by me when I wandered off the path I was so captivated that I completely forgot about being lost. The bears were friendly, and remained comfortable in my presence. It never occurred to me to be concerned about my safety, or theirs.
I talked quietly to each of the bears, watching their curious expressions as they responded with grunts, and followed them the entire day through the countless blooming flowers and tall green grass. I watched the frequent Gray Squirrels running about and the occasional Mule Deer roaming near the riverbed of the roaring Merced River. Sometimes I watched as the cubs were wrestling, falling, and nipping each other. They were very playful and seemed curious about me.
When the family of bears ate huckleberries, blueberries, or other berries, I ate berries. When they rested, I rested. When they looked for other areas to forage at wet meadows along creeks and river, I walked along with them. While they ripped into rotting fallen logs with their claws grubbing ants and beetle larvae, I quenched my thirst at the creek or river. They also ate grasses and pine nuts.
This was a time when the Yosemite rangers still encouraged contact with the bears, including feeding them. In fact, the National Park Service maintained several "bear pits" in the park where bears were fed garbage in an attempt to keep them out of park campgrounds and lodging areas, and to provide visitor entertainment.
I was fortunate that their foray took us all back to a meadow near Curry Village where I could see the evening campfires and hear distant voices. With a sideway glance from the bears and cubs, my adopted bear family swiftly climbed the crest of the hill we had just descended and they disappeared over the horizon. This began my lifelong affinity with large wild animals, Black Bears in particular, and nature in general.
While a high school senior, my grandmother purchased my first camera—a Minolta 35mm as a pre graduation gift.
When she did, I immediately took to black and white photography including creative dark room development. I also shot color photography.
I answered an ad by the local large newspaper to take action photographs of area high school sporting events and write the captions. They hired me after looking at my portfolio. This was my first paying job and the first professional publication of my writing and photography career.
I then became Editor-In-Chief of my California high school paper, combining a love of writing and photography. I wrote several columns and other prose. In college, I became the Editor-In-Chief of the campus newspaper where I continued my love of writing and photography.
Drafted and eventually receiving orders to Vietnam, my pen and Minolta traveled with me during my 14-month Army tour of duty where wrote many poems, short stories, and essays I photographed many powerful images that remain clear to me even today. While in Vietnam, I raised many large Mantises to keep the Mosquitoes away and photographed the process. I continue to enjoy macro photography.
On my return to the States, I took portraits and wrote articles to support the United Way’s annual fundraising campaign. I worked in the Public Relations department of a college in California where I was responsible for many PR photographs and all of the darkroom activities. I also worked as a Marketing Manager for an international corporation utilizing my photography, writing and graphic skills.
I was the Publisher and Editor of a monthly art, literature and photography magazine. Contributing my own writing and photography, I also provided many photographers, artists and writers with their first opportunity for publication. Some went on to prominent creative careers.
One summer during a houseboat trip at Lake Powel in Arizona, I anchored a 50 foot houseboat near the sandy beach deep into the lake at an isolated area. I observed one very large pair of Cougar paw prints and two sets of cub prints in the sand. In the late afternoon, I was jogging at the top of a cliff and as I rounded a curve, I saw a large 100lb female Cougar.
Her torso was a cinnamon buff-colored contrasted by a white belly. She had two kittens with brownish-black irregular spots on the body and dark rings on the short tail. They were lying down on a hill about sixty feet above me. I slowed to a fast walk and decided to pass in front rather than turning around, She maintained eye contact. I had not yet read that this was not a wise plan.
Then, one eager kitten began bounding down the hill toward me as the other kitten cautiously moved near the mom. Without losing eye contact with me, the momma lion crouched and gave a single loud, blood-curdling hair-raising cry that sounded like a woman screaming in pain. The kitten continued toward me with an over the shoulders look at mom after the cry. She then reluctantly turned around and ran back up the hill.
Never losing eye contact with me the magnificent mother Cougar cried a soft whistle and gently lay down as I moved safely out of sight. This was one of the most intense adult experiences I had with large wildlife.
I currently live in the San Francisco Bay area with my wife, Laura, a published author. Her website is here.
My photographic services include professional traditional, modern, documentary and eccentric style photography. I offer photography for corporate and special events, architecture and realty.
Additionally, I offer quality portrait photography for individuals, pregnancy, newborns, children, teenagers, family, couples, senior citizens, engagement, military, musicians, friends, pets, equine, and more.
Garry Winogrand, Annie Leibovitz, Paul Strand, Margaret Bourke-White, Eve Arnold, Richard Misrach, Edward Weston, Dorothea Lange, Alfred Stieglitz, Bruno Morandi, Steve McCurry, David Duchemin, Ami Vitale, and Manuel Alvarez Bravo.
