Greg Disch Photography

Oklahoma Aquarium

On Sunday I made a trip to the Oklahoma Aquarium just outside of Tulsa with the Photographic Alliance. Photographing in an aquarium can be a challenge. For tips on how to do it, see my article http://blog.gregdisch.com/2009/07/26/how-to-photograph-a-public-aquarium/

Here are some samples of the photos that I was able to capture.

Picher Oklahoma – Birth of a Ghost Town

Picher Oklahoma
Description: Picher was home to mines that supplied bullets for U.S. soldiers fighting in World War I and II. Its population reached a peak of 16,000 as World War II approached. By 1970 the last mine in the area had closed. On April 24, 2006, Reuters reported that Picher had been scheduled to be closed and all residents removed. Due in large part to the removal of large amounts of subsurface material during mining operations, many of the city’s structures have been deemed in imminent danger of caving in. On May 10, 2008, Picher was struck by a tornado. There were eight confirmed deaths, possibly including one child, and many other injuries. 20 blocks of the city suffered extensive damage with houses and businesses destroyed or flattened. The damage in Picher was rated at “EF4″. At least 150 others were injured in Picher alone. This was the deadliest tornado in Oklahoma since the South Oklahoma City F5 tornado on May 3, 1999 which killed 36. The federal government also decided that there would be no aid given to rebuild homes, but the buyouts would continue as previously scheduled and people will be assisted in relocation. In April 2009, residents voted 55-6 to dissolve the Picher-Cardin school district; it graduated its final class of 11 in May. As of 2009, the district’s enrollment had dropped to a total of 49 students from approximately 340 three years prior. The city’s post office was scheduled to close in July 2009 and the city ceased operations as a municipality on September 1, 2009. As of June 29, 2009, all of the residents had been given federal checks to enable them to relocate from Picher permanently. The town is considered to be too toxic to be habitable. On the last day, all the final residents met at the school auditorium to say goodbye. Tar Creek Superfund site is a United States Superfund site located in Picher and Cardin, Oklahoma. Chat piles left behind by the mining companies contain lead dust that has blown around the city. Elevated lead levels in Picher children have led to learning disabilities and other problems. The lead and zinc have also seeped into groundwater, ponds, and lakes, many of which still are used by children for swimming. Since the children of Picher have been found to have elevated levels of lead in their bodies, the EPA has since declared Picher to be one of the most toxic areas in the United States.
Cost:	There is no fee to enter the area, and at the time of this posting the area was open to public access. Please note that much of the town is still private property and thier are still residents living in the town.
Best Time to Visit:	Anytime, however the area is still being cleaned up by the EPA, and buildings are being leveled and debris cleaned up. The chat piles are also being removed and used as road building material. There may be a day when there is nothing left to see, but I suspect that will be a long time off.
Where it is:	Picher is located eight mile north of Miami on US highway 69 in the very northeastern corner of Oklahoma, with it’s city limits bordering on the Kansas state line.

Map:	View Larger Map
Links:
Video
Further Information	Picher was featured in the PBS Independent Lens film The Creek Runs Red discussing the connection of the people and their desire to leave or stay in the city.Picher was also featured in the Jump the Fence Productions film titled Tar Creek. The film which was written, produced, and directed by Matt Myers features music from Blues legend Watermelon Slim. Picher was recently featured in an episode of Life After People: The Series on the History Channel.

Tips for the Photographer
Equipment:	You can photograph in Picher with just about any type of equipment.
What to Photograph:	The huge Chat piles surrounding Picher, remnants of damge from the 2008 tornado, and the abandoned building of downtown .
Photography Tips:	Use caution, the vicinity has been determined to be toxic by the EPA. Buildings that are standing or partially standing are dangerous. Remember this is private property just as any other town, and there are still people living here.

Walking around in Picher taking photos is a kind of eerie experience. I have photographed “Ghost Towns” before, but these are places that have been empty for many years. Picher has many signs of people living there recently, some of the houses and buildings are in very good shape and a few are actually still being lived in. For the most part however the town is deserted much as you would see in a science fiction movie, where all the people suddenly disappeared from a town. Then there are the ever present “Chat” piles surrounding the town that almost look like the terrain from another planet. Barren and mangled trees all that is left in some areas after the tornado destroyed much of the town in 2008.

Click here for a gallery of additional images from Picher

Basic Digital Photography Workshop

I will be instructing at a free basic digital photography workshop on Saturday Februry 20, 2010.

This class is designed for those new to digital photography who really want to learn to use their digital camera to its fullest potential. The class will cover very basic information up to some advanced techniques. We will cover how to get out of automatic, and into creative photography. You will learn many creative photography techniques, correct exposure and good composition. Bring your camera and manual to the class.

The day will be broken down into several sessions:

Introduction to digital photography
Understanding exposure with liquid light
Seeing the light
Composition
Digital workflow

February 20th 2010, workshop to start at 10am and run until 4pm. Bring sack lunch.

Free, but limited space, please register at the

Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center
8300 Wells Lake Road
Fort Smith, Arkansas 72916
(479)452-3993 Office

Sponsored by the Photographic Alliance and the Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center, and Bedfords Camera & Video.

Bald Eagles on Arkansas River

On Saturday I made a trip up the Arkansas River at Fort Smith with the Photographic Alliance to try and photograph Eagles. We were able to spot several nests and 4 or 5 eagles along the river. Also I got some shots of a Great Blue Heron in flight.

Posted in: Photos.

Snow Photos, Night and Day

On the 29th of January we had the heaviest show we have had in this area for several years, it is not unsual for us to go through the winter without a snow that will actually cover the ground, we had 5 to 7 inches of accumulation with this storm. This being a rare opportunity I had to venture out and shoot photos, beginning Friday evening about 10:00 pm and shooting till about midnight in Fort Smith and Van Buren. Then venturing out again on Saturday Morning and traveling into Oklahoma where the snow was not as deep but still got some interesting shots and a couple of eagles.

January 29, 2010 Snow Storm – Images by Greg Disch