Ken Burns National Parks

I’ve been watching Ken Burns’ National Parks program on PBS for the past three nights. I am glued to my seat and I soak up every word. What a beautiful show. I know this will cause a huge upswell in respect for our National Parks as well as tourism to our Parks. The thing I love most about the shows are how they are not just about “hey, look at these parks, they are great places to visit,” they are about the struggle to preserve the parks and the damage tourism has the potential for. When you enter a National Park, you are entering a sacred place and you and your children should act accordingly!

I started the first night’s show with an ache in my stomach as I knew the footage would be spectacular and I kinda felt competitive with Burns and his crew. This is what I do, and I knew they would be blowing my work away. I kinda put them down a bit in my own mind by recognizing that they had megabucks and the best equipment, but that’s the cry of every photographer and cinematographer when a better artist shows better work. It’s not about the equipment.

As the show began, I felt good. They had spectacular shots, but the detail and the time spent showing a place was nothing like what I am able to do in Beautiful Places. They are different shows. Whew. Now I was able to enjoy the show for what it was. It took about five minutes.

I love the stories of John Muir, one of my heroes and a spiritual inspiration of mine. I have learned so much that I had not known about Muir. And tonight’s show talked of Mather. Most of all, the show talked about the Park Rangers-my dream job. The day I put on the hat will be a dream come true day for me. I have some years to go in teaching, but if the Park Service will have me, I’ll be joining up when I’m 50+.

I think the Park Service needs a Park Videographer that can show the beauty of the parks. That person should be me. Oh well, I’m doing it anyway. 🙂