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Page 18             August 2018                                      The Catoctin Banner Newspaper                         www.TheCatoctinBanner.com                       Published by www.EPlusPromotes.com
            Catoctin, Picture Perfect


               Jim Schlett

              When our National Parks were        Catoctin Park staff. Each park asks   overview of the park, potential
            first established, well over a century   that the artist donate one piece of   workshop dates, introduced
            ago, painters and photographers       their work back to the Park after the   other park employees and
            created works that inspired           residency is completed and to give a   volunteers, and also talked
            Americans and people from around      workshop/talk to the public during   about on-going events of the
            the world to journey and visit those   the residency.                      park. Afterward, we unpacked
            areas and to generate interest in       My wife and I arrived on Sunday,   the car in now heavy rain and
            the parks. That practice lives on to   May 6, 2018, in light rain, which   settled into the cabin. I was able
            this day. The National Park Service   created a bright spring green on     to take just a few images of the
            (NPS) still reaches out to potential   our drive up from Virginia that I   surrounding area and cabins for
            “artists” through its Artist-In-      hoped would make for great photos    the first afternoon; we then made
            Residency (AIR) program, which        over the next two weeks. That ride   our way down to the Kountry
            is available at over forty different   sparked a conversation about our    Kitchen in Thurmont for a great
            locations.                            great interest in our National Parks,   dinner.
              After retiring from the Federal     dating back to the early 1980s with     In addition to creating my
            government with over thirty years     our first trip to Yellowstone and the   own images of the park, I had
            of service, including the last fifteen   Grand Tetons,  now having visited   made an offer to take photos
            as the director of administration     over 140 sites to-date.              of the park employees and
            for the Law Department, I decided       Based on my prior AIR experience   volunteers during my stay. As a
            to “refocus” on my photography.       at Whiskeytown Park, I kept a        result, I managed to meet many
            Through a very competitive            detailed journal of each day, touching   employees and volunteers, who
            application process, I was notified   on such activities as hikes, the     all went the extra mile in terms
            that I had been selected as the AIR   people we met, and notes for future   of reaching out to me and all of
            at Catoctin Mountain Park for two     exploring. As part of the program,   the visitors to the park. Catoctin
            weeks in May. Like other painters,    the park provides lodging to the     Park provided space in the
            my photos tell a story with images    artists. My wife and I were assigned   Visitors Center for the display
            rather than words. I had been very    housing at Camp Misty Mount, a       of my photography; so, on the    By artist Jim Schlett, taken in Camp Misty Mount, within 200
            fortunate to have been selected       historical complex of cabins built   first Monday, we installed about   yards of his cabin. “The lighting at that early morning, with a
            as the AIR at the Whiskeytown         in the 1930s by the Works Progress   fifteen of my canvas prints. I   light fog, created a sense of being invited in to the forest.”
            National Park Recreation Area in      Administration. On our first day,    also provided a daily update of
            Northern California in 2016, so I     we met AIR Coordinator Carrie        three to four new images for each     relatively easy walk along the Blue
            had a good idea of what I wanted      Andresen, a dedicated park ranger,   day at the park, which were also      Blazes Trail would lead to hundreds
            to accomplish and share with the      who provided us with an excellent    posted at the Visitors Center, as     of photos of the stream, trees, flowers
                                                                                       well as on  their Facebook page and   and eventually the whiskey still.
                                                                                       mine. Over the two weeks, we hiked    During one of my photo workshops,
                                                                                       essentially all of the trails, and some   two of the participants were quickly
                                                                                       more than once. I was amazed at       laying down on the ground, capturing
                                                                                       the quietness and peaceful feeling of   close-ups of what they described as
                                                                                       just being in the park. I discovered   a rare flower find by its scientific
                                                                                       what many of the locals must know,    name. On a few days, a heavy fog
                                                                                       it really is a hidden gem in the      and mist—which I was excited to
                                                                                       National Park Service. Enjoying       see—provided unique lighting for
                                                                                       American history at the same time,    new images. I find that light plays a
                                                                                       I learned of the creation of the park   critical role in finding photographs,
                                                                                       and its legacy, including training    and that is why I often go back to
                                                                                       grounds for the Office of Strategic   specific locations several times to
                                                                                       Services (OSS), the predecessor to    try and capture just the right light.
                                                                                       the CIA, during World War II.         The light can make the difference
                                                                                          It doesn’t take long in a National   between a good photograph and a
                                                                                       Park to find inspiration for creating   great one. Wandering around also
                                                                                       new work. As an example, a simple,    …  Story continued on page 19
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