Bob Crum

To all who sent me an email encouraging me to continue writing Focus on Photography, thank you. They all touched my heart in ways heretofore unimaginable. For example, this email: "I've had the pleasure of meeting & chatting with you twice; once while you were shooting trains at the Railroad Festival last year, and again earlier this year while you were working at Nova Storage. On both occasions you were thankful for my interest in your writings.

Your column is one of the reasons I seek out the Gazette every Friday. Sometimes the articles are a little too technical for me, but you always find a way to blend your local charm into your rants (phonetographers)and colorful descriptions of local, and not so local (poppy fields) places to shoot photos.

Although I'm sorry to learn of your health problems, I pray that you can find the strength to keep contributing to the Gazette. Please continue to teach and educate us on how to shoot photos that enhance our collective memories of beautiful and/or unusual So. Cal. scenes.......and keep trying to explain to us novices the mysteries of shutter speed, f-stops and all the other details of photography that only your experience and words can explain to those of us who don't wanna depend on "auto focus"!!!

You provide Fillmore with an invaluable wealth of information and experience.......and I would hate to lose that! Yours truly. Greg B."

Another: "I was so distressed by your medical issues I felt I needed to add my voice to your request for a vote to continue with more articles. The photography not being my main interest in your writings, but your "eye" for beauty in all that you see & the pains you take to capture it all in a photograph on paper is truly inspiring to this artist's eye. So for that reason, I want your articles to continue....,.as one artist to another...! I have truly enjoyed each and every one tho I have no idea what all the photo lingo is about. I just enjoy viewing your results. Judy D."

I had no idea that I helped so many to varying degrees but good to hear that I brought some photography newbies up to speed and creating better photos. Others (phonetographers) mostly enjoyed my escapades and shenanigans as I traveled the countryside photographing everything from naked mermaids to majestic arches in Utah. Collectively, I am also pleased to see that all those readers garnered something out of my tech talks and musings. And to see that I also appealed to non-photographers (artists), well, it doesn't get any better than that!

I had hoped that at least half of my 2,692,585 readers would have responded with the two words "keep writing" in the subject box. I'm sad to say that it fell 37 emails short. So, after 811,000 - give or take a couple hundred - words, it's time to put Focus on Photography in the closet and turn off the lights.

My only disappointment was that no one nominated my magnificent, stupendous incomparable Focus on Photography column for a Pulitzer Prize. Hmmm.

Farewell! I love you all, including, ahem, phonetographers!

Fillmore Fire Department

The Fillmore Fire Department in conjunction with the Ventura County Fire Department, the U.S. Forest Service and CalFire will be conducting live grass fire training in the west end of Fillmore on Wednesday July 1st from 10 AM – 4 PM. This will be a controlled burn under ideal circumstances that are favorable to training fire crews.

Crews will light small fires that are easily controllable with fire engines and handcrews. The main objective is to give valuable wildland fire fighting experience to all firefighters participating in the drill. Firefighters will be attacking the small fires with water from fire hoses and with hand tools.

The area to be burned is boarded by roads on all sides. Ventura St to the north, River St to the south, E St to the west and D St to the east. There may be a smell of smoke in the air for a few hours but burning will take place to minimize the overall smoke production.

All questions may be directed to Fillmore Fire Department 805-558-0932

Update: The City of Fillmore decided to cancel the 2020 4th of July Fireworks Show.

On June 21, 2020, at approximately 1030 hours, a 65-year-old Fillmore woman was jogging on the Sespe Creek bike path near Old Telegraph Road in Fillmore when an unknown man exposed his penis and then attacked the woman. The victim was able to quickly break free from the suspect’s grasp and flee the area before calling the police.

The victim described the suspect as a Hispanic male who appeared to be about 19-years-old, approximately 5’11” tall and 170 pounds, having a medium complexion, and a thin mustache. She said the suspect was wearing dark colored clothing and a hat.

The victim was physically unharmed during the attack. It is unknown if the suspect remained in the area after the victim fled. Detectives with the Sheriff’s Major Crimes – Sexual Assault Unit are investigating this case. Anyone who was in the area at the time or has information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Detective Jamal Clark at (805) 384-4740 or Sergeant Hector Macias at (805) 384-4730.

Detectives worked with the victim to obtain the attached composite sketch of the suspect. He is described as a Hispanic male, approximately 19-years-old, 5’11” tall, and 170 pounds. He had a medium to dark complexion, black hair, brown eyes, and a thin mustache. He was wearing dark colored clothing and a hat at the time of the incident. Anyone who has information regarding anyone who may resemble the sketch is encouraged to contact Detective Jamal Clark at (805) 384-4740 or Sergeant Hector Macias at (805) 384-4730.

Nature of Incident: Fillmore Woman Attacked by Unknown Man While Jogging
Report Number: 20-83962
Location: Sespe Creek Bike Path @ Old Telegraph Road, Fillmore
Date & Time: June 21, 2020 @ 10:30 am
Unit(s) Responsible: Fillmore Police Department Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit
Prepared by: Sergeant Hector Macias
Media Follow-Up Contact: Sergeant Marta Bugarin (805) 947-8052 marta.bugarin@ventura.org
Approved by: Captain Jeff Miller

Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).

After operating Elkins Ranch Golf Course for almost 60 years, Elkins Ranch Company regretfully announces the closure of the golf course effective September 7, 2020. With careful consideration, the company has made the very difficult, but necessary decision to close our golf course. After two decades of declining play and ever increasing expenses, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board of Directors has determined that the company can no longer remain viable with the golf course as the core of its business model.

Elkins Ranch Company is a family owned business that was founded in 1930, with farming as its sole endeavor. With the closure of the golf course, the company will return to its agricultural roots.

We are extremely grateful for the public’s support and patronage over the years, particularly our local patrons from Fillmore and the Santa Clara Valley. We are also very grateful for the outstanding staff that has made Elkins Ranch Golf Course such a special and welcoming place. We will truly miss the personal contacts, friendships and camaraderie of our customers, employees and vendors. We want to express our deep appreciation for our staff, our customers, and our community as we move into this new era.

Posted June 19th, 20202
Dear Valued Lake Piru Visitors:
We would like to thank you for your patience during these unprecedented times associated with the Covid-19 pandemic. The District's biggest concerns have been the safety of our visitors and the preservation of the "Lake Piru experience."
At present, there is no set date for the re-opening of the Lake Piru Recreation Area. The District, in an abundance of caution, has prepared and considered a re-opening plan but ultimately the decision was made to keep the recreation area closed until it can be open and operated at 100 percent with all of its amenities. Given that our public pay an admission fee, we did not want to offer a partial re-opening that would greatly limit the visitor experience, while also posing a public health risk. We are tirelessly updating the phased reopening plan and are keeping our Board of Directors apprised of updated County guidelines and the activities of neighboring recreation areas.
In addition, we are reviewing neighboring recreational areas' operations with an eye toward implementing additional measures from their plans to ensure our re-opening is seamless and that Lake Piru and its staff are well prepared for any associated challenges going forward. For now, however, we are not ready to re-open, but we will be very soon. We encourage the public to keep checking the District's website ( www.unitedwater.org ) and the Lake Piru Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/UWCDLakePiru/ ) as we will announce our re-opening plans on these sites first.
Thank you all for your patience and we look forward to the time when we can welcome you back to the lovely Lake Piru Recreation area. To add your name to the notification list, click here.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Chief Park Ranger Clayton Strahan at (805) 826-4512.

Antibody Testing: The Ventura County Health Care Agency is offering free covid-19 antibody testing in Fillmore. The test is a blood test that tells individuals if they have been previously exposed to COVID-19 and have developed antibodies to the disease. Testing is offered at locations throughout the County. More information at: https://www.venturacountyrecovers.org/antibody/ or by calling 805-482-1904. The testing is part of a study with UCLA and California Lutheran University. Fillmore testing is Friday, July 3, from 10am to 6pm at Shields Park, 649 C Street, Fillmore, CA.

With the COVID-19 Pandemic people are wondering about the Annual 4th of July Car and Fireworks Show, which is held every year in Fillmore. Well, this year will be slightly different. Fillmore will have a fireworks show on July 4th, to begin around 9pm.
Unfortunately, this year’s Annual Car Show has been cancelled. But never fear, a group of car enthusiasts are organizing a cruise through Fillmore starting at 10:30am. Details TBD. Photo
courtesy Bob Crum.

Bob Crum

Will this be my last Focus on Photography column? It's up to you!

If you find value in the Focus on Photography column, and you wish to see it continue, I need to know this and I need to hear it now. Don't delay - write today!!! This column's life is in your hands. In your email type "Keep Writing" in the subject line. Comments optional. Thank you!

Including this one, I have written 185 consecutive columns published here in the Fillmore Gazette. No repeats! I'm proud of my accomplishment. And profoundly grateful for the publisher who provided the space for my column every week and for posting online. I also appreciate the Gazette staff for making sure I didn't go off the rails, something I can easily do. And to my readers: Thank you!

Writing about technical photography tips and techniques, and some of my experiences in the field has been both a challenge and a daunting task. Some wanted more technical info, and others wanted more experiences told. Some wanted camera reviews, and others wanted to know how I light for Mermaid boudoir photoshoots. How to accommodate everyone's expectations proved to be a weekly hair-pulling exercise.

As I often wrote, photography motivated me to visit places that I might not have otherwise visited. Example, Mono Lake with notorious tufas, interesting lake bottom projections. Fields of poppies in the Antelope Valley. Eagle Falls at Lake Tahoe. Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef National Parks in Utah. And many, many other fantabulous photogenic landscape scenes. The intention has been that readers might get inspired and motivated to go out and about to enjoy (and photograph) our country's fantabulous landscapes. And know how to program their camera to capture the desired photo.

Now, however, I am experiencing gradually worsening health. Respiratory issues include COPD and a mass located in my left lung. Hence, I now have to be tethered to supplemental oxygen 24/7. At home, an oxygen concentrator runs continuously and for necessary trips out and about, a portable unit oxygen concentrator. I also have cylinders (tanks) of oxygen in case the electric goes off. I cannot perform even small tasks without my SPO2 (blood/oxygen level) dropping precipitously. So I'm considering taking a break for maybe 35 years or so. Furthermore, with COVID-19 still on a rampage, my pulmonologist admonished me to shelter in place because of my extreme vulnerability.

Because of my extremely limited physical abilities, I have to have a caregiver to assist with many tasks that I can no longer accomplish on my own. For grocery and drug store runs or other miscellaneous errands, friends are blessings! But not being able to go out and about is frustrating. But I digress.

Photography remains robust but only for a limited number of genuine enthusiasts and professional photographers. Cameras remain the go-to tool for greater latitude over capturing the desired photograph. However, in the year 2020, it's obvious that almost everyone has an omnipresent and ubiquitous cellphone. Thus, a herd of phonetographers roams the planet!

Photography vs. phonetography begets questions: Is my column Focus on Photography still relevant? Is my column being received by indifferent or uninterested eyes? Does my column serve a useful purpose?

Again, if you find value in the Focus on Photography column, and you wish to see it continue, don’t delay - write today!!! In your email type "Keep Writing" in the subject line.

Photo of the Week is again from the archives, a photo of one of many arches in Arches National Park, Utah.

Send email to: focusonphotography@earthlink.net