May in California is wildflower season and the high desert of the eastern Sierras is no exception. I took tons of photos, but due to the harsh light, relentless wind and time constraints (who can wait forever for the wind to die down on every single shot?) most of them are for my reference and... Continue Reading →
So I’ve been thinking about this blog post and putting it off because I didn’t have an angle, a theme or a cohesive idea to pull it together. As with a lot of my writing it just needed time to brew, like a good pot of French Press coffee. (Four minutes with 200 degree water... Continue Reading →
An online photographer friend said that he doesn't do much black and white landscape work because he feels he needs the color to be there because it was there. I agree with him up to a point. No, I'm no Ansel Adams, but I do like how a black and white photograph can work when... Continue Reading →
To many people the word desert conjures up images of dunes, rippling sand, cactus and brutal temperatures. While some of that might be true, many deserts are far from that. Their lushness and color just might surprise you. Even though I've never lived near one, I've always loved the desert. High desert especially. That's one... Continue Reading →
Been working on my microscapes this year. Experimenting with light mostly. Including dappled sunlight, trying for some drama and separation. That's what the sunlight does in the woods, it highlights certain things and shadows others. It's some of what makes the woods magical, at least to me. Here's one of a medium-sized painted turtle I... Continue Reading →
Back to your regularly scheduled program. More nature stuff. I am a bit bummed at the moment because I came upon a very active great blue heron rookery the other day and my old 300mm lens isn't up to the task. Most of my old legacy glass is still very good when paired with a... Continue Reading →
Just a quick post of some more unusual shots I've taken lately. No, I haven't abandoned my hyper-literal, documentary style, but I had some fun and thought I'd share. It's sometimes VERY hard for me to see in abstract. My brain's not wired that way, but I sometimes go out of my head.
So I’ve been taking a lot of pictures lately. Every week for the past couple of years pretty much. Lately I’ve seen an improvement in my work and it’s gratifying. Not that I’m trying to toot my own horn or anything so arrogant, it’s just something I’ve noticed. Pretty much at the same time I’ve... Continue Reading →
I can't help myself. I'm a nature and outdoors photographer. That means I shoot a lot of wildflowers. Yeah, it's a cliche, but sometimes they are just so lovely I can't pass them by. This year I'm trying to capture the quality of light as well as the flowers themselves and so far it's been... Continue Reading →
I have a love/hate relationship with spring. In the love category we have the fact that when a breeze hits your face it doesn't feel like it will freeze off. Also the twittery, fluttery birds all excited to be making more birds. Tree frogs. And the lovely green of the pale leaves as the trees... Continue Reading →
Often when I post photos of moving water looking all smooth, silky or smoky I get comments asking how I achieve that result. So I decided to write this post using my latest batch of images to illustrate things (and give you a couple of Lightroom tips in the bargain). Don't say I never gave... Continue Reading →
If you've been following this blog for a while, you probably noted my love of abandoned things and the woods. Well lately I've been able to combine them in a really excellent way - mill ruins! I went walking in some nature trails in Hampstead the other day and found three old mill sites in... Continue Reading →
Let the microscapes begin! Not the most beautiful or delicate of wildflowers, but one of the first to appear. I went wandering in one of the many nature preserves in Andover, Massachusetts the other day and one section of the swamp was covered with skunk cabbage. I read that they can come up so early... Continue Reading →
You know that old saying, hindsight is 20/20? Some days it smacks me right in the head. The other day after a lovely few hours in the woods I thought to myself that I should have been a forester or something. Hubby comes back to say that it doesn't pay much. In money, no it... Continue Reading →
I've been doing a little winter hiking and snowshoeing lately so thought I'd share some shots. The forest is an amazing place to me in any season, but in winter it seems to be draped in finery. This first one I shot today while out in the afternoon. Those shadows are hard to beat. The... Continue Reading →
Today had it! I love this light. Clouds obscuring the sun, but not completely. Just enough coming through to bring up texture and slight shadows. I love this brook. I go to shoot the falls, but so far no success. The brook however, I manage to get. Shot with the E-30, ZD 12-60mm and... Continue Reading →
I can't help it. Discouraged and in my weird place I still had the urge to go out after a storm and take pictures of my front garden. The process itself made me happy and that hasn't changed. I basically just walked the driveway and the shoveled path and used the legacy OM... Continue Reading →
Son of Massive Dynamic. Told ya I'd go back. Yesterday afternoon was a pretty good day to be out. Better than today which is overcast and blah. Anyway, I didn't take these two shots deliberately to match. They're like bookends and I only noticed it when I got to processing them. I mean, it's not... Continue Reading →
This idea has been rolling around in my head for some time. Months maybe, certainly weeks. I like the idea of it even though my back does not. Have you heard the term before? I think I must have picked it up somewhere since I'm not the type to go around coining phrases. It has... Continue Reading →
Let me count the ways - It's been truly wonderful this season. More to come.
While the season is by no means over, the peak color is draining rapidly. A storm came through yesterday that probably knocked a lot of leaves off the trees and so I was even more glad to have gotten out in the days before. Because of my health issue, my fall season was in jeopardy... Continue Reading →
Part 10 of the lifecycle of the Lily of the Valley study - berries go from luscious and ripe to fallen and decaying.
Fruit ripens and an unexpected visitor drops by.
The long walk through Seattle.
