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 →
Spring Beauties
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 →
Out of My Head
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.
Are we blind?
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 →
A Photographic Cliche – Wildflowers
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 →
Spring photography – not for the faint of heart
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 →
Smoke On the Water
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 →
The Art of the Do-Over
The nice thing about shooting my local area is that I can have do-overs. My friend and fellow photographer Jeff and I have had conversations about this and although I stress over choking on vacation shoots, I don't worry so much about local stuff. I'm not going to steal Jeff's thunder with this post since... Continue Reading →
Rural Obscura
I've always been intrigued by broken-down buildings on the side of the road. In New England they are everywhere. Little shacks. Barns. Garages. Unidentifiable buildings that make you wonder what they used to be and why they were hammered together in the first place. Mostly they're wooden, but occasionally metal and almost always difficult to... Continue Reading →
Craving color in a black and white world
Yeah, I know I just wrote a whole big post about black and white photography and how awesome it is, but now I'm starting to crave color. It's the precursor to spring fever. Happens every year. I try not to let it get to me, but some days I just feel like these leaves -... Continue Reading →
The Elegance of the Forest
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 →
Up All Night
From time to time I go meet up with a few other local photographers. We are all part of the same flickr group and it's pretty much the same core of people who go to them. We usually try for a sunrise. Winter shooting seems far more popular. Probably because sunrise is at 7am instead... Continue Reading →
OK, I shot
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 →
F-f-f-frozen
Part of the joy of shooting in the winter in New England is dealing with the cold. Mostly it's just a matter of the right clothing, but a photographer lives and dies by her eyes and her hands and it's the hands that suffer most. I think I need to get some of those pocket... Continue Reading →
Parting Shots
Well 2010 is on its way out. I can hardly believe I had such a successful photography year and I can only wonder what the next one will bring. Thanks to everyone who stopped by, commented or even subscribed to this blog. Here's the latest batch of photos and probably the last of the year. ... Continue Reading →
Oh look – something else abandoned
This time an old quarry up in the White Mountains in North Conway. It was collectively known as the Redstone Quarry and had several faces and cutting operations. The area is huge and I needed many more hours to shoot there to get all of it. Up until the late 1940s it was an active... Continue Reading →
Living Bad Dreams
If you've been reading this blog or following my flickr or Smugmug feeds you'll have noticed my penchant for abandoned places (and my love for heavy metal - spot the references if you can). Especially between seasons if you know what I mean. Sure, you can shoot derelict stuff anytime, but after the leaves fall... Continue Reading →
Reflections on death – part 3
Some ask if I ever hang out with live people, that's how often I can be found in a cemetery. I'm just drawn to them. Here's a round-up of some of the best from the last few months - There are lots more in the Graven Images Gallery if you can't get enough.
Lucky in Light
Outdoors photographers are at the mercy of the sun and clouds. We can't make our own perfect light and so when it comes along we have to recognize it and get out there. My favorite kind of light is hazy clouds with breaks of blue sky. Not quite overcast, but not quite full sun either. ... Continue Reading →
Dam the Poor River
On the way home from an appointment I took a rather long detour which brought me by the Hopkinton-Everett Dam. It was built in the early 60s as part of a flood control measure. In 1938 there was a powerful hurricane that caused immense damage and destruction. The Piscataquog, like other rivers, overflowed its banks... Continue Reading →
Massive Dynamic II
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 →
In Contemplation of the Microscape
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 →
How Do I Love Thee October
Let me count the ways - It's been truly wonderful this season. More to come.
Autumn Harvest
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 →