Mosquito Falls
I have a confession: I don't usually enjoy photographing waterfalls. I enjoy waterfalls very much, and I like to visit them, to look at them and listen to them. But the process of creating photographs of them is often not much fun. There are several reasons for this.
Roy G. Biv
The wind at the shore of violent Lake Superior had been harsh and cold, but as the trail re-entered the woods, the protective trees wrapped me in calm. Each step got quieter. About a half-mile in, all was tranquil.
Autumn At The Creek
As I trudged along the trail through the woods, the sound of the creek kept me company, its happy chatter following every twist and turn. In brief snatches, I could see the water through the trees and undergrowth, but had no clear opportunity to catch a portrait. Then a bend in the creek and curve in the trail nearly touched at a point where the trees thinned just a little and left a gap.
Arboretum Color
While my granddaughter was visiting yesterday, I asked her if there was anything special she'd like to do, and she chose to visit the arboretum. It's been a special place to her since she was a toddler, and I'm so happy that she has good memories of all the times we went there….
Fallen But Not Finished
In the woods, among large trees, the trail takes a turn, and in late afternoon the dappled light reveals a fallen giant. With massive limbs supporting the broken trunk, holding it high above the ground, it appears to be struggling to get back up, as if too proud to simply collapse to the floor.
The Most Civil Society
I agree with Stevenson. When I start upon a woodland trail, I feel that I am entering very civil society indeed. The trees are friendly and welcoming. The small creatures of the wood scurry all about, rustling leaves, stopping to stare curiously but unperturbed about sharing their living space. Bushes and boughs wave companionably as I wander past. The trees towering above offer me shade and shelter, as well as beauty and comfort.
Anniversary Sky
On October 15th, 1978, Wanda and I were married. We were engaged only three weeks, but we had spent more than four years falling in love. It was absolutely amazing to me that when I finally said, "Will you?" she said, "Yes!" I knew then, and have known ever since, that I was the luckiest man in the world.
Driftwood
The course that brought this driftwood here has been long and twisted. Once, it stood strong among a family of trees. But as it aged, it was beaten by wind and storm, until the strain brought it down, broken, to the ground. Relentless, the waters pushed and battered it, sending it tumbling against rocks, catching and clinging for awhile, then torn loose again by the pounding water, until it was disgorged with the stream to lie here upon the shore.
Ripples In Still Water
I sat gazing across Jordan Pond in Acadia, under stunning blue sky, with sunshine that did not provide warmth against the continuous chilly breeze blowing across the lake. I was watching the ripples march across in front of me, with the cold sunlight filtering through to make dancing waves of brightness and shadow across the rocks beneath the clear water. As I watched the ripples, my eyes clouded, and my inner ear heard the song lyrics:
The F-stops Here
For beginners, one of the more slippery concepts in photography is the f-stop. What the heck is it, why are the numbers so weird, why do they seemingly run backward, what’s it do, and what should you set yours to?
Endeavor To Persevere
I knew they were there. I’d seen them out there before. It’s home for them, the kind of habitat they love: woody marshland, with lots of places to hide. But time and again when I’d go out there to shoot them, they were elusive, like an acquaintance who owes you money.
Lucky shot!
On a weekend photo shoot & camping trip, I was talking with my camp neighbors, who saw me lurking along the bank of the river, shooting birds. They asked about my photos, and of course I was happy to show them some of my favorites from a previous outing. Looking through shots on my phone, they made appropriate complimentary noises, and then came to one shot of a great blue heron with a fish in its mouth. “Oh,” the wife said. “How lucky that you happened to be there at just the right time, and with a camera!”