Happy New Year!

Better Than TV

This cute guy visits whenever I put out bread crumbs, and he and his buddies are more entertaining than anything I could watch on TV. I love his little hands tucked into his chest. The trick to getting a good photo of any animal is to sit still for a long, long time -- don't move, don't breathe -- and be ready for any quick move they will make.

Happy Thanksgiving

Nothing reminds me more of the holiday season than the colors red and green!

Tire Tread

Noticed this tire tread and couldn't resist.

Made Me Look Twice

Driving down a busy country road, I did a doubletake when I saw this woodland scene -- wow! I pulled over to the side and walked back to take some pictures, and of course, a cop drove by looking at the way I parked my car. But when he saw me with the camera and this beautiful view, he just kept on driving, and for that I am very grateful! Always, always, always have your good camera nearby -- never leave home without it.

Fall Zinnias

Zinnias are really gorgeous and brightly colored when they are in their prime, but when the weather gets cool and they start to fade, they look like a watercolor painting -- charming and old fashioned. I focused just on the front zinnias and got down low in order to get a sea of color in the background that is just a bit blurry.

A Patchwork Quilt

Someone down the street made two big mounds of dirt in their front yard and covered them with a patchwork of moss clumps. It is so strange and wonderful. I have always been drawn to moss for its lovely velvety appearance and am nurturing a moss patio behind my house. It looks like something a fairy princess would take a nap on in the woods.

Snowflakes in October

Well, not really. These snowflakes are made from bacon grease that soaked through a paper towel onto a glass plate. I held the glass plate up to the window for better light. You never know where you'll find an interesting pattern!

Nectarines

Nectarines are one of my favorite fruits, and I just bought a bag from the local farm. One nectarine still had its leaves attached, so I placed it on the table with black fabric behind it and experimented with the light from one lamp (camera on tripod), and came up with some lovely shots. Below is the other side of the nectarine.

Fall is Coming When You See These Berries

Warning! These berries do not go with those leaves. I found them growing down low in the shade, and it was very late in the day when I noticed them, so I plucked them off and lay them on top of a shrub that had the last speck of sunlight left in the day. Still, I love the contrasting colors and the composition.

Grass Beautiful Grass

My love of grass began with a major research project I completed last year for a course entitled, "America's Obsession With the Front Lawn." I have become obsessed with the way people use grass in their landscapes, and find myself taking far too many photographs on this topic. These mounds of decorative grass were found in a Wendy's parking lot, of all places. It was gently blowing in the wind and completely mesmerizing.

Real Tree

The surface of this tree -- the mixture of bark and wood -- is so amazingly beautiful that I could stare at it for hours. How is it possible that nature creates this without any hidden motives or the need for attention?

Summer For Sure

Queen Anne's Lace and goldenrod blossoms are a sure sign that you are in the middle of summer. It reminds me of the lazy days of summer of my childhood when I didn't have a care in the world, and my face and legs were streaked with dirt from roaming around in the woods barefoot all day long. Those days are long gone. Now I wouldn't dare walk in the woods for fear of getting a tick on me! But those memories never fade -- these flowers still bring me back to that innocent connection with the power of Nature, and for that I am always grateful.

Is This Color For Real?

When I think about the colors and shapes found in Nature, it is almost impossible to not feel blissfully happy. 'Nuf said.

Bee Balm

My sister gave me some bee balm plants years ago, and they spread like weeds everywhere, so now I mow it down and just leave a small patch . . . so glad because that color is unbelievable.

Waiting

People who are bored are often the most fun to watch. They don't even realize how interesting they look leaning against random backgrounds.

Tuesday's Find

Couldn't just hike past this tree. I made a bunch of images looking straight into the lichen to capture those beautiful patterns. But it is this angle that pleases me most, with the greenery in the background.

Heaven

Went for a great hike to the top of the mountain, and when I saw that little bent tree and the shape of the cloud above it, I knew I had something special.

Peonies

I love this time of year when the paper peonies bloom. They are so old fashioned looking, reminding me of old ladies and their sweet gardens. Used a telephoto lens for these shots because I wanted the backgrounds to be as blurred and dark as possible.

Beautiful Snake

While photographing a clematis vine, I moved to get closer to the flowers, and saw this beautiful sight right where I was about to step. Luckily I had my telephoto lens on so I didn't have to get too close to the snake.

Poppies

Wandered around the back yard in the early evening, photographing the beautiful flowers I've planted over the years. The sun was super bright, making very hard shadows, which is perfect for the telephoto lens. Taking a few steps closer to the poppy, I made the image below. I cannot even believe the vibrant colors of the poppy and the papery texture of the petals.

Christmas in Spring

This pine tree looks like it's decorated for Christmas. It is so gorgeous, I don't know how to photograph it to do it justice. I took several full tree shots, but I think this close up reflects the lovely colors and shapes best.

Spring Leaves

There is nothing more glorious than fresh new leaves sparkling in the sun. I stood underneath this oak tree with the morning sun shining through them. I really like the shadow patterns played against the edges of the leaves.

Georgia O'Keefe

One of my favorite painters is Georgia O'Keefe, and this iris reminds me so much of her famous painting. It is sensuous and painterly, and hard to believe it is real. Found it growing by my neighbor's mailbox.

Good Smells

Every day I take a walk past this cedar tree surrounded by Lily of the Valley. There is something about the patterns there, and of course the luscious smells, that attracts me. This is a dark spot, so I went early in the morning when the light would help out.

Bleeding Hearts

This is an overhead shot of a bleeding heart plant. I usually crouch down low and photograph the flowers from the side to capture their lovely heart shape. But this particular frond had a sweet curve to it, and the hostas beneath gave a great backdrop. I manual focused on just the stem to keep the background a bit blurry. It was dark because a rainstorm was fast approaching -- perfect lighting to bring out the colors of nature.

IMPORTANT NOTE: After I finished taking this photograph, I went inside and found a tick crawling on my pants leg. Further inspection revealed three more -- one on the inside of my pants, one on my sock, and one on my bra! I stuck them all between pieces of tape and checked myself VERY carefully for any others, but that was it. You have to be really careful these days.

Violets

This morning I took pictures of the violets growing in the lawn before I mow them down. They are such happy accents to the lawn, I hate to mow them, but they grow right back anyway.

Daffodils

Just before the sun started to set, there were rays of light shining right on the daffodils. The dark background made the yellow flowers pop right out. And in the image below, the hard shadows made a really gorgeous pattern.

The Moon

The moon was so big this afternoon, I noticed it just as the sun was beginning to go down. Thought it would be a cool effect to make everything out of focus except the moon.

The image below has the moon out of focus -- it looks like a marshmallow in the sky.

More Pussy Willows

The pussy willows have turned yellow and fuzzy now, and behind them is a tree with red buds beginning to open. I may have taken this pic too late in the day for the yellow to show up well enough, but I love the colors in this image. Used my telephoto lens.

Diagonal Lines

I often see shapes and lines rather than trees and branches. This is the base of the pussy willow tree covered with lichen, and the new growth is all growing in a diagonal direction. I stood far back and used the telephoto lens to blur out the background and was left with a lovely gray-blue-green tint to the image.

More Shadows

What can I say . . . I looked out my window and saw these shadows and there was nothing more to do except grab the camera and run outside. I don't know which image I like better -- the horizontal above or vertical below.

Pussy Willows

As I was wandering around my property today, picking up sticks and enjoying the spring sounds of birds, I looked up and noticed that the pussy willow tree was blossoming. Quick! I ran into the house, grabbed my camera, attached a telefoto lens, and ran back outside. I make a series of images from both far away and close up perspectives, but I think this one really gives the feel of a real spring day in the Northeast.

Morning and Cows

This is what I saw on my walk this morning. I had to stop and soak in the beauty, and then I documented it for posterity. Hopefully, this view will stay the same forever and ever, giving us a place to dream and feel peaceful.

Crocus in the Lawn

This cute little bee landed on a crocus I was photographing in my lawn (right place at the right time). I kneeled down as close as possible without invading the bee's territory and zoomed in to make these images quickly, and just after about 5 seconds, Mr. Bee flew to its next meal.

Here is another image I made the same day. It is a thrill to see flowers blossoming right now after the long winter we endured, and it makes me want to stay outdoors all day making images of any new growth -- finally, a sign of life!

Sky

Driving down the road one day, I was preoccupied by the drama of the clouds, so I pulled over into the high school parking lot, grabbed my camera, and took four quick shots before the sun peeked out from behind the clouds and the moment was gone. It was the contrast in colors that attracted me so much to these clouds -- the blue, the black, the dark grays, the white.

Spring is Almost Here

Today was the first kayaking day of the year for me. The water was still. The sun came out every now and then. There were birds everywhere. I breathed in deep and remembered that gorgeous smell of water, earth, and wind. Heaven.

Sunrise

Glad I'm an early riser, or I would miss sights like these. Then I have to grab my boots and coat and gloves and camera and run outside before it's gone -- usually within 5 minutes or so. Another case of always having the camera near at hand with battery charged.

Happy Valentines Day

Hope your day is filled with love, hugs & kisses.

Another Industrial Shot

This is another image I made when passing by a Landoll flatbed at work. It is not too old, but the control panel looked retro and interesting to me. I like the rust, the colors, and the Landoll logo. I crouched down low to make the below image of the Landoll flatbed to give it a wide-angle feeling (I do not have a wide-angle lens) and to give it a feeling of action or motion.

Freightliner

I do a lot of industrial photography for my job, most of which is for documentary purposes, but I always try to sneak in some arty shots that I can use in brochures or advertisements. For instance, when I walk past the trucks, I cannot help but feel like a little kid looking up at that great big grill and feeling awestruck. I think this image adequately portrays that feeling!