Dinner

While preparing dinner, I cut in half a head of red cabbage and couldn't resist photographing the breathtaking layers and colors. It is as beautiful as it is delicious. I grabbed my tripod real quick and took 5 or 6 shots and then continued on making dinner.

Snowy Days

On weekends I stand by the window and enjoy the wildlife outside -- better than tv. Taking pictures through certain windowpanes gives a dreamy blurry effect that gives a painterly feeling. The color on the male cardinals this winter is spectacular -- I did NOT enhance the color in any of these images. All natural.

Below are some of my shadow images. My attraction for shadows has become apparent, and I plan on putting together a series for my blog.

Favorite Bird

The female cardinal is my favorite bird. She is green with a bright red beak and red tuft on top of her head. She's not the obvious choice for a fascinating bird because her partner is such a brilliant red and so beautiful himself. But she is stunning and faithful to her red partner. They look out for each other with such love, they are amazing to watch. This female was sitting on my picnic table, and I shot this image through the window with a telephoto lens and tripod.

Her partner visited moments later. My goal is to get a better image of him, but they are quite shy, and whenever I see them at the feeder and grab my camera, they fly away!

Over the years I have collected a variety of nests that have been abandoned by their hosts. They are awe inspiring -- how can birds and bees create such amazing shapes? In the image below, the robin's egg was not found in the nest, but it was on the lawn and became a part of my collection. The color and shape of the egg gives the composition the focal point it needs to make your eye want to move around the image.

Clematis

Last June I wandered out to my garden to find that my Clematis plant had blossomed with more flowers than ever before. Their vivid color captivated me and I made a series of images that I cannot choose my favorite from, so here are a few more:

I experimented with depth of field and used my telephoto lens for this last shot, to make the background a blur of green.

Ethan

Ethan is my son's friend, and he is very cool. I knew I wanted to photograph him, but didn't want to impose too much, so I took two or three quick pics while I had the chance. I asked him to kneel down on the brick patio while I stood higher than him up on the front porch, directing him to look up at me through his hair with those gorgeous blue eyes. I love the result -- his expression, the colors and patterns. It may be hard to see, but Ethan's shirt has a drawing of a hairy chest on it. He is all about hair!

Ice Storm

We had an ice storm that knocked out the power on my road for three days. The house was SO cold, I had to find warm places to go. So I hopped in the car, turned on the heat, and started to run errands. But when I looked up into the mountains nearby, I saw this gorgeous sight of the ice glazed tree tops and rushed back home for my camera.

Pretty Buds

I could not resist the lovely pattern these buds made against the brick building behind it. This is the same tree whose yellow leaves are posted in my first entry.

Gloucester, Mass.

I went on a business trip to Gloucester, Mass., recently and photographed this beautiful Victorian home right on the Ipswich Bay. I had taken similar images in the morning when the sky was completely clear, but luckily I came back to this spot in the late afternoon and re-photographed the house when the clouds had rolled in and the sunlight was starting to fade, which created an interesting mood. It was bitterly cold and windy, but I'm glad I braved the elements for the re-shoot.

Patterns and Colors

I am very fortunate to live on a piece of property that inspires me. The other day in the late morning, the sun was shining on the hosta scapes turning them to a gorgeous yellow, and against the background of tree shadows, there was a mesmerizing collection of patterns and colors.

The Mushroom

This lovely mushroom sprouted up in my lawn in September. I shot it at every angle possible, including lying down on my back and shooting up from beneath it. I have had to get over my shyness about looking silly to the neighbors or passers-by when I'm shooting, or I won't get the images I want!

The Gunks

Went for a walk with my photographer friend Cora and found a tree with the reddest apples I've ever seen. This picture is very iconic for this area -- the Gunks are famous for rock climbing, and this is apple country. People come from all over the world to see this, and I am lucky enough to just have to walk down my road and look west.

Nature Shapes

I love the shapes of these leaves. My driveway was covered with them and instead of stepping on them or sweeping them away, I took a moment to marvel at their forms and colors.

Lucky Day

One lucky morning in September I looked out the window into my backyard and saw these amazing sunrays shining down on my favorite tree. I grabbed my camera and ran outside to capture this sight in a series of images, and it's a good thing, because just a few minutes later, it was gone. Another great lesson I've learned about photography is that it is often serendipity to capture an image like this and the camera should ALWAYS be within reach.

Inspired by Fall Colors

A month or so ago I spent the whole morning skulking around the sides of the roads here that lead to the mountain. Cars were whizzing by me, but I just tuned them out and focused on the gorgeous views in front of me. I remembered what a local landscape photographer once told me about capturing grand views and how you have to be careful not to get so much into the composition that there is no focal point. I think I did that here.

Welcome to my blog

Welcome to my blog! I will be sharing my photographic images here and look forward to your comments. If you are a photographer, please share your images with me, too.

I am passionate about photography, having grown up in a home with parents who were both photographers. I always wanted to make my living as a photographer, like Dorothea Lange, but never pursued it, wrongly thinking everyone else is better at it than me. Until now. Now I make it my business to make images daily if possible, and try more and more to make images that say something to me. This is the best way I can express myself these days. I try to see with new eyes every day.
I took this picture of fall leaves while I was waiting to pick up my son from art class last Saturday. The sun was starting to get low in the sky, and that warm glow together with all the shades of yellows and rusts and browns was what I wanted to capture.

This picture is of a carrier pigeon held by a friend who just started quite a collection of carriers. I had never really looked at these interesting birds before, but they are like the most streetwise birds you'll ever see -- they're tough and stylish and confident. Beautiful!