countdown

2011 is almost gone..

ISO 100

640/sec

f/4.0

70-200 lens

winter sky

I'm going to miss these northern skies. This one was particularly soft and romantic with a slice of travel in the midst. A beautiful goodbye.

ISO 400
1/100sec
f/14
70-200 lens

and so it goes

Is he here yet? 

Wait.... I think he's here. 

No that was a squirrel...

yep, there he is!!

no wait that's not him.

That's him!

oh nope that's not him.

friends

and dreams of sugar plums danced in their heads.....

Presents

You wouldn't need to wrap this present, nature has done it for us, even the white ribbon around the edges.

ISO 200

1/200 sec

f/5.6

100 macro

Indulgence

I'm not here, you can't see me. 

ISO 400

1/200 sec

f/10

70-200 mm lens

stay focused

 

I would like to slide down the leaf into the heart of things and have a little swim in the puddle of love.

ISO 200
1/60 sec
f/6.3
100mm macro lens

motherhood

This is a good time of year to take extra care of each other...

ISO 200

1/800 sec

f/5.6

400mm

Birds of a Feather

Even tricolored herons get ruffled, I thought I was the only one.

ISO 100

1/160 sec

f/6.3

70-200 lens

lilly pads

I just love this photo. The reflection of the bud and the curly edges of the leaf, wish a frog had joined us. I just went back to my file and cropped the image, I was having a problem with that bottom left corner, it took my attention away from the beauty of it.

ISO 200
1/100 sec
f/5.0
70-200 mm lens (I was handholding)

Life Cycle

When a flower emerges from the ground we have great expectations and a certain curiosity about it. What color will it be, will it be perfectly formed, will I like the way it smells? It shoots through the wet dark soil and wraps it's petals and center around our hearts. We want it forever so we cut it and have it for ourselves. Only it knows from the beginning that it is fleeting, that it will give pure joy until it can't.

Let me introduce Bogie. He is fighting cancer with courage and grace. He spends his days loving and being loved. He is teaching all of us how to live in the moment. We have so many lessons to be learned and I'm grateful that Bogie is here to teach us.


this photo was taken by Nancy

inner worlds

My lens fell inside this flower, lost consciousness and dreamed of a world related to a sunset sky.

ISO 200
f/8
1/20 sec (tripod)
100 macro lens

Heads up

This northern tufted titmouse compliments his beautiful orange background, or is it the other way around.

ISO 400
f/13
1/320 sec
400mm prime lens

transition

What is it about these northern winter skies. I see them coming and practically have no time to soak it all in. The intensity changes in minutes, the reflection in the water moves with me. We try to catch up with each other, and then its gone.

ISO 800 (I was handholding and it was getting dark)
f/2.8
1/100 sec
70-200 lens

A budding ball master

Blossoms come in all varieties. They emerge fresh and with wonderful puppy smells. This blossom has ruffled ears and a steady glaze. She has no idea how lucky she is, a good wet ball, a bigger friend who she can chew on, and a family that adores her.... Welcome Maggie Duke to our world


ISO 400
f/5.0
1/100 sec
70-200 lens

close up

Look at these beautiful layers, the twin petals along the side and the very prickly center. Soft edges enclosing a thorny heart. The purples remind me of that northern sunset, the thorns those contrasty trees.

ISO 100
100 mm macro lens
f/7.1
1/30 (on a tripod)

out of my grasp

This was a grasping kind of moment. I saw this from my window while doing something else. My first instinct was to grab my camera and run for the car. The sunset was for sure more beautiful on the other side of those trees, more beautiful somewhere else. You know, the grass is greener kind of thing. Then I settled down and stayed in the moment. Yes I grabbed my camera, but slowly, looking through those strong standing forms I soaked in the purples and oranges. The contrast was amazing. I love these northern skies.

ISO 400
1/80 sec
f/2.8
70-200 lens

Happy Thanksgiving

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!

This old male bird was doing his very best to impress a female turkey, she didn't seem to take notice but I did. He was so fluffed up I thought he might explode. He was crossing the road when I spotted him. Can you believe it!

ISO 100

f/4.5

1/320 sec

105mm

 His beautiful feathers..

ISO100

f/4.5

1/80 sec (handheld, I was lucky to get this clarity)

200mm

birds eye view

A HINT OF THINGS TO COME

ISO 500

1/80 sec

f/5.6

200mm

attention getter

 A small patch of wildness in an otherwise naked leaf backyard. A jubilant and colorful hello.

ISO 400

200mm

f/10

1/100 sec

heads up

Starlight, star bright, first TREE I see tonight.

ISO 6400 (it was very dark out in Greenville)
34mm
f/5.6
3.2/ sec (of course I was on a tripod!)

an eyeful

Yep, just checking, looks like a pretty good day....

ISO100
f/5.0
1/320 sec
200mm

offerings

I left my garden water lilies behind in LI knowing that when I returned the cold would have its way with their fragile nature. They will be gone when I return. I miss them already. But happy days, I was in Miami and discovered this beautiful wrapped leaf that offered up this delicate pink lily for me.

transition

I fell into this reflection, literally just fell into it, how can you not! I love the form and the power of the white lines slicing through the surface and the saturation of it all. A northern pond gone wild with the excitement of change and possibilities.

A Walk on the Beach

I could develop a complex because every time I approach they leave. I'm working on my bird social skills.

ISO100 (A bright beautiful day)
f/4.5
1/2000sec
67mm

color and form

Florida tries to compete with the northern autumn colors. This bromeliad gets my vote for best in show!

ISO100
100mm macro
f/6.3
1/25 tripod of course

no fly zone

This moth was caught between two worlds, inside and outside. I found him pressed between the glass of our  french doors.

ISO 125
100 mm
f/4.5
1/30 sec ( I was of course on my tripod or I never could have gotten this!)

underfoot

The leaves are beautiful but what I love most is the space around the edges. I feel like I can push gently with my hands and the whole group will pop back at me! A leaf quilt on a cool northern day.

ISO 165
70mm
f/3.5
1/100 sec

fenceless

The linear lines begin with a strong vertical intention and somehow get going every which way. A reflective look at a creative mind.
This was taken at the marina, I turned it upside down and pushed the saturation a touch.

ISO 125
200mm
f4.5
1/250 sec (hand held)

Pleased to meet you.

Conversations happen all around us, however we don't always speak the language.

ISO 200
100mm macro lens
f 4.0
1/160 sec
tripod (I never use my macro unless I'm on a tripod)

frog framed

Sometime you have to just hunker down. Having a place to stay that has a nice safe center and a fancy pink roof can make your day. I passed this little guy, who I think is new to our world, just an hour ago. I hope he has a good night. There I go again, I have no idea whether he is a he or a she so I'm going with a he. Don't ask.... I have no idea why.

ISO 200 I set this first, light was waning.
70mm
f  4.5
1/100  My second setting because my original reading was too slow for my shaky handholding.

an old tree

I love trees, I mean I really have a thing about trees, I have been known to hug one or two. I love their starchy bark and the fact that you can never really get your arms around them, at least not the trees along the trails in the Adirondack Mountains.
This image tells such an intimate story of a tree, the craggy roots, the sunlit center that grows strongly upwards. Only this isn't a tree. This is the knot in the wood of an old barn found in the fields at the foot of the mountains.
I'm glad I was in that field.

Tully and friend

Oh by the way in case you haven't met her this is Tully. She is the one that was freaked out in the dark, on the night before Halloween, under that umbrella. I may slip in a few images of her along the way because she is always a willing subject! As you can see she is feeling better with her little friend, and of course me sitting right next to her.   

ISO 500    dim lighting conditions

200 mm     so I could be far from her

f 2.8           nice soft background

1/100 sec   I needed that to handhold, I'm shaky

BOOOOO

It's a rainy hollowing night on the eve of Halloween. Tully and I walk our nightly rounds huddled under our  umbrella. She is spooked and I am reassuring her, but wait... what is that in the trees. Is it a green eyed witch or the glare of an owl?

A Wing and a Prayer

We are all destined to take flight, too push our limits and soar. Be confident in the beauty of your tail feathers.

underfoot

I found order out of chaos.

Your preference?

This bird of paradise was photographed at the NY Botanical Gardens. I took two exposures, one is overexposed and the other is properly exposed. Making mistakes offers creative possibilities.

too wide

  

 Don't mess with me I'm in a mood.

underfoot

Change is happening all around us. The fall colors are demanding my attention but when walking in the woods I was drawn to my feet.  Drawn to this quiet example of being grounded, of seeing the beauty of form while resisting the temptation of seeing only color. I love the simplicity of this image.

The joyful Miss Wilson

I pulled over in the parking lot at the beach and met a Wilson's Plover taking a bath. She didn't mind my taking pictures as long as I stayed in the car. That was fine by me because I could lean my heavy 200 lens on the car window. Her spa time took over 20 minutes, she was intent on a full bath. She is not only getting clean but most importantly rearranging her feathers. She was so enthusiastic that at the end she jumped two feet straight up in the air landed in the water and jumped right back up again. By the way I have no idea whether she is a she or a he so I'm going with the she.

attention getter

I was shooting at the arboretum yesterday.The dahlias were in full bloom. The colors were my main concern until just before leaving I saw this single, about to burst flower, waving at me, among the masses. A flower in the process of becoming complete.

Lordy do

Can't believe it, apparently I have become connected to myself! If you click on my PORTFOLIO you see my images, if you click on my BLOG you see my ramblings, if you click on my ABOUT you see.... well you get the idea. This may be simple for many of you but for me, not so much. I am up and running and hope that you will get connected to me as well.
My intention for this blog is to share my enthusiasm for photography with those of you who love it too. This image was taken very early in the morning and it has the right feeling for my beginning..
Oh by the way that "Lordy do" thing at the top, my mother used to say that and now I have become my mother.

getting ready to get ready

I have lots of great ideas, mostly they live in my head and never see the light of day. I have wanted to start a blog forever. I've talked about it, read a little bit about it, and have even followed a few of my favorite blogs. But have I started mine? Not yet, no wait a minute, yes yet.... I have begun, I am getting ready, I am beginning. It won't be pretty but it will be a START!! So join me while I slog along in blog land...
Dont fuss about my sentence structure please.
Don't bother viewing my profile because I haven't done it yet......
Oh by the way, I am a photographer and that is what this blog will be about.