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Sep
30
Shot of the Month – September 2012
An image of colorful leaves in September — seems pretty normal, if a tad overdone. Other than the subject and the timing, everything else about this photo is pretty unusual– for me.
First, I “made” this shot, rather than “finding” it.
Typically, I go out into the world and look for wildlife or “wild” scenes and try and be in the right place at the right time and capture what unfolds before me. That is not the case here.
While visiting a friend in upstate New York, close to 10 years ago now, we went for a walk in the woods. I found these leaves, separately, and picked each up. I didn’t know what I would do with them, but I liked their looks and carried them along. Later, back at my friend’s house, I noticed a lichen-covered rock slab on a piece of wood on their deck. Inspiration struck and I placed my leaves just so. Click.
Another unusual feature of this image is the camera I used in capturing it. It was not one of my big, “serious” cameras. Rather I shot this with a Nikon Coolpix 3100 – a little 3.1 MP “beginner” point-and-shoot camera. Not very sophisticated to say the least.
The last unusual feature of this shot is that is a “still life.” No critters, just a scene. Just not something I do very often.
For all these reasons I love this photo. I was not only witness but also part creator. That gives me a buzz. And it was so EASY. It doesn’t seem fair — feels like cheating. So different – a shot that took me out of my comfort zone. And I just really like the shot. I am amazed at how nice it looks — I love the hues of the leaves, and the contrast between the vibrant colors and the muted wood, stone, and lichen. And I love the different textures of the muted background.
And I dig this photo because it reminds me that I don’t need fancy equipment or go on long trips to find or make beauty. It is often nearby — simply the right attitude and openness to “seeing” can suffice.
Until next month…
Sep
24
Spending a week in Maine to photograph moose. The rut is just starting so the males are getting increasingly, uh, animated.
We had 3 sightings today but only the one at the end of the produced some images.
The same male, but in B&W
Sep
10
A few weeks ago a big wave of butterflies came through our area and covered a hillside near our abode. Lot’s of Monarch Butterflies and these fellows. For you science types they are called Vanessa cardui, more commonly, the Painted Lady.
Aug
30
Shot of the Month – August 2012
As a photographer, my focus tends to be on the visual (pun unintentional).
I love photos, slides, Polaroids, pictures, snaps, whatever you want to call them. I will happily page through anyone’s photo album. Family vacation? Wedding? Shots of the kids? Driver’s License? Dental x-ray? Whatever, bring it on.
I am fascinated by what people take pictures of. And I love seeing how the world gets reconfigured on “film” (you kids out there can look that reference up).
Sometimes it looks just like what you would expect, but so many times an image is a gateway to a whole new world hidden to the human eye. And I have always been fascinated by animals and nature so images from that realm are a natural draw for me.
But this month the focus is not so much on the visual, but rather the aural. Yes, we have a photo, in this case, a decent shot of a common loon that I found in a pond in Vermont. Visually loons are striking when adorned in their intricate formal black and white mating dress. In the right light, their red eyes are piercing. Their heads are black, but the feathers here are iridescent and can take on shades of emerald green when the light hits just right. Beautiful. Add the black and white striped neck, the black and white checked wings, and that delicate white pearl necklace — the visual feast is almost overwhelming.
Their looks are stunning, but my friends, shhhh, come closer for the real story. It is the Sound. Ahhh, but the Sound. How can I begin to convey the call of the loon to the uninitiated?
Eeerie. Hair-raising. Haunting. Spell-binding. Primordial.
There is n-o-t-h-i-n-g like it in this world. Imagine gliding in a kayak (this is how I first experienced the Sound). The water is perfectly, and I mean perfectly, still. The air is cool and crisp. The sun has not yet fought its way over the horizon but the darkness has started giving way. Shrouds of fog dance across the surface of the water like inverted cones of cotton candy. The stillness is PROFOUND. It is hard to imagine a more peaceful moment in life. And, then, then, there is this Sound. A call, a wail that sends you back eons in time.
No words will capture this. Turn the lights off in your room. Turn the sound up on your computer. Louder. Headphones? Put ’em on. Click on the video below and close your eyes and gliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide….
(alas, there is a narrative on this video that is trying to be helpful, ignore it…listen for the Sound…)
Until next month….m
Aug
12
The loons were eating very well today. Crayfish and catfish were on the menu.
Crayfish
Catfish
Aug
09
More attempts at macro photography. Check out that golden back. The little globs of orange are grains of pollen. Yum. Check out the full size photo to catch all the details…
Jul
29
I was out on Saturday photographing loons but I will give you a break from loons for a while. On Sunday I tried a bit of macro photography, not something i have done much of before….Wow, it is really hard to do it well, but i am happy with this one, given that i don’t really know what i am doing. Check out the full size image to really get in close and see the details. (For your reference, a hoverfly is at most 1/2 an inch in length)
Jul
23
Hit the water on Saturday for another loon session. Some highlights:
The chick is growing fast.
One of my favorites.
The happy family.
What’s for dinner? (Crayfish)
The photographer (hoping not to fall in…)
Jul
15
Got out yesterday for my first attempt to photograph loons from a kayak. Let the learning begin…
With chick in background
Late afternoon
Jul
15
Shot of the Month – July 2012
how
If the lost city of Atlantis had a circus, the Atlantic Puffin, aka “the clown of the sea” would surely be a star act of the show. After having the pleasure of spending some quality time with these birds I can attest that the nickname is well deserved.
First, the puffin is decked out in a dapper outfit, has incredible face “makeup”, has oversized colorful feet, and sports a big red nose (ok, the beak is more orange than red, but give me a little poetic license to make this metaphor work) – typical physical characteristics of the clowns I have seen as a child. The stunning coloration is a sign that it is breeding season – both male and female alike are so colorfully adorned. In case you were wondering, it is virtually impossible to distinguish males from the females from looks alone, though the males can often be a bit larger than the females. DNA samples are the only way for us humans to distinguish between Mr. and Mrs. Puffin.
The Atlantic Puffin spends most of her life in solitude on the open water of the North Sea. It is difficult to imagine how hearty this 10-inch bird must be to survive in those conditions. In the summer several thousand puffins converge on the rocks of Machias Seal Island, just off the coast of Maine, to breed and raise their young. After a year apart a breeding pair will reconnect on the island, they mate for life, and raise one chick from a burrow dug in between the rocks.
Second, Atlantic Puffins are funny, as most clowns aspire to be (yes, back to the clown metaphor). When puffins walk they have a waddle that is Charlie Chaplin-esque. Sometimes they walk very quickly with their head down as if lost in thought and late for a meeting. As the rocks can be quite crowded, one must pass through many other puffin territories and this posturing signals that they are just walking through and don’t mean any trouble. Funny.
When a puffin flies in and lands on a crowded rock she will exhibit the “post-landing position.” To get a sense of this recall a memorable gymnast you watched on TV (or saw in person). As the gymnast completed her final maneuver she did a dramatic dismount off the high beam. Remember how she stood there with her arms out and held that pose perfectly still for an exaggerated amount of time to demonstrate that she really nailed the landing? Same with the puffin. Upon landing on a rock, she will put one foot in front of the other, extend her wings out, and lean forward with her head hung low. And, she holds it…………. Still holding it……..aaaand ok. Done. This posturing is a sign of non-hostility that relieves tension when landing among a group of puffins.
And, it looks hilarious.
There are many other puffin fun facts, endearing behaviors, and quirky attributes to explore but that will be for another month. Suffice it to say that I have great affection for these amazing little birds — I find their looks to be remarkable and their pacifist and accommodating demeanor inspiring.
If you want to see Atlantic Puffins in action, check out this live webcam (sponsored by Audubon’s Project Puffin) from nearby Seal Island. But you have to hurry as the puffins will head back out to sea by late August.
And you can see more of my clown, uh, puffin photos here.
Until next month…. 🙂
