05.24.2012 Mount Lizzie

I’ve been fascinated by Mount Lizzie and have taken several different views over time but not nearly as many as I intend.  I took the long way to get to this vantage point and by the time I was done had collected quite the population of ticks.  No harm no foul, but next time I spray myself.

05.03.2012 Hop Brook Cascade

I captured this image in the fall of 2005.  Although I liked it a lot, it had a couple of problems and I have just re-worked it using newer processing tools to control the whites better and open the shadows just a touch to lessen the effects of the “black holes”. The upper center remains dark as it was captured too blocked up to open.

I have visited Holland Glen many times over the last several years but this, the first image I took there, remains my favorite.

04.30.2012 Wild Red Columbine

I usually go to the ledges in Sunderland to find these growing at eye level.  But getting them to sit still is pretty frustrating on a ledge.  I knew these were also growing along the Spillway at Quabbin Park so looked for them there although the Spillway is usually a wind tunnel along with the traffic at close range.  But yesterday they were pretty still although it was a fairly breezy day.  Just the way things go sometimes.

Here’s one that had a nice horizontal orientation making for an easy pose to work with.

 

04.25.2012 Atherton Brook

Here are another couple of images from what is one of my favorite places to repeatedly visit.  The water flows change and the time of year allows for a different feeling to the place.  Whatever the feeling, it always has a component of peace and a respite from the busy world that is just a short but unheard distance away.  The brook is situated in a carved out area and surrounded by elevations so the sound of the water “drowns” out all noise.

Please click the image to see a larger view.

The first image shows a small waterfall, possibly all of four feet tall, but resounding enough as it hits a deep pool below that it is easily heard from above on the trail in from Quabbin’s Gate 15.

 

 

 

The brook tumbles along over many rocks and around bends and I found one rock that I thought had a lot of interest on its own.  It is obviously well-wedged into the spot and has a nice covering of moss.  I enjoyed the flow of the water around this nice egg-shaped boulder.

 

 

 

 

At one time, this brook was dammed but the water now flows freely past its abandoned remnants and continues its way into the reservoir below.

04.19.2012 Bluets Three Ways

Every Spring, I am eager to get out and visit my favorite spots around here.  There are so many wonderful Spring ephemerals and I wait all winter for their return.  One has to act quickly as they are termed ephemeral for a reason.  And this year it is even more true as the early heat and lack of rain is shortening their peak bloom time.

The one spot I don’t have to worry is my yard.  Our neighborhood is a site of a former farm and much of the soil here contains remnants of the fields and meadows from earlier days.  Bluets are one of the species we are fortunate to have pop up every year.  A good argument for not treating a lawn.

Please click for a larger view.

Bluets from above.

 

 

 

Looking through.

 

 

 

 

 

Bluet’s level.

 

04.17.2012 The stigma of Bloodroot.

Not a lot to say about this image…so a little fun with a word of more than one meaning.

04.14.2012 Seeing the Unseen

Ama Dablam in the moonlight by Alister Benn.

I have always admired photographs of the night sky, but until a short time ago had not realized just what the night can look like in a well-crafted image.  I have never attempted this (still true as of this date) but will surely break in to this practice after having read Alister Benn’s well written and wonderfully illustrated new eBook “Seeing the Unseen“.

Alister has taken night photography to another level and has created a primer for all to follow.  His images can be other-worldly and just plain amazing and he has generously shared all his hard won techniques and researched information in the book.  There are charts explaining the moon’s affect on the Available Night Light, planning for the best opportunity based on the location of the moon and its phase, the adjustments to make to exposure once you obtain a base calculation using his high ISO technique and pretty much anything else one might need to accomplish the task including how to calculate the exposures for Star Trails.

Asturias, Spain by Alister Benn

Refreshingly unlike many other books that feel the need to explain how a camera and lenses work, Alister gets right down to business explaining the variety of light available during the night and from there covers every aspect of night photography technique and giving the reader all the tools to develop the needed skills as well as a boost to the creative vision.  In addition to all the book has to offer, Alister has also made available Seeing the Unseen forums for discussion, questions and help.

“Seeing the Unseen” is highly recommended and has just been made available for Kindle.