12.03.2020 Turbulent Thursday-Dean Brook Plunge and Splash

Another from a good day at Dean Brook.

This is a companion to this image that I posted last year which was located in the lower right here.  Not quite as organized but plenty to immerse in.

12.02.2020 Wordless Wednesday-Morning Glow

12.01.2020 Around and around we go

Here’s another example of why repeated visits offer new opportunities.  I’ve been to the Amethyst Brook Waterfall many times and have posted a few images from there. A couple have included swirls but this was the first with a double. It was a challenge getting something appealing at the right exposure and I tried many.  This seemed to have the best structure.  The others had a globby feel to the foam and bubbles that I didn’t care for but of course that is a taste thing. The other problem was composition.  Balancing the swirls while eliminating as much of the solid white foam on the left as possible meant trying several different perspectives. This seemed the better.

I am certainly glad I wasn’t shooting film as the number of experimental shots would have wasted quite a bit.

At some point you have to decide that you got it or you didn’t and try something else.

Most likely that’s a glacial erratic.  There is evidence of a rock structure nearby but it’s an awfully large rock to have been placed there.  A couple guys and a lever might have but the slope would likely have caused it to roll into the brook.  My theory anyway.

If you’d like to see another unusual swirl click this.

11.30.2020 Monochrome Monday

I’ve been driving by a little temporary pond along Route 122 for years, always looking to see if there is a composition lurking there somewhere.  I’ve never quite been happy with my efforts in winter, spring, or summer, and autumn foliage just hasn’t quite seemed right ether. Saturday before stopping by the bridge in New Salem, I noticed these lichen covered maple trees and saw the possibility of processing the image in black and white, brightening the trees, and darkening the background to make them really dominate.

First impression as I walked around trying to find an angle that would include the entire horizontal branches was that too much “else” was being added and confusing the composition so I decided to embrace them leaving the frame. All other angles allowed forward leaning interference from other trees that would be out of focus.  Does it work for you?

One of my favorite Eliot Porter images is this that I am sure influenced my vision here.

I don’t try to copy others but I pay attention to what is out there and like most photographers retain that subconsciously. We are the total of all our experiences and at our best when we learn from others and then go our own way.

11.29.2020-2 Silent Sunday…Rainy Day Quietude (Quiet Interlude)

11.29.2020 Another view of Mount Monadnock

The distance to Mount Monadnock in NH appears a little more realistic from this spot in Shelburne, MA. A horse is a horse of course, of course. The mountain is the one to the left.  I believe in the center is Mount Grace in MA but I didn’t actually ascertain that at the time.  Of course 24mm creates a bit more distance but this is close to how it appears to the eye.

Made in October of 2014 and re-edited this morning.

11.28.2020 If you are not there then you won’t see it

I was ambivalent about going out yesterday morning. The promised fog had dissipated and the overcast did not bode well for a nice sunrise or decent light. But I went out to see what I could see and see something I did.

I’ve posted this view many times but there is always the chance for something different.  In this case although the sky was mainly filled with clouds, there was that always hoped for gap at the horizon the offers some nice light.  As I drove toward Quabbin Park the bottoms of the clouds that were all crowded together across the sky were slightly lit up by the warm light and I thought I’d not see any of that color when I reached my destination. That seemed the case when I arrived at the Enfield Lookout but for a few brief moments some of the color glanced across the top of the valley fog and I was prepared for it while just focussing on the fog and Monadnock’s top. The shaft of light hitting the foreground cove was a nice addition. This was shot with the 100-400 plus a 2.0 teleconverter which gave me 426mm (didn’t really need the TC) and compressed 40 miles into something a bit closer in appearance.

It was a wow moment for me and I hope the image conveys that.

 

11.27.2020 Flashback Fog Friday

Appropriately, it is foggy this morning so I am hopeful that there is an image out there with my name on it.  But for now there is this memory with my name on it.

 

11.26.2020-2 Thursday Bird Day

No Turkey today, it was still frozen even after five days, so how’s a heron for a substitute?

Green Herons are often found in Poor Farm Swamp along the Norwottuck Rail Trail here in Amherst. Many are not too terribly shy and offer a nice chance to study their behavior as this one offered back in 2008.

He walked around on some fallen branches in front of me for quite a while.  I snapped off several frames of him wandering and looking for some lunch.

I did not get a shot of him successfully spearing a fish or frog during this sequence.  But I did catch this punk moment.

A short time later he bid me a not too fond farewell in a somewhat less than friendly manner.

I’ve shared this one before but it it finishes the series from the encounter. I think he had had just about enough of being followed at this point.  🙂

11.26.2020 Thankful Thursday

It is a challenge this year to be thankful for much.  Those of us with our health and fortunate enough to live in communities that take the virus seriously can be happy for the responsibility our neighbors are showing so we can be thankful for our health. We can be thankful for all those who work constantly to try to alleviate the suffering of those who are ailing, pursuing successful outcomes or lessening the difficulty and hopefully returning those who have contracted the virus and other illnesses to their homes while risking their own well being. And our public servants and workers in all professions making effort to ensure our ability to go about our daily lives where possible in a safe manner. The list could go on and on. Even in the best of times there are those working to make our existence better each day that go unseen and unappreciated. If something good came of the current situation it would be an increased appreciation for these folks and others  without whom day to day living would be less enjoyable. I am always thankful for these neighbors, both who I am acquainted with and not.

And, as you might expect, I am thankful for moments like this.