I finally got around to adding a gallery that is just a small collection of the many images I have shot at the Stump Sprouts Lodge in Hawley, Mass. This is just one example of the early morning view from the lodge and just one of the many photo opportunities out there.
Here is an example of the view that rewards early risers.
Join me at the Keep Homestead Museum in Monson for a nature walk. We are in danger of actually having spring weather for this one!
While it is renowned for its button collection, Myra Keep, along with her father, also had a strong interest in natural history and there is a room in the museum with their collection of rocks and shells. The property has a trail system of under 2 miles that passes through both field and forest habitat. I will lead a walk on these trails, looking for signs of the season, identifying some of the local plants, as well as looking for examples of how the land tells us stories of both recent and long ago history. In the event of rain I will give a presentation of nature photography from the greater Monson area.
The Keep Museum is located at 35 Ely Road in Monson. http://keephomesteadmuseum.org/index.html
I just hung an exhibit of photographs at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary in Easthampton. The exhibit is open until February 27. They are also in the “On Display” gallery here on the website. The two shown here are new to the site. They are also representative of the exhibit, which is titled “Natural Moments, Laughing Brook and Beyond.” The top image is from Laughing Brook, the bottom image is from Shenandoah National Park.
Winter Oak Design
Autumn Morning Light at Pinnacles
I just found these assorted macro shots uploaded to the site but I never posted them. I added them to a few galleries, and also put them in a new gallery called recent additions. This way anyone who is already familiar with the galleries can see just the newest additions. I’ll add a couple of samples below, and you can see the rest of them in the recent additions gallery.
I was really looking for nice images of the backlit grass. When you get down and up close you find gems like this one.
Earlier this year I wrote an artist’s statement to go with some prints on display in Greenfield. I posted it on my Gallery page today. Here it is:
Nature is more than “stunning” colors and improbably close encounters with wildlife. We go to nature for quiet moments and experiences that take us away from the busy concerns of the day. Our nature photographs should do the same for us, speaking softly with light and color that is gentle and true, giving us a moment in the working of an ecosystem as the elemental forces of geology and light interplay with the annual cycles of life, capturing the confluence of form, pattern, and color, or hinting at the interconnection of life. Nature photographs are the reminder of the feeling of a natural experience: the play of light on the patina of an old tree trunk, a bird in its habitat greeting the new day in song, the first taste of spring in the lingering light of a gently cool March evening.
Here are a couple of experiences from Laughing Brook yesterday:
This chestnut-sided warbler was singing in this tree for at least a couple of hours.
A few times he stopped singing to look down my way.
This red squirrel seemed curious about what I was doing with the weird black box on 3 legs.
I have a couple of more workshops coming up soon. The first is a two-part class at Laughing Brook. We’ll cover the basics of exposure and best practices for great captures of nature and other images. The first class is on Sunday June 4 at 1 pm.
That is followed by a one-class workshop on macro photography held at the Hitchcock Free Academy in Brimfield. That will be Tuesday, June 6 from 6 to 8:30 pm.
For details on this and the workshop in Amherst on the 3rd, see my event page.
On June 3, 9 am I am pleased to help the Kestrel Trust promote their work by leading a nature photography workshop at their Applewood Orchard Arboretum in Amherst. People with any kind of camera can join as we explore the site and capture the unique experiences it has to offer. Register with the Kestrel Trust at http://www.kestreltrust.org/calendar/nature-photography-workshop-2017/
Kestrel Land Trust Workshop Poster
Here are some shots from a recent trip to Conant Brook Dam. The warm morning light created image opportunities everywhere I looked. One of my photographer friends posted shots from October recently, saying that there was no color anymore. Apparently he does not get to the right places!
I went up Peaked Mountain in Monson hoping to get some afternoon light on the oak foliage. Nature did not disappoint. The warm light on the foliage rewarded my efforts with glowing browns that were almost like gold. November is truly a marvelous time.
While I was there, I photographed the rising of the supermoon. This is not a November feature, but was happening so I stayed for it. With a clear sky I was also treated to a display of the Belt of Venus, or Venus’ Girdle. This atmospheric phenomenon is a rosy-red band in the sky opposite the sunset (or sunrise, it is seen in the morning as well) caused by the scattering of light and reflection of the red rays of sunset off of particles high in the distant atmosphere. The dark area beneath the belt is the shadow of the Earth. It rises in the east as the sun sets in the west and the sunlight is blocked by the Earth.
The pink area in the sky is the “belt of Venus”, a result of the reflection of the sunset off of high particles in the distant atmosphere.
The supermoon of November 2016. The dark area is the shadow of the Earth. The Sun is behind us and the shadow rises as the sun sets.
I am a naturalist at heart, and I like to think there are gems of nature to be found at any time of year. Many people overlook November because the frosts have come and it can be chilly, and their irrational fear of snow takes grip on them. I look forward to November because it means I can leave the insect repellent behind. There are many calm days in the 60s during the month, making for a pleasant outdoor journey. It is a relaxing way to ease into Thanksgiving.
November brings us isolated remnants of beautiful color along with hillsides carpeted in a rich tapestry of maroons and golden-browns. The low sun angle gives us pleasing warm light without having to get up extra early to see it. We see the birds in the trees again and can enjoy them more after they have been hidden in the foliage all summer. The light penetrates into the forest more deeply and we can see how it illuminates many plants that remain green, as well as the abundant rocks of the New England landscape.
I will be posting some images of November, some from this year and also posting some from past years. They will go in to a November gallery on the website. Here are some images of an oak and a small scene nearby.
The now-sparse foliage glows while allowing us to see some of the structure of this tree
November light creates mini-scenes all around us