A very good year

I don’t typically post a yearly wrap-up but, Scott Thomas’ latest photo assignment, “Best Photos of 2011” had me looking back today. Hmmmm, was a pretty lean year for posting… I must do better in 2012!

To make it easier, I approached this task with the desire to select the best photo for each month starting with November 2010 through October 2011. Three months proved more difficult and I allowed myself to select more than one image.

Here we go!

Back in November 2010, fresh from a trip to Disney, I had posted a series of photos from Hollywood Studios. The giant scrabble board complete with green army man was my favorite:

"You've Got a Friend in Me" (Oversized Scrabble Board with Green Army Man, Pixar Place, Disney's Hollywood Studios) Nikon D300, 34mm, F/5.6, 1/125s, ISO 200, 'Poster Edges' CS3 Photo Filter

In late December, we were hit with the first of many Nor’easters. Even so, the abundance of heavy, wet snow couldn’t put a damper on our holiday spirit!

"Frosty" (Snow-covered Holiday Wreath) Nikon D300, 82mm, F/5, 1/60s, +0.7EV, IS0 200

I couldn’t pick a favorite from January. Both images hail from our October Disney trip since by then, I simply had HAD it with winter! (Molten Mickey post is here).

"Coquettish" (Lesser Flamingo, Disney's Animal Kingdom) Nikon D300, 200mm, F/7.1, 1/200s, -0.3EV, ISO 400, Nik Color Efex Pro Bi-color Filter

"Molten Mickey" (Turn-style Gates at Disney's Hollywood Studios) Nikon D300, 52mm, F/7.1, 1/200s, ISO 250, Nik Color Efex Pro Detail Stylizer & Bi-Color Filters

February brought some fun with my 105mm macro lens and 3-ring extension tube set. I wanted to see just how ‘up close and personal’ I could really get!

"Missing You" (Dianthus Stamen & Petals) Nikon D300, 105mm F/2.8G Macro w/3-ring Extension Tube Set, F/11, 1/30s, -1.0EV, ISO 640

The macro fun continued well into March…

"C is for Carousel" (Stargazer Lily Stamens, Lilium Oriental Stargazer) Nikon D30, VR 105mm F/2.8G Macro, F/4.5, 1/8s, ISO 1000

After a visit to the doctor in February got me back into a fitness routine, I was in serious need of motivation to ‘stick with it’. I found exactly that in April!

"Motivation" (Marc Jacobs Swimsuit) Nikon D300, 36mm, F/4.2, 1/20s, ISO 640

Critters are often featured in my photos and this adorable little chipmunk stole my heart in May:

"Home is Where you Make it" (Eastern Chipmunk in Birdhouse) Nikon D300, 200mm, F/5.6, 1/200s, ISO 640, Built-in Front Curtain i-TTL Fill Flash, -1.0 EV

June turned out to be all about flowers. I couldn’t decide between these three beauties:

"Yamaboushi" (White Kousa Dogwood, Cornus kousa) Nikon D300, VR 105mm F/2.8G Macro, F/4.5, 1/200s, ISO 320, Built-in i-TTL Fill Flash w/Gary Fong 'Puffer' Diffuser, +1.0 EV

"Love" (Dicentra spectabilis, Pink Bleeding Heart) Nikon D300, 260mm, F/5, 1/640s, -1.0EV, ISO 200

"Hope" (Pink Herbaceous Peony) Nikon D300, VR 105mm F/2.8G, F/4.5, 1/320s, -0.3EV, Built-in Front Curtain i-TTL Fill Flash w/Gary Fong 'Puffer' Diffuser

As a die-hard foodie, I love to cook and sometimes, I actually remember to take a photograph of my creations! We chomped on these delights all throughout July:

"Summer Cubed" (Watermelon, Mozzerella & Procuitto Bites) Nikon D300, VR 105mm F/2.8G Macro, F/4.5, 1/30s, ISO 1000, Built-in i-TTL Flash w/Gary Fong 'Puffer' Diffuser

Feeling very proud of myself for not only sticking to my fitness committment but also exceeding my expectations despite breaking my left foot, I decided to show off the results of my hard work in August!

"Good Form' (Female Fitness Portrait) Nikon D300, 28mm, F/4.5, 1/10s, ISO 640, Built-in i-TTL Fill Flash w/Gary Fong 'Puffer' Diffuser, -1.3EV, Nik Silver Efex Pro 'Silhouette II' Filter

Another entry for August… when I wasn’t sweating on the elliptical, I made sure to enjoy the summer sunshine and was rewarded with a unique photo of a bee in flight:

"Flight of the Bee" (Carpenter Bee in Flight) Nikon D300, 280mm (VR 200-400mm F/4G w/1.4x teleconverter), F/5.6, 1/640s, ISO 640

I got all ‘artsy’ in September with a series of cucumber tendrills…

"Undulation" (Abstract Cucumber Tendrils) Nikon D300, VR 105mm F/2.8G, F/4, 1/320s, -1.0EV, Built-in i-TTL Flash w/Gary Fong 'Puffer' Diffuser, -1.3EV

…and finally was able to say a proper Au voir to summer in October.

"And the Sun Sets on Summer" (Rudbeckia 'Gloriosa' aka Black-eyed Susan) Nikon D300, VR 105mm F/2.8G, F/7.1, 1/125s, ISO 400, Nik Color Efex Pro 'Photo Stylizer' Filter

So, that’s it folks…a small photographic slice of 2010.

Yes, it was a VERY good year!

It’s s(no)w joke

Anyone living along the east coast who thought the weather forecasters were kidding about the Nor’easter woke up to find the joke was on us! My city faired better than many with only a few inches, BUT it was the heavy, wet kind of snow that downed many branches including a large one off of my (already damaged) Coral Bark Maple.  I must admit, Mother Nature got me since I didn’t see that one coming or else I would have strapped the branches together (as I intended to do before ‘winter’ arrived) when we were scurrying around yesterday covering furniture and moving in fragile perennials that I had yet to get planted into the ground. Sigh.

Not wanting to dwell on what was damaged, I decided instead, to look for the beauty of the day. It isn’t often we get the combination of gorgeous fall foliage, crisp blue skies, brilliant sunshine AND a bed of the white stuff. As the winds whipped, I walked the landscape, shooting until my hands were frozen.

Folks who don’t experience snowstorms often ask how we ‘deal’ with it.

Well, I think the last photo pretty much sums it up.

"S(no!)w Welcome" (Welcome Flag with Urn) Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, 11mm, F/4.0, 1/100s, IS0 125, Built-in Flash, -1.3EV

 

"Duck, Duck, Snow!" (Resin Ducks in Snow) Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, 13.5mm, F/4, 1/250s, ISO 100

 

"When Seasons Collide" (Backyard Shed in Snowy October) Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, 6.8mm, F/4.0, -0.3EV, 1/320s, IS0 100

 

"S(no)w Swimming" (October Pool) Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, 4.3mm, F/8.0, 1/125s, IS0 320

 

"Snow Birds" (Copper Swans with 'Cardinal Red' Hydrangea) Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, 21.8mm, F/4.5, 1/80s, IS0 125

 

"Seasonal Confusion" (October Backyard, Far View) Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, 4.3mm, F/8.0, 1/60s, IS0 160

 

"How to Weather Snow in October" (Backyard Vignette) Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, 7mm, F/4.0, 1/00s, IS0 100

Yeah, we got snow

It has snowed here the last two days, and looking out my window now, I see the flakes are flying once again. Sigh.   

Much different from this morning when we actually had some blue skies and sun! I chose to head out early in search of snow-covered landscapes and found myself near the site of the old Johnson Christmas Tree Farm.   

Each year in early December we used to cut down our own christmas tree at the farm, which is conveniently located only 2 1/2 miles from our house. It was always a thrill trudging through the field, hacksaw in hand, looking for the ‘one.’ 

Alas, it was very sad for us then, when a few years back the farm was sold.   

"Winter Farmhouse" (Red Farmhouse at Johnson Christmas Tree Farm) Nikon D300, 60mm, F/22, 1/160s, ISO 640

Fortunately, the new owners did not sub-divide the beautiful acreage (which isn’t the norm around here as land is incredibly valuable), but instead, chose to build a gorgeous farmhouse on the site of the old barn and, are currently in the process of restoring the farm! Rumor has it they have already planted over 10,000 christmas trees on the site!   

Does this mean the farm will once again offer cut-your-own-christmas-trees in the not to distant future? 

One can only hope!

Birdwatching

If you think Mourning Doves are dowdy, brown-colored birds, think again!

"Snowy Mourning" (Mourning Doves) Nikon D300, 400mm, F/7.1, 1/200s, +0.3EV

My heart belongs to flowers

I’ve been having a very hard time of late, something akin to “writer’s block.”  I go out and shoot for hours in this cold, wet weather and yet, come back with very little to show for it. Oh, I take lots of pictures, mind you, but when I load them up onto the computer, I am, let’s say, less than enthused? 

What my heart is missing are the flowers. From the perennials in the garden to the unknown varieties growing wild in the woods, I miss them all. And I miss what comes with them – butterflies, bees, birds, moths, crickets, etc. In the warmer months, they are all around me, feeding my passion to the point where my heart is racing and I can’t photograph fast enough! 

Sigh. I long for those days.   

"Stumped" (Snow-covered Tree Stump) Nikon D300, 70mm, F/11, 1/200s, ISO 640

Today, again, I spent hours in the snowy woods, photographing what appeared at the time to be interesting forms - from downed trees, to peeling bark, to stumps, to lichens, to shadows, etc. May have been some other photog’s dream but for me? Eh. I just don’t get it.   

Perhaps I am trying to hard, expecting too much. I know inspiration will return, it always does. Let’s hope for tomorrow!

She sells sea shell

Normally, I wouldn’t have easy access to this private beach but being extremely low tide, it was a fairly short hike over from Lynch Park. Not much activity to be found so I decided to have a little fun with my fisheye lens.

I definitely need more practice with this technique, but seeing as the temps were freezing, I was shooting into the sun and snow clouds were fast approaching, I did the best I could! 

"The Dead of Winter" (Close-up of Clam Shell at Rice Beach, Beverly) Nikon D300, 10.5mm F/2.8G Fisheye, F/16, 1/800s, +0.7EV, ISO 320, SB900 w/Gary Fong Lightsphere Cloud, +2.0EV

Sometimes, I wish another photog was around to capture me in the process – belly side down, flat-out on the sand, as close to this shell as humanly possible, all the while trying to keep the horizon line dead center of the lens!

On second thought, good thing there wasn’t!

Total manipulation

I generally like to take photographs using available light (admittedly I am somewhat lazy and this is the easiest thing to do). 

However sometimes, there are advantages to eliminating the available light completely from the scene, then highlighting certain points with the use of an external flash. 

Intrigued? I will explain. 

This fluffy seed pod of Clematis ‘Dr. Ruppel’ covered in a light dusting of snow caught my attention but appeared very blah when shot at normal exposure (light-colored pod against overcast sky = uninteresting results). 

"Old Man Winter" (Seed Pod of Clematis 'Dr. Ruppel' in Winter) Nikon D300, 105mm, F/13, 1/80s, -2.0EV, ISO 100, SB900 with Gary Fong Lightsphere Cloud, +2.0EV

But, when I purposefully underexposed the image, creating a very dark background (almost looks light nighttime, eh?) and then added in a fairly strong pop of flash, Voila!  

One pretty nice photo!