Schizophrenic Winter

Posted by Mark on Feb 1, 2012 in nature photography | 3 comments

Clinton River in snow, image #WI-9552

I shall be snowy, no, wait, I will be warm, no, maybe some ice, no, bitter cold, no, how about some rain?    We have been on a roller coaster ride in our temperatures here for months.   This is turning into the craziest winter in my recent memory.  I have only had to shovel twice since November (not that I am complaining on that part).

This snowy scene was just last Sunday with snow we basically received that day.  The day before, we had nothing. I had a couple of hours to do an evening hike in the woods.   This river is about a 10-15 minute walk from my house.   The woods were beautifully covered in snow.

Yesterday, it was 55 deg F – and all gone.   Michigan’s Winter is having an identity crisis.   How many personalities have we yet to see?   Blink and you might just miss something.  I must say I am somewhat liking the unpredictability, instead of day in and day out of cold weather.

Tangerine Tango sky

Posted by Mark on Jan 29, 2012 in nature photography | 13 comments

Tangerine Tango Sky, Denali National Park, Alaska

For a few years now, I have been casually following Pantone’s Color of the Year.   These colors are the trends Pantone’s color experts see in the markets of design, art, and fashion combined with an outlook of where the world and society are headed the upcoming year.   Since nature doesn’t really follow the trends of the year, I always found it an interesting exercise if I could find images of mine that resembled the color that is being placed on a pedestal at the time.

The Color of the Year for 2012 is Tangerine Tango, Pantone #17-1463.   It is a “spirited reddish-orange” to signify the desire for bold steps in moving forward.   No doubt there is some relation to world economic times and the anxiousness to see things pick up.   Times yearning for encouraging signs.

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Creative Restlessness

Posted by Mark on Jan 27, 2012 in nature photography | 8 comments

Lake Superior beach rocks, Vermillion Point, Michigan

The winter thus far has me spending much more time indoors than out.   My one time in the field photographing this winter resulted in images that I didn’t quite connect with.   So when I am not outside, I find myself wandering somewhat aimlessly through my archives.   This is a bit where some of my ADD kicks in.   I have so many images I have simply abandoned only to be stumbled upon much later after I have forgotten about them.   I find I can only work on a certain group of images for so long before I just have to walk away and do something else.   Yet, when I am away too long, I find them pulling me back to explore once again.   Ideas for posts here drift in and out before ever gelling into something coherent.   It can be a real hinderance to actually getting things done.

This push-pull process creates a bit of creative restlessness for lack of any better words for it.  A lot of half finished projects, ideas, and processing hoping to be picked up at a later point in time.   But sometimes a photograph catches my eye and captures my attention long enough to work it to completion.  Acknowledging it, I suppose, is one step in the direction of attempting to control it and deal with it, if that is even possible.

Why My Trees are Yellow

Posted by Mark on Jan 13, 2012 in nature photography | 23 comments

Yellow Aspens and Alaskan hillsides, Cantwell, Alaska

The new year has found me keeping to myself inside for these first couple of weeks, doing some reading, playing some games, and not a lot of new photography to contribute.   It has me sometimes perusing some of my archives in search of trying something new, something different, something to inspire me.  I suppose I have entered 2012 taking a breather before charging ahead.

Selective coloring on images really hasn’t been my cup of tea in the digital age, and it certainly isn’t anything new and adventurous.    I actually enjoyed doing this in the “old days” with a set of Marshall’s Oils and a black and white print.   Since then, I have read people call it irritating and trite.  For some, I tend to agree.   The black and white kid photo with a red strawberry, the urban street scene with a neon sign, or any number of things that have been done ad nauseam.

The labels and stigmas that we put on things seem to demotivate people from actually trying something that actually might work.   Thou shalt be damned if you actually enjoy it.   Then if you do cross that line, you are left with wondering if people are going to judge it solely because you have wandered into this forbidden territory.   Well, let it be known I have wandered.

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Top Nature Photographs of 2011

Posted by Mark on Dec 30, 2011 in nature photography | 45 comments

It is that time of year again to look back, ponder, reminisce about photographs created in 2011.   I have continued this tradition since 2007 now, and you can view my past picks under the surprising tag of Yearly Favorites.   It is a post I enjoy spending a bit of time on each year because I go into detail about the picks and why.  This year involved some hard choices, some easy ones, but I was determined to get it down to 10.   It is a good thing photographs don’t have feelings of their own, however, you do argue with yourself a lot.

I suppose one has to wonder what the criteria is to make it into this Top 10, and I wish I could eloquently describe it.  Some represent unique moments, some with personal feelings behind them, some with some adventure in getting the shot, some in experiments that had pleasing results, some I just had to sleep on.   You can see I still enjoy a variety of subjects to photograph, from macro to landscape, from above land to underwater.

One thing I noted unique about this year from the previous years is that 7 of the 10 images here were taken away from home.   Although this year may have had a little more increase in travel over previous years, it didn’t seem significant to me. If I had to note for myself if there is any common thread in these, I would have to say most of the landscapes have an ethereal, tranquil appeal to me.   This is most likely because at the time they were made, I felt quite calm and relaxed – and that seemed to come through in the photographs.   I can only hope they give others the same impression.   It is a pretty fascinating planet we live on, it deserves our respect, appreciation, and protection.

Here are my top photographs for 2011 (listed in no particular order, but I admit some of my most favorite, easiest choices are first ) :

Coral Cliffs, Northern Coast of Bonaire, Netherland Antilles, Southern Caribbean Sea #SL9401

 Coral Cliffs, Northern Coast of Bonaire

Bonaire is a small island in the southern Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela.   Our fourth trip took place in late February through early March 2011, primarily for scuba diving.   Because of the protections in place here, it remains on one of the healthiest reef systems in the Caribbean.  Despite those protections however, impacts on corals from warming trends in the climate and the oceans were quite noticeable.

Since most of our days were packed with diving, or recovering and napping from diving, I only had one day dedicated for focusing on some land photography.   Given we had driven around most of the island for diving spots, I had gained a familiarity with the island all during the week and from previous trips here.   The island is flat desert on its southern end, and has a very different, rocky appearance to the north.  Several times we stopped for diving along the north end and found the entrances quite limited because of the steep cliffs.   Many dive sites along here are only accessible by boat.

I wanted to capture the rugged, coral cliffs of the north coast and found this spot just off the road.  I nervously kept inching my tripod closer and closer to the cliff edge because I really wanted some separation between the cliff edge and the two small coral sea stacks in the middle ground.   I thought they really added to the depth of the composition.   I also used several neutral density filters and a polarizer to blur the water motion and add to that peaceful feel to the scene.

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Year End Photography Checklist

Posted by Mark on Dec 27, 2011 in nature photography | 16 comments

Halfway Log Dump Beach on Georgian Bay, Bruce Peninsula, Canada #SL9537

It is around this time of year that I start a number of activities to tidy up another year of photography.  The year end gives us a chance to reflect back upon where we were at the same time a year ago, evaluate any goals we set, and do some organization and filing chores.   So here is a short list of my items, feel free to contribute your own.

1] A Quick Review all my images shot in 2011

This is easy enough to do in Lightroom (my organizational tool of choice since its initial release).  Since my photographs get scattered to different folders after I edit them, all of my 2011 shots aren’t necessarily in one hard drive folder.  In the Library mode, I click on “All Photographs” in the left side Catalog panel.   I then set the Library Filter on Metadata, and make one of the columns “Date” – and select the current/past year.

This gives you a total number of photographs you made in that year, in this case 2011.  You can see how it compares to other years – did you shoot more or less?   A quick scan through this list of images tends to turn up photos I had forgotten to process, such as the one at the start of this post.   If you have rated your images or flagged favorites, it makes the next step easier.  If you set any photographic goals, this is a good chance for a quick review of them. (more…)

Winter Solstice

Posted by Mark on Dec 21, 2011 in nature photography | 24 comments

Snow covered woodland in Southeast Michigan, aka. "My Woods"

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Winter Solstice, at least for those of you in the Northern Hemisphere.

For the shortest day of the year, I have started by getting up late, and perhaps I will go to bed early.   The psychology of shorter days and less sunlight will be settling in.

I wish this photograph was representative of what it is like right now in Southeast Michigan.   Days like pictured here are what I enjoy most about winter, not so much the cold, foggy drizzle we have now.   However, I suppose this is the “pretty side of winter” and everyone knows it doesn’t tell the entire story.

By March, we will be aching for some warmer weather.  It is one of the benefits of living somewhere with four full seasons.  Sometimes they start with eager anticipation, sometimes with dread, but by the time it really starts to get on your nerves, it is time to change again.

I am hoping we will have some good “sticky snow” days like this in the coming months.   The woods behind my home turn into a magical forest blanketed in white.  It simplifies the clutter, creates a freshness to the air, and begs you to walk through and explore.