Animals big and small

This Fall I took a six week class in photographing animals. I admit up front that I expected it to be about how to take an animal portrait of your dog or cat, that sort of thing. It was so much more. At the first class I quickly realized this was going to be about more than just learning to take a better pet portrait but about the interaction between humans and animals, of all kinds.

Our first outing was to a local homestead farm, Rosasharn Farm. The day was slightly damp and overcast but it didn't matter to any of us or the animals on the farm. The owner of the farm raises Nigerian dwarf diary goats, Great Pyrenees dogs, pigs and a host of various feathered fowl. The place was sprawling, we had access to everything and only had to watch carefully where we stepped or knelt. Despite any messiness, it was a great adventure. And I found it hard not to sneak one of the kids (aka baby goats) into my car! Honestly, how can you resist this face?

Twins @ Rosasharn Farm, Rehoboth, MA

The second outing had us taking pictures of foster dogs from Handsome Dan's Rescue out of Rhode Island. Our photo subjects were pit bull mixes along with one lone kitten and everyone was a real joy to photograph. It was a beautiful sunny day and it was fun to see these energetic, friendly dogs enjoying the sunshine and our company. And the work being done by this organization and the foster volunteers is really amazing.

Hobo Jack

Finally, our last outing was to Roger Williams Zoo and it wasn't one I was looking forward to at all. I'm not a fan of zoos, haven't been for as long as I can remember. I simply feel bad for the animals. Even if they were bred in captivity, their instinct has to be to roam and explore, but no matter how nice the zoo - and Roger Williams is a very nice zoo - they are still in a pen. I used the example lately that I love my house, it's a nice house and I've made it a comfortable place. But if I could only be in my house for the rest of my life and never leave it, I would go slowly mad. Maybe that analogy is too extreme but it's how I feel when I see animals in enclosures. Many in the class had the same feeling and we had discussions on it but in the end, we all seemed to realize that it's a topic with many facets.

Elephant Bathing Time

The outing to the Zoo was interesting and I enjoyed the day despite my feelings, enjoying getting to see Elephants getting bathed, the crazy facial expressions of the giraffes and trying to see the elusive snow leopard. So while I understand zoos have their place, I hope we ultimately evolve to a point as a human species where we realize that this may not be the best solution to species preservation.

The class is over now and I miss it. My fellow classmates were a great group and the final projects we each did were really interesting and diverse. I wish I could provide a link here to each and every one, really they were great. Mine is attached below. I chose to do a close up portrait of my cat, Felix. He was a cooperative subject who was paid in treats and lots of petting.

As the holidays approach, I'm planning a holiday shoot with Felix. So stay tuned… more to come. 

Oh Fall How I love Ya!

Fall is my time. I have friends who live for the Summer, I live for the cool, crisp nights of Fall that are followed by bright sunny days.

I'm especially happy this year to welcome Fall as I have the memory of sweating my butt off while taking a Landscape Photography class Thursday nights in July and August. Every Thursday it felt like it was the hottest, most humid day of the week and there I was in some woodland or beach area trying to move slow and keep the "it's hot" exclamations to a minimum. Because really, saying it doesn't make it any better and there is a point where you just have to resign yourself to the fact that you are in it, be in the moment and you'll take a nice long shower in AC later. Because really, is there anything better than a long, cool shower after spending hours in the heat, swatting at bugs and applying layer after layer of bug spray? Not in my book, no. 

I have to admit, I resisted taking this class for a while now. Not because of the fact it's in the heat of the summer but because I thought I would get bored of landscape photography after a few classes. I learned something though while taking this class. I have more stamina that I expected to deal with heat, humidity and bugs and landscape photography can be very Zen. It forces you to go slower, see things in complete and really take your time to make your best images.

And one of the most surprising things about the class was experiencing places that I've never been to in this area. I've lived in southeastern Massachusetts my whole life and thought I knew all the most interesting spots. But I was so wrong. I visited woodlands I never knew of, areas of the coastline I didn't know existed - it was fun to discover new places in my immediate area. 

So I feel like the theme of my "what did I learn this summer?" essay is this... push yourself to do those things that you least feel like doing, don't let a little discomfort stop you and be in the moment whenever possible.

Visit my website to see my top 4 images from my summer of landscape. 

2013 Summer of Landscape

And if you can, come to the "Earth, Sky & Sea" show on October 5th. Details below.

Bee Calm and Carry On

It's the first day of Fall here in New England. But all I can think of is Summer and the sunflowers.

There is a place in Griswold, Connecticut called Buttonwood Sunflower Farm and for two weeks in July it turns into a magical place with acres and acres of giant sunflowers. I spent a Saturday there in July photographing these giants, taking in their quiet majestic beauty. It's a sight to see and if you live in the area or are passing through during this time, stop and check them out!

Buttonwood Sunflower Farm, 2012

It was early that Saturday when I got there and I was meeting up with several fellow photographers to test our macro photography skills out on these golden flowers. We spread out, finding our own way through the fields, the sun starting to climb and the crowds still a few hours from arriving. Buttonwood started this event several years back and use it as a fund raiser for Make-a-Wish of Connecticut (a truly wonderful organization btw!). The memory that is the strongest of that day was the sound of the insects, bees in particular. It was so quiet it felt like I could hear a thousand bees buzzing, all happy to be there and going from sunflower to sunflower, seemingly drunk on the pollen.

My favorite picture of the day, and it was hard to choose, is this one. I call it "Glutton". And I think you can tell why. This bee was intent on collecting as much pollen as his body could carry. I love the detail in the photo and the feeling it gives you of this small creature intent on his mission to bring his bounty back to the hive.

Glutton

As I was there among the bees and flowers I remembered an event sponsored by the Attleboro Garden Club, of which I'm a member. Earlier this year the club sponsored a fascinating talk, given by a local Massachusetts beekeeper and owner of Little Beehive Farm, Tony Lulek. His insight into bees, their habits and how they live was fascinating. Did you know that virgin Queen bees lay two thousands eggs a day? That, of course, the Queen is female as is all the worker bees? Fertilized eggs become female worker bees and unfertilized eggs become male drone bees (who, umm, are really just there to well, service the Queen... ahhemm). And did you know that honey bees build the hive in a hexagon shape because it's the strongest shape in nature and holds the most honey? Fascinating!

Incoming!

So as I was there that day, remembering Tony's talk of the bees, being outside around them felt very peaceful. After all, they were just doing their job and it hit me that those bees could have cared less that I was there, they had a mission and by golly they were going to fulfill it. After all, they have a Queen waiting back at the hive they need to keep happy. To quote a popular saying right now, the morning was really all about "Beeing calm and carrying on!"

If you want to add a little sunshine to your Fall, take a peak (a different kind of leaf peeping!) at the full gallery of images.

Mountains, Lakes, Grizzlies... Oh My!

Did you ever have a really amazing vacation, come home super refreshed and for some reason, maybe about a week later have a bit of a let down? Well, that's been me the last two weeks. After seeing the amazing, seriously jaw dropping grandeur of Glacier National Park in Montana and seeing the otherworldly Mt. St. Helens in Washington, things around home, well, seemed a bit blah. Don't get me wrong, I'm an East Coast girl, I love almost everything about this part of the country that I live in. But really, we don't have anything that looks like Glacier around here. There's no active volcano sitting locally ready to blow at any moment (there is still a "blast zone" around Mt. St. Helens ... seriously!).

So it's taken me a bit to get back to what is my normal routine; sleep, work, photography classes - you know, life. And part of the funk is feeling that while I wanted to share my pictures, somehow keeping them to myself felt like the experiences were still just mine. But that was a silly thought and sharing is caring, right?

Here is one of my favorites of all that I took. This is Bowman Lake at the upper west part of the park. I followed the map to this spot, driving a half an hour down a one lane, rutted dirt road to reach it. The whole time I was literally talking out loud to myself; "why did I do this?", "how far have I driven!?", "oh my god here comes a pickup and there's no where to pull off?!?". I was starting to worry about the state of this poor little Nissan Sentra I had rented and wondered how much coverage I have on my own personal insurance if I go off the road into a ditch when I finally made it to this spot. I wasn't the only one there but it was still a peaceful spot, everyone just seemed to be enjoying the beauty and stillness of the area. At one point I spotted a Bald Eagle flying overhead, out over the lake. I sat there for almost an hour, soaking it in, letting the stress of the drive wash away and taking a picture of the lake every few minutes.

Bowman Lake, Glacier National Park, August 2012

Another favorite might be more about what it took to get myself to one of my other favorite places in the park and the worry that around the next corner would be a Grizzly. Seriously, everywhere in the park are these signs...

Scary right? So you'd be a bit leery too if you were trying to get to a spot off of the super twisty road know as Going to the Sun Road while it's still dark (4:30am), having bats fly out of the rocky mountain walls at your headlights (one bounced off the car!) to reach Logan Pass, the midpoint and what feels like the highest spot on the road. I wanted to be there for sunrise and I was but what I realized quickly is that I was pretty much the only one there. I then got a bit wussy and only went so far down the trail because, well, I was by myself and there were more warnings not to hike alone, threat of bears and oh, a new one, mountain lions! I'm happy though that I got to see the view from up there and how the light was coming across the mountains while the moon was still visible.

Logan Pass, Glacier National Park, September 2012

Overall, there is something I realized when I was leaving Glacier. It's a destination that I'll be choosing again and again over the rest of my lifetime. Exploring beyond the Sun road, going deeper down those trails (Grizzlies or not!), taking a ride down the rivers and paddling the lakes. It's nice to know and I think safe to say, that a place that has been there for a thousand years will be there a thousand more.

For more pictures of my time at Glacier, please go to this gallery @ http://www.malundquist.com/Travel/Glacier-National-Park/25713215_gdpNZp 

p.s. I actually DID see a grizzly, from a nice safe distance (300 feet), kind of cool.

Grizzly, Many Glaciers Entrance, Glacier National Park, September 2012

Michelle's Manic Adventure

It has been awhile since my last blog, a year almost. It felt right to kick it back off while on vacation in Montana, right outside Glacier National Park. My goals are simple, see it all, photograph it all. This might be a photographer's Mecca.

I've been thinking of this trip for what feels like forever but its more like four months and the time leading up to it both work and personally was nothing short of chaos and madness. But it hit me recently that while I feel like everything is out of control it's all good. Work is crazy but I have a good job that challenges me and offers me a lot of opportunity. Personal is busy as well but of my own making as I try to continually learn more about photography though it means a lot of my free time is spent taking pictures and working them through an editing process. With all that though, where is the problem in any of that really? 

This vacation overall is a bit of getting lost and found and lost again. Something I think I'm doing everyday but at least the outcome here will be some great pictures (she says hopefully...)

RANDOM PICTURE ALERT: Driving out of Spokane on Wednesday, my colleague and I stopped by our clients Alpaca farm. Here is one of the cria's (babies) I met. So cute!

The last days of New England Hummingbirds

I'll start by saying that Fall is my most favorite season here in New England. Cool sunny days, crisp nights, beautiful foliage... it's the best. But there is one part that makes me sad, the migration of my summer friends and garden visitors, the Ruby Throated Hummingbirds that visit my feeder and flowers. As an ode to these quirky, wonderful little birds who make me so happy whenever I see them, I put together a quick video of the best of my photos from the last few months.

And as Fall leads to Winter, I'll keep this great quote about Hummingbirds (care of Papyrus Card Co) close at hand and wait for their return in the Summer of 2012.


The Hummingbird
Legends say that hummingbirds float free of time, carrying our hopes for love, joy and celebration. Hummingbirds open our eyes to the wonder of the world and inspire us to open our hearts to loved ones and friends. Like a hummingbird, we aspire to open our hearts to loved ones and friends. Like a hummingbird, we aspire to hover and to savor each moment as it passes, embrace all that life has to offer and to celebrate the joy of everyday. The hummingbird's delicate grace reminds us that life is rich, beauty is everywhere, every personal connection has meaning and that laughter is life's sweetest creation.

Photo fun with my iPhone

Over the winter I joined the ranks as an iPhone user and quite honestly have never looked back. Blackberry, who? And one feature in particular I've come to love, love is the camera on the iPhone 4. It's an 8 megapixel camera which is more than enough pixels to capture detailed images. On a side note, one thing I learned early on in my photographic journey is that the megapixel count does not make the photographer, it's up to you to have an eye to see a picture and take it. You can have the best equipment but it won't matter if you can't frame the picture right.


So in using my iPhone camera it's fun to see all the things you can do with a picture once it's taken with the help of a few cool photo apps that anyone can download and use. Check these out if you want to take your iPhone camera pics to the next level:

• Noir - Turns your iPhone pics into cool looking film noir images. Super easy to use. Check out my cat Felix, who looks even more super cool with a noir effect added.

Felix at Rest | 2011

Filterstorm - Lets you fix your iPhone pics in multiple ways; hue/saturation, white balance, crop etc. Here is a before and after of the same picture to show you what it can do.

Beach @ La Push, WA (before) | 2011

Beach @ La Push, WA (after) | 2011

• PictureShow - Fun app that lets you set borders around your images, turn them into black and white, apply fun filters or add text to the image.

Boston Holocaust Memorial | 2011

Each of these are under $5 a piece to download and can give your images a fun POP! Let me know if you use these how you like them or share your own apps (and images!) from your favorites.


Happy picture taking!

We are not alone...

I randomly saw a news blurb that Friday, July 8th was the 64th anniversary of the alien crash landing in Roswell, New Mexico. It immediately brought me back to a trip I took with my friend Carol almost 10 years ago now to New Mexico. I've been in Roswell, been to the UFO Museum there that documents the crash and Carol and I even tried to find the crash site ala a xeroxed, hand drawn map of the site we got from the Museum. Even better Carol and I talked to an elderly gentleman who was one of the military men assigned to move the alien bodies. I have pictures somewhere of Carol and I with him, pre-digital, but did scan this one a few years ago of us standing in front of a re-enactment to the alien autopsy. Let the mocking begin! But in all seriousness, I've always believed there is other life out there in the Universe. To paraphrase the movie "Contact"... it's an awful waste of space if we are the only ones out here.

The trip started in Albuquerque and we drove as far South as Las Cruces and then finished in northern NM in Sante Fe. What sticks out most about this trip was we had a BLAST. There was really no itinerary, each day we decided how far we felt like driving and what we wanted to see along the way. We didn't have reservations, just figured out where to stay based on where we ended up or when we got tired. This worked out really well overall though I do remember one night it was getting darker and darker and the area was pretty remote. There were no "Motel 6's" or "Super 8's" off the road for us to get to and we started to suspect we might have to sleep in the car. Finally we saw a sign for a place and though it was higher than our price range it was better than the car. It turned out to be a spot where hunters stayed, and while my memory is hazy I think we were in Capitan, NM. I just remember the road was really, really dark. Though the best part of that place was waking up in the morning and having breakfast at the diner attached. It was only then that we realized we were in a hunting area and the individuals surrounding us were of the woodsy hunting types. Two city girls in our jeans and pressed shirts kind of stood out.


I wish now that I could recreate that trip, with my current camera and photography knowledge. I love that part of the country, particularly White Sands, NM where there is a beautiful National Park. White sand made from the wind that comes down off the mountains and across a lake, the wind deposits a residue that I believe is calcium which then as it dries leaves behind a huge white beach sand like area. The most amazing thing is driving through these mini mountains of white sand that is cool to the touch. Now that I've remembered this trip I'm on a mission to find the pictures and scan them. I think I might have been using a throw away camera at the time.


There are so many places to go, so many places to see both in this country and beyond. This memory makes me realize I need to plan my next trip. Where oh where to go...

Hello July! Wasn't it just January?

When I wrote my last post it was January and in my usual fashion I was full of motivation... "I'm going to write in my blog, all the time! Yeah!". Well, here it is July and it's only my second post of 2011. But in the spirit of new beginnings, lets try this again. I've also been getting lots of good encouragement from my friend Bridget who enjoys my photo excursion stories. This one is for you B!


So it is July and there are two things you should know about me -- I don't like heat and humidity (really, really don't like) and I'm a City Girl. I can count on my hand how many times I've gone camping and I don't actively seek out woodsy situations. So this just past July 4th I was kind of surprised to find myself blazing a trail where there wasn't one with my photo friend Joan in the woods of Rehoboth, MA. Now I'm sure a few of you reading this are probably thinking -- oh come on now, how bad could woods in Rehoboth be? Trust me, they can be bad! This excursion started innocently enough, Joan emailing me earlier in the weekend to see about "shooting" on Monday morning. Quick aside, when I use "shooting" in future blogs please know it only involves a Canon digital camera, no firearms or defenseless animals are at risk here. Back to Joan and shooting on Monday morning... "sure I say, where to?" Joan suggests stalking Hummingbirds at her neighbors house and then looking for cool mushrooms in the woods near her home/farm. At this point I needed to ask more questions but didn't because I wrongfully assumed the mushrooms would be down a manicured path not too far from Joan's. My wrongful assumption hit me full in the face at the same time the branch did as I was traipsing through low brush (no, none, zilch path) blazing my own trail as Joan blissfully said, "I've seen the mushrooms up ahead, really, it's not that far". In all fairness we really didn't go far and were in hearing distance of her neighbors at all times but as I'm stepping through calf high forest growth, sinking into suspiciously soft earth and out loud asking "What about ticks?!?" I'm starting the "WTF?!?" dialogue in my head. This inner voice is berating me for not asking more questions while also realizing I'm too quick sometimes to say "Yes" and not really think about the situation I might find myself in. Anywho... back to the pathless walk. Remember earlier when I said heat and humidity are not my friends. Well on Monday morning in Rehoboth it was hot and very humid, I felt myself sweating like a crazy person, literally felt like I could have shook myself like a dog and sprayed water for a good distance. Also, too, I'm carrying a Slingpack w/ my camera miscellaneous over one shoulder and over the other a tripod that has my camera on it. At this point I'm thinking I should have paid a few more dollars for a carbon fiber, lightweight tripod as it quite simply felt like the tripod/camera weighed about 20 pounds. 


So I'm sweating and screaming the inner "you dope" dialogue in my head while trying not to have a complete freakout about the bugs that are actively trying to land on me. Rehoboth, like most of Southern Massachusetts, has a lot of water which equals swamp areas which equals bugs. I had sprayed myself once while looking for Hummingbirds in the nicely manicured neighbors lawn after a horsefly the size of a bird bit me on the arm. But now the profuse sweating is wearing that off and I announce that I have to stop and re-spray. I take out my bug spray and wonder if it's got the "bad for you but good at bug repelling" DET while Joan, being the good environmentalist and holistic person she is, pulls out her lemon verbena scented wipe. After layering up twice I think I'm ready to move on. I ask Joan how much further because at this point I've not seen much of any mushrooms and I'm feeling my ability to cope slip further and further away. She calmly answers "oh, not much further". We start walking again and at this point I hear it... the loud, so loud, buzz of something big and mean circling my head. I can't see it but am busy swatting at it every few minutes. I seriously am ready to start swinging $1,000 dollars worth of tripod and camera in a circle around me to move bugs and brush out of my way. After a few more minutes of this, and really, now with some perspective I can say that we were in no way "lost in the wilds" but I was starting to panic that we would be walking deeper into the woods and closer to more bigger and meaner bugs. I think this is why I literally yelled -- "THAT'S IT! I CAN'T TAKE IT! I HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!". Poor Joan, she really had good intentions but I'm a City Girl remember and I had reached my heat, humidity, woods and bug limit. I think I heard Joan chuckle but like a true friend understood I was at my end and simply said -- "OK".


The way out was a bit easier than the way in as I insisted we make friends with neighbors she hadn't met yet as it meant we didn't have to fully walk through the non-trail forest brush but instead up a dirt path that lead to the side yard of a house. I hope I apologized enough to my friend and Joan, if you are reading this, thank you for listening to me and heading out of the woods when I asked. I also appreciated the cool down in your air conditioned house and the cool sparkling water. I think it took me about 30 minutes but I finally felt like a human being again and the pouring sweat did eventually stop.


Bottom line and the lesson learned here is that I need to ask more questions of my fellow photogs when excursions are being suggested i.e. will there be blood sucking bugs involved? what's the expected heat index? will there be a path to follow or should I plan to bring a machete?

Good-bye 2010!

Let me just say that I truly can't believe 2010 is over and we are one week into 2011. So of course with the new year it's "reflective time", a time to look back at what you've done in the previous year and then think about the year ahead. As part of that process during a week's vacation I had between Christmas and New Year, I took a look at my pictures from 2010 and worked to put together a year end card. Going through that process helped me to reflect on what a good, busy and fun year 2010 was for my photography. An added benefit was also being able to make great new friends along the way. Between classes at Rhode Island School of Design and a group that is an offshoot of RISD, I've been able to meet and get to know some of the most interesting, passionate and best people ever. It's taught me that when you put yourself out there and even push your comfort zone, good things can happen.


In reviewing my pictures from 2010 I realized that I was able to rediscover places in and around where I lived... either that I had never been or forgot about it had been so long since visiting. From a trip to the Cape early in 2010 with two strangers (who soon would be good friends) that helped me discover the beauty of the ocean in late Winter, to a Spring time photo shoot at Blithewold Mansion and then a trip in the heat and humidity of July to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, it was a great year of new discoveries. Below are the images from my year end card.

With that, it's 2011 and I plan to only continue my photographic exploration and adventures. And I don't usually make resolutions but I do want to commit to regular blog writing (exact amount TBD). My friend "little Kelly" has inspired me (check out her blog "The New Adventures Preppy Camper Girl"- so fun!). She's had an opportunity over the last year to re-examine her life and priorities, the blog giving her a voice to share her insights and challenging us all to find out what what makes us really happy. To paraphrase little Kelly and the old Nike slogan - life's short, find your passion and then get our there and just do it!

Gulf Coast | Day Two

Day two dawned and my friends and I were up and out by 7:30 to continue our exploration. The haze and humidity of yesterday seemed to be gone, clearer skies in its place but the sun was out now and it was hot. Thankfully there was a breeze all day and it saved it from being unbearable. The plan today was to head East towards Pascaguola, MS, thinking to see what the beaches in that area looked like. I'm happy to report that they are much cleaner than here in Biloxi/Gulfport but it may have been due to the fact that clean up crews were out again in full force and seemed to have been there for hours before us. They walk in a straight line, side by side, down the beach, scanning for the oil as they go. Overall this beach felt more like a private beach area as the houses lining the street across from the beach are much bigger, nicer, with lots of land, big expansive porches and long driveways. Admittedly one thing I was finding hard to do was taking pictures of the cleanup crew in a more up close and personal way. It felt intrusive and my fellow photogs and I didn't know how they would react. We didn't have to worry in the end as they didn't seem to mind or are maybe being told not to react and ignore photographers.

After spending the morning here and finding again both the ugly of the cleanup along with the beauty of the beaches, we decided to explore inland and take in a tour of a bayou area in Louisiana. It was worth the trip, my friends and I enjoyed it immensely. The bayou and swamp are beautiful and didn't look at all like I pictured. But most importantly I'm happy to report I did see a gator, he was small and not too scary looking. My two friends and I and one other person were on a small flat bottom boat that the captain could zip us through fast or slow down and get in close to view the details of the trees, water lilies and wildlife. We saw Cranes of all kind, sliding turtles, and a host of other wildlife. Our guide was really good, a native of the area he showed us the signs that still linger of Hurricane Katrina like the shrimping boat that was on its side at the edge of the water. It had been flung there like a toy from 30 miles away during Katrina and it wasn't the only one. We saw at least four to five boats of various sizes that had come from other parts of Louisiana strewn around the area. Our captain told us it took them 2 years to clean up from Katrina in this area.

As day two came to a close, I was happy we took the bayou tour so we could see another part of the area that is so important to its survival. Fortunately the oil will not impact this section if it stays in the water, however, it will be a completely different story if a Hurricane makes it this way again. The wind from that type of storm could potentially bring the oil inland. 

After seeing the bayou, my sincere hope is this Hurricane season is quiet and that the cleanup efforts continue.

Final day tomorrow here in Mississippi and then home to New England by late Sunday night.

Gulf Coast | Day One

I'm in the deep South and I'm in Mississippi. Quite honestly it's not a place I thought I would ever visit for any length of time. I can't say why exactly, it's probably because I thought "too hot", "too humid". And after my first day, both are true. But to my surprise, I've learned that I like it here. Don't get me wrong, I like it enough to visit, but not to live. Right now a Boston Winter isn't looking so bad, trust me! However, there is a beauty here in the Mississippi and Louisiana that I've seen so far, a friendliness to the people that is genuine and an ease of getting around that is nice, especially compared to the hustle and flow of Boston and it's endless traffic.


So coming here under the guise of photographing what I could see of the oil spill was the main reason for the visit but today I saw more. For an area of the country still dealing with the after effects of Hurricane Katrina, feeling the pinch then maybe more deeply of this down economy and now the oil spill, I expected a deep sadness but see instead a community coming together to fix it how they can and an area with strong holiday visitor traffic, which while I'm sure is light overall is better than I expected it to be. I even saw individuals swimming in what is obviously impacted waters of the Gulf and while I personally would not feel comfortable swimming in such water, it's their choice and they made it. Maybe to enjoy this piece of their world and ride it through like they have so many other times, other disasters before. I can only guess.


So what did I see? I can feel the questions from afar. The pictures below highlight what I've initially seen. The tar balls as they call them, look honestly, just have to say it, like light brown dog poo or in some cases, as you'll see in one picture, light brown rocks. The water in one section of beach here in Gulfport has a brownish cast and if you look into it you see what appear to be rocks, but are actually the tar balls. 

As I rode with my two photo friends - Rebecca and Denise - we saw the volunteers, being paid by BP to help in the beach cleanup, up and down these beaches. They use rakes and shovels to clean the oil off the beach and bag it into trash bags. Buses dot the beach parking areas, they shuttle the volunteers back and forth from their temporary housing, paid for as part of their work here along with $18 dollars an hour. I can't imagine doing this job in the heat and humidity here, oppressive doesn't begin to describe it. I had the luxury of shooting my photos and then sitting in an air conditioned car to cool off. Working the beaches all day to clean them has to be exhausting.

Again though, as I moved through my day and drove a coastal road West towards New Orleans, I marveled at how much is still beautiful here and how rich in tradition and scenery it is. Stopping at a small town along the way - Bay St. Louis - we explored a small section of the town where wrought iron fences enclose quaint gardens, where a small cemetery sits next to a duplex and the local coffee shop.

For lunch we reached New Orleans, parked and walked part of the French Quarter until we found a place to eat. From there we wandered the streets a bit though I admit the heat got too much for us so we made our way back to the car, planning to return for drinks Saturday night. Along the way we did find street musicians who set the mood perfectly for New Orleans.


All in all, a good first day, we are all exhausted and ready for a good night's sleep to be ready for tomorrow and day two in the Gulf Coast. 


P.S. The final shot here is of a cemetery in New Orleans that we stopped to take quick pictures of through the gate as it was closed. Hoping to get more before we leave.

In my own backyard

I have the benefit of living with someone who creates wonderful gardens giving me plenty of photo opportunities throughout the Spring, Summer and even Fall. In the Spring I shot the pictures here and now with Summer finally here, more opportunities are coming both with the flowers, plants and also the birds.

The gardens attract a great variety of birds and I try to entice them with bird baths and food. So far I've seen a mating pair of Cardinals, along with a juvenile male cardinal, Robins (of course) who enjoy the bird baths in particular, the usual brown chickadees, a pair of Nuthatches and Red Headed Woodpeckers. They are quite vocal--all of them--and it's interesting to see the pecking order (pun intended) of who gets to the feeders first, who gives way when others come by. Sometimes the larger birds vacate when the small birds come by as they tend to travel in packs or as I call them--bird gangs. It makes for an entertaining time, coffee in hand, watching the back and forth. Pictures of some of my visitors will be coming as soon as I can get them used to me sitting close to them to take their pics.

Ultimately too, attracting the birds makes my indoor cats a bit crazy, which is also fun to watch. I think my black and white female, Mitzy, is going to have a kitty coronary one day she gets so excited.

One Rainy Sunday

When your alarm goes off at 7:10am on a Sunday morning, you want to hit that snooze button - hard. I was going to Blithewolde Mansion in Bristol, RI with my photography group and after a long, busy work week and a busy Saturday I really did not want to get out of bed. Especially too hearing the light patter of rain on the window, getting up and out to the rainy cold did not seem appealing at all. But I got up. Showered, dressed, quick breakfast, grabbed my pre-packed camera bag and tripod and out the door. Fortified with a large DD's coffee and my Tom Tom leading the way, I drove in the rain South to Bristol.

Amazingly by the time I arrived, along with several of my group, the rain had stopped. It was overcast and cool but the sun was trying to come out. Immediately everyone began shooting. The Spring flowers were all in bloom,

daffodils, tulips, and purple hyacinths. Within moments I could see that most of the group was on the ground, shooting closeups, finding the details in the flowers. I found one spot that I got hyper focused on. The rain had left large rain drops behind in the cups of the green leaves of plant that has yet to flower. I could have literally been there for hours, I had to force myself to walk away. I'm including one of my favorite shots of those leaves here.

After about two hours the group had explored Blithewolde fully or we were just tired and hungry. Probably the latter. In the end we all couldn't stop marveling at how nice the day ended up. The day reminded me of the old adage used around New England a lot -- "If you don't like the weather here, wait a minute". Today proved that so right.

Back to School

If you are like me, I'll bet you are walking around going... is it really almost April? The new year started off very fast and furious for me, work, work and yeah, some more work. Oh right and some business travel to California, Texas and Seattle. But then along with all of that one very bright spot. I'm a student again taking photography classes at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). The beauty of where I live is being so close to some of the country's premiere colleges - RISD being one of them. They have a Certificate Program for Digital Photography that I learned about and with a few quick clicks of the mouse - viola I'm a student again.

Bottom line, I'm really liking it so far. I've taken one full class and I'm in the middle of my second one. In the course of beginning the program I also made the leap from PC to MAC - woot! I still appreciate my PC and all it can do, but once you go MAC - you don't go back. I got the MAC right before Christmas and then proceeded to spend my entire holiday vacation bonding with my new technology. It's a forever love, I can just feel it.

Currently the class I'm taking is "Photography: An Introduction" and it's brought me back to some basics with photography. Realizing that shooting pictures without a bit of a plan can be frustrating but the converse is that it might take 100 shots to find 2 that are good or what you envisioned. That sometimes your fellow students will inspire you to stretch yourself and some are well - how do I say - "interesting". We'll not go there for now.

The best part of the experience to date has been finding a smaller group of photographers within RISD that I've had a chance to get to know. They are in various stages of the certificate program and have given me great insight into their experiences with the instructors and I feel the beginning of some real friendships forming. Their photography is inspiring and I feel like knowing them and seeing their work will push me to where I can find my own vision and confidence in what comes through the camera.

Sunsets

Why do sunsets always give us such a good feeling?

As a photographer, it's a great time of day. The light is at its softest, shadows are darker and more dramatic and everyone loves a sunset photo, right? It can be a bit tricky though, the light from the sun will throw off the settings on your camera so sometimes all you see is the light from the setting sun and the details from other parts of the scene can be lost.

I've noticed that most new quick shoot cameras (those small one's that can fit in a shirt pocket or your small purse) have a sunset setting which will help with this issue. Or if you have a camera like mine that let's you configure your settings manually, you can play with the aperture and shutter to try and get different effects.

The pictures I'm including here are from the end of my day yesterday. There is a state park near me called Deception Pass Park. A large metal trestle bridge is the main focal point in this area, along with the amazing vistas. I drove through the park down to the beach area to get a shot from the shore. Fisherman (and one woman) were trying their best to catch the salmon that live in these waters. Though while I was there no one got lucky. What impressed me about this waterway is how fast the current runs, the water almost looks like a whirlpool in spots where current criss crosses itself. I wasn't brave enough to put my feet in at that point but I heard one small boy exclaim "that's cold!". I took his word for it.

There be Orcas!

Friday, September 4, 2009 was a good day. I got to spend it on an Orca Whale Watch out of Anacortes, WA (if you look for this on a map, find Seattle and look North West from there along the coast). It was a very good day.

About an hour into the cruise we came across a pod of 25 Orcas of all sizes; large males, females and three calves. One large male is known as “Ruffles” for the ruffled appearance of his dorsal fin. He was traveling with a female Orca named “Granny” who is actually his mother and she is estimated to be 98 years old! They have confirmed sightings of this particular Orca in these waters back to 1911. Can you imagine? Really, how cool is that? I wonder about their pod dynamics based on the fact that a 98 year old Orca was leading them. She seemed to be setting the pace, so (and this is totally my theory, no scientific backing here) maybe out of respect for her they let her set the speed knowing she might not be able to go as fast? I asked this question of the naturalist on board and she said she wasn’t sure but anything was possible with these complex mammals. As much as they know about Orcas, there is still more to learn.

What I learned was a lot. Orcas are part of the dolphin family and there are several types of Orcas. The ones we saw today stay in pods their entire lives and are known as “Resident Orcas” and researchers consider them a matriarchal society. At breeding times, they look to breed within other pods but then the calves stay with the mothers or their original pods their entire life. Female Orcas are pregnant for 18 months and the calves feed from them for 8 to 9 months before being able to eat independently. But what I found even more interesting is that there are “Transient Orcas”, one of the guides on the boat likened them to “wolf packs”. They are the aggressive ones you see in National Geographic specials tossing poor little seals around (and I would guess this is where the term “Killer Whale” started) vs. the ones I saw today that primarily eat the salmon and squid that live in the waters of the Pacific Northwest. The Transient Orcas will not attack their own kind but have been known to attack other whale types and smaller dolphins. Then there are the “Offshore Orcas”, not much is known about them because they live so deep out in the oceans they are hard to find and harder to study.

Bottom line, it was so much fun to see them within 100 yards of the boat and to hear their breath puff out over and over as they surfaced and dove, surfaced and dove. It was surprising too how quick and steady their pace is as they move through the water. I heard the ship’s Captain say they’ve used speed radar to measure the Orcas speed and they can go as fast as 30 to 40 mph.

I included a few pictures here but go to this link for the full gallery.

And if you are ever anywhere close to this area during Orca season--go on an Orca Watch!

Where does the time go?

Well, my last blog talked about an upcoming trip to California and I have been sorely remiss in updating this blog with that trip. The last day and a half of the trip I spent going to Joshua Tree National Park in California, about 2.5 hours north and east of San Diego. It was great.

What I love about that part of the country is how different it is from where I live. The desert seems bleak and lifeless at first impression, but as you walk around it or just stop and listen, it all comes to life. The hummingbirds, insects and lizards are just a few of the things that live in the desert - these are all I saw but there is more there than meets the eye. Honestly though, I was very happy not to run across a tarantula!

I was able to visit at what I think is the perfect time. It's hot, but not quite the hot of pure summer and there is no humidity so once you find shade it's more bearable. The park itself is impressive due to sheer size; over 700,000 acres are designated as part of Joshua Tree. Most of it isn't accessible by car, you would have to hike into it to see the various areas. Being that I was traveling alone, I wasn't that brave but would love to go back for deeper exploration. I did take one small hike and as when I was in Yosemite, being alone in these parks with literally no other person around you, the cell phone not working, you realize how small and insigificant you really are. It's scary and awesome at the same time.

Here are a few pics from the trip.





















Ironically, a month after this trip finds me heading back West to California for the upcoming week. Heading to Northern California this time and this trip will be a mix of business and pleasure as well. While I'm out there I'll be able to visit family I haven't seen in a while. Pictures of this trip will more likely be of family that landscapes, but aren't those the best kind anyway? :-]