Winter is finally behind us. The grass is turning green and the leaves are unfurling on the trees. It seems that this year it’s happening a bit early and quite rapidly too. This time last week I was wearing gloves at night and this week I can see the great differences in the trees almost daily. Some parts of my lawn are already too long to easily mow.
For Landscape Photographers, this is the time of year when we all get excited about the passing of dull, grey lifeless trees and brown grass. The skies are more exciting with the profusion of stars, and the Galactic Core of the Milky Way is becoming more visible and higher in the sky. Streams are settling to their normal flow and abandoning the “raging torrent” status created by the runoff of melting snow.
I find the sunrises (the oh-so-few I actually see) and sunsets more colourful and exciting in late Spring and early Summer. The mist on the rivers and lakes creates moody atmospheres; if one is fortunate, a Deer may appear for a sip.
Songbirds are returning, as are Hummingbirds, Hawks, and Waterfowl such as Great Blue Herons, Sandpipers, and the ever pleasing Piping Plover.
Macro Photographers are gearing up for a summer of Ladybugs, Spiders, Bees, and many more tiny species that share our lawns and gardens with us. Fireflies will soon dot the night time grasses and June Bugs are already frightening many.
The wildflowers are budding, soon to bloom and trees such as Apple Trees and “Indian Pear” trees will decorate the landscape with their colours and grace us with their fragrance. The Roses will follow and I will have hundreds of bees to get close-ups of.
Weddings are most frequently held in June by Tradition, and Wedding Photographers are in high demand. Charge your batteries and refresh and format your SD cards my friends!
Photographers are searching Google Maps and other websites to find Camping Places that may offer great Photo opportunities. Today I had my Mountain Bike out for a short ride, getting myself back in condition to get off the beaten path with my Canon. As I was leaving home I remarked to Anne that I see myself as a Photographer on a bicycle rather than a Cyclist with a Camera!
To celebrate Summer’s imminent arrival, I purchased a new-to-me lens from the same woman from whom I purchased my camera just under two years ago. She has moved up and the lens won’t fit her new camera, so she put it up for sale. For those who are interested, it’s a Tamron 18 – 200mm F/3.5-6.3. I will use this as my main lens, since it has the same wide-angle as my kit lens when set at 18mm, but can reach all the way up to 200mm without necessitating a change since the kit lens stops at 55mm. It also has image stabilization which the kit lens does not. I find the zoom very smooth and quiet and the image quality quite sharp.
You may have noticed I didn’t write a Blog last week; that is because I was preparing to go to a dark quiet place and Photograph the Lunar Eclipse. It was due to begin at 10:30 PM Atlantic time and I arrived at my chosen location at 10:00. The Full Moon was just clearing the hill on which I was planning to set up my tripod when I arrived. I realized that by the time it was in full swing, I wouldn’t need to climb the hill since the Moon would be high in the sky and there would be nothing in the foreground if I were up there, so I stayed where I’d parked, just off the trail. It was plain to me by 11:00 PM that the clouds were going to be the dominant feature which they were by midnight; in fact, the clouds were so thick that there was virtually no moon visible. I managed to get a couple of shots of a nearby tree as it stood in silhouette against the brightly illuminated clouds, but the moon itself was not in the picture; literally and metaphorically. As I sat there in my Jeep, with the window open, I could hear the sound of distant Coyotes somewhere toward the ocean. Being there alone, in the dark, it was a little off-putting and I got chills down my spine. It was already a cold night to begin with and those howls and wails certainly added to it. Aahhhh the joys of Landscape Photography. At around 12:30 I gave up and came home.
This week’s shout-out goes to Wayne “Duke” O’Handley. Duke is another well-known Musician in the area, and we shared the stage for a brief time in 2000 as we joined the O’Brien Family in their band “Reatta.” Here’s a sample of Reatta from their Self-Titled album. Duke is on Bass, and I’m on Drums.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by and read this. As always, I appreciate your thoughts and comments. Until next week, be ready for those Sunrise and Sunset shots and don’t overlook the smaller things in your world. To use poetic license, stop and Photograph the roses, and always carry spare batteries!
Take care!