Droplets

(Droplets2 by chiaralily)

Droplets 2, originally uploaded by chiaralily.

Four poles

Four poles, originally uploaded by eworm.

(four poles by eworm)

Cotuit Harbor evening light

(Cotuit Harbor evening light, by tbradford)


Cotuit Harbor evening light, originally uploaded by tbradford.

Etsy Buy Handmade ParallaxPhoto

Beauty is all around

(beauty is all around, byM. Tortolano)


Beauty is all around, originally uploaded by M.Tortolano.

There are so many water-drop pictures on flickr, but I love the golden sunlight on this one

reeds

(reeds by mark_vincent)



reeds, originally uploaded by mark vincent.

(reeds by mark_vincent)

drops

drops, originally uploaded by eNez.

April showers bring May flowers?

(but what about late-March showers?)

reflection (painting)

reflection (painting), originally uploaded by mhels_13.

Gerhard

(Gerhard, by rickhanger)



Gerhard, originally uploaded by rickhanger.

Braan Reflections

Brann Reflections by mike_bolam





Braan Reflections , originally uploaded by mike bolam.

Go Green...

Moving on to green, today.

And going water-y. I love water abstracts (look through my flickr stream if you don't believe me), I'm fascinated by the range of colors and patterns.

From Shelley73

So I found two rich green water-abstracts for my favorite color

From LindenTree

(That light reflection on the glass is a shame, but the color from this aquarium is lovely)

Reflective

Sorry folks, final papers and the holidays got in the way of blogging for a while.

New Years always seems like a reflective sort of time with all the resolution-making and starting anew -- and, although it's not as poetic, I just stumbled across a reflection shot I really like.

So here are two reflective, reflections for you:

From sopo liz

Off Season

Purchase "Off Season" from Parallax

Sizes

5x7 $8.00 ACEO $4.00 Greeting Card $3.00

Reflections...

Well, still deciding what to make of my inconclusive poll, but I have decided it at least gives me an agenda for my next couple of blog postings.

I already told you about the first one, Footprints a few days ago, so tonight, the reflections series.


I went to Mt. Holyoke College, in western Massachusetts. It's a beautiful campus full of old brick buildings with ivy on the walls, green lawns with old trees and Adirondack chairs, all arranged around a pair of small "lakes". All three of these images were taken there.

Reflection 1

I still live in the area, and it's equally beautiful. It's a river valley (The Connecticut) full of low hills. The communities up and down the river are a mix of small de-industrialized communities trying to figure out a new plan, charming bohemian college towns and still-rural areas with small farms and orchards. I love the mix.

Reflection 2

I'm a native New Englander, and even though I question my sanity sometime around February when it's been cold and snowing for months, it's home. And, Fall is worth it. If you're bracing for a New England winter, going out with a blaze of beautiful color seems like a good way to do it. There's something wonderfully defiant about it.

Reflections3

I'm fascinated by light and reflections on water. But I love this series because of the way they capture the colors of fall, bright orange against blue sky, the first yellows and golds blending with summer greens.

Spring has finally, emphatically come to Massachusetts, and I have a three day weekend (Monday is Patriot's Day here. In theory a commemoration of the battles of Lexington and Concord which marked the beginning of the Revolutionary War. In reality, I had to look that up on wikipedia. But everyone in the Boston area knows it's Marathon Monday. )

So, I spent a sunny afternoon hiking in the woods and hills with my camera: my first hike of the season. At first the woods seemed discordant: the oaks still winter-bare, hardly in bud, and the usually cool, shady forest was hot and sunny. I usually find the forest at once soothing and inspiring -- but I just wasn't feeling it.

But, tucked under the edge of a fallen tree, right at my feet were tiny little flowers. Mayflowers, delicate little stars, white with the tiniest hint of pink., set off against generic little apple-green leaves. Soothing and inspiring, my hike redeemed.

(Too bad the pictures just didn't come out)

Further down the path, a little stream. We're not far from the Connecticut River, which is at spring flood right now. But this stream was full, but cheerful not rushing. There are smooth pools behind fallen trees, and gurgling ruffles over stones. The edges were lined with brilliant green plants, surprisingly lush. The leaves brilliant green and folded slightly, adding lines of sun and shadow.




Someone had built a sturdy, simple bridge with concrete pilings over the stream: but what's the fun in that? Its predecessor, a pair of wobbly, warped pressure-treated boards placed directly on the muddy banks, was just a few feet further down. Much more picturesque. I wobbled myself, crouching down, to dip my hands in the cool water, sun touched where it ruffled over the rocky bed.

If you've looked through my photography, you might have guessed: I'm fascinated by the reflections and patterns in water. There were no other hikers around, so I could sit to my hearts content, watching the stream ripple and reflect, trying to get in 'on film'. (Note to self: find a technologically appropriate phrase, 'on memory card' just doesn't work)




I ended up hiking for hours (my muscles remind me now) up the rocky hills and along the stream bank. The trails are not terribly well maintained, and on my way back, I found I'd meandered off my path. I've got a GPS unit in my backpack, a cell phone, it's daylight, I'm standing right next to a river I can follow if I really needed too, in a pretty tame patch of woods, with major roads on all the borders and I'm perhaps 50 feet from the path. No reason to be worried, unless you're the sinking feeling in my gut.


I got back to path no problem, and on my way, almost as compensation, found a beautiful patch of flowers I've never seen before. (If you can identify them, I'd love to know). Almost like compensation for that bit of worry ... or a lesson in getting off the beaten path. In any case, I'm grateful for one last, wonderful surprise.

And a surprisingly wonderful shot.

This is one of those gifts from the photography gods when holding the camera out, blind, underneath a flower and madly pushing the shutter actually works. The only retouching: boosting the contrast back to something like the flowers' natural tone. (I didn't even crop, and I crop everything!)






And with that, Happy Patriots' Day everyone!