Month: October 2016

Slow motion surf

There is something soothing about watching water break on the rocks.  Watching the smooth and repetitive motion is mesmerizing like watching fire burning logs in a fireplace. While a fire is hot and orange, and the surf is cool and blue — both natural scenes promote relaxation. I wonder why that is.

#surf, #lava, #maui, #hawaii, #soothing, #nikon
Waves wash over shoreline lava on Maui beach, captured by 200mm lens at 1/3 second, processed entirely in Lightroom.

Holiday gifts

I enjoy making notecards and ceramic tiles that feature my nature photographs, and I’m starting to work on some orders for the holidays. Today I processed a sunflower image I shot three years ago in the Denver Botanical Garden, and I will be making 6, 8 and 12″square tiles that feature this image.

#sunflower, #green, #yellow, #denver, #texture, #macro
The soft green background sets off this sunflower, which is a beauty even from the back. This image is a study in textures and a two colors, yellow and green.

Blessed Sunrise

Every sunrise is a blessing, but when you rise at 3 am and press onward to the rim of a high-altitude volcano, and you are not socked in by clouds, that’s a special blessing. Surely, we were grateful that the skies were clear on this chilly morning in Maui last month.

#sunrise, #sunstar, #maui, #haleakala, #clouds
Sunrise from rim of Haleakala on Maui.

The sun peaked over the distant clouds and began to illuminate the desolate landscape in the crater. Capturing the moment with a small aperture (f/22) on a fine lens (Nikon 14-24), I was able to bring home an image of a sunstar.

Orange and blue

A painter would tell you that the orange plumeria tree is the perfect color complement to the light blue ocean in this image. And that the orange hues of sunset and the clear blue region of the sky echo the contrasting orange and blue hues.

Another person might be attracted to the nearly empty crescent beach and just want to be there. What attracts you to this image?

#hawaii, #kona, #kailuakona, #leeward, #crescentbeach, #beach, #sunset, #plumeria, #peace
Tranquility reigns on Mauna Kea beach at sunset. September 2016.

To purchase this image, please visit my website.

Rain isn’t all bad

While we tend to complain about rain often, rain isn’t all bad. Remind yourself that rain feeds and sustains all our plant life, and through the food chain, all of us. If you need a graphic reminder that rain is a gift, just gaze upon a rainbow. Water and light are both powerful life-giving forces of Nature. When they collaborate to form a rainbow, it’s magical and evanescent.

#rainbow, #maui, #hawaii, #rain, #showers, #ocean, #waves, #landscape, #nature
Rainbows appear as often as rain showers in the Hawaiian islands. Here is an early morning brilliant example from Maui, September 2016.

The waves crashing on the lava rocks in the foreground make a dramatic foreground. Maui is well worth a visit, any time of year. Be prepared for both showers and rainbows.

Please visit my website to see more landscape images and to purchase prints.

Waterski hour

Most of us call it “Happy Hour,” but for Jenny, an athletic young Canadian, the best way to relax before supper is to waterski on the lake. I had just arrived at my friends’ cottage on Morrison Lake, having driven nearly eight hours from home, when my hosts said they were going out for a quick ski before the sun set.

“You don’t have to come,” they assured me, knowing I was tired. When I smiled and told them I was coming along, they added, “Bring your camera.”

The light was quite low, and I knew I needed to freeze action with a fast shutter speed. I set my ISO to 1600, and set the lens to f/2.8. The skier would stay about the same distance from me, which helped for quick focus, but depth of field would be shallow, so I worked on focusing and refocusing as I shot. I tried to line up the splash against the dark trees for contrast.

I chose this image of Jenny to share, because I liked the right angle between her body and the water curling under her ski. It’s no surprise that she and her cousin Ian waterski for Canada and competed in international competition last month. Go Jenny!

#waterski, #Canada, #teamcanada, #jenny, #jennaionthedock, #morrisonlake, #muskokalake, #september
Despite a chill in the air, Jenny skis before supper.

Courtney’s flowers

While Courtney and Scott were off on their honeymoon, I had a photo shoot with their wedding flowers. Courtney loved the soft color medley of white, pale green and peach, but she asked the florist Kevin Morris to add some “pop” of vibrant colored flowers as well. In this photo, you can see how Kevin put it all together.

 

#wedding, #naples, #florida, #botanicals, #botanicalsonthegulf, #vibrant
Wedding flowers by Kevin Morris at Botanicals on the Gulf in Naples, FL.

My daughter’s wedding

There comes a time when a professional photographer cannot function as such. One of those times is when she is the mother of the bride.  So much planning, so much coordination, so much emotion and excitement when it all comes together, and one more thing … You just have to live it, to experience the day, to take it all in.

For Courtney and Scott’s wedding, I put the photography responsibility in the able hands of Aimee Rossi, of Naples Florida, and she proved herself hardworking, skilled, talented and ultimately successful. As both a mother and a photographer with high standards, I am so very grateful. Let me say thank you to Aimee, and share her name with future families looking for this same quality. Here are two of Aimee’s photos:

#wedding #naples #aimeerossiphotography
Courtney is ready to walk down the aisle here in Naples, Florida.
#wedding, #aimeerossiphotography, #love, #beach, #naples
Courtney and Scott as husband and wife after their Naples wedding.