A Few of My Favorite Things

I love spring – renewal of nature, longer days, warmer temperatures. I love snow – clean, graphic, and simple. One of my favorite places to visit is Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia – I like the history, the quaint homes and simple, colorful gardens. Well, when all three of these things came together earlier this month, I was in visual heaven. The temperatures dropped and snow, big fluffy flakes of it, fell all night and into the morning. I was on vacation with family and so right after breakfast we hopped onto a colonial bus and I was off. I had certain locations in mind, the Palace Gardens, Duke of Gloucester Street, and the Taliaferro-Cole Garden (pictured below). The simple white picket fence, colorful tulips, brick walkway and typical colonial architecture, all play a role in this image. I had always wanted to see snow in Williamsburg, but I didn’t expect it in April!

I had a very specific type of imagery in mind before leaving for Williamsburg. I anticipated doing a lot of isolation work, that means telephoto and close-up (macro) photography. I also planned on low-light imagery (interiors, evening strolls). I didn’t even bring a wide angle lens. As a result, the widest focal length I had to work with was a 50mm. I really enjoy working with my Canon 50mm f1.4 lens. I like the field of view it gives on a 1.6X (APS-C) digital SLR sensor, and I like the bright viewfinder and limited depth of field. It also happens to be one sharp little (I like that too) performer. Having to use this lens meant that instead of changing focal lengths to alter my composition, as I would with my wide-angle zoom lens, I had to run back and forth to do so. And I did run, because I could see the snow was stopping and I had more images in my head yet to make.

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Art of Nature Show – Basking Ridge, NJ

This show is coming up quickly. It is May 5 and 6 at the Somerset County Park Commission Environmental Education Center in Basking Ridge NJ. The hours both days are 10:00 – 5:00.  Here’s a link to the show – http://www.somersetcountyparks.org/brochFlyers/EEC07aons.pdf 

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Blog Begins!

Photography is about the communication of values, feelings, and ideas. For the patrons that have added my work to their personal art collections, that communication has occurred and has continued daily when they look at the walls of their homes and offices. This Blog will allow a frequent and in depth communication about where my image-making is taking me, the issues and ideas I am working through, and just a way to say hello. Whether you are interested in buying my prints, or a friend who wants to see what’s going on – Welcome! I’m glad you’re here.