Tag: autumn

Sunday Serenity

Embrace Sunday Serenity as a day to relax and recharge your mind and body with autumn’s beautiful hues.

Sundays are for kicking back and relaxing, so let’s take a moment and breathe in the serenity that surrounds us when we can! This particular day of the week is often a precious respite from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, a tranquil oasis where we can recharge and rejuvenate our minds and bodies.

Here is today’s moment…

Autumn Serenity

This image dates back from 2012, a period when I played with lots of different approaches to photography, exploring various techniques and styles that would enhance my artistic expression. In this case, I looked to let the colors speak for themselves by taking the image out of focus and allowing the eyes to take in a sense of autumn, capturing the rich hues of red, orange, and yellow that define the season. This method created a dreamy quality, evoking a nostalgic feeling, as if the viewer is transported to a serene moment in nature where time stands still, inviting reflection and appreciation for the beauty around us. The blurred edges of the image deftly guide the observer’s imagination, urging them to fill in the details with their own memories of fall and the emotions that it stirs within.

A moment of contemplation with the lovely autumnal colors reminds us of the beauty of nature during this season. As we take a deep breath, let the crisp air fill our lungs, awakening our senses and grounding us in the present moment. Engaging in this simple act of mindfulness can transform our Sundays into a more fulfilling experience. Whether it’s sipping a warm cup of spiced tea while watching the leaves dance in the wind or taking a leisurely stroll through a nearby park, immersing ourselves in the seasonal splendor can elevate our spirit and clarity. Let’s cherish this time to reflect on the week past and set intentions for the days ahead, embracing the calming influence of autumn in our lives.

iPhone Friday

Discover the magic of iPhone Friday in the Woods through a photo that tells a story of golden autumn vibes and nature’s beauty.

Another Friday and, hopefully, a great weekend to look forward to! Browsing through my iPhone photo library, I actually found several cool shots after I last posted in this series, so there are more stashed away for upcoming episodes!

As I scrolled through the memories captured in those images, I realized how each photo tells its own story, evoking the feelings and emotions of that specific moment in time.

This one from last October is particularly special. I remember standing there, feeling the gentle breeze brush against my skin as I looked up and admired the interplay of colors and sunlight filtering through the leaves. The golden hues of autumn wrapped everything in a warm embrace, creating a scene so picturesque that it felt like stepping into a painting. Every detail—from the way the light danced upon the branches to the crispness of the air—added to the beauty of that moment, reminding me why I love this season so much.

I’m eager to share more of these cherished snapshots in the future, each one revealing a little piece of my journey and the world around me. So stay tuned for more visual stories to brighten your days!

The trees are alight!

There’s just nothing like the fresh autumn air, a mild breeze, and the sun bringing out all the color that surrounds us! The vibrant hues of red, orange, and yellow paint the landscape, creating a breathtaking canvas that captures the essence of the season. Each breath fills the lungs with a crispness that invigorates the spirit, while the rustling leaves provide a soothing soundtrack to our surroundings. Families gather for weekend outings, enjoying the simple pleasure of pumpkin picking and nature walks, embracing the warmth of each other’s company. For my money, it doesn’t get any better until the next great day! The anticipation of falling temperatures and cozy evenings spent by the fire adds an extra layer of magic to this time of year.

A Quiet Return…

We explore the stunning autumn beauty of New England and admire the magnificent colors in this photography moment.

It’s been a while since my most recent post, and I figure it’s time to start finding my way back again. There is much to share, so I’ll start gently. As I’ve overcommitted myself to too many hobbies, pastimes, and a bit much on the work side (of life), I’ll be taking baby steps.

During this time, there have been occasional photography forays, so I will start with sharing from those outings. Here’s a bit of “on the ground in front of me”-scape from this past autumn:

Autumn’s Fallen Beauty

Autumn is definitely my favorite time of year, as New England is awash in color, and the vistas can be magnificent. Of course, those colors do come to an end, as leaves drop from their hosts to decorate the ground around us (of course, we do have to clear them, if we want to have a lawn). During a late October stroll around New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, I came across this lovely arrangement of future nutrients for the maple tree around which they lay. Finding an angle to get a composition that I liked was not that hard.

Captured with my Fuji X-H2 with an XF80mm F2.8 macro lens at an aperture of F6.4.

Thursday Throwback – 27

We’re going back to 2004, and a capture of Canada geese on the Quinapoxet River. It’s an image that I still cherish, even after 2 decades!

As I’m having fun putting my web-site together, I’m building portfolio pages that feature particular groupings of some of the images that I have captured over the years. Even though these are just my digital photography, some of them go back quite a while! So for this week’s throwback, I’m going to an image from 2004.

Here are three Canada geese afloating…

Geese on the Quinapoxet

After all this time, I still appreciate this image for a whole bunch of reasons. It took a bit of work to get this capture, as I shot 34 or so images to get one where the geese give off a sense of direction. I still enjoy the coloring of the late September leaves and their reflection in the rather tranquil river. And, yes, despite being an early digital camera, the Canon EOS 10D, which I still have, performed admirably!

I hope you enjoy this image and look forward to hearing about your early forays into digital photography!

A Saturday Abstraction

Explore the concept of abstraction in photography and how it transforms our perception of natural beauty in its capture of mood.

In photography, we all tend to lean toward the representation of something we see in the world around us. In some way, many of us may be impatient painters of the scene or landscape that we enjoy seeing. Even though I enjoy taking a slightly different look at my environment, the same holds true for the vast majority of my work. That said, there are lots of moments when I see something not quit so representational.

Here’s one such moment…

Oxbow Impression of Autumn

This image from the autumn season of 2017 is certainly representational in one aspect. After all, it is a reflection of the mix of colors in the foliage in the rippled water of the Nashua river. At the same time, it gives a sense of impressionism in that it invites us to not look for the sharp detail, but rather the mood that we encounter in the colors and textures. Not quite as abstract as I’ve gone in some of my photography, but maybe a little bit and enough for this Saturday?

Sunday Serenity

The joy of photography is in capturing moments that convey the essence of the environment. Here we bring a sense of clarity…

One of the fun aspects of photography is that we can use our cameras to capture a moment that expresses a specific sense of our environment. Whether it’s the mood of our surroundings, the crispness of the air that we breathe or just the warmth that we feel. There are too many variations to list!

Here’s one of those moments that I found in 2012…

Autumn Clarity

For me this captured a moment of clarity, both of vision and sense of the clear air that autumn provides us. Looking through the foliage, the light shining through gave me that feeling.

May your day be filled with clarity and crisp, clean air to breathe!

iPhone Friday

A 2015 capture with the iPhone 5s; a simpler smartphone camera, still capable of catching an interesting scene.

After last week’s iPhone Friday with a gorgeous image from a recent iPhone, I’m going back to the iPhone 5s that I had in 2015. The camera didn’t have all the bells and whistles that it has now, but nevertheless it could create some interesting shots.

Let’s take a look at 2015…

Rocky Pond Autumn

I captured this autumnal scene of Rocky Pond in Boylston, Massachusetts. I would take backroads into work and regularly make a stop or two for photography. Some mornings, I’d look at the sky and decide to go one way or another to check the views.

Even though the iPhone 5s was a lower pixel-count camera without some of the smart adjustments that we have today, it’s still a fun shot! The cold air creates a haze across the pond, the lens flare offsets the dark trees. Just some fun items that still come together well for me.

A View to a Park

Devil’s Hopyard State Park in East Haddam, Connecticut, is a captivating photography location. Enjoy this covered bridge with a bit of early autumn.

One can find great photography locations just about anywhere, as many of you are aware. I am confident that each of you have some spots nearby that draw you in again and again. Some days it’s just for a hike, and other days you see something that you want to photography.

When visiting my good friend, George, one of those places is Devil’s Hopyard State Park in East Haddam, Connecticut. This park has some photogenic waterfalls, but more can be discovered…

Covered Bridge

You can see quickly what caught my eye in this scene. The early autumnal colors behind the bridge gave me just a tinge of yellow and warmth. The pine tree provided a little bit of framing. And the bridge path leads towards a bit of mystery.

Overall, this image makes for a soothing print to hang on the wall.

Sunday Serenity

As we immerse ourselves in the serenity of Autumn through the lens, we strive to capture the essence of the moment and feel of the season.

As part of my journey of exploration in photography, I have learned to use a variety of techniques to create images that express something beyond the mere visual representation of what is in front of our eyes; my preference is to do as much of this in-camera rather than create something in post-processing. There are post-processing possibilities that go beyond what can be done with just our cameras, even though they are getting smarter; examples, such as HDR, Focus Stacking and combining multiple images are among these.

Today’s example is one where all of the work was in-camera, other than some image clean-up, and the result was visible on the LCD screen on the back of my camera…

Autumn Serenity

This image was created by using a somewhat slow shutter speed at 1/8 second and intentionally going out of focus a bit to create a soft amalgamation of autumnal colors. My intent was to capture some of the serenity that we might experience during a comfortable autumn day, as we enjoy a gentle breeze, comfortable temperatures and the beauty of the landscape that surrounds us.

Hope you enjoy these moments too!