Photographic Thoughts — 01/22/2023 to 01/28/2023

“I take photographs to hold on to the ephemeral, capture chance, keep an image of something that will disappear, gestures, attitudes, objects that are reminders of our brief lives. The camera picks them up and freezes them at the very moment that they disappear.” — Sabine Weiss

Thank you, John, for another quote to use this week. If anyone else has quotes for me to use, please pass them along.

This was a strange week for photos. We had snow Sunday through Thursday and no power most of the week. All these photos are from this week on the correct day. Many looks similar because the weather was the same most of the week. The wet heavy snow on the trees looked wonderful.

Sunday, 01/22/2023: Posted photo — House in the Snow.

As this week began, we had snow on the ground and were close to losing power. It was a black and white world with the trees and sky being white and the roads being black. I took a photo of this house to show that the world still had color. The red door just pops out from the white world around it.

Monday, 01/23/2023: Posted photo — Round Meadow Dam.

One of my favorite locations to photograph, the dam at the end of Round Meadow Pond. Today the dam and the falls looked spectacular. I was pleased by the amount of water going over the dam. I was glad it was not a trickle. A trickle of water over the dam would not take a good photo.

Tuesday, 01/24/2023: Posted photo — Dam at the Old Mill.

This is one of my favorite photos that I have taken over the years. I think it is because of the framing and the snow on the conifer trees. What do you think?

Wednesday, 01/25/2023: Posted photo — Wachusett Mountain.

I had to go home this morning to start our generator. We lost power for the third time in three days. It was out most of the night and the morning. I had to start it so that our refrigerator could still be working. I have a dual fuel generator and the gas side does not work so I can only use the propane side. Need to get that fixed. I have run the gas side this summer just to keep everything working.

Thursday, 01/26/2023: Posted photo — Walkway.

Back to the Old Mill to take more photos. I intended to take photos of the ducks and geese in the duck pond but decided to take a photo of the walkway since it still had snow on it.

Friday, 01/27/2023: Post photo — Droplet.

The weather is warming up after the storms have passes. I practice droplet photos every year. I get better by the end of the winter.

Saturday, 01/28/2023: Post photo — Lonely Tree.

I have a photographed this tree in the Leominster State Forest several times. When I walked out to this tree, I had to step over many branches that have fallen during the storm. On my way back from taking this photo, I had to dodge a branch that was falling. I heard it break off the tree and luckily a branch slowed the fall so I could get out of the way.

For more photo of other projects I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.

Photographic Thoughts — 01/15/2023 to 01/21/2023

“To take a photograph is to participate in another person’s mortality, vulnerability, mutability. Precisely by slicing out this moment and freezing it, all photographs testify to time’s relentless melt.“ – Susan Sontag

Thank you, John, for this week’s quote.

Photos from this week. We had snow for most of the week so most of my photos are of snow.

Sunday, 01/15/2023: Posted photo — Hiking.

As you have seen over the years, I like to hike. Last week I gave a lesson on night hiking. This week some of those people who took my class went hiking with me this week.

Monday, 01/16/2023: Posted photo — Sunrise.

With the storm coming in this week, the sky was a great color read this morning. I saw the glow of the red clouds this morning, took out my camera and took a photo of the red sky.

Tuesday, 01/17/2023: Posted photo — Mailbox.

After the storm, this black mailbox showed great contrast with the newly fallen white snow.

Wednesday, 01/18/2023: Posted photo — Wood.

I have shown you this wood in the past. Today I took a photo of this wood with the new fallen snow on it. This wood has been seasoned for about a year now, so it is time to split is and burn it.

Thursday, 01/19/2023: Posted photo — Hidden Shed.

With all the new snow, this shed is hidden by the bending trees. Once again, the contrast between the wood and the snow called me to take this photo.

Friday, 01/20/2023: Post photo —Driveway.

A photo of out neighbor’s driveway. I just love the look of their driveway after snow.

Saturday, 01/21/2023: Post photo — Lamp.

One of the solar lamps that light up the walkway in front of our hours.

For more photo of other projects I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.

Photographic Thoughts — 01/08/2023 to 01/14/2023

“When people ask me what equipment I use – I tell them my eyes.” — Anonymous

One of the things that I like to do is to turn some of my photos into posters. Here is a few of the photos that I have turned into posters over the years.

Sunday, 01/08/2023: Posted photo — Lake Louise.

Lake Louise is located in Banff National Park, Canada’s oldest national park, in the Canadian province of Alberta. It sits at an elevation of 5,679 ft (1,731 m) making it Canada’s highest permanent settlement. The lake extends northeast for around 1.5 mi (2.4 km) and is around 0.75 mi (1.2 km) at its widest point. The Lake Louise area is separated in two – the larger community is known as Lake Louise Village and is directly accessible via the Trans-Canada Highway, while Upper Lake Louise is directly next to the lake itself and contains the famous Lake Louise Chateau, along with a host of incredible hiking, biking, and horse-riding trails. https://adventures.com/canada/attractions/lakes/lake-louise/

Monday, 01/09/2023: Posted photo — Bubble Net Feeding.

Bubble-net feeding is a cooperative hunting strategy that occurs within a group of whales. It is a complex, highly synchronized set of behaviors that involve communication and cooperation, demonstrating signs of high social intelligence.

How it works

To bubble-net feed, whales dive deep below schools of fish and use bubbles blown from their blowholes to stun and trap fish closer to the surface. One whale generally leads the effort followed by the rest of the group. The leader will usually be responsible for blowing the bubbles and the other members will surround the fish, following them to the surface by swimming in spiral patterns to keep the fish trapped.

Humpback whales are known as “gulpers”, which means they feed by leaving their mouths open, swallowing everything in their paths before closing their mouths, pushing water out through their baleen plates and swallowing the critters (usually fish and small crustaceans) they caught. During bubble net feeding, the whales swimming toward the surface will have their mouths open and gulp fish from the school they have corralled.

Tuesday, 01/10/2023: Posted photo — Wellesley Glacier.

Wellesley Glacier is a 4-mile long glacier in the U.S. state of Alaska. It trends east for 4 mi to a lagoon on the west bank of College Fjord, 3.7 mi southwest of College Point and 54 mi west of Valdez. It was named for Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts by members of the 1899 Harriman Alaska Expedition. https://alaska.guide/glacier/wellesley-glacier

Wednesday, 01/11/2023: Posted photo — Wine Barrels.

For over a century, five generations of the Kunde family have farmed our 1,850-acre estate in the heart of Sonoma Valley. Our winemaking mission is to carry on that tradition by crafting elegant, estate-grown, sustainably-farmed wines with a real sense of place—beautifully balanced and expressive of our dramatic vineyard landscape. https://www.kunde.com/

I took this photo when we attended a wedding at the winery. The couple rented out the vineyard for the occasion.

Thursday, 01/12/2023: Posted photo — Glacier National Park.

Glacier National Park is a 1,583-sq.-mi. wilderness area in Montana’s Rocky Mountains, with glacier-carved peaks and valleys running to the Canadian border. It’s crossed by the mountainous Going-to-the-Sun Road. Among more than 700 miles of hiking trails, it has a route to photogenic Hidden Lake. Other activities include backpacking, cycling and camping. Diverse wildlife ranges from mountain goats to grizzly bears. https://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm

Friday, 01/13/2023: Post photo — Bear at Curry Village.

Curry Village is a resort in Mariposa County, California in Yosemite National Park within the Yosemite Valley. A rockfall in 2008 damaged a number of structures, and about one third of visitor units were closed because of risk. https://www.nps.gov/places/000/curry-village.htm

There was a fisher cat next to our tent site. It hid when this bear walked by. The ranger asked up if we were able to get a look at the number on the bear’s tag. Yosemite National Park is the only park that I know of that a bear will open the door of your car for you if they see something shinny in it or if they smell anything that might be food.

Saturday, 01/14/2023: Post photo — Royal Arches.

The Royal Arches refers to a cliff containing natural occurring granite exfoliation arches, located below North Dome and rising above Yosemite Valley, in Yosemite National Park, California. The Royal Arches are located on the north side of the valley, northeast of the Ahwahnee Hotel. http://www.supertopo.com/rock-climbing/Yosemite-Valley-Royal-Arches-Area-Royal-Arches

For more photo of other projects I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.

Photographic Thoughts — 01/01/2023 to 01/07/2023

“You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” — Ansel Adams

Happy New Years to all. Wishing you all a healthy and safe 2023.

Sunday, 01/01/2023: Posted photo — Sunrise Selfie.

Happy New Year’s to all. For the last 15 or so years, I have been starting off the new year by hiking a local mountain to see the first sunrise of the year. This year’s hike was a wonderful hike. There had been snow and ice on the trails for most of December. Just after Christmas, we had a warm and rainy spell so there was not ice and snow. I did have to use my microspikes in areas near the trailhead and the mountain was clear of snow and ice at the summit.

Monday, 01/02/2023: Posted photo — 7 Sisters Hike.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 3200, f/3.5, 20 s, 18 mm.

On the second day of the new year, I hiked the 7 Sisters in Mt. Holyoke Range. The 3,000-acre Mount Holyoke Range State Park features a 7-mile mountain ridge line. The park also includes streams, wetlands, woods, and thickets. Visitors can explore more than 30 miles of blazed trails.

The range may be on a ridge line, but during the first three miles of the hike, there were ten different peaks. Looking at my gps tracking, I agree with someone I was hiking with, the tracking looks like the EKG of ones heartbeat. Not and easy hike, but fun. Again, now snow and ice. The range is at lower elevations that near my house. The highest peak in the range is lower than the elevation of my house. The difference is that you start just above sea leave because the range starts near on the of major rivers in the area. The Mount Holyoke Range is unique because it runs east to west, not north to south as most of the ranges. The Metacomet Ridge runs mostly north to south.

Tuesday, 01/03/2023: Posted photo — Mount Holyoke.

This is a photo of Mount Holyoke from the high point of the range, Mount Hitchcock at 1,005 feet. This is 1,001 feet lower than the mountain that frequent, Wachusett Mountain.

Mount Holyoke, a traprock mountain, elevation 935 feet, is the westernmost peak of the Holyoke Range and part of the 100-mile Metacomet Ridge. The mountain is in the Connecticut River Valley of western Massachusetts.

Wednesday, 01/04/2023: Posted photo — Ladder.

One of the hills on the 7 Sister’s hike required the use of this ladder. As I noted a few days ago, the hills were very steep on the trail. The route I took had about 1,092 feet in elevation gain. As you can see, the elevation gain was more that the height of the tallest peak on the hike.

Thursday, 01/05/2023: Posted photo — Snow.

Starting to snow around here. Great to see the ground covered in snow again. This snow is a wet snow, so I need to keep up with the shoveling so that it does not get too heavy.

Friday, 01/06/2023: Post photo — During the Storm.

Happy Epiphany. Epiphany, also known as Three Kings’ Day, is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of God in His Son as human in Jesus Christ.

About this photo: one thing about snow is it does make for some great photos.

Saturday, 01/07/2023: Post photo — Full Moon.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/250 s, 135 mm.

Today I went on a full moon hike with the members of my hiking group. We are re-starting group hikes with the group. When the group was founded eleven years ago next week my four of my friends and myself, the goal was to do group hikes. It lasted for a while, then the group grew exponentially. Now we are back to schedule group hikes to get back to our roots.

For more photo of other projects I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.

Photographic Thoughts — 12/25/2022 to 12/31/2022

“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” — Elliott Erwitt

This week I will be posting a few random photos from this past year.

Happy New Years to all. Wishing you all a healthy and safe 2023.

Sunday, 12/25/2022: Posted photo — Nauset Light.

Nauset Light, the most well-known and photographed lighthouse on Cape Cod, is located within the boundaries of the Cape Cod National Seashore. It is an important part of Eastham’s cultural and maritime history. In 1993 a group of citizens in Eastham formed the Nauset Light Preservation Society (NLPS), a non-profit volunteer organization whose original mission was to rescue the lighthouse. Through the successful efforts of the NLPS the Nauset Lighthouse was moved approximately 300 feet back from the edge of a sixty-foot high eroding cliff in 1996. Though no longer under the auspices of the United States Coast Guard, Nauset Light serves as a private aid to navigation used by the fishing fleets and small recreational boaters who navigate close to the shore. https://www.nausetlight.org/mission

Monday, 12/26/2022: Posted photo — Milky Way.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 3200, f/3.5, 20 s, 18 mm.

We arrived at our first campsite at Badlands National Park late at night. After we setup our campsite, my wife and stayed up late to look at all the stars. I practiced my Milky Way photography. Still need much work.

Tuesday, 12/27/2022: Posted photo — Female Longhorn Sheep.

Some female longhorn sheep I saw during one of my national park trips.

Wednesday, 12/28/2022: Posted photo — Hiking Buddies.

Some mountain goats that joined us on our hike in Glacier National Park.

Thursday, 12/29/2022: Posted photo — Smith Glacier.

Smith Glacier is a 5.5-mile (8.9 km) long glacier in the U.S. state of Alaska. It trends southeast to Harvard Arm of College Fjord, 2.8 miles (4.5 km) northwest of College Point and 51 miles (82 km) west of Valdez. It was named for Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts by members of the 1899 Harriman Alaska Expedition.

Friday, 12/30/2022: Post photo — Bison.

Here are some bison that we saw at Wind Caves National Park. There were a herd of about 300 bison just roaming the fields.

Saturday, 12/31/2022: Post photo — Looks Like a Good Site.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/250 s, 135 mm.

Here are a couple of bison looking for a campsite at Yellowstone. Looks like they found a good one.

For more photo of other projects I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.