“Today everything exists to end in a photograph.” — Susan Sontag
Some old and new photos this week.
Sunday, 03/05/2023: Posted photo — Traction.
With the newly fallen snow, winter hiking conditions are the best they have been all season. I have not used my crampons all year and decided to use them today. No particular reasons and I really did not need to use them. I just wanted to hike with them once this season.
Monday, 03/06/2023: Posted photo — Moon Beam.
The full moon tonight was given off this beam. I thought it was a reflection off my camera, but every photo I took of the moon tonight had these beams in them. This is a photo of the moon liking towards Boston.
Tuesday, 03/07/2023: Posted photo — Full Moon.
A full moon photo for March. The moon is my preferred subject and I am still working on getting the perfect moon photo.
Wednesday, 03/08/2023: Posted photo — Traditional Collection.
Last week I posted a photo of hour our neighbor collects sap. This is the traditional way to collect sap found elsewhere in town.
Thursday, 03/09/2023: Posted photo — Baseball.
The World Baseball Classic has started. Our family loves to watch baseball and our son gives me updated every day. I took a photo of the stitches of this baseball for macro photography practice.
Friday, 03/10/2023: Post photo — Golf.
I took this photo during the summer. This is an HDR photo of a local golf course. I did not know what to post today, but I saw golf on my computer screen and went back to this photo.
Saturday, 03/11/2023: Post photo — Inspection Station.
Time to get one of our cars safety inspected. All our cars had the same month for inspection. They are now spread out, once a month for the next three months.
Settings: Google Pixel 7, ISO 62, f/1.8, 1/678 s, 7 mm.
During the ride down to our vacation destination, I noticed the contrail left by at plane as it was turning. Contrails or vapor trails are line-shaped clouds produced by aircraft engine exhaust or changes in air pressure, typically at aircraft cruising altitudes several miles above the Earth’s surface. A little later, I noticed that a plane took a turn and flew in front of another plane. I took my phone out, since I was the navigator at this time, and took a photo.
Monday, 02/20/2023: Posted photo — Shell.
Settings: Google Pixel 7, ISO 66, f/1.8, 1/593 s, 7 mm.
We reached our destination and took a walk on the beach. I took a photo of this shell because of its color. The beach was full of white shells. I did not see many shells that were dark. This shell is a common cockle shell. The common cockle (Cerastoderma edule) is a species of edible saltwater clam.
Tuesday, 02/21/2023: Posted photo — Under the Pier.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/320 s, 22 mm.
The Jacksonville Beach Fishing Pier is nearly a quarter of a mile long and offers visitors close-up views of the Atlantic Ocean. The pier was closed for years because Hurricane Matthew wiped out part of the pier in 2016, then Hurricane Irma damaged it some more in 2017. Unfortunately the pillions on the pier do not make a good of a photo as the last pier did. At least this one might hold up to hurricanes.
Wednesday, 02/22/2023: Posted photo — Sunrise.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/7, 1/8000 s, 300 mm.
Woke up early this morning to take a photo of the sunrise. Drove down to the pier to get this photo. The cloud cover was sparse, but the sunrise was wonderful. Each sunrise is different.
Tonight, while visiting family members, I saw the moon and Jupiter. Later on, I saw the moon, Jupiter, and Venus. I took out my camera and took a series of shots just after sunset. These photos are ones I took a little later at night at night time. These photos are handheld photos.
Thursday, 02/23/2023: Posted photo — Lizard.
Settings: Google Pixel 7, ISO 42, f/1.8, 1/234 s, 7 mm.
Don’t know if it is a brown anole or a Florida scrub lizard. Someone can tell me. All I know is that this little guy wanted to go with us to the beach today.
Friday, 02/24/2023: Post photo — Leaving the Nest.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/320 s, 300 mm.
We watched this osprey flying around and gathering sticks for its nest. They move so quickly. This was the best photo that I got of the osprey. This photo was taken in Cradle Creek Preserve. Cradle Creek Preserve consists of 36 acres, purchased on August 9, 2001 by the City of Jacksonville Beach and the city of Jacksonville. The City of Jacksonville Beach holds title to the property. It a very peaceful place in the middle of the hustle of the beaches.
Saturday, 02/25/2023: Post photo — Feet in Ocean.
Settings: Google Pixel 7, ISO 42, f/1.8, 1/4049 s, 7 mm.
As my vacation winds down, and the snow and ice falling up north, I took this opportunity to put my feet in the ocean. With temperatures in the 80s F here and in the teens up north, just relaxing for one more day.
Here is a gull and a Royal Tern that was hanging out with us on the beach.
I also took a walk in a nature preserve and saw this great blue heron. It was going to be a quick walk so I only had my cell phone. Watched it for about 15 minutes and it did not catch a fish. I do like the reflection and the shadow.
Back to the cold weather and reality.
Went back the next day and this egret fished successfully caught a fish, a small fish, but a fish none the less.
“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.
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?
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.
“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.
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
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
“A good photograph is one that communicates a fact, touches the heart and leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it. It is, in a word, effective.” — Irving Penn
Photos from this week. I was on vacation this week so I had a little more time to get out and take photos.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/125 s, 24 mm.
A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. This covered bridge is mor of a covered walkway that leads to the Old Mill Restaurant in town.
Here is a photo of the waterfall that you can see as you cross the bridge.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/400 s, 35 mm.
This is one of my most photographed locations. I took a photo a month at this location a few years ago.
We had some snow overnight. Here are some photos of the snow.
Tuesday, 12/13/2022: Posted photo — Hike.
Settings: Google Pixel 7, ISO 51, f/1.8, 1/5155 s, 7 mm.
This photo was taken from a member of the hiking group that did not want their photo taken.
Today I went on a hike with members of the Wachusett Hikers. The Wachusett Hikers is a group, that I am a founding member, that was formed by one of my friends a few years ago to organize local hikes. Currently there is over about 1.4K members to the group. Not everyone is active in the group, but we are surprised by the number of people interested in local hiking. Not bad for a group that started out with just five members.
Settings: Google Pixel 7, ISO 57, f/1.8, 1/1287 s, 7 mm.
This is the 90thanniversary boot. My wife and I take a trip up to the LL Bean Flagship store every year to go shopping for the holidays. We have a weekend away in Maine and other places a few times a year. Some of these trips we took were electronics free. We spent time in Kittery, ME and Freeport, ME.
Here is a photo of one of the decorated trees at the flagship store.
Thursday, 12/15/2022: Posted photo — Ducks and Goose.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/500 s, 50 mm.
I went back to the Old Mill today to take a photo of the ducks and geese. The Old Mill has a duck pond and there are ducks and geese there all year round.
As a bonus for today, I am posting a photo of our neighbor’s driveway. I always like the look of their driveway in the snow.
Friday, 12/16/2022: Post photo — Wachusett Mountain.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/1250 s, 88 mm.
Here is a photo of Wachusett Mountain from Round Meadow Pond. You have seen a photo from this location in the past. This is the first one at this location in the snow for this winter season.
Saturday, 12/17/2022: Post photo — Wachusett Mountain Ski Area.
Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/640 s, 18 mm.
Here is a photo of the Wachusett Mountain ski area. This is the mountain that I hike one or two times a week since I fractured my ankle. I hiked this mountain two to three times a week, minimum, before my accident.
“What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that’s gone forever, impossible to reproduce.” — Karl Lagerfeld
In memory of Pearl Harbor Day, I will be posting photos of my last trip to Hawaii.
I have also renamed my header to the current week since I will not add the week that I missed.
Sunday, 12/04/2022: Posted photo — Diamond Head.
“The unique profile of Diamond Head (Lē’ahi) sits prominently near the eastern edge of Waikiki’s coastline. Hawaii’s most recognized landmark is known for its historic hiking trail, stunning coastal views, and military history. Diamond Head State Monument encompasses over 475 acres, including the interior and outer slopes of the crater.”
“The Rainbow Falls are a broad waterfall in the Wailuku river that is conveniently located within Hilo town. They are very easy to visit and you’ll have a high chance of seeing rainbows if you visit somewhat early in the day (perhaps even before breakfast).”
Tuesday, 12/06/2022: Posted photo — National Memorial Cemetery.
“Few national cemeteries can compete with the dramatic natural setting of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. The “Punchbowl” was formed some 75,000 to 100,000 years ago during the Honolulu period of secondary volcanic activity. A crater resulted from the ejection of hot lava through cracks in the old coral reefs which, at the time, extended to the foot of the Koolau Mountain Range.”
My father served in WWII in the US Navy. He had a uniform just like this. I used his duffle bag for a hockey bag when I was young.
Friday, 12/09/2022: Post photo — USS Arizona.
This is one of the most visited historic sites in the United States. “Other highly-visited historic sites include the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington D.C., along with Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, and Castillo de San Marcos in St Augustine Florida.The Pearl Harbor Visitor Center is operated by the National Park Service and is free to the public. It includes a museum with exhibits about World War II, an outdoor walkway with numerous historical plaques and signage explaining the attack, and a theater that shows a video of actual footage and events from the attack which is viewed before boarding the boat which takes visitors out to the memorial.”
“Located on Ford Island and in line with the Arizona Memorial along battleship row, the Battleship Missouri (USS Missouri (BB-63)) towers over its dock some 216 feet high. It is accessible only by shuttle from the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center or on our tour vehicles. The island is a military installation so the public is unable to drive onto it without special passes.”
“There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer.” — Ansel Adams
Events over this past week.
Sunday, 10/30/2022: Posted photo — Wood.
We had five cords of wood delivered. Looks like we have a few hours ahead of us putting into the wood shed. We normally receive two shipments a few days apart in order to put the first truckload away. This year we received all five at once.
Monday, 10/31/2022: Posted photo — Residence.
A private residence near the Kennedy Compound on the Cape. Made to look like a lighthouse.
Tuesday, 11/01/2022: Posted photo — Gull.
Just a gull looking out at sea on this wonderful day. Hard to believe it is November.
Was not easy to get a photo of the lunar eclipse. The sky was very dark during totality. This is a two second exposure. Anything less that two seconds, the moon was too dark. Look at the movement in the moon.
From the web: “The Sagamore Bridge has a 616-foot-main span over the canal like the Bourne Bridge, but from abutment to abutment, the bridge is 976 feet shorter than its identical twin two and one-half miles to the west.”
Friday, 11/04/2022: Post photo — Cranberry Bog.
From the web: “Cranberries grow in beds layered with sand, peat and gravel. These beds are commonly known as bogs or marshes and were originally formed as a result of glacial deposits. In Massachusetts we call the place where cranberries grow a BOG. Natural bogs evolved from deposits left by the glaciers more than 10,000 years ago.”
Saturday, 11/05/2022: Post photo — Cranberries.
From the web: “Both cranberries and their close cousin the blueberry are not actually berries. Rather, they’re classified as epigynous, a type of fruit commonly called false berries.”
Here is a photo of Wachusett Mountain taken from Round Meadow Pond. What wonderful fall colors today.
Monday, 10/17/2022: Posted photo — Hike.
There is a cave on Mount Monadnock in NH that is a secret on the mountain. The location of the cave is secret and only clues are given to people who what them. If you find this cave, you are not to tell its location. I have been searching for this cave for a while and this time I hiked with some friends that were also looking for the cave.
We found the cave! We took out a map, looked at all the clues we collected, mapped out our trail and found the cave.
Wednesday, 10/19/2022: Posted photo — Peace
One of the markings on the wall inside the cave. Someone carved a peace sign.
Thursday, 10/20/2022: Posted photo — Flags.
Some flags inside the cave. These were hung there by someone who found the cave. There is a message on the flags to follow Leave No Trace principles and to leave the cave clean.
Friday, 10/21/2022: Post photo — Inside the Cave.
A fireplace to keep warm inside the cave. If you look under the flags, you can see a star carved into the wall along with the peace sign.
Saturday, 10/22/2022: Post photo — Morning Light.
The sunrise brought out some great colors this morning. The contrast between the leaves, sunrise, and fall colors were stunning.
Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.
Some photos that I took this week.
Sunday, 10/02/2022: Posted photo — Echo Lake.
My hike today took the group past Echo Lake. As we hiked past Echo Lake, the reflection of the foliage caught my eye, I took out my cell photo and took a photo of the scene. The hill you are looking at is not the summit. It is just one of the hills that you need to climb prior to getting to the summit.
Monday, 10/03/2022: Posted photo — Full Moon near Boston.
Looking at the moon rise from the summit of Wachusett Mountain. I thought about taking my good camera on my hike tonight but did not since the weather was unpredictable.
Tuesday, 10/04/2022: Posted photo — Full Moon.
Since I was not able to take a photo of the moon last night, I took a photo of the moon this morning on my way to work.
We had some rain overnight. The rain brought out the bright colors in the foliage.
Thursday, 10/06/2022: Posted photo — Trio of Leaves.
I wanted to get an artistic photo today so I picked up a trio of leaves and took a photo of them.
Friday, 10/07/2022: Post photo — Cloudy Day Foliage.
I take a photo of these trees every year. I do like the color of the foliage in the rain.
Saturday, 10/08/2022: Post photo — Maple Leaf.
Our property has many sugar maples on it. This is a leaf on one of the trees. Our neighbor taps our trees every year in the spring to make maple syrup.
“Photograph: a picture painted by the sun without instruction in art.” — Ambrose Bierce
Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.
Here are some random photos from my first photo book. My second photo book is in process. I am looking for someone to print and sell my books are a reasonable price point.
Sunday, 09/25/2022: Posted photo — Dunefield.
A dune field located in Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado. Being on the dunes was like being in the middle of a desert. What impressed me is how far away from the park you can see the dunes.
This is a photo of the old watch tower on Wachusett Mountain. You can clearly see the wind blow ice on the tower.
Tuesday, 09/27/2022: Posted photo — The Golden Rule.
My niece got married this past weekend. She married one of my son’s friends, a great guy. He asked my son if he could date his cousin. I found a verse in the Bible, took off my wedding ring to take this photo. This is a photo that I have wanted to take for a while.
Balance Rock in Arches National Park. This is not the traditional view of Balance Rock, but I like it.
Thursday, 09/29/2022: Posted photo — Footbridge of the Virgin River.
I saw this bridge at Zion National Park and took this photo. I liked the way the bridge was situated with the view of the cliffs and the water.
Friday, 09/30/2022: Post photo — Star Trail.
Every once and awhile I have an urge to take a star trail photo. I set up my camera, point north to the stars, set my timer on 20 seconds and unlimited shots, go to bed and let either drain my camera battery of fill my SD card. I have a stacking program that I use to create my star trail.
Saturday, 10/01/2022: Post photo — Reflection Lakes.
One of my favorite photos and the cover photo of my first photo book. Just loved the stillness of the water and the reflection of Mount Rainier.
Photo by Joseph Ciras 