Category Archives: Photography

Season’s Greetings

Posted on December 24, 2012 | Leave a comment

A small but awesome perk of being an artist and photographer is the infinite creative possibility when it comes to cards.  Business cards, post cards, greeting cards, and especially around this time of year, Christmas cards.

Every year, I design and print my own Christmas cards with my photography.  I suppose I could use those online services where you upload a photo and pay them to print the cards for you, but that would take a lot of the fun out of it for me, and for those that have come to enjoy my cards.

This year, I dug into my photographic archives for the image I used as I didn’t have any current “Christmas-y” or winter photographs (we had an extremely mild winter with very little snow last year).  But, after some searching, I was successful.

Since I’m unable to send a card to all of you who follow my blog, I’ll make due by offering you a digital version in this week’s blog.  Huzzah!

Icicle on a Pine

“Christmas is a time for
Peace, Love, and Joy.

May your holiday be all you hope for!

~ A. May”

 

Until next time….

Merry Christmas, folks!  Have a safe and happy holiday!

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~A.M.

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Farewell, Festival Of Lights

Posted on December 17, 2012 | Leave a comment

A friend brought it to my attention that yesterday was the last day of Hanukah, also known as the Festival of Lights (to those of you who celebrate it, Happy Hanukah).

This got me thinking about light in general.  Sunlight, moonlight, artificial light, candlelight.  Our lives revolve around light in some form.  Our crops need sunlight to grow.  We need sunlight to stay healthy.  We need light to see.  Etc.  And all this thinking about light, it’s sources and uses, got me thinking in terms of photography.

As most of you know, most of my photography is centered around nature and wildlife.  Many people wonder, what’s the best type of light for this type of photography.  And the answer is simple.

Overcast light.  That is, the light that you get on a cloudy day.  I’m not talking about the dark, dreary, clouds of doom bearing down on you, waiting to rain on your personal parade, type cloudy days.  More the gentle, bright cloudy days.

Why is this the best type of light for this type of photography?  That answer is also simple.  Because the light on an overcast day is muted and even.

Picture this, you’re walking through the forest on a nice sunny day and you see a vista you’d like to photograph.  You take up your camera and snap off a frame.  Then, in review, you realize that the image is too bright and higher in contrast than you’d like.  The bright sun caused what we call “hot spots” and some of the shadows are so dark they swallow detail.

Quoddy Coastal Trail (Bright)

Now, replace that bright sun with the muted light of an overcast day.  You take a picture of that same vista and are pleased to find that the lighting is even.  The highlights aren’t burnt out and the shadows have detail.

Quoddy Coastal Trail

The moral of this story, kids, is….Don’t be afraid of those overcast days.  Don’t wake up and say “Aw, it’s cloudy.  I guess I won’t take any pictures today.”  No!  Get out there and make use of that good light!

Until next time…

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~A.M.

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Finding Tolkien In Nature…

Posted on December 10, 2012 | Leave a comment

 

*WARNING*  This post contains serious geek content.  [^_^]

I’m a massive fan of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.  I’m a massive fan of Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of LOTR and I’m sure, when I get the chance to see The Hobbit, I’ll be a massive fan of that as well.

As such a huge Tolkien fan, and a huge fan of the fantasy genre of books and film in general, I find myself often imagining that I’m wandering through different worlds when I’m out hiking.  That may sound kind of juvenile, but I like to think of it more as my creative mind running free.

Let me give you an example.  Last month, I went hiking at one of my favorite places, Quoddy Head State Park.  I’m sure many of you who follow my little ramblings have heard of this place and my affection for it.  Well, on this most recent visit, while I was watching a squirrel run up and down a tree in what I think was an attempt to intimidate me, I noticed a little knoll in the moss at the base of some trees nearby.  The first thing that popped into my head when I saw this little knoll and the shape of it, was…Hobbit house!!!

Hobbit House!

I’m pretty sure most people would look at this and just see a little bump in the moss, but not my fantastical brain!  I can see all the little Hobbits plodding along, heading home for second breakfast, elevensies, and afternoon tea!

Keep your eyes, and your minds open, folks.  And let your imagination run wild as often as you can!

Until next time…

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~A.M.

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Posted in Hiking, Nature, Photography

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Buck Butt!

Posted on December 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

One would think that living in Maine, I would see moose and deer on a regular, almost daily basis, right?  Well, I’ve lived in Maine all my life and I don’t see deer half as often as people who live outside this state think.  And, I’ve only seen four or five moose in my life.

Those of you who follow and read my blog on a regular basis are sure to know by now that I walk and hike as often as I can.  I figured that being in the woods that often would increase my chances of seeing these majestic creatures tenfold.  Sadly, that hasn’t been the case thus far.

But, every once in a while, I catch a fleeting glimpse of a deer when I’m not expecting it.  Usually, the glimpse is so fleeting that I don’t even have time to lift my camera.  But, luck Gibbs Slapped me a while ago (if you don‘t know what a “Gibbs Slap“ is, go watch NCIS.  You‘ll learn).

One day, about two weeks ago, my mother and I were on our way back from hiking, stoked that we had found a new trail in Lubec, but bummed that we didn’t see anything besides birds and squirrels.  We were driving along like usual when what should dash across the road in the middle of Machias?  A young buck.

At first I didn’t see him because I was looking out the passenger window, but my mother’s excited calls of “Deer, deer, DEER!  Camera, camera, CAMERA!” got my attention.  As she pulled the car to the side of the road, I managed to snap a quick shot of the buck.

Why is this a big deal to me?  Well, up until now, every deer I’ve ever seen has been female (every living breathing deer I‘ve seen, that is).  This was the first living buck I’ve seen.  So…Huzzah!!

Sadly, he was walking away at the time so I got a nice shot of his backside.  [-_-]  But still, I got a photo of a buck!  Yay, Bambi!!

So, folks, always remember to drive safely and keep an eye out for wildlife!  You never know when they’ll grace you with an appearance.

Until next time…

[^_^]

~A.M.

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Posted in Animals, Hiking, Photography, Wildlife

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Save A Turkey….Eat A Veggie Burger!

Posted on November 19, 2012 | Leave a comment

 

For those of you that don’t know me, and for those of you that do but just don’t pay much attention, I’ll let you in on a little secret.   I’m a strict vegetarian/vegan.  What does that mean?  Well, I don’t eat any form of meat (no beef, chicken, eggs, fish, or anything else that ever had a face or heartbeat), and I do my best to stay away from dairy products and other animal derived products.

I know what some of you may be wondering.  What the hell does this girl eat on Thanksgiving?  So glad you asked!  The answer is simple.  I eat vegetables (obviously) and an amazing vegan chicken alternative from a brand called “Quorn” (look them up, their food is delicious!).

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, only about three days away, in fact, I’ve been thinking a lot about it and the millions of Turkeys that will be butchered for the sake of this holiday.  Now, I’m not here to preach to you about my personal philosophies or to tell you that it’s wrong to eat turkey (or meat in general), I’m just sharing my side of the fence with folks who may be interested in trying something different and new this holiday season.

So, your mission, if you choose to accept it (hopefully I don’t get sued for using that line because I‘m poor and it‘s the holidays!), is to “Save A Turkey And Eat A Veggie Burger”.  I’m curious to know how many of you fine folks out there will take on this little unofficial challenge I‘m setting out before you, and how many of you are too chicken…or in this case, Turkey!…to do it.  Maybe I’ll post a little poll or something next Monday to see who ate turkey and who saved one.

Turkey says: “Please Don’t Eat Me!!”

But, whatever your choice of menu this Thanksgiving, I hope everyone has a happy and healthy holiday!

Until next time…

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~A.M.

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Posted in Life, Photography, Wildlife

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