Cathedral:  It’s always good to find a variety of ways to look at a potential picture. This forest was heavy with trees and confusing to the eye.  The sunny day provided way too much contrast for one of those color dripping low contrast fall images that I love so much. Shooting up is not only a pretty cool view, but the autumn colors and blue sky provide pleasing contrast, while eliminating ugly contrast.

Lit Softly:  Then of course there are those days that are lit softly, with low contrast.  Deep colors accompany those conditions.

Just a quick compositional observation on the above image. My comp choice would have been to take the tree trunk a bit farther to the left. An open hole in the woods to the right made that impossible.  I made a compromise.  I also made, and have shown verticles of this scene that are closer to my personal compositional taste than this shot.  I try to give you a variety of compositions to think about.

Reflecting Autumn:  Reflections and the autumn season both make for great (and easy) abstracts. My personal view of abstracts is that nature provides them, and I share them.

Autumn Flower:  The fall season does still mean some wildflowers, and the New England Aster is one of our most common.  As I often do (or dew) I look for flowers covered with water, and if possible, an interesting point of view.  Some deep shadows to make the flowers pop, doesn’t hurt either.

Every once in a while I run into crazy exif data on these pictures from the past. The exif reads that it was made with a Nikon D00 in 1700.  Apparently the famous Nikon D00 and I have been making pictures a long time.

Depth…..of field:  A little less depth of field, and I think this Geranium picture fails. Just enough?

Sea Of Green:  Well not quite a sea of green.  Caught this preening Whooping Crane at Sandhill State Wildlife Area several years ago.  Photographing endangered species like this is the thrill of a lifetime for any wildlife photographer.  The radio anklets were actually what I’d hoped for, as I figured they would sell faster while the story of Wisconsin’s re-introduced birds was told via magazines.  I have made a few Whooping Crane pix since then but this day was my favorite.

Some images seem have a painterly quality to me, and I think this is one of them. In fact it seems as though about one out of every 20 images I view, no matter who made them, have that quality. I don’t mean that as a compliment or a criticism, just an observation.  I have an image of a Red-tailed Hawk in flight, and another of an immature Bald Eagle in flight, that also have that quality. I have never been quite sure what it is about those shots that gives them the look of a painting, and in some cases a drawing.  Certainly soft light versus harsh light could be one factor. Most paintings aren’t laden in detail when you view them up close, so possibly close-up images in vivid light might not have that “painterly feel”, although those circumstances make for great photos. I have noticed that images made on sunny days with that one big cloud blocking the direct light to your primary subject, often have the feeling of a painting. Anyway, just thinking out loud.  What do you think?

Twosome:  I love Northern Shovelers.  They allow a close approach and are often found in clean and reflective waters. I am not sure if these two have ever met but despite the obvious sexual dimorphism, there is no mistaking the fact that they are both “shovelers”

I Need a Break:  Sometimes pictures tell a story but they aren’t the perfect image from front to back.  My answer?  I have always shared it anyway. This image has a somewhat distracting and not very pretty background but I will live with it in this shot.  I hate the “Artie” philosophy that every image has to be scrubbed clean and perfect every time. Both the perfect, and the flawed have always had a place in my portfolio.