Staying Home:  I think everybody desires to go to great exotic places where an abundance of photographic subjects reside. The sort of things that we see in magazines, books and on the internet, that  “other” photographers make pictures of. Everybody can’t go to those places.  That’s okay because there are great picture making opportunities around home.   My travels ended a couple of years ago, but I continued to make pictures for a long time, right around home. I do not live in one of the world’s greatest locations for landscapes, wildlife or human history.  That does not mean that all of those subjects aren’t here for my enjoyment and picture making.

Some of today’s images were made in my yard, and all were made within 25 miles of home.

Do you have any water near home?  Where there is water, there are pictures to be made.  I am fortunate to have a great lake (Great Lake) called Michigan near home.  It is not the Pacific Ocean with all of its seas stacks, or the Colorado River with its sandstone cliffs.  As long as the sun rises and sets, there are pictures to be made around water.  Below we see two separate sunrises.  In one I caught the gentle morning waves and used the rock breakers to create an inviting composition.  In the second I included a human element.  That is unusual for me, but the fishermen I spotted on the horizon says much about Lake Michigan at sunrise.

There are very few places in the world, where there are no birds. Especially songbirds.  That includes the middle of large cities. Birds are the most common photographic subject in the world. If you have never photographed birds you will quickly become hooked. Many award-winning pictures of birds are made in backyards or down the street from home.

House Finches

Male Northern Cardinal

Winter Goldfinch

Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak

American Crow

I doubt that there is a location on earth (Antarctica?), where there are no insects.  This is the subject that more and more non-traveling photographers are embracing. You can create great pictures in the field down the block. It only takes desire.

Little Wood Satyr

Monarch Caterpillar eating a Milkweed plant.

Grasshopper up close.

Bee and flower.

Japanese Beetles in love.

Even if you don’t have a garden in your yard, there are flowers everywhere. I am betting that they appear wanted or not, in the grassy areas of your yard. I cannot even imagine how many different types of flowers I could photograph within ten miles of my house.  You do not have to travel the world to make powerful images of this subject.

Garden flower.

Blue Trumpet Flowers and dew.

Wild Onion.

Lily.

You can find small mammals living in the biggest cities in the world.  A short ride in the country will multiply the number of species found. The Chipmunk in your backyard, or the deer at the edge of the city, are just waiting for you.

Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel

Whitetail Buck on the road.

Red Foxes

Many cities, large and small, have public zoos.  In addition to the captive animals like this Rhinoceros, many small wild mammals and birds can be found here.

If you live somewhere that seasons occur, you don’t have to go to the wilderness, to make great autumn images.

Sumac

Where ever you live, there are old buildings with photographic possibility near-by.  The area around Lake Michigan harbors ( no pun) many historic buildings including this old lighthouse.

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The Painter

I know many of you who view this blog follow the painting/art shows on the PBS television network.  In my opinion Joseph (Jerry) Yarnell) is among the finest artists, and is the best teacher on PBS.  Jerry can paint anything, and do so in oil, acrylics, or water color.  I love just about everything he paints. I would describe him as being somewhere between a realist and an impressionist. Even I can understand painting the way he teaches it. I am not endorsing doing business with Jerry as I am aware that he and family members are having some issues over that business. I would suggest you view his fine paintings below, and keep in mind that my sampling barely touches the varied subjects that he paints.  As is always the case when I show paintings, don’t judge the quality of the painting by the quality of the jpg file.

I thank you for stopping, and please visit us again,                                                                 Wayne