December Moon

It's almost Christmas! 

I woke this morning to the light of the moon shining into my bedroom window. 

I leaped out of my bed and grabbed my camera and tripod because it's the first time in several days and nights that I have even seen the moon. I looked at my calendar and realized that full moon was only just yesterday, so that made me happy, too. Hopefully by June next year I will have enough unique moon photos from every month of the year and then I may be able to create a calendar of moons for the following year. (Anyway it's a dream.) 

As the moon slowly descended in the west, the sun rose in the east as it always does. Than I watched as the moon came to rest for a few moments on the top of the evergreen trees, just like a Christmas angel.  

I hope as you get busy with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season that you will stop and take a moment to remember what Christmas is all about. 

Merry Christmas to all!

Four not-so-little ducks

"Five little ducks went swimming one day, over the hill and far away. 

Mama duck called, Quack, quack, quack, quack. 

Four little ducks came swimming back." 

In my story there were only four little ducks that decided to venture 

over the hill and far away from their home one spring morning. 

     It started in the spring when the heavy rains had washed away several large sections of the freshly seeded fields. My boss and a few of us had spread straw on the slopes of one field to keep the seeds from drifting away during the next rain, we hoped. 

     A neighboring farmer who has four ducks allows them to wonder at will. For the past several years I would watch them as they waddle along the lane to the fields where they nibble on grass and such out there, then they would line up and waddle on home again sometime in the later morning. They would never leave their own fields, and it was rather neat to watch them walk to and from home in their little herd. 

     It was after the grass seeds were replanted in the fields and the straw was laid down in six or seven gully washing places that I believe those four little ducks decided to venture a little further from home. In the beginning I would try to beep, holler, and call to them to get on back home, but I gave up after a few days. I just didn't want them to get in trouble, ya know. 

     As the days progressed, those four little ducks would stray further and further from their home. They would return each evening, but then I would see them over the rise nibbling away at the growing alfalfa fields by day. 

     Some time in the late spring they had found their way across the fields and into the back dry cows' meadow. That is, the back meadow where the large old pond sets. As there is a fence around the pond, the ducks would just settle for eating in the pasture when the cows were in the barn feeding in the morning or sleeping closer to the barn. Sometimes I wouldn't see them for a while, then I would need to walk out into the meadow to bring in a cow or two and I would see those silly ducks still hanging around. 

     Finally in late November I saw a large white dot on the pond from a long distance away as I drove up the front farm lane during a work day. I thought, 'Those ducks found a way through that fence at last, or they finally grew out their wings and flew over it!' [I always just assumed they must have clipped wings because I would never see them flying anywhere. But I wouldn't be surprised if they grew them out after seven months away from home. Haha!] 

     Ever since that first cool morning when I saw them on the pond, I haven't seen them leave there since. I believe they've found a new home and they won't be leaving for a good long while. ;)

     I couldn't remember why, but I grabbed my camera bag and tripod on my way out the door to work one morning last week. (I haven't been taking my camera to work as much since it's so cold in my car, and I don't feel like warming it up again when I get home.) When I finished work that morning I grabbed my camera and wondered on down to the old dry meadow. I tried to be quick yet quiet as I wondered around the barn and down toward the pond. When I got close enough that the ducks knew I was there they came out of their hiding place and swam to the opposite end of the pond. That suited me fine as I'd brought my tripod and quickly started snapping photos of them at a distance. By the time I left my fingers were so numb and my knees were cold and wet from kneeling on the wet ground in the wind. It was worth it. 

     After seeing the ducks at a distance for so many months it was amazing to look at them through my camera's lens at a closer range. They're really very pretty! I thought it was funny how they swam in formations. Squares, diamonds, diagonal lines, but always in a close-knit group. They seem like a happy little bunch of ducks for sure. 

     

I hope you enjoyed my little story. 

Have a wonderful day!

Autumn's ending

I want to share some photos I took over the past month on my way to and from work. There's just something lovely about an autumn sunset, or a cloudy autumn afternoon when the sun is peaking through the clouds at just the right angle. Autumn is almost over, and winter is drawing nearer each day. Yet, the beauty of the season still remains close in my mind and heart as the colder season comes on.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope all my dear American friends had a good Thanksgiving. I hope that you were well fed, warm, and surrounded by good friends yesterday and that you continue to count your blessings all through the year, and not just on Thanksgiving day. 

It was so nice to have a bit of a white Thanksgiving again this year. Since I enjoy taking pictures of yummy food so much, I can't resist sharing some of my blessings from yesterday. And as we get closer to the Christmas season, don't forget to remember the real reason for the season. Give thanks to the Lord, the Savior who came to earth as a tiny baby boy, and grew up to be the man who saved us all from our sins. 

Blessings!

Denae 

Prints available! Will you help me reach my goal?

Hey everybody,
If you like what you see on my blog and would like to help me out, go check out my new work-in-progress official website. You can now purchase some of my prints, or buy cards (Christmas is coming), and even get a mug or mouse pad with one of my photos on it. [I still have plenty of my variety note card packs available, too, for those of you on Facebook! Send me a message.]
Go to: http://denaeamberphotography.smugmug.com/

Currently, I am saving for a new camera, there are things my trusty little camera isn't capable of doing that I wish it could. And if I hope to capture the Milky Way Galaxy from the middle of Death Valley NP, California, or Joshua Tree NP, Arizona or the rocky mountains of Glacier NP, Montana... then I'm going to need a little help. ;) By helping me save for my camera faster, you'll be helping a fellow photographer friend of mind with his new photography business at the same time. Because I plan to purchase his lightly used spare camera rather than going through another method. It would mean so much to me if I could save enough by December!

Secondly, I am aware of more and more friends who are battling LYME disease. I'm sure you've got some, too. If you have an interest in helping those battling Lyme disease and aren't sure how, you can be sure that when you're purchasing photos from my website, you're also helping out someone battling LYME. I plan to use a portion of my photography income to help those select friends battling chronic Lyme and other levels of Lyme disease.
You can visit: www.lymehope.org to read about one of my dearest friends who has been battling Lyme for the past eight years. She's a real fighter! <3

Thank you for taking the time to read and follow along!
~ Denae

October Colors and Autumn Winds

It's been longer than I realized since I last got a chance to update my blog here. But it's been a very productive month for me! About the time I wonder if things could be slowing down with my growing photography skills and opportunities, suddenly I am blessed with a little more. 

I had the pleasure of taking pictures during our local Community Farm Show, as well as enjoy the peak colors of autumn throughout the past two weeks! It's been incredible! 

For the first time ever, on my birthday, actually, I finally figured out how to capture runny water in all its beauty. I could make the still water look like glass, and the rushing water like sheets of satin. I went to bed that night giggling with delight because I was so happy I had finally figured it out! (I love water. So to be able to capture water within a photo in the most real way... it really excited me!)

Another blessing from this month, aside from getting to photograph the lunar eclipse/blood moon (see earlier post), capturing beautiful water photos, and turning another year older, was that I finally completed the payments and my car is paid off! This means I will (hopefully) be able to invest more money into my savings to begin saving for my new camera and lens as well as my 'big trip' for the summer of 2015 (more on that another time). 

Also, if you'd like to see more photos I have recently started a new website and although it's a work in progress I'd love for everyone to check it out. 

Go to: www.denaeamberphotography.smugmug.com 

Until next time!

Denae ~ 

Full, Eclipse, and Blood Moon -- Wednesday Oct, 8th

It was so special and so much fun getting to photograph the full moon and red-blood moon on October 8th. It was the second eclipse and blood moon of this year (very unique) and what made it even more special was that I actually knew what I was doing this time around! I was really nervous because I knew I'd be working that morning, and, therefore, running around like crazy. But in the end I was able to capture many phases of the moon and even sit for a little bit and watch the blood moon as dawn broke across the horizon behind me... before I rushed back into my work. 

This first photo (below) is what my skies looked like back in April 2014 during the first eclipse. Because of the cloud cover, and my lack of knowledge with my camera, settings, and such, I wasn't able to capture the full beauty of that moment. But I remember it was pretty cold on the roof that night! 

The rest of the photos that follow are from the early morning of October 8th, 2014. During the full moon, eclipsing moon, and blood moon that took place that day. 

This last photo was actually taken on Monday night, October 6th, before full moon. 

I just loved how mystic the trees and haze covering the moon looked that evening. 

Blue Heron

I took a walk with a friend earlier this summer and had a fun afternoon

capturing photos of some of the local wildlife.

I really enjoyed seeing so many blue heron as well!

 

 

I draw you the shape of a heart

For as long as I can remember, the shape of a heart has held significance to me and my family. It's been on curtains, aprons, quilts, hot pads, pot holders, tablecloths, wooden tables and chairs, old wooden doors, and many other places in my childhood memories.

Lucky was the person who got to open the NEW jar of peanut butter. Like a fresh canvas, the person with the jar got to carve a heart into the smooth surface with the table knife (sometimes including a few initials, too, lol). It was never a matter of WHAT you would draw in the small circle canvas, it was always a heart. I don't even think any of us knew where it started, but it was what we did and it was special.

Sometimes when creating unique and fun photos, I find myself placing a heart shape in the photo somewhere, and it just completes it for me.

 

Below are some fun heart-shape themed photos I found and thought I'd share.

Enjoy!

 

My first sighting of the Northern Lights, aka Aurora Borealis, was through the lens of my camera.

I was new to night photography, and it was my first time in Alaska. That night I went out with a photographer and his wife (see: www.ronnmurraryphoto.com) and learned all about the aurora and photographing the northern lights, it was awesome! But that morning, I'll never forget because it was my first glimpse of the lights. They were green, and soft, and hung just over the horizon as the dawn broke across the eastern sky. I used my flashlight to create the picture of the heart (above). Although it's a hard picture to see, it remains special because of the memories it carries. <3 

 

(This photo was taken with my phone's camera.

It's a picture of a real cow's markings)

 

 

Below you'll find a small series I created by cutting out the shape of a heart on paper and placing it between my camera's lens and the image I was taking a picture of. I didn't do any post-editing to create these lovely photos, which to me makes them so much more beautiful!

(Maybe it's not smart to share my 'secrets' of how I created these photos, but, well, who cares! Lol!)

 

That's all for now! <3

Tried and true she holds her place in the sea

I think this will be my last post for today. ;)

 

I was enjoying a beautiful sunrise on the shore, taking pictures under, around, and away from the pier. I'd been on the shore at the break of dawn, awaiting the sun's rise on the new day. I had seen many fishing boats lining the horizon in the still, quiet night when I arrived, and continued to watch as more emerged from the bayside of the inlet as the light of dawn grew closer to sunrise. 

 

The sky was lit in a hue of blue, pink, purple, and then orange and yellow, as the sun lifted over the horizon. I could have stayed there all day, but the tractors were busy cleaning up the beach in tandem and people were filling up the beach: both to capture the sunrise as well as to enjoy a day at the beach. I needed to get back to my hotel before seven to head to the Boardwalk with my family, who was probably by now emerging from their beds.

 

I scanned the scene before me, and it was a lovely one. People stood by the jetty, some on the shore, some on the rocks, watching the sunrise and taking pictures with their cameras, cellphones, or ipods. The sky was a beautiful pink, and the sun slowly energed into a puffy cloud that hung close to the horizon where it had risen just a few moments before. Four big red tractors with their rake-like-attachments drove along the beach at the Inlet, cleaning up the beach of debris and leaving a fresh, smooth sandy beach behind in their tracks. I looked to the sun again and the light burst forth from every corner of the small cloud as it tried hard to hide the sun, but could not. As I turned toward the parking lot, I caught sight of something amazing with my eyes. My heart skipped a beat!

 

Slowly coming out of the bay and into the sea was a large, classic (no other way to describe it!) Pirate Ship! It was lead by a smaller motor boat, which I assumed was giving it the power to overcome the strong current of the inlet and help the larger vessel get out into the sea. After it had gotten passed the bouys the smaller boat left it and went aside, leaving it to set in the rolling waters on its own.

It was a chance in a lifetime for me and I knew it! I was in the right place at the right time, as some would say, and I felt honored to watch as the beautiful vessel drove out to sea that morning.

 

After watching the ship for a while I finally pealed my eyes away and returned to my car. It was hard, but I was so excited to share my pictures and story with my family that it propelled me forward enough to leave such a glorious scene behind!

 

I hope you enjoy these couple of pictures from that morning. Feel free to share my blog with others, but please do not copy my pictures. Thank you and Enjoy!!

 

 

 

 

 

(If you look closely, you might be able to see the people on the jetty

and it will give you an idea of the size of the vessel.)

 

(My favorite picture is this last one!! It's almost timeless.)

 

Break of Dawn

I always used to say that my favorite time of day was five o'clock. Five o'clock in the morning and five o'clock in the evening. In Pennsylvania five o'clock is often the end of day and the beginning of a new day, generally in the late fall and early spring, if I remember currectly.

In reality, my favorite time of day is dusk and dawn, a time that varies throughout the year, and in some places, like the arctic circle, can vary in an extreme way!

Here are some photos of dawn, sunrise, and the moon I took while on vacation in Ocean City, Maryland a few weeks ago.

 

Also, feel free to share my blog with others, but please don't copy my photos. I do very little to no editing on my pictures because I like them to look as real and genuine as possible. If you are interested in purchasing any of my prints I'd love to hear from you. Thank you and enjoy!

 

 

Chasing waves

Did you ever notice how calm the sea is, or how still the breeze is, right before the sun rises? I have. I have always known that the coldest hour of the morning is not at the break of dawn, but rather, after the rising of the sun. The wind picks up, the waves grow stronger, and a new day emerges before your eyes. It's really quite amazing!

I don't have any scientific evidence of this, so please don't think it's fact. Just my personal observation. ;)

 

I took the picture below at Ocean City, Maryland and while I don't know who the surfer was walking into the waves that morning, I knew it was post worthy the minute the shutter snapped closed. Enjoy!

 

 

 

Message in a bottle?

As the sun rose over the horizon that morning, I just loved the way the light hit this empty bottle someone had tossed into the sea the night before, only to have the tide bring it back onto shore by morning. It reminded me of those old tails of people lost at sea who used their last bottle to send a message to someone, anyone, who might find it and come to their rescue.

I am reminded of a favorite quote when I see this picture of hope nearly lost: "Man can live forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air...but only for one second without hope." ~ Hal Lindsey

If you found a message in a bottle, what would you do?

 

 

 

Assateague Island State Park

I had the pleasure of popping over to Assateague State Park the second week of September and spending a couple of hours there by the ocean before and after sunset. It was quiet, peaceful, and beautiful.

Getting to see the wild ponies upon my entrance into the parking lot was a plus! (Especially since I MEANT to be at the national park, but took a left instead of a right, because I was still battling with myself on where I actually wanted to be on the Island. long story.)

During my time on the beach I didn't actually notice any wild ponies, but I walked along the water taking pictures of the numerous shells the gulls had left behind after their many meals. It was quiet and lonely (in a good way) compared to the busy-ness of Ocean City, Maryland where I was vacationing with my family at the time.

It wasn't until I returned to the parking lot, after being kindly informed that the state park lot was being closed soon, that I got a surprise! Standing in the middle of the empty parking lot between the end of the boardwalk and my car, were four of the wild ponies. They would have appeared to be statues in the last light of dusk except that their tails and manes moved in the gentle breeze.

With all the signs about 'keeping your distance' from the wild horses, I didn't feel right drawing very close, so I popped open my tri-pod and turning on my camera took a couple shots in slow shutter speed, not wanting to 'scare them off' with a flash.

I felt VERY silly when a tourist's mini van came cruising into the parking lot and drove a mere 12-15 feet around the small herd of horses and took about four (with flash) pictures with their little point-and-shoot camera. Oh well. I got a pretty good shot anyway, as you'll see down the page.

 

It wasn't until I returned to my hotel and was scanning through my photos with a more detailed eye that I spotted something I hadn't even seen while I was on the beach. I had been zooming in, really far, to take some photos of a herd of sea gulls. I see sea gulls ALL THE TIME at the ocean, yet, they always have a way of making me feel at home, just like they look right at home on the sandy beaches. It was the silouettes in the background of that one photo which caught my eye later on in the hotel room. It turned out, that there in the distance, were those same four wild ponies. I couldn't believe they'd been there on the shore, though in the distance most of the time, and I hadn't even known it!

I hope you enjoy these few pictures below from my little outting that night.

 

 

My favorite <3