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