CREATING COMMUNITY: January 2011

Sunday, January 30, 2011

SNOW

I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape - the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show. ~Andrew Wyeth

Took the most amazing walk at Tyler State Park yesterday while it was snowing. Invigorating, but at the same time peaceful -- walking through a world of stillness. I can begin to imagine what Thoreau must have felt when he co-existed with nature in his small cabin by Walden Pond. This is a shot up the path I had just descended.

Schofield Ford Covered Bridge in Tyler State Park. The original bridge was burned by arsonists. The community raised funds, and rebuilt the bridge across the Neshaminy Creek, following the old bridge design as closely as possible.

Neshaminy Creek scene just below the bridge.

Loved the painterly look of this tree in the snowfall.

One of the original homes from the Tyler Farm.

A view from inside the covered bridge showing the trees on the hillside. Loved the contrast.

A shot of the Neshaminy Creek. There must have been condensation or water on my lens which caused the softness in the upper left hand corner.

This is one of my favorite shots. The falling snow makes it looks like a painting.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

BIRDS AT MY FEEDERS

I am so envious of photographers who manage to capture birds with their mega zoom lenses and in such crisp detail and focus. Several days ago, after a light snow, I spent quite a bit of time in front of my dining room window with my new Canon 70-200mm f2.8L IS USM lens. Some of the photographers in the SmugMug Daily Community say God made this lens. Indeed, it is a wonderful lens which has helped me capture better quality bird images. There is still lots of room for improvement, especially since these photos were shot through glass, but I wanted to share a few with those of you who follow my blog. ** Side note: I shot about 350 photographs and only saved 65.

White-throated sparrow