After the Storm

I took this photo the evening after one of the first big snow storms we had. It was before the wind could blow away the snow or the sun could melt it away. I love the way the contrast of white snow and night time lighting complement each other. I also really like the upward perspective of the photo. It kind of looks like a snowflake in and of itself, yet it is two huge trees.

Man and Nature

When I saw that the shoot sheet required an image of something man made interacting with nature, I knew exactly where to go. My family and I always love to watch this nest. The osprey pair come back every spring and as time goes by, chicks hatch, grow and fly away. It is right on the way to school, so we see it daily. I find it interesting that they chose this spot for their nest, but they aren't the only ones. There are numerous osprey nests on top of power lines throughout the state.

The Meetinghouse

This is an historical building in my town. I really loved the contrast of yellow of the building and the dark blue of the sky. Again, this is right after another snow storm so even the snow bank is still clean. I have always loved this building. Yellow is my favorite color, so this is naturally one of my favorite buildings. It was one of the first built in Alna in 1789. It is probably one of the most photographed buildings in our town.

Dreaming of Summer

I just love this picture. It was taken on a very cold afternoon on my way home from picking the kids up from school. I felt so sad for these seagulls. I imagined that they were dreaming of warmer days to come. These two seemed to have their own little piece of bridge. Although it was cold, the sun was shining on them and with their eyes closed, maybe they felt the warmth of the sun. I also like that I captured the boat in ice and snow behind the focal point of the birds.

Move Over

This image was taken at the same time as the summer dreamer picture, obviously. When I was looking at the photos after uploading them to my computer I saw the flying gull. I had not known that I had captured it previously. I was going for the long row of gulls on the bridge, but was pleasantly surprised to see that the flying gull came out so clear and really became the focal point of the photo. I think he is looking for a parking spot in a very busy lot.

New Life

This image was taken to express texture. I liked the way the rocks were smooth individually, but gave a look of a bumpy texture as a whole. Additionally, the sprouts coming up give a feeling of spring, which I was hoping for this day. I like the lighting in this image also. This plant is right in the window, so the sun makes for a bright, happy photo.

A Pair of Pears

I had once seen a painting of four apples like this and I loved it. I couldn't afford it, so when I saw the still life assignment, I was excited to try this. These are pears, obviously, but I still like the effect. I preferred the pears on their side to upright. I like the shading better. I took this in the morning when the sun was coming in the window. I also like the dark behind contrasting the bright sunlight.

Happy Basket

I did not intentionally make this basket to look like a happy face. I didn't realize that it had come out like this until editing the images I had taken. Mango, pear, orange and banana make for a very happy basket. I was also going for a cool-looking shadow here. I like the way this basket gave off the woven shadow. I was happily surprised with this image.

Birthday Boy

This is my nephew on his 5th birthday. He loves the outdoors and for his party he wanted a sliding/snowmobile theme. Here he is roasting his hot dog (which his mother insisted he eat before the marshmallows). It was a great day of fun for all. I was surprised at how the fire came out in the photograph. I will experiment more with this in the future.

Go, Dog, Go

Again, at my nephew's birthday party. This was the week that we were working on capturing movement. This is my husband sledding while the dogs chase him. I was pleasantly surprised that is came out so clear, yet the dog's movement is shown in the photograph. It almost looks like the dogs are pushing him down the hill. It is a funny and fun image.