03-09-09 The Green Fuse

The first line in the poem by Dylan Thomas "The force that through the green fuse drives the flower. . ." came to mind when I took this photo. Chives about to bloom are pretty mundane but I caught them at the right time, with their soft purple color contrasting nicely with the deep green of the foliage.

Depth of field is tricky on a shot like this given that my goal was to try to get several of the "flowers" in focus while blurring the rest. I took 10 or 12 pictures but ended up liking this one.

Canon 5D f/5 1/60 ISO 400 Canon 70-200 2.8L (200mm)

03-07-09 Frozen Crab Apples

By Scott Shephard

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In our part of the world, we get more snow than freezing rain but in late November, 2005, we got rain and then cold temperatures. Everything was coated in a layer of ice. School was called off, trees broke and driving was difficult. But there was a silver lining - the clear, icy coating.

I took this photo late in the day after the storm had passed and the sun had come out - you can see the sun glowing in each of the out-of-focus ice-cycles in the back of the photo. I took about 20 pictures during the short time I was outside but this is really the only one that turned out.

Canon 5D f5.0 1/640 iso320 Canon 70-200 2.8L (135mm)

02-28-09 Iron Creek In Spring

By Scott Shephard

Iron Creek is only a few miles from our cabin in the Black Hills of South Dakota. This small pool has been the subject of my attention many times and this photo was taken in April of 2007. It had rained the night before, which increased the volume of water running through the creek. The rain also gave a wet look to the rocks, which helps create the atmosphere in this photo.

For this picture I put my camera on a tripod, which is standing in the water. I'm balancing precariously on rocks, trying not to let my feet slip into the icy stream. The secret to getting the milky look of the water in a photo like this is a timed exposure - in this case the shutter was open for 4 seconds. If I get a good photo when I come to this place, I'm happy. But just spending time in this serene place is enough for me. Can you hear the sound of the creek, the breeze in the branches of the trees and the birdsong?

Canon 5D f22 4s Canon 24-105mm 4.0L (35mm) iso100

02-26-09 Lake Oahe Sunset

By Scott Shephard

This photo was taken about 20 miles south of the "212 Bridge" photo that was posted yesterday. In this photo I am looking west across Lake Oahe towards the confluence of the Cheyenne and the Missouri Rivers. The wind had died and I was bathed in the lingering warmth of the sun. And, aside from the creaking of the tiller in its fittings on the back of the boat, I was engulfed in near total silence. When the wind blows hard, this place can be very intimidating. But on an evening like this, it is spiritual.

02-25-09 212 Bridge - Missouri River, South Dakota

By Scott Shephard

This is the Highway 212 bridge across the Missouri River in South Dakota. There are some who would say that large parts of South Dakota are barren and unremarkable. But, of course, I disagree. I think there is true beauty in the openness and expansiveness of the plains. This is especially true at sunrise, when this photo was taken. On this morning I was on my way to the Little Bend area of the Missouri River for another sailing outing. This view of the river is the first view I get when I am on a sailing trip. At this juncture, I don't cross the river but turn south along highway 1804. I am only 30 minutes away from picking up my boat. And only 60 minutes from casting off on the third largest reservoir in the United States - Lake Oahe.

Canon 5D f18 1/50 iso250 43mm Canon 24-105 4.0L (Photo taken August 16, 2005)

02-23-09 Rain Drenched Leaves - Hawaii

We were visiting our son Jon, who lives in Kona, Hawaii, in March, 2008, and ended up driving to the famous Painted Church, which is about 30 minutes from Kona. Though Kona is on the sunny side of the island, it had just rained, which was fine, because the overcast skies created a very soft light and the rain left all of the vegetation sprinkled with water. This is a very simple photo: the green stripes, the random arrangement of the leaves and the rain drops create the interest. I shoot a lot of vegetation and find that dark green is especially hard to shoot because in trying to expose the dark part of the photo, the highlights are easily blown out. Maybe this photo appeals to me right now because as I look out my window, I see snow.

Canon 5D, 24-105 4.0, f7.1, 1/125, 400 iso

02-22-09 Fallen

It was a cool, rainy day in Olympia, Washington, the day I took this. My wife, my mother-in-law and I had just visited the state capitol grounds and were driving through the historical neighborhood just south of the capitol building. I had stopped the car to get out to photograph a beautiful, brilliant red tree framed by a wooden fence. When I was walking back to the car, I looked down and snapped this photo almost as an afterthought.

Canon 5D f5.0 1/100 400 iso Canon 24-105 4.0 October 31, 2008