Last of the Dogwoods....

We had Wendy's Mom and my folks today over for brunch.  Afterwards I got out a step ladder and photographed the dogwood flowers in the yard before the edges get browned up too much to be photographable.  What a beautiful day.  I hope you all had a wonderful mother's day!


Keep Makin' Art!
Carl

Yard Art

It is amazing what you can find in your yard to photograph if you get out there and play.  Get out there and shoot something!

Keep Makin" Art!
Carl

Minisceongo Creek - Springtime

I loved being on the west coast this week.... but what could be better than an early morning in springtime near a waterfall in the Hudson Valley...


Keep Makin' Art!


Carl

Point Lobos the Black and Whites

 I figured since I was at Point Lobos and I was moved by the connection to the work of the great photographers Ansel Adams and Edward Weston there would be no better way to pay tribute to these to giants than to make some photos in Point Lobos in B&W.
The staggering beauty of the Pacific comes through powerfully in B&W and gives the photos a quality that is lost in the color shots.  Without color you feel the substance of these landscapes in a whole different way.


Keep Makin' Art!
Carl

Walking in the Shadows of Giants - Point Lobos - Carmel California

We were in California this week for my niece Paige's Bat Mitzvah (You did a great job Paige we are SO proud!! I'll post more on that this weekend).  we had decided to take a side trip with Mom and Dad for a couple of days.  When mom started to mention Carmel I thought great I can get my camera out for a bit... Then it dawned on me that Edward Weston and Ansel Adams had lived and worked in the area and photographed Point Lobos.  We just got home tonight and here are the first few images.... It was a bit daunting to set up my camera in a place where these two masters had stood before me... Everywhere I went I could see them focusing on the ground glass of an 8x10 camera and photographing the Pacific in this magical spot.  I can see why they were drawn here.  The place is absolutely beautiful and for a landscape photographer it is like being in a holy place.  I went to Point Lobos four different times over three days.  I could have spent months.  I can only imagine what it is like in the foggy winter months.  The morning light was just breathtaking.  I think the two legendary masters would approve of what i was able to capture.

Kudos to the state of California for recognizing the importance of this place and keeping it wild.  The park has some great trails for running / hiking and some wheelchair accessible trails so the amazing sites can be seen by all.  Yet it is keep as simple as possible with signage and extra stuff to a minimum.  

 Cypress Cove - Point Lobos

 South Shore Trail - Point Lobos

  South Shore Trail - Point Lobos

 Weston Beach - Point Lobos

 Carmel Highlands from Route 1

North Trail - Whaler's Cove - Point Lobos

Tomorrow black and white images from Point Lobos.

Keep Makin' Art!

Carl

I'll be back on line in a week.

Hi Everyone


Get out and enjoy the springtime!  I will be offline for the next week.  I will have some photos to post next week.


Keep Makin' Art!
Carl

First Dogwood Blooms

 The first dogwood blooms of spring appeared in my yard today!  Flowers are starting to bloom all over the place now.  It was perfect to find these on an beautiful eighty degree day.  What a pleasant break after all this rain we have had.


Keep Makin' Art!
Carl

Sargent Cherry Blossoms - Skylands

OK.  Spring has finally come to the Hudson Valley!  Sargent Cherry Blossoms are out at Skylands.  We had some nice light this morning and I headed out with my macro lens (canon 100mm f2.8 for anyone interested).  I have been practicing shooting these hand held at 200 or 400 asa.  I think I see more photographs when i shoot and compose this way as opposed to the tripod.  Some times you do need a tripod, but I am enjoying the freedom of finding a composition and shooting quickly.  This was the perfect way to start a spring sunday morning.


Have a great week everyone!


Keep Makin' Art!


Carl

Tuxedo Falls - Spring HDR

I decided on my way home from work to stop and take some photos and go for a hike... Some batteries had burned up in one of our computer rooms at work and I wanted to get the burning plastic smell out of my nose (Happy Earth day!)  So I hiked into Tuxedo falls.  This is an easy walk from the train station parking lot.  Just enough of a scramble to call it a hike.  It was a gray afternoon in fact it is raining now as I type this post.  I wanted to bring out some of the detail of spring right before everything blooms.  The hike was just what I needed my headache is now gone and I got some nice shots of the falls before the foliage fills in and the view gets blocked up with leaves.


Have a great weekend!


Keep Makin' Art!
Carl

Calla Lilies - I am on a flower kick this week I guess.

Once again I was in the store and saw flowers I just needed to photograph.  I am a sucker for the form and line of calla lilies and these purple white ones just screamed to have their pictures taken.  So once again I turned my kitchen into a studio.  I used one strobe in a softbox high and to the left and a muslin portrait background far enough away to knock out of focus to help the flowers jump out a little.  Hopefully this weekend I'll shot some nature out in nature...

Keep Makin' Art!

Carl