Photographs by Frank

12 December 2014

Backyard Birds

Filed under: Birds,The Yard,Wildlife,Winter — Tags: — Frank @ 6:00 PM

This morning dawned partly sunny and cold and I was hopeful for some good skies for landscape photos today. Alas, the overcast moved in by noon so I switched plans.

About 2 o’clock, I geared up (warm clothes, camera, tripod and chair blind) and headed out to photograph the birds by the feeders. I set up about ten feet from the feeders and made my first exposure at 2:30.

By 4 o’clock the light was gone, the temperature was dropping and I had filled a memory card. I headed back inside. Twas, an enjoyable way to spend 90 minutes.

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11 December 2014

VCP Annual Members Holiday Show

Filed under: Exhibitions — Frank @ 6:00 PM

Every December, the Vermont Center for Photography has a Holiday Show where exhibiting members display their work. This is the first year I have participated. I have four 8″x10″ prints included in the exhibit.

Joan and I went to the opening reception last Friday evening. There were lots of good photographs on display; many are reasonably priced. If you happen to be in the Brattleboro, VT area stop by the VCP gallery on Flat Street.

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Color and Texture

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: — Frank @ 5:00 PM

Last week, Joan “won” an auction for a 40″ loom.

It was donated to the Grapevine (a social service agency located in Antrim) and included in their recent fund-raising auction. Thus, a good cause was supported.

She picked up the disassembled loom on Sunday afternoon and by midnight that evening we had it assembled even sans manual. Not bad for two people had never really examined a loom up close before.

On Wednesday, we were finally able to make the short trip to Harrisville Designs, one of our local purveyors of all things “fiber”. Joan needed to get some “stuff” necessary to use a loom but that was not among “stuff” that came with the loom. (As you can see, I am up on all the technical jargon associated with weaving.)

My presence on this excursion was not essential. However, I decided to accompany Joan on her trip for a number of reasons…

1) To get out of the house during this stretch of miserable weather.

2) To, hopefully, keep the expenses associated with the “stuff” to be acquired as low as possible. This, of course, leaves more cash available for photography stuff tools!

3) To have a chance to photograph interesting “stuff”!

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“Cheating”

Filed under: Birds,Monadnock Region,The Yard,Wildlife,Winter — Tags: — Frank @ 4:00 PM

We have had a stretch of cold, gray weather. Monday’s “wintery mix” turned into Tuesday’s rain…nothing like a 35 degree F rain! Yesterday (Wednesday) nothing fell from the sky but the sun still did not make an appearance. I awoke this mornring to snow flurries which continue as I write this in the mid-afternoon.

So why is this post titled “Cheating”?

Well… you see that small “tree” upon which the birds are perched? It is actually a dead branch I picked up in the woods in the beginning of November and specially prepared for bird photography. I mounted the branch on a stand made of lumber so that it is more-or-less perpendicular to the ground. Around the back-side, I drilled a series of one inch holes.

On Monday, I packed the holes full of suet and stood the whole thing out back near the other bird feeders. (It is probably about 25 feet from the house.) I retreated to the warmth (and dry) of the house and photographed thorough the glass of our French doors.

See what cheating will get you!

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11 November 2014

November Skies

Filed under: Landscapes,Monadnock Region,November — Tags: , — Frank @ 10:00 PM

November is a slow time for me photographically. The hillsides, devoid of foliage, are an unphotogenic grey and the weather, in our neck of the woods, is often cold and grey. Today was NOT one of those days!

The temperature was in the high 50’s and it was partly sunny with wonderfully photographic clouds during much of the day. I made the photos shown below while running errands in the early afternoon.

I intended to head out again in the late afternoon expecting a good sunset. However, about 3:30 (sunset is about 4:30) the overcast rolled in and despite some ribbing from Joan and I did not bother to get out of the recliner!

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2 November 2014

Gregg Lake Sunset

Filed under: Autumn,Landscapes,Monadnock Region — Tags: , — Frank @ 11:00 PM

Last Tuesday afternoon, I was headed out to photograph the water in Great Brook (the outlet of Gregg Lake) for my “Flow” project. I packed up and headed back up the lake road towards home just in time to witness a spectacular sunset… good thing I still had some extra space on my memory card!

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29 October 2014

Puddles of Sky

Filed under: Autumn,Landscapes,Monadnock Region — Tags: , — Frank @ 9:00 PM

Sunday afternoon, I made a right at the end of our driveway and walked up the un-maintained section of Brimstone Corner Road.

My plan was to make photographs of the yellow foliage (mainly beech) of the forest understory.

However, I got distracted by the reflections in the puddles left over from last week’s rain.

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Despite the distraction, I did make a few photographs of the foliage along the way.

About a mile up Brimstone Corner Road from the house, one comes to a “T” intersection that is actually in Hancock; this intersection is “Brimstone Corner”. A small stream is carried under the road here in a stone culvert that I would guess to be somewhere between 150 and 200 years old.

I have been meaning to try to photograph this culvert and made a first attempt on this trip.

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20 October 2014

Signs of the Times

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: — Frank @ 10:01 PM

The citizens of  New Hampshire take their politics seriously… even in the mid-term elections. This is probably because we really hew to the idea that all politics are local!

There are road side signs every where as candidates work on their “name recognition”. In some places one passes a lonely singleton in some one’s yard or along an isolated stretch of road. In other places there are great masses of signs concentrated in a small area. The first photo (below) shows the lineup of signs by our local market in Antrim.

Since we do not watch television (or listen to commercial radio) I can only imagine the onslaught of political advertising that viewers/listeners are enduring. Clearly, from the sign at one nearby fire station, the barrage has been too much for at least one individual!

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Last Call for Autumn Landscapes (for this year, at least)

Filed under: Autumn,Landscapes,Monadnock Region — Tags: , — Frank @ 10:00 PM

Foliage season here in the Monadnock region is finally winding down. The season began early with the swamp maples turning in late August,  For the past week or so the landscape has been dominated with the yellow-browns of the oaks and beeches, although one still finds a splash of the reds and oranges of the maples here and there.

It has been a good season!

I have taken to driving the back roads (rather than the “numbered routes” as I go about my errands. I stop when see a possibility for a good photograph and try not to be late for scheduled appointments! All of these photos were made in the past 10 days or so.

I am having trouble deciding which of the two photos of the barn I prefer. Likewise, I am torn between the horizontal and the vertical compositions that I have titled “Edge of the Field in Autumn” (i.e. the last two photos). Anyone have strong preferences between these alternatives?

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More Abstracts

Filed under: Autumn — Tags: — Frank @ 7:00 PM

Over the past couple of weeks, I have added photographs to both of my recent abstract projects (“Flow” and “Autumnal Abstracts“), here are the latest:

 

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