Fall on the Little Red River in Heber Springs, Arkansas

 

 

 

This morning’s fog

 

 

 

Out in my back yard

 

 

 

Houses for dogs and birds

 

 

It’s all in the view

 

 

 

Near and Far

 

Frozen Morning

 

 

 

It was an amazing, frozen sunrise this morning here in winter-bound Arkansas. The pink sky lit the windows of the house and I couldn’t resist getting the camera out. But, not for long. I took seven shots before retreating quickly back into the warmth of inside.

It Snowed. So What?

 

 

 

Odin was born in North Dakota and spent the first three years of his life with me in New York. Snow just isn’t a big deal to him, and he let his feelings about it be known. Hiro will run into the house at the first chance, so I think he was trying to be brave and agree with Odin about the cold.

Foggy Winter Morning in Arkansas

 

 

As much as I never wanted to see snow again, there is no denying its pristine beauty. This storm gave a solid coating of ice before changing into snow in the course of two days, making this morning almost fairytale like in its crystaline beauty.

Mountain View

 

 

 

My camera finally came out of its bag today as I enjoyed an incredibly warm day after weeks of deep freeze. After errands, I took the scenic route home, and this time, I did stop to take photos. One part of the trip takes me along the top of a mountain, and looking down, I can see the entire area for miles. The top photo is the road continuing on, and the second is just to the right, showing the incredible view.

A Quiet Place

 

More Favorites from the Archives

 

 

 

 

Though I still haven’t found the straight-off-the-camera files to work with, I did find a few more of my favorites taken with my first digital camera.

Taken the same day as Lift Off, the first photo is one that I named “Take Off.” I remember running through all the balloons readying for flight, hoping to capture a few good angles.

The second photo I consider to be one of my first successful photos. It’s not that I managed to capture a subject or focal point, it’s that I managed to capture a mood.

I couldn’t have planned that third shot if I wanted to. That, in a nutshell, is the excitement and action of a horseback sport called Team Penning. It’s as much fun to do as it is to take photos of.

After the Harvest

 

The Tree at the Edge of My World

 

There’s not many trees on my property. This one sits outside the pasture fence, right at the edge of my world, so to speak. It’s not a very picturesque tree, and it’s too young to be grand, but I enjoy its uniqueness. And, it redeemed itself and added a few grandiose qualities all on its own as the sun started to set. The sunlight, bright, fall sunlight, poured through the tree leaves to capture the color as it streamed through. On the other side, the sunlight splashed across the leaves through the sun’s own cloud filter.

Reaching Up

I love that little farm across the way. It speaks to me of history – and the tenacity to survive life in “Tornado Alley” as this area is called – and strength of things built with quality and care. And then there’s the huge, unsightly-but-beautiful-in-its-own-way powerline structure. It reaches up, beyond the highest trees and structures, to be the highway of power, so to speak. The camera focused on the life that reaches up instead, capturing the life that mimics the powerlines to take advantage of its own power source, the sun.

A Quiet Sunday

 

 

Saki is a hoot. From early on, he began to mimic eye expressions. When he sees me smile at him, he will half close his eyes to return it. When I give him a big “aw,” he’ll give me his puppy-dog eyes. This time, those puppy-dog eyes happened when I asked him to look at me for this photo.

I haven’t played with landscape shots much, so I thought I’d give it a try. Out of the three I took, this was the only one that wasn’t drastically foreshortened. Perhaps it was because the cloud passing overhead and the resulting variation in lighting that rescued this shot.

The third photo is yet another variation on lighting, this time converting harsh noon sunlight into a warm, highly contrasted photo.

Foggy Morning in Arkansas