Tag Archives: photography

Tuesday Treat

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My neighbor called me about 6:45 and asked “Are you interested in northern lights?”  Silly question.  Then he sent this picture he took of my house!

I was out the door so fast!!!  This isn’t what I could see as I stepped out but it’s what my camera saw.  OMG!!!

I decided to get out of my tight neighborhood and headed for a dark stretch of road not far from town.  Again, I was surprised that all I could see was vague red fog with a tinge of green.  But I got out the cell phone and wow! You’ve gotta hold the camera REAL STILL to take a shot. Got the big dipper showing off in this third one!

I wonder now how many times I’ve missed the auroras because I didn’t know a camera was necessary.  In the late 90s I drove up to Alaska, and somewhere in the Northwest Territories, just before bed, the horizon began to glow green.  I’d been told that was an indicator of better lights to come.  And when they came I could see them plainly.  Though I had a camera tucked away somewhere, there were no cell phones yet, and the green curtains waved to me as clear and bright as could be. 

A year ago there was an aurora prediction so I drove out and parked at a local cemetery, a lovely dark, spooky place, hoping to be awed by pulsing colors.  The lights never came.  Thinking back, I saw pale lights in the distance, looking like city lights miles away, and now I realize it was auroras, but had never heard of using my camera.  Don’t know how I’ve missed that trick all these years.

Silly me, I didn’t think to take a video, to see if that waving and stretching was happening with these colors.  I’ll pay more attention now what I understand the game. 

It sounds like all of you, in all 50 states, saw some kind of northern lights.  Wasn’t that a treat?!? They showed off a bit on Wednesday but not with the same vigor.  With the next prediction we can all be ready for more dazzling memories.  Our cells are always handy these days 😊

Photographer’s Heaven

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I’m a cell phone picture taker, not sure that qualifies as a photographer, but I’m still in heaven.  😊  Me and Coco go to the river every day, one of three accesses, and I take pictures every time, just can’t help it.  The river runs at the base of the Bitterroot Mountains, and the two of them put on such a good show.  Each season is awesome, and now I’m as pleased as can be to enjoy another autumn. 

There are no deep reds of anything native here, though all the local neighborhoods are splashed with shades of red maples.  Our local birch, willows, cottonwoods and dogwoods still know how to put on a show.  The colors are remarkable and can actually seem to be glowing!

Whether looking straight up through the birch or straight down, where willow leaves paper the ground artistically, there is pretty.  Just leaves floating in a backwater pond are a picture!

The angle of the sun can highlight the number of shades that yellow can come in, or back light with rays of gold.

It seems every few feet there’s another perfect composition.  How to decide?  At one access the river hums slowly by, allowing for reflections that sing out for me to capture them.

Just walking Coco to one of her favorite “get her feet wet” spots, we find scenery begging for attention.  We met a nice couple setting up to fly fish, who graciously posed for the classic Montana shot (and gave permission to use it).

Though it’s easy to enjoy this scenery alone, there are young and old, cell phones users and expensive-equipment photographers, casual walkers and dogs walking their owners out enjoying the display.  It’s fun to share and exclaim over the marvels before us, savoring what we can before the next show starts.  I hope you enjoyed it too!

The Colors of Spring

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There’s not much prettier than a fresh snowfall in the woods, across the mountains, or in my back yard – clean, fresh, brilliant.  But as we go into mud mode at the end of that season we realize we’re ready for some color and warmth.  And it’s always spectacular.

Walks and hikes this time of year are like treasure hunts.  It’s fun to find the first white trillium, mixed in with fading yellow glacier lilies, and comment on its beauty.  Then you notice clematis, bashfully keeping their lavender heads down, eventually to lift up and show off their faces. 

Honeysuckle and serviceberry display their soft pinks and whites up close at eye level.   And this is just in the woods.

At home the changes seem slow, leaves and flowers slowly peeking out, enduring a few cold nights, many chilly winds.  And then it happens.  Color is everywhere.

Purples and lavenders are my favorite! 

Even the greens on greens are a banquet to be savored.  In the foreground the daffodils make room for the tulips who make room for the iris.  Lilacs wave block after block in my neighborhood, tempting the deer to walk down peopled streets, showing off pinks, whites and purples.

The omnipresent dandelions are a spring treat to butterflies. 

Even the white left on the high peaks adds to the spring’s beauty, topping off the greening hills.  Then the rain comes, and the creeks and rivers swell with frothy white.  This season can be noisy too! (sorry, the program won’t let me download a loud video)

Spring weather is full of anticipated color and wonder.   Do we love winter any less?  No, its white and icy presence is precious too.  Colors will fade as we move through the summer but there’s always the fall to paint colors and enjoy.  For now we’ll marvel at every imaginable color and be ready as the next season waits to dazzle us!

Hard Walk or Easy Walk?

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“Barring love, I’ll take my life in large doses alone—rivers, forests, fish, grouse, mountains. Dogs.” Jim Harrison

Another spectacular fall day for our river walk.  Whether here or just walking in the neighborhood, my dog forgets sometimes that we’re on a walk, not a “stop and sniff.”  I understand how it must be for a dog, with other dog smells and who-knows-what else, but we both need to keep moving, get our exercise, accumulate our miles.  It should be good exercise.   But, I must admit, she’s made me more aware of my surroundings.  Though I’m a great observer, I can hear her telling me to “stop and smell the roses.”  And at this time of year, it’s not hard to do.  Easy walks don’t burn calories but they sure are fun!

“My favorite thing is just walking in the woods. I can do it for days on end without tiring of it.”  Jim again.

The colors have been incredible – greens and golds and every shade of red and rust, blending and separating and competing with each other.  Leaves sparkle in the air as they float down, padding trails and gathering in the river.  That alone is a distraction from focused walking.  But there’s still everyday things that are too fun to ignore.  One of my favorites is duck butts 😊

There are canals running all through my town, and one park has an ever-flowing one with ducks, mostly mallards, as well as muskrats, turtles and moose.  It’s always fun to see what will be out and playing.  But there’s also beaver projects, tired cattails, naked trees, reflections, backed up leaves, and river currents with floating debris of the season.

While Coco looks for feathers floating along the edge of the river (fun to pounce on and swat around), I’ve been watching for heart-shaped rocks and I’m accumulating quite the collection.   

Snow and ice will be covering our paths in the next few days, burying autumn magic, but that’s not a bad thing.  Soon we’ll see frosted leaves, swirled ice, and frazils.  Always something to look forward to.   And always duck butts to keep me entertained!

“You can’t be unhappy in the middle of a big, beautiful river.”  More Jim.

https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/jim-harrison-quotes