“Amber Ghost Japanese Maple”
Heatherwood Hill of Learning
We planted this beautiful Japanese maple a couple of weeks ago. It has already started to change into its autumn glory. We now have 44 Japanese maples planted throughout Heatherwood. This Amber Ghost will accentuate the view out of my office window. Every morning when I write, I turn and gaze out over the “Hill of Learning” to get a little inspiration of what is to come during the emerging day.
“Early Morning Sunlight”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden
The color is starting to change in our Heatherwood garden. The early morning sunlight brightens up the colorful leaves. Every day brings a change in the colors. For the next several weeks I will be out in the garden continuously. Every day presents a gift of something new.
“Autumn Sunrays”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden
We are having a blizzard-like snowfall right now. The high temperatures for the last week and a half have been below 20 degrees. The waterfall in our garden is frozen. I need a change! All I have to do is look back on some of the images I created this past year to get a little feeling of warmth.
This warm early autumn image from our Heatherwood Japanese garden was just what I was looking for. I can feel the warmth of the early morning sun rays filtering through the Japanese maples and gracing the lower leaves of a Japanese “Full Moon” maple. The leaves were just starting to change from summer yellow to autumn red. It simply gives me warmth. Maybe it will provide me enough stimulus to go out and collect come cold winter images.
Steptoe Butte
The Palouse, Washington
I had planned to visit the Palouse in June to see the spring greens and yellows. It just wasn’t meant to be. I am yearning to get out with my camera for an adventure. Maybe later on this month I will be able to travel for a couple of days out to the Palouse. It should not be too crowded so I will be able to maintain social distancing during the trip. Warm summer breezes and softly blowing grains will be waiting.
“A Peek of the Kotoji”
Heatherwood Fall
I have recognized that I have recently fallen back on making nice snapshots versus compelling images. I tend to fall back into “ruts” from time to time. During this period of “social distancing” and my surgery recovery time, I am looking back on some lessons I have taken on-line from David DuChemin.
The focus on this image is “Isolation.” My exercise last fall was to isolate and enhance the subject and eliminate distractions. My target subject was the Kotoji. I walked around our Japanese Garden to first identify a perspective of the Kotoji that was different from the many that I had taken before. I collected images of a tightly cropped full Kotoji lantern, close-up of detailed Kotoji elements, the Kotoji with the foreground and background, etc. I then continued to walk around and tried to frame the Kotoji with other elements in the Japanese Garden. Finally I worked on creating a “peek” of the Kotoji through a background Japanese maple.
To focus on the subject, I set my focal point and exposed for the front edge of the lantern’s top. The lantern was framed with a void through the Japanese maple. I used a narrow depth of field to blur the maple tree leaves and branches. In post processing, I further blurred and darkened the surrounding leaves and branches to lead the viewers eye to the Kotoji.
This image is not one of my best, but it was an excellent learning experience to purposefully focus on creating a compelling image.
Heather Heights Orchard Overlook
The path through the orchard led up to a little bluff that overlooks the valley below. I am at the end of my “photo stroll” and feel rewarded with the peaceful view below. I catch my breath and start the walk back through the orchard. I look forward to seeing new images as they present themselves to me.
“Tired Branch”
This tired dead branch looked out of place against the bright colors of the autumn leaves. Besides the obvious contrast of the dull brown against the brilliant yellows, oranges, and reds, the branch was also a contest of the dead leaves still hanging and the leaves that had just fallen on the ground. Soon they too will turn to the same brown as the leaves hanging above. We cannot evade the circle of life.
Fungi on Cherry Tree
When walking around, I typically look forward and upward. I have to remind myself to look down at the treasures at my feet. This clump of fungi caught my eye with all its lines and colors. Many of the aging cherry trees had severe scars and wounds, a great place for fungi to start. Such great color was a gift for my eyes.
Cherry Trees – Heather Heights Orchard
Color, Color, Color is everywhere I turn. Greens, yellows, oranges, reds. and even a little brown fill my eyes. It looks like an abstract painting. My mind opens up for creative possibilities. Here is one:
Cherry Trees Abstract
All it takes is a little reverse “C” swipe and imagination!
Selah Ridge
Looking up between the rows of trees, I can catch glimpses of the Selah Ridge. The sagebrush covered hill sides are what the land is like without irrigation. The strip of basalt rock is from the great Columbia Basin lava flows which occurred 14-6 million years ago. It was pushed up as part of the Yakima folds development.