Week before last I escaped Tucson’s hot spell by driving over to California for a horse show. I spent the week catching up with daughter Michelle, watched the horses compete, socialized my new puppy Truffle, and got acquainted with a new camera and lens recently added to my gear bag
White Water Lily doesn’t have much of a story to tell, other than that we have a pond in our backyard filled to the brim with water lilies. In winter they are a sad, limp, discolored array. But in summer the leaves spread and curl up to the sky and the vibrant white and yellow blossoms open to the sun by day, closing tightly again into buds for the night. Resident frogs fill the evenings with discordant croaking, and from their sunbathing vantage points quickly plop into the water to shelter beneath the blanket of lily pads when startled.
White Water Lily doesn’t have much of a story to tell, other than that we have a pond in our backyard filled to the brim with water lilies. In winter they are a sad, limp, discolored array. But in summer the leaves spread and curl up to the sky and the vibrant white and yellow blossoms open to the sun by day, closing tightly again into buds for the night. Resident frogs fill the evenings with discordant croaking, and from their sunbathing vantage points quickly plop into the water to shelter beneath the blanket of lily pads when startled.
In 2012 I joined a photo workshop focused on Monument Valley and nearby sights. On arrival we were hit with the frustrating realization that we were hard on the heels of massive dust storm that obliterated light and turned the sky yellow with blowing sand. A few days later the dust settled and we discovered that the dunes had been swept clean into beautiful rippled contours, a silver lining after all. Meanwhile I captured this image of a Navajo pony on the rez, haircoat embedded with red desert sand and eyes squinted against the blowing grit. I like his rough presence, bold shadow and the iconic landscape on the horizon.
Sunrise Flight is a composite image created in the Solomon Islands. We left our anchorage at dawn one morning to get an early start for a long day’s passage. The rising sun lit the cumulus clouds building up on the horizon, giving them an internal glow. I was concentrating on capturing images of the dramatic sky, when a booby joined us
I spend a lot of time at the computer editing and refining my digital photographs. Truth be told, this is as much fun for me as the actual photography. One autumn morning my housekeeper interrupted my concentration to announce that there was a ‘gato muy grande’ in the backyard. I grabbed my handheld camera with a walk-around zoom lens already attached and tiptoed into the backyard to check him out.
This is a ringside shot of Saer Coulter aboard Don VHP competing in the Grand Prix during the 2013 HITS Desert Circuit in Thermal, California. Saer is a California girl in her early twenties, a successful grand prix competitor who has graduated to international competition. On the day I took this shot, it was windy with blowing dust.
This is the wildlife image that holds the most meaning for me of all the photographs I have taken over the past ten years. I have it hanging in my kitchen where I see and marvel at it each and every day.
My husband and I are fortunate to have had access to a cruising yacht based in the South Pacific over the past several years. One of my favorite destinations is the small Kingdom of Tonga, where humpback whales migrate each year from the Antarctic to give birth and mate. We have visited several times during whale season and each time I took the opportunity to go out with whale watching professionals, over time learning the basic elements of locating and interacting with the whales in the water.
On our last visit in 2013, we were out for a cruise and scouting for whales on the way. The ocean was empty, no whales or whale watching boats in sight. Then suddenly we spotted a blow quite nearby.
Luck was entirely on our side. We had found a mother and very young calf that were floating quietly near the surface. They showed no signs of avoiding us or moving on, and no licensed whale boat operators were in the vicinity to ‘appropriate’ our find. I couldn’t resist such a golden opportunity. I quickly peeled off my clothes down to the swimsuit underneath and grabbed my underwater camera, fortunately already assembled and leak-tested and ready to go. There was a mad scramble gathering the bare necessities – fins, mask and snorkel – and then I eased into the water off the boat’s stern.
The two whales were maybe 150 feet away and I located them instantly through my camera’s viewfinder. I swam slowly and carefully towards them, minimizing any splashing or sudden movement, and they allowed me to approach without showing any skittishness. After a few minutes, mom turned and started swimming slowly away, giving me a rear view of her tail. But as I watched her go, snapping my last few photographs, I realized that her path was curving back in my direction. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the pair drifted back towards me until I found myself so close that I started backpedaling to avoid making accidental physical contact with mama’s long pectoral fin.
I spent nearly twenty minutes eye to eye with this calm and generous whale, while her baby slept and breathed above her, as we silently communicated with each other. I finally cut the session short when a third whale, probably her escort, arrived on the scene.
In itself the opportunity to swim alone and close to a cooperative whale is a rare and awe-inspiring experience. For the whale herself to voluntarily initiate that interaction was such an amazing, incredible privilege, never to be forgotten.
I don’t often post photos of myself (especially in a swimsuit!), but my husband took this photo of the three of us from the deck of the boat.
Nikon D4, 1/180 sec at f/2.8, ISO 400, 35mm (17.0-35mm f/2.8)
Photo is copyrighted and registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. Please respect.
A new addition to my online gallery. This is PERFECT STORM photographed at Cape Reinga in New Zealand
Cape Reinga is the northernmost tip of New Zealand, reaching into the sea and marking the meeting of two oceans – the Tasman Sea to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. On this day a perfect storm of weather convergence zones created fierce winds that whipped the ocean into a froth. The Cape is a narrow spine of land stretching its finger out into the ocean, and the footing was precarious as the 60 mph winds threatened to topple both my tripod and myself.
PERFECT STORM is available for purchase HERE.
Nikon D3S, 1/750 sec at f/8.0, ISO 400, 200mm (70.0-200.0 f2.8 lens).
Photo is copyrighted and registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. Please respect.
Here’s one for the equestrian crowd! High Heels, sepia is a new addition to my online gallery and the first square format photo I’ve posted.
It’s fun to hang out at ringside with a big lens, trying to capture the action and excitement of Grand Prix Showjumping up close and personal. Here the horse is in a bit of trouble over a really big oxer. He’s making a herculean effort to keep from hitting the rail, while his rider hangs on for the ride, releasing the reins to give her mount more freedom to solve the problem.
I love how the rider and horse are both showing the soles of their shoes!
High Heels, sepia is available for purchase HERE.
Nikon D4, 1/1000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400, 280mm (80.0-400.0 mm f/4.5-5.6)
Photo is copyrighted and registered with the US Copyright Office. Please respect.
