carolparkerphoto

24
Jul
2016
Waterlily With Feather

Waterlily With Feather

We’re cruising at the moment, and a recent stop was in New York City where we visited the Whitney Museum of Art. On a rooftop balcony we came across a collection of water gardens in galvanized tubs. It was an overcast day, throwing even lighting over the flowers, and I was captivated into spending a half hour or so photographing the lilies from assorted angles. The maroon and green striped lily pads were the size of dinner plates, and I thought the small white feather and clover-like water plant added a touch of eccentricity.

Prints of Waterlily With Feather are available for purchase HERE.

Sony a7Rii, 1/320 sec at f/4.5, ISO 400, 56 mm (FE 24.0-70.0 f/2.8 GM lens). Handheld.

Photo is copyrighted and registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. Please respect.

 

 

Posted by Carol in New York, USA
18
Jul
2016
Contest Results!

Contest Results!

 

 

For those of you who voted in my Favorite Photo contest, thanks for playing along! It was fun for me to watch the results of the polling and see which images rose to the top! The winner? It’s a tie! Sunrise Flight and Fringing Reef Wavelet were the winners. Close runners-up, only a vote or two behind, were The Bobcat, High Heels, and Sail Into Sunrise.

I won’t keep you in suspense any longer – the winner of the drawing for a free 12 x 18″ print is Mackenzie Sullivan. Mackenzie’s vote, maybe not so coincidentally, went to Sunrise Flight. Congratulations Mackenzie!

Sunrise Flight is an image captured as we sailed out of an anchorage early one morning in the Solomon Islands. A couple of summers ago it was displayed in an exhibition hosted by the San Diego Museum of Natural History, where it won an honorary prize. I actually use this photo as the wallpaper for my iPhone! It works just as well in both vertical or horizontal positions. It never fails to bring back memories of those tranquil but dramatic early mornings at sea.

Again, thanks to you all! And better luck next time!

 

Posted by Carol in Cook Islands, Solomon Islands
17
Jul
2016
Gam Island Boy and Gam Island Girl

Gam Island Boy and Gam Island Girl

Gam Island Boy Gam Island Girl

I was looking through some old files the other day – looking for subject matter to enter in an upcoming contest titled: “A Sense of Place”. I spotted this pair that had escaped my attention at the time, so I worked them up and added them to my online gallery.

Normally I’m not much of a ‘people photographer’, but sometimes I do catch candids when the opportunity arises. These two photos were taken a couple of years ago in Indonesia, when we visited Raja Ampat for a dive trip.

We had participated in an early morning expedition to Gam Island to see the Red Birds of Paradise that perform their mating displays in specific trees on the island. On our hike to the forest we passed through the small village of Yenwaupnor, where I caught these photos of a brother and sister as they watched us shyly from their front porch.

I really can’t decide which one of the two I like the best, so I posted them both. Your comments to help me decide are welcome!

Posted by Carol in Indonesia
10
Jul
2016
Contest – Pick Your Favorite!

Contest – Pick Your Favorite!

[envira-album id=”8299″]

SLIDESHOW – click on the photo to open.

ENTER CONTEST

I’ve been publishing Photo of the Week for about 3 months now, and I thought it might be about time to make a slideshow (above) of the entire collection, and have another free print giveaway. This time I thought it would be fun to take a poll and find out which photos are the most popular! So I’ve put together a contest below.

All you have to do to enter is pick your favorite out of the bunch. You’ll be automatically entered in the drawing, and if you win you will receive a **hand-signed 12″x18″ fine art print of the image you chose. (**Size will vary according to the aspect ratio of the individual image). Contest closes Sunday July 17 at midnight PST. And feel free to share with your friends.

Good luck! And thanks for your support!

ENTER CONTEST

Posted by Carol in Africa
03
Jul
2016
Sail Into Sunset

Sail Into Sunset

 

We purchased our sailboat RAVEN in 2004 in New Zealand, embarking on what has become more than a decade of exploring the oceans of the world. After cruising the South Pacific for several years, we brought the boat to North America and in 2008 we spent the year cruising Mexico, primarily the Sea of Cortez. This image, Sail Into Sunset, was captured as we crossed over from Mexico’s mainland to Cabo San Lucas on the tip of the Baja California peninsula. Fortunately we had a motor, as there was very little wind – either on that day or, for that matter, the majority of days that we spent cruising in Mexico. Rather than linger in one spot for days becalmed, we just cranked up the John Deere and continued on our way. This ultimately contributed to our decision to make the transition from a sailboat to a powerboat in 2010 – because we were probably motoring 90% of the time anyway! Perhaps the title should be modified to ‘Motorsail Into Sunset’, but that sort of takes away from the romance!

That said, my favorite conditions at sea are intrinsic to this image – the peaceful ambience of a smooth calm glassy sea reflecting the sky. Unobstructed views of the distant horizon, sunrise and sunset, blue skies and cloud formations, moon and stars, all viewed in fullscreen iMax glory. I would lie stretched out on the folded sails along the length of the boom and enjoy the soothing motion of the boat, while scouting out denizens of the sea lazing on the surface – turtles floating with a seabird perched atop their shells, flying fish skittering out of the way of our oncoming hull, a breaching whale, dolphins racing to play in our bow wave.

Prints of Sail Into Sunset are available for purchase HERE.

Nikon D3, 1/250 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400, 14 mm (14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8 lens). Handheld.

Photo is copyrighted and registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. Please respect.

 

 

Posted by Carol in Mexico
26
Jun
2016
Portrait of a Thoroughbred

Portrait of a Thoroughbred

 

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.

Ever since I’ve been rummaging through the photos I took and applying some artistic license to my favorites. Back on the computer, it’s always fun to apply some artistic creativity to the original digital RAW files. Today’s PHOTO OF THE WEEK is actually PHOTOS plural, as I’ve posted several of my keepers newly added to my online portfolio!

This week’s headliner is an OTTB (off-the-track thoroughbred) mare named Ladybug, purchased as a four-year-old by Lauren Boswell of Tucson. Lauren has been training Bug herself over the years and successfully turned her into a competitive jumper. The duo had a great week while I was there – winning several classes against tough California competition. She’s a very pretty mare, and I was quite taken with her hand-crocheted fly bonnet, themed after her namesake! I took photos after photos of Ladybug with the camera set to burst mode, trying to catch just the right moment. Since she has the nervous habit of tossing her head up and down and gapping her mouth constantly most were throwaways best suited to illustrate horse dentistry. But this photo caught her with mouth closed and chin tucked into a very ladylike, demure pose that shows off her refined head and colorful bonnet.

In regards to that new camera, a Nikon D500, last night I attended a seminar for getting up to speed on its new features – and was told there are 1.2 million different setting combinations possible in that one camera body! Mind boggling.

Prints of Portrait of a Thoroughbred are available for purchase HERE.

Sony a7R II, 1/1000 sec at f/4.0, ISO 400, 200 mm (FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS). Handheld.

All photos are copyrighted and registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. Please respect.

SLIDESHOW – Click any image to start.

Posted by Carol in California, USA
19
Jun
2016
White Water Lily

White Water Lily

 

There’s not much to say about White Water Lily, 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.

I spent a couple of hours early one morning photographing the blooms from every conceivable angle. On review, this image rose to the forefront for the simplicity of the composition, the strong, bold shapes created by light and shadow, and the translucence of the backlit petals.

White Water Lily was introduced to the public in New York City in an exhibit mounted by Agora Gallery, a contemporary art gallery in New York’s Chelsea art district. Prints are available for purchase HERE.

Nikon D4, 1/350 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100, 260 mm (200.0-400.00 mm f/4.0 lens). Handheld.

Photo is copyrighted and registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. Please respect.

 

 

Posted by Carol in Arizona, USA
19
Jun
2016
White Water Lily

White Water Lily

 

There’s not much to say about White Water Lily, 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.

I spent a couple of hours early one morning photographing the blooms from every conceivable angle. On review, this image rose to the forefront for the simplicity of the composition, the strong, bold shapes created by light and shadow, and the translucence of the backlit petals.

White Water Lily was introduced to the public in New York City in an exhibit mounted by Agora Gallery, a contemporary art gallery in New York’s Chelsea art district. Prints are available for purchase HERE.

Nikon D4, 1/350 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100, 260 mm (200.0-400.00 mm f/4.0 lens). Handheld.

Photo is copyrighted and registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. Please respect.

 

 

Posted by Carol in Arizona, USA
12
Jun
2016
Navajo Pony After A Dust Storm

Navajo Pony After A Dust Storm

 

True to the adage that one seldom explores one’s own backyard, I have lived in Arizona since 1958 and never once visited spectacular Monument Valley on the Arizona/Utah border. In 2012 that changed when I joined a photo workshop with like-minded photographers, and spent a week touring the highlights of this unique and beautiful area. 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.

Not only did this compromise the scenery we hoped to photograph, it created a challenge for the camera gear which is easily damaged by the invasive grit. Changing lenses in the field was a recipe for disaster; the best solution was to carry two cameras each configured for different shooting scenarios.

A few days later the dust settled, the sky turned blue, and we discovered that the dunes had been swept clean into freshly 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.

Navajo Pony After A Dust Storm prints are available for purchase HERE

Nikon D3S, 1/750 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200, 44 mm (28.0-300.00 mm f/3.5-5.6 lens).

Photo is copyrighted and registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. Please respect.

 

 

Posted by Carol in Arizona, USA
05
Jun
2016
Sunrise Flight

Sunrise Flight

 

Sunrise Flight is a composite image created from two photographs captured 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 briefly, winging his way parallel to the boat, his eye reflecting the early light. Two captures taken just moments apart – the empty cloudscape and the sunlit bird in flight – were meant for each other, so I married them in one image that captures the essence of the moment as I experienced it.

The vast expanse of sea and sky and the perfectly positioned wings of the bird together create an image that expresses the unfettered freedom of flight.

Sunrise Flight has been exhibited from coast to coast, including the San Diego Museum of Natural History and, most recently, PhotoPlace Gallery in Vermont, a contemporary photography venue. Prints of this award-winning image are available for purchase HERE

Nikon D4, 1/500 sec at f/2.8, ISO 100, 165 mm (70.0-200.00 mm f/2.8 lens)

Photo is copyrighted and registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. Please respect.

 

 

Posted by Carol in Solomon Islands, South Pacific, USA, Vermont