Weekly Photo Challenge: A Day In “My” Life.
As Told By A Couple Of Beaver.
Sunday’s Hidden Treasure
Getting up close and personal with one of my favorite summer visitors to the lake.
And there’s a snake in the picture too!
Canon EOS 40D
Canon EF 300 f4L IS
Exposure info: ISO 400, f7.1 @ 1/250
Original Capture Date: 5/30/2009
Weekly Photo Challenge: Home
Welcome to my home.
This curious little guy (gal?) was very welcoming to his two-legged guests. As long as we didn’t get too close that is.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Unique
A Black Among The Green.
Being “Unique” makes this American black duck drake stand out among a crowd of mallards.
Who doesn’t like the mallard duck? With its beautiful iridescent green head and mahogany breast feathers, a beautiful bird my anyone’s standard. For me though, the American Black Duck, a drake seen above bowing to the camera, is a more attractive bird. Not being a very flashy guy myself, perhaps what draws me more to what most consider a rather drab looking duck, is the subtle beauty of the iridescent green visible only on the sides of the drakes head, compared to the “in your face,” bright green covering the entire head of the much showier mallard. Does anyone really like a show-off?
Often mistaken for a hen mallard, the black duck has darker plumage and while the violet-blue speculum on the mallard’s wing is bordered by white on both sides, the black ducks usually has no, or only one faint white border on the speculum’s leading edge.
Through The Lens, My Favorite 12 From 2012.
What a year!
2012 has been an unbelievable year. I’ve created more commissioned work for others, and more of my work is finding its way onto people’s walls. I also feel I’m continuing to learn and grow as a photographer. I’d like to share with you my favorite 12 images from the past year.
(For this weeks Weekly Photo Challenge theme: Surprise. The “surprise?” I can’t count, my favorite 12 of 2012 is actually 20! Enjoy!)
Didn’t see your favorite Jeff Sinon Photography image? Well then click HERE and cast your vote and you could you see it in the upcoming “Fan Favorites Of 2012,” AND you’re vote automatically enters you in a chance to win an 8″ x 12″ copy for your very own. Contest details and rules here
Weekly Photo Challenge: Delicate
You won’t find a much more delicate creature roaming the forest floor than the juvenile Eastern Newt, commonly known as the red eft. This little guy (gal?) was only about 2 in. (5cm) and very hard to miss, with such bright orange skin, as I was strolling along the trail. The adults are much less showy in color, and can reach a length of 5 in. (12.7 cm) and can live between 12 – 15 years in the wild.
Photographed on the same day as the Red Eft above, this Rose Pogonia (Pogonia ophioglossoides), a wild orchid found typically in fens and bogs. Also known as the snake mouthed orchid, this beautiful specimen was beautifully crowned with dew when I photographed it.
The clock is ticking…
Don’t forget to cast your vote for your favorite Jeff Sinon Photography image from 2012! Details and rules HERE.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Reflections
Reflections, times three.
North American Beaver cautiously checking out the guy with the long glass eye.
Louvers and flames meticulously painted on the hood of a hot rod.
Fly fisherman patiently waiting for a trout to rise and take his fly.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Green
Green,
My first thoughts are of Spring, and new growth. But with Winter rapidly approaching, and the snow that will hopefully come with it, the vibrancy of Spring green is a long way off.
However, several of the images below were captured in the dead of winter.
For those of you thinking “I’d like to create amazing photographs but I don’t have a big fancy DSLR.” Take a close look at the image of my friend Melissa sprawled out on the ice. That’s a Canon G11 in her outstretched hands. Now take a look at the images she makes with it, here. I often envy her ability to put all her gear in her pocket when we get together to shoot.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Renewal
Renewal = Spring .
Though it’s hard to imagine, with winters icy grip, and its cold white coating of snow, just around the corner, for me when I think of renewal, I think of Spring. Spring is the time of renewal. Soon after the snow melts the wildflowers will begin to emerge and the young animals and birds will soon begin to be born. A new generation is about to commence.
Coming soon…
…to the Spring-time forest near you.
Painted Trillium
Pink Lady among the birches.
Pink Lady’s Slipper orchid.
The Next Generation.
And soon there will be four.
Canada goose eggs sitting safely in their down lined nest.
Siblings.
A pair of black bear cubs and their sleeping mother.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Big
North American Moose (Alces alces).
They can stand almost 7 feet (2.1 meters) at the shoulder, and an adult bull can weigh anywhere between 840 and 1,500 lbs (380-700kg).
So yes, BIG!
For anyone wondering, yes this is a 100% wild moose, and yes I was very close. In fact, since I had to step out of his way as he went to cross the road. Moments after the last shot in my previous post was taken, he passed by close enough that I could have reached out and touched his antler.
If you have any questions about my encounter with this wonderful guy, or any other photography related questions, please feel free to ask.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Happy
Happy is…
Hiking to the summit of a small mountain for the first time, in the dark, and watching this view unfold as the sun comes up. Makes me forget just how early 3:30 a.m. is.
To top it off, I ran into a group of young men at the summit who happened to be from my hometown in Connecticut. What are the odds?
Happy is…
Driving down from the above mountain, and seeing this view. If this doesn’t say “Autumn in New England,” nothing does.
Since it was quite dark, and I was paying more attention to the directions to the mountain, I never noticed this church, which the road went right by. So this was a very pleasant surprise on my return trip.
Happy is…
Successfully, I think, using subject motion, reflections, and camera motion during exposure, to create abstract images showing the fall color in a less conventional way.
Ecstatic is…
The one image that made the entire day for me.
This fine gentleman caused quite a stir along Rt 302 in Crawford Notch. Traffic came to a stand still as crowds gathered to get a photo. Seemingly unfazed by all the fuss, this bull moose started walking directly towards me to cross the road. Obviously, I was standing in the best spot for a moose to cross the road, and he had every intention of using it. I graciously stepped aside as he passed by close enough for me to touch.
And The Winner Is…
The New England Photography Guild’s Free Print Give-Away Contest.
Each month at the New England Photography Guild we randomly select one lucky person to receive a free matted 5″ x 7″ print, donated by the artist of the month. For the month of August, that artist was yours truly 
And the lucky winner is:
Elaine Somers of Rockport Massachusetts.
Here is the image Elaine chose as her prize,
Congratulations Elaine!
Weekly Photo Challenge: Free Spirit.
Free.
A soon as I read the theme for this week I knew which photo I was going to use. This red tail hawk was a most wonderful and patient subject. He / she posed for me for almost an hour, then as if we could read each others minds, as I was finishing up with my last photos, it took flight.
Before Departure.
Acadia At Last
The First National Park East Of The Mississippi River.
Over the July 4th holiday my family and I finally made it to Acadia National Park. It’s a place I’ve wanted to visit for a long time. A quick drive through the park on our first day however, told me the four days we were going to be there would not be nearly enough time to uncover all Acadia has to offer.
It’s going to take many visits throughout the seasons to fully enjoy, and photograph, this wonderful National Park.
Here are a few of the scenes I was able to capture on my much too brief visit.
Otter Cliffs
Seen here from just past Monument Cove on the Park Loop Road, Otter Cliffs is one of the first places in the U.S. to receive the suns rays in the morning. Often photographed, Otter Cliffs and this section of shore line, along with its amazing natural stone-work, yields composition possibilities too many to fathom. While the subject may be the same, with so many possibilities for composing an image, making this place your own should require little effort.
The Cadillac Mountain Sunrise Club.
No trip to Acadia would be complete without a trip to the summit of the tallest peak on the eastern seaboard. For almost half the year, from early October to early March, Cadillac Mountain is the first place in the United States to see the rising sun.
Here, a family sits looking out over the Porcupine Islands in Frenchman’s Bay, patiently awaiting the rising sun.
And The Crowd Sang Out.
Membership in the Cadillac Mountain Sunrise Club has but one requirement: experience sunrise from the top of the mountain. Not too tough, as long as you’re willing to get up early enough, and in the summer that means around 3:30 a.m., and be at the summit in time to greet the sun.
As the sun crested the horizon, the members of the Cadillac Mountain Sunrise Club, their numbers many and who had sat there peacefully, surprised me with a loud cheer! Hearing it brought a smile to my face and made me want to shout out as well. An outstanding start to the new day.
The club was much less exclusive than I had thought. Normally when I’m out shooting a sunrise I have the place all to myself. Or at least the only other people there are a few other dedicated photographers willing to forego sleep in pursuit of the perfect sunrise. On Cadillac there were dozens of people, many dozens. While I was the first one there that morning, I’m sure if I had gone back to the parking lot I would have found it full to over-flowing. Only on Mount Washington in New Hampshire have I seen a larger crowd up this early eagerly awaiting the sun.
The sun just crests the horizon with Frenchman’s Bay and the Porcupine Islands in the foreground.
And Then I Was Alone.
Or so it seemed. The sun was fully above the horizon, and the light going fast, by 5:30 a.m. Too early to head back to my campsite and wake my wife and daughter, so I lay back on the pink granite slope to relax and enjoyed the morning. By 6 a.m. I had the summit of the mountain all to myself, there wasn’t another human being around. But I soon found I was not alone. As I began my descent, this lovely whitetail doe was kind enough to pose for me.
Whitetail doe on the slopes of Cadillac Mountain.
Bridges Of Stone.
In the park there are 45 miles of gravel carriage roads, built between 1913 and 1940, and financed by John D. Rockefeller Jr. as a gift to the park. The roads are only open to foot, bicycle, and horse traffic. These carriage roads often travel over one of the 17 stone faced bridges, 16 of which were also financed by Mr. Rockefeller, found throughout the park. This one below, on Stanley Brook Drive, with its three arches and amazing detail, is my favorite of the ones I’ve seen so far.
One of the 17 stone face bridges in Acadia National Park.
Not Just For Photographers.
Acadia National Park offers opportunities not just for photographers but for outdoor enthusiasts of all types, from hiking, cycling, horse-back riding, swimming (if you dare brave the frigid Atlantic), and rock climbing. Otter Cliffs is a popular destination for the latter. Myself, I’ll photograph it safely from a distance, thank you very much.
Rock climbers on Otter Cliffs.
I have only had the chance to process a few of my Acadia images. As I work my way through the rest I’m sure I’ll be sharing a few more. In the mean time, if you find yourself in New England, Acadia National Park is well worth the visit.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Fleeting Moment
Fleeting.
Defined as passing swiftly. That often describes the scene before me captured in many of my photographs. Be it the fleeting instance of the perfect light, or the interaction of wildlife, there but gone in an instant.
a mother wakes her young with a kiss
breakfast with daddy
in a moment the light would be gone
In the immortal words of Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop to look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
NOTE. I’m off to Acadia National Park until mid week. Any and all comments will be replied to when I return.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Hands
Who said they had to be human hands?
Got An Itch?
Grey Squirrel In Snow
Wave To The Camera.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Together
Together, a family in the woods.
(Yes, I have shared this one before, but if the image fits, I’m going with it 
)
Together, a parent was never too far away.
Together, an “ode” to love.
(true damselfly and dragonfly fans will get it 
)
Weekly Photo Challenge: Sun
The Sun,
Life depends on it. As a photographer, I live to chase it. Without its golden glow, photography as we know it would be lacking.
With it, the flowers grow.
Not there, and yet, there.
Even when not within the frame of the image, the suns presence and impact is both seen and felt, adding drama to the landscape.
For the birds.
Even wildlife seems to eagerly await the dawn of each new day.
The end is near.
The sun sets, and the anticipation of its arrival the next morning begins.
The Sun
Weekly Photo Challenge: Unusual
Snake Eyes.
I’ve always thought snakes were really cool. Especially their eyes, with that unblinking stare, and the colors and patterns of their skin. Many of them possess an iridescent quality to their skin that in the right light is beautiful.
As a boy growing up in Connecticut, boys being boys, my friends and I were always on the lookout for snakes. We had one favorite place to catch what we knew as black racers. The name fit too, because besides being black, duh, they were FAST! We would catch them, keep them as “pets” for a while, and then release them back into the wild. The keeping was never as much fun as the catching though, the thrill of the hunt and all that. The one thing I never got used to while chasing them was one of their defense mechanisms. When we would come upon them the would vibrate their tails against the dry grass and sound EXACTLY like a rattle snake. And since the thought that we did have rattle snakes in Connecticut was always in the back of my mind, their rattling made my heart skip a beat every single time.
Anyway, since picking up a camera I’ve had an idea for photographs of snakes rattling around in the back of my head. I didn’t want the entire snake, just the eyes and close-ups showing the colors and patterns in the skin. After a quick search and an ad placed on craigslist, I was in business. I didn’t come away with every image I had in mind, but I still have a few contacts in the reptile world, and plan to complete my slithering vision soon.
Snake Eyes. It doesn’t get more “unusual” than that!
Weekly Photo Challenge: Hope
Hope for life renewed. Hope for mans relationship with nature. Hope for the changing seasons. The loons hauntingly beautiful call, for me, signals the beginning of another summer on the lake.
A safe place to rest. A loon chick seeks comfort and safety on its parent's back after a mornings feeding.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Peaceful
Peaceful.
Is a cascading stream in the New Hampshire forest.
Watching the sun peak over the horizon as ghostly waves caress the cobbled granite shore.
A mother and her young.
And so it begins…
First off, let me welcome you to the Jeff Sinon Photography blog. This is my first effort in writing about my photography and where it takes me, what goes on in my head as I compose an image, and what tools I use to create the final print. I won’t bore you with too many technical details, as that is not my purpose. This will not be a place to come for the “How – To,” of photography, though I will often describe the camera settings used, and why I chose them.
I hope that through this blog, and the images I create, others will come to appreciate nature and the great outdoors as much as I do. Primarily, the photographs I take are shot in New Hampshire, with occasional trips to the surrounding New England area.
Initially I will be posting weekly, usually after a shooting trip. I will freely share the locations where my images are made, either directly in a blog post or should a person contact me with questions about the where, when, and how of a photograph. I have learned a great deal through the generosity of other photographers willing to share their knowledge, both online and in person, while I was starting out as a photographer and I wish to continue this tradition. I will share all I know, as I have no secrets when it comes my photography, however, I do not claim to be an expert. I am always learning.
I will be providing links to the site of other photographers whose work I admire, and who have inspired me to become better at my craft. Without them, my photography would not be where it is today.
I want to thank you, and invite you to follow along.
