Thursday, December 31, 2020

Winter Hikes

Getting a real winter hike this month is a challenge. The snow cover is only minimal... or so we thought. But the situation in the mountains is different. After a fresh 2+ inches over night, the northern part of the Long Trail proved to be an amazing choice for an outing. Here are a few impressions...

Find the trail marker! The challenges of a winter hike on the Long Trail

Brook along the Long Trail

Same brook, different view








Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Fairfax Farm

This amazing farm sits in the neighboring town of Fairfax. We have been driving by many times. I finally managed to head over there with a camera in the evening light. But it turned out that the best view is not really towards the west, but more to the south (and there were hardly any clouds in the sky last night). So I called the help of the new Photoshop 2021 "Sky Replacement" feature and achieved this look. I love the result, but am still on the fence what to do with it... On the one side, this is art and the artist (i.e. the photographer) should be free to do with the raw material as he/she pleases. But replacing a major component of the image still feels a bit like cheating to me. 

What is your opinion?



4x4 Still Life

I picked up the idea for these still life arrangements in a presentation recently and thought it would be a nice exercise to find some props in my stash and compose a few myself. The technical side is not too complicated (but I still have to improve on the lighting) aside from the fact that you have to shoot straight downward (tripods with the option of a vertical arm are very helpful). 

Here are a few examples:





Holiday Cards

Our photogroup's challenge for this month was to find non-cliché Holiday motives. So I was hunting for scenes typical for the season, but that did not involve lots of lights, Christmas trees or wrapped gift boxes. I have added one angel, though. Then I added greeting texts to some of them and uploaded the results here. I am not sure if these are really non-cliché, but if you find them nice enough, feel free to download and use in your own holiday e-greetings. If you'd like higher resolution, just shoot me an email!








Sunday, November 29, 2020

New "Quiescence" (Stick Season) Collection

November was always a low in my photography activities. This became apparent again while selecting photos for the my photo calendars. So this year, Thomas and me went on a photo tour on a gray, wet and dreary November day. Turns out that there is still plenty of color (mostly browns and dark reds) out there. And other scenes made nice black and white conversions. I liked a lot of the scenes we photographed that day and decided to set up an extra gallery for the "stick season" as they call it here.

I hope you enjoy my selection of photos here!

Along Kenyon Road, Richmond


Friday, November 27, 2020

New 2020 Magic Lens greeting cards available now!

I recently selected 12 of my favorite 2020 shots and had greeting cards printed. They are available for sale now at the Milton Artists Guild gallery in Milton, VT.

I also have additional stock here, so contact me if you cannot get to Milton.

These cards include Vermont landscapes and florals from all four seasons. Check them out in my card rack that floats around in the large gallery.


Twelve NEW 2020 Greeting Cards

The Milton Artists' Guild "Photographers Anonymous" 2021 Photo Calendars are available now!

It took a bit longer this year, but the 2021 version of our photo calendar is available now for sale at the MAG (Milton Artists Guild) gallery in Milton, VT.

It features photos of 7 members of the group and showcases New England landscapes, wildlife and flora. If you are looking for a calendar to decorate your home, or a stocking stuffer for the holidays, make sure to stop by the gallery and grab one before they sell out!