Rain Drops on Fall Color

Rain Drops on Fall Color, originally uploaded by Allie.P.

I took this in Marquette, Michigan after taking a break from field work to turn around for two seconds to snap this picture out of the blue.

Sometimes its nice to stop for a section and appreciate the little details. I thought this shot would go in my pile of pictures that arent so great. Surprisingly, It ended up (i think) great! I didn’t even notice the rough texture on the bottom of the leaf when i took this.

Photography is great like that, you can take the shots that you know are going to turn out well, but its those shots you take blindly that seem to be the most unique in the end.

Looking Up

Looking Up, originally uploaded by senecacreekphotography.

Spring seems to be right around the corner but there is still some lingering snow on the ground, or if you are in Michigan like me, a few inches are still falling!

This photo was taken in Yellowstone National Park from a car window and really reminds me of how you can find beautiful shots that aren’t the main attraction of the park or that even require getting out of the car.

Sometimes, looking up can really gain you a neat perspective, or maybe you’ll even find a cool shape in the clouds

Carpet of Bluebells

Carpet of Bluebells, originally uploaded by senecacreekphotography.

In just a few months, the bluebells in this photo will be entering their peak blooming season that only lasts for a few weeks. It seems like this time in winter just seems to drag on forever and looking at beautiful nature scenes like this gives me hope and something to look forward to!

Click here to see more photos of the bluebells, or here to see some information on where to find this hidden secret!

Lewis River

Lewis River, originally uploaded by senecacreekphotography.

Although winter may seem to be this desolate time full of boring monochrome landscapes, it seems that some national parks are just a total exception to that. Evergreen trees and blue rivers overpower all that white snow and still allow you to see the color that you remember in the spring.

This was taken from the Lewis River in Yellowstone National Park right after a 4 inch snowstorm.

Nature Meets City

Nature Meets City, originally uploaded by senecacreekphotography.

A year ago if you had asked me if I wanted to go take pictures of the downtown of a city I would have told you we should get together to go hiking instead. Typically in my pictures I tend to leave out just about any traces of man-made objects, especially people… if there was a street sign, i would crop it out so you could just see the leaves of the trees and could get the sense that you were in some remote back country, instead of some sidewalk.

This year i have had some “city dwelling” people force me out my forests and into downtown Philadelphia to take pictures. At first, I did not really find any subjects that interested me, but this picture if one of my first transitions to including cities in my photos. Typically, i would have experimented with every possible angle to try to crop this building out of the picture, but after spending a fair amount of downtown Detroit, I may finally be accepting the fact that i live in a concrete wonderland, and think that buildings may be just what i need to expand my photographic horizon and open my mind to not only the beauty of the natural world, but of our humanly creations as well.

Now I am including some urban landscape photography (in addition to natural landscapes) in my typical online musings and stumbled upon this basic article about urban landscapes.

Blackwater Falls

Blackwater Falls, originally uploaded by senecacreekphotography.

Blackwater Falls is located in Blackwater Falls State Park in West Virginia. Later that day, I was led into the park at about 11pm to experience the darkest state in the nation. So far removed from light pollution, i was completely blown away when i looked up into the sky.

“Its not dark enough to see the Milky Way, you’ll be looking down your telescopic barrel at entire galaxies and planetary nebula–remnants of dead and dying stars.” If you don’t have a telescope (like myself) you can still see the Milky Way in all its glory. I had no clue that the sky could look like that until visiting and till this day am still jaw dropped at what i saw.

To all those who don’t like the outdoors all the much, If you visit West Virginia at night (lead by some ranger or naturalist from a park, of course) then I will get off your case about railing you on getting out more often, and even better, you will probably want to get out more on your own after realizing what has been above your head every night hiding.

Check out this picture taken from East Lynn, WV by Jeff Ball if you need convincing.

White Wonderland

White Wonderland, originally uploaded by senecacreekphotography.

Its cold days like there where I find myself searching back through old photos that I took during the spring and summer. Sometimes taking a break from looking at photos gives you a whole new appreciation for their beauty since now i see less of what i should have done differently, and more of how much i wish i was there right now!
I have many more photos from this place… check out my flickr to find them.

This photo was taken from one of Virginia’s secrets: the Bluebell Trail at Bull Run Regional Park. The virginia bluebells only bloom for about 2 weeks in April. The whole forest is carpeted with bluebells and Spring Beauty and the scent itself is intoxicating. It looks like a fairyland that seems to mezmorize everyone who visits and picnics there. They have a short 3/4 mile loop that you can walk along.. i encourage everyone to experience it one, especially if you are not normally a hiker or nature person.

Belle Isle Escape

This was actually taken on Bell Isle just miles from Downtown Detroit. Sometimes in order to find some beauty and nature in an urban area all you have to do is put out the effort to look for it. For anyone in the Detroit area, i would highly recommend getting out and onto this small island of peace and quiet in a noisy city. There are nature walks, beautiful sunsets, silhouetted city skylines, piers, playgrounds, open spaces, a beautiful fountain, a conservatory, and even a zoo!

Stedwick Snow

This Photo on Flickr
The first major snowfall of the year always seems so pretty and elegant, and after a month or so that seems to regress into bitterness and hopes for spring. I dont normally shoot much else besides nature and landscapes, but occasionally the urban and man-made steel can make an interesting combination when under the elements.

This picture is taken from my old house in Gaithersbug, Maryland on one of the very few days that we saw any significant amount of snow!

5 minute Sunset

This photo on Flickr

This picture is completely unedited, it includes only natures finest naturally brilliant colors. After a day of working hard, i looked out my window, saw these brilliant colors, walked outside in my P.J.s and took some shots for about 5 min. This sunset is actually right over a soccer complex and about two steps from a big apartment building, but with the right eye its easy to pick out the calming serenity.

In this busy world its easy to get lost, to run out of time, to say “ill do it later” but sometimes that small effort makes all the difference.

East Lansing, Michigan could not have given a more beautiful night.