Spring Collection Without Purpose

Pasture Island, Spring Green

Producing a weekly photography blog means that I am always looking for 

West River Light

new topics.  It also means that I spend much of my shooting time trying to find images which will illustrate my topic of the week and the images that I post on social media usually reflect the same topic.  This week has been about my up-coming classes and workshops, but, beside my shameless self-promotion,  my posts frequently center on photographic and editing techniques, equipment, and special locations throughout New England.  While I am doing all this “purposeful” shooting and publishing, I get frustrated that I don’t give myself time to share all the random photographs that I capture as I wander through the seasons.  

Purple Flowers 1

We are quickly emerging from another glorious New England spring.  Although I have been busy preparing for a jumble of exhibitions, finishing a large order of pictures for a local bank, and completing another Introduction to Digital Photography Course and my Spring Waterfall Workshop, this seemed like a good time to take a quiet breath and show a few of my “Spring Photographs Without Purpose”.

Of course spring is all about growing things, flowers and green stuff, but since I am a hopeless categorizer, let me see if I can impose order on the photosynthetic chaos.  

New Growth

Maple Bud Spofford NH

I am always excited to see the first appearances of growth.  The shoots and buds burst forth with such bizarre exuberance.  The bud season lasts for only a week or two, but it is worth capturing every day.  This year spring seemed delayed, but when it arrived it arrived with an explosion.

Fern Attack, Spofford NH

Variety of the Forest’s New growth.

I say this every spring, but the early spring greens tend to come with a remarkable variety of hues.  To me the colors are every bit as beautiful as the more garish tones of autumn.

Pasture Lane, Chesterfield NH

Green's Edge

Evening Light, Westmoreland NH

Spring Flowers

New England gardens are home to a lovely array of color throughout the spring and summer, but the naturally occurring blooms in our fields and forests can be equally lovely.

Flowers on Purpose

Daffodil Fence

I am always amazed at the beautiful flowers and greenery that I can find as I take my my walks around my little village of Spofford New Hampshire.  Of course, every spring, I travel with Susan to Walker Farm in Dummerston Vermont.  Susan selects plants for our gardens while I roam among the carefully cultivated flowers and shrubs.  It is a great place to capture images of perfect flowers in a wonderfully controlled environment.  My only problem is that I always forget to photograph the identifying name tags.  That is why you will again see many titles like “Purple Flower 1”.  

Purple Flowers 1

New England in Spring

Central Square Bloom

Every New England seasons has to be seen in the context of the classic village and rolling hills.  It is a reminder to me to put away my macro lens and revel in the glorious mix of spring colors and our natural landscape.   This year my April and May collection included everything from the traditional view of Keene’s Central Square in full bloom to sunset on Brattleboro’s West River and the Full Flower moon rising over Mount Monadnock. 

West River Sunset

Community Church Harrisville NH 

May Flower Moon and  Mount Monadnock

Factory Birch, Harrisville NH

I've had a great time wandering through my random spring images.  Photography is about storytelling, but it's nice to just kick back and let the pictures speak for themselves.

For me, summer begins with the first of June.  I’m looking forward to a busy few months, but the end of Spring is always a sad time.  After all, November’s stick season is only five months away.  It’s all downhill from here.

Jeffrey Newcomer

www.partridgebrookreflections.com