Isolation Photography 2 (Outside)

Out on a Hike :Ashuelot River, Keene NH

County Champion Red Oak
Friedsam Town Forest, Chesterfield

I hope everyone is still managing to stay healthy and sane as we practice crucial measures for social distancing and personal protection from the Corvid 19 virus.  On the “keeping sane” front, last week I discussed how we can explore within our homes for interesting photographic subjects.  Possibilities included pets and floral photography as well as macro photography to study the details of everyday things. I also mentioned that I have taken advantage of all my free time to catch up on editing the volumes of untouched images that I have collected from previous travels and from the wonderful progression of our New England seasons.  There is much within our homes to keep our photography interesting and creative, but with proper precautions, there should be no reason to restrict our shooting within our walls.  With simple precautions, we can step outside, take a drive, a hike in the woods or just a stroll around the neighborhood.  

Early spring “stick season” can be drab, but life is returning to the landscape.  With eyes open, you will be surprised by the beauty that is all around.  Here are just a few suggestions of what photographic wonders you may find as you venture out into our early New England spring.

Look for Patterns

Maple Swallowing

During the stick seasons of both November and the early spring, much of my photography is focused on patterns in nature.  Bare branches, twigs, dead leaves, fences, and stonewalls can all be captured in interesting arrangements forming strong compositions.  Once you start looking, the patterns are everywhere.  Most days I walk along the same loop through my Spofford Village neighborhood.  It is all very familiar, but I always seem to find new things to shoot.  The weather or light may be different, or I may find fresh compositions or angles on scenes that I pass every day. Don’t be afraid to experiment.  After all those pixels are free.

Ice Out on the Edge

Try Black and White

In the spring, the subtle shades of color can be striking, but this is also a time when black and white images can be used to highlight the patterns.  When shooting for black and white, I always capture the original images in color, and later convert to B&W.  The underlying color information can be used to lighten or darken corresponding areas of the monochrome image.

I converted a simple picture of a twig on the ground to black and white, and I was able to darken the greens and yellows to highlight the curving form of the pine branch.  These sorts of adjustments are available in Lightroom, Photoshop and most other image editing programs.

New Life

In the early spring there are signs of new life.  A couple of weeks ago shoots of green had pushed through the snow and now the brave Crocuses are reaching up towards the light.  

The buds on the trees are beginning to swell and in just a few weeks they will be exploding into bizarre arrays of early growth.

Crocus Blooms

Lichen

I have always been a fan of the beautiful patterns and colors of New England’s ubiquitousLichens.  Lichen is actually a symbiotic composite organism combining a fugus superstructure in which lives a photosynthetic algae or cyanobacteria.  When you start looking you will see that Lichen covers much of the substance of New England. Stone walls, boulders and even trees are hosts.  Spring, when the forests aren’t choked with leaves, is a great time to view and photograph the underappreciated Lichens.

Animals Emerge

On a much grander scale than the lowly Lichen, spring is a time when animals become more active.  If you are persistent, patient and lucky, you may capture squirrels, chipmunks, deer and many wild birds.  Visiting a nearby farm, you can find sheep, cows and horses all feeding on the new grass.  

On a recent walk, a passerby directed my attention to a juvenile eagle perched high above Spofford Lake.  The bird stayed in the tree long enough for me to run home and return with my long lens. 

I steadied my 800mm Lens (actually 400mm with a 2x extender) on my car roof and, with a rapid shutter speed, I was able to get some steady,  views of this magnificent raptor. 

Past Life

Spring is also decorated by the remains of the previous season’s growth.  Fallen leaves can be seen in various patterns of decay on the ground or floating on ponds and streams.  Recently I found a nice collection of Cat-o’-nine tails bunched in a patch of wetland next to Spofford lake.  Spring is also a great time to get a clear view of the weathering of old trees and stumps.

Beech trees are remarkably persistent members of our New England forests. During winter and spring their bright yellow leaves tenaciously cling to the branches and add color to an otherwise dull landscape.  I always look for ways to include these splashes of color in my compositions.

Beech Forest Spofford NH

The Usual

West River Sunset Brattleboro Vt

The Golden Hours

Of course, in additional to the special spring stuff, there are many of the usual New England attractions to be seen as you venture away from home.  Sunsets and sunrises should be as glorious as during any other time of year. Although I wonder if the reduction in vehicular air pollution might mute the rosy glory of the golden hours. 

It is easy to capture brilliant color in a sunset, but try to make the image about more than just a splash of garish color. Find something interesting in the foreground that tells a story and places the viewer within the scene. 

Moon Rising

"Super" Moon over Monadnock

The fullmoon will be rising on Tuesday evening (4/7)  and will be the biggest this year. Moonrise in Keene will be in the east (92.8 deg) at 6:58 pm, although as we look over the hills, we will see it later.  Try to catch the moon close to the horizon when there is still some light in the sky, the “blue hour”, and find a spot where you can place something interesting in the foreground.

Flowing Water

Partridge Brook Chesterfield NH

Finally, early spring is the best time to explore the many spectacular local waterfalls.  The Run-off and spring rains swells our streams and that is why I schedule my annual Waterfall Weekend Workshop for this time off year.  The weekend is always an exciting adventure.  

• Waterfalls of Cheshire County

This year the workshop is set for May 15^th – 17^th, but, unless we all travel in separate cars,  it seems unlikely that we will be able gather for the event.  This stupid virus has already squashed two of my classes, but I can always hope.  Meanwhile there is nothing preventing us from photographing waterfalls on our own.  Just stay distant from the crowds.  Remember to bring a tripod and polarizer to cut through the reflections and soften the rushing water.  And try not to slip on the wet leaves into the freezing water - not all of the dangers out there are related to a nasty virus. 

• Photographing the Magic of Velvet Water

Chesterfield Gorge Bridge

Gnarled Stump Spofford NH

I hope you are doing well, healthy and safe, and that this discussion will get you going on your own exploration beyond the confines of your home and into the growing beauty of our New England spring.  Let me know what interesting subjects you find.

Maybe I will see you out there – just stay safely distant!

Spofford Village NH

Jeff Newcomer, NEPG
www.partridgebrookreflections.com
jeffn49@myfairpoint.net

The Underappreciated Lichen

I have been working on an article for this week's blog discussing the file types commonly used in our digital cameras. That article will be part of my "Basics of Digital Photography Series", but as often happens, I have become distracted by a different and more colorful project. So this week let's talk about Lichen.

I Love Projects

I have been working with a client who is looking for images to decorate a new ward in a nearby community hospital. I've collected a range of images focusing on our region, with the goal of presenting a calm and relaxed atmosphere. A number of the images have been accepted, but I was told that the architects are also looking for images of "Wheat and Lichen". The easy part was the Wheat - I have no Wheat!  But Lichen is a different matter. New England is full of Lichen, its just that we tend to ignore this surprisingly resilient organism(s). I love a project, so let the Lichen hunt begin.

Cemetery Wall, Putney Vermont

I started with a search for Lichen in my Lightroom image catalog and found only about five images. Five out of over 350,000, I clearly have to start paying more attention. After all Lichen is not difficult to find. In fact the 13,000 and 17,000 currently identified species of Lichen are estimated to cover about 6% of the earth's entire land mass. While most of our wimpy plants are just beginning to venture out of their winter hibernation, the Lichens are thriving and thriving everywhere. All we need to do is look. When we talk about the beauty of our rugged New England stone walls we are largely referring to the color and texture of the Lichens which cling to the native boulders. Lichens not only populate the rocks, but they also frequently paint our trees, barns, fences and tomb stones with patterns of lush pastels

Luna's Blanket, Chesterfield, New Hampshire, 1875

What is (are) Lichen
Consider for a moment the lowly Lichen. Lichen is not a plant or even a single organism. It is a symbiotic composite organism combining a fungus superstructure in which lives a photosynthetic algae or cyanobacteria. The fungus feeds on the sugars produced by the algae or bacteria, while providing a protective and anchoring structure. The fungal filaments also provide a conduit for moisture and nutrients to supply the photosynthetic process. The relationship works well. Lichen are resistant to cold and drought. They are often the first organisms to attach to freshly exposed rocks and they are believed to be among the oldest organisms on the planet. When looking at a small unassuming colony of Lichen, their antiquity may be hard to appreciate, but their size is deceiving.  They are extremely slow growing, some species expanding at a rate of only 0.5 to 1.0 mm/year. A hundred year old Lichen could be less than four inches in diameter. Tread carefully!


Finding Lichen So, although they don't make great pets, Lichens are ubiquitous, amazing, and deserving of our attention. With my assignment in hand I went off to pad my Lichen collection. Happily Lichen are everywhere and they don't tend to run away when approached by an intruding camera lens. The obvious place to start is stone walls and I went to one of my favorite in Marlborough, New Hampshire. The wall boasts a great view of Mt Monadnock and both the wall and the border trees were encrusted with Lichen. The challenge comes from trying to find ways to capture these unassuming patches of color and texture in interesting ways




Photographing Lichen
 Although they are present throughout the year Lichens become especially attractive during the spring stick season as we await the coming explosion of green. When examined closely Lichens have interesting variations of soft pastel hues, but they don't boast the vibrant colors of a New England autumn or soulful eyes of a baby deer. Their attraction comes from texture and pattern, I was looking for interesting "Lichen landscapes" as the fungus interacted with the trees, rocks and other detritus of the forest. Strolling along-side the wall I found plenty to keep me busy. I started with close-ups of the Lichen's structure and then pulled back to include its immediate and more distant environment. Once my eyes snapped onto the subject, it was amazing how distractions fell away and I could give the remarkable organism its deserved attention. 

 

Lichen Often Shares the Natural Substrates with Moss

Homestead Stone, Chesterfield, NH

I used both my workhorse 24-105mm and my 100mm Macro lens. Happily the sky was mostly overcast providing a soft even light and with the camera latched firmly to my tripod, I was able to get exposures that were long enough to allow me to stop down for reasonable depth of field. Even with small apertures, I often needed to use focus stacking to capture the lichen in sharp focus.  On sunny days, I used my large reflector disc to block the bright light from the close-up images.  At others times the direct sunlight served to bring the rugged textures into high relief, while my polarizer filter helped to cut reflections allowing the subtle colors to shine through.




 


I have enjoyed the opportunity to focus on the under-appreciated Lichens.  I will never again disrespect these sturdy and resourceful natural survivors and I believe they would make beautiful and highly appropriate decorations for a hospital ward.  They are  another example of the endless variety of life which makes New England such a special place to live, photograph and heal.


More Images in my Web Site
Lichen Gallery



Jeffrey Newcomer
Partridgebrookreflections.com