Winter has finally come! We drove down to the Courthouse this morning and had a wonderful time seeing how the deepening blanket of snow transformed everything. I took a few standard photos and then had a great time waving my camera around for some winter impressionistic images.
Another view of sunrise at Whitewater Draw
Just a little abstract expressing my mindset these days…
The sun broke through the fog at Whitewater Draw presenting us with an unforgettable scene. Behind us though, the cranes were still almost invisible in the early morning fog. Time for photographers to head to breakfast!
Spotted in Bisbee last week
Our second day of shooting started well before sunrise- in fact Lonnie and I did the half hour drive from Bisbee through the farmlands in complete darkness and then dense fog as we got closer. We were the first to arrive and sat in the car waiting for light and our fellow photographers to arrive. The cranes began to vocalize as the first rays of light appeared and soon were headed out to feed on the nearby farms. The dense fog made the cranes almost invisible, but this image is actually one of my favorites.
I have just returned from photographing sandhill cranes at Whitewater Draw in southern Arizona. Lonnie and I went with a group of people from my camera club- and this was my very first time seeing the cranes, as well as photographing birds in flight. It was an amazing, bucket list type adventure- such a wonderful escape from stress! I highly recommend taking a break from the news, soaking yourself in nature and just watching the birds. What does BIF mean? Birds in Flight of course!
We will be heading to Bisbee, Arizona this week, so I have been looking through photos of our first trip there in 2021. I found this shot and thought it would look most effective in black and white. I inverted it in Photoshop to emphasize wires and details of the buildings.
After trying unsuccessfully to capture ducks in flight the other day, I went to my comfort zone- intentional camera movement. My patient husband took custody of my tripod and long lens while I waved my camera around and took photos.
A cold morning walk at Willow Lake today. . .
“Hope” is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.
Emily Dickinson
P.S. Looking ahead to the next four years, I am trying to choose HOPE, despite all appearances of dark days ahead.
We returned yesterday from 10 days in Scottsdale where we brought in the New Year with our children and grandchildren. Almost all the time was spent in the pool and hot tub, and besides being a precious time to reconnect with our grandsons, it was a delightful break from the to-do’s of everyday life. All the images today were made with intentional camera movement and a slow shutter to reflect the relaxed days by the pool. Above are the lounges by the pool, and below are Papa and the boys watching football on the outside TV and grandson Miles playing ping pong. Ahhh the lazy, hazy days of January. . .
Looking back to last winter- I hope to see some more of this white stuff in the coming weeks.
Wishing you all the absolute BEST in 2025!
. . . a White Christmas- although this ICM photo I did several years ago looks more like a blue Christmas! We are having a relatively non-traditional Christmas celebration in Phoenix, which is becoming our traditional Christmas. We will have our kids and grandchildren with us- which is the best thing ever! No snow, but some warm days and lots of downtime to spend with our loved ones! We can’t think of better Christmas than that!
melinda anderson photography 