Cormorants at Watson Lake
SO_O_O_O BIG
Night Wings
I just finished reading the deep, dark, soulful Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy for our book group. There is beautiful, evocative writing, an intriguing plot, some romance and tragedy- all within the framework of the last migration of arctic terns in a time when climate change has wreaked havoc on the animal kingdom. I didn’t set out to create this image in response to what I read, but the subconscious is an amazing thing. And I highly recommend the book!
Cormorant Tableau
Spotted on one of our walks at Watson Lake.
Flying by
Beach memories from our trip to Newport Beach a couple months ago. . .
Mirrored Flight
This was taken during our stay at Between Beaches on the MacDonald Spit on Kachemak Bay in Alaska. We had beaches in front of and behind our cabin- Kachemak Bay in front, Kasitsna Bay behind. Watching the gulls fly low over the dark waters of Kasitsna Bay in the mornings and evenings gave me a perfect opportunity to practice intentional camera movement techniques to create impressionistic images.
I was happy to hear at my camera club’s online meeting last night that this image won second place in this month’s Open Subject competition. It’s always nice to hear when other people like your art.
Primeval
After the rains, Watson Lake looked like it might have before the dawn of man- except it’s a man-made lake (and that’s a cormorant, not a pteradactyl. . . )!
Into the Light
Spending time photographing gulls swooping over the dark waters of Kasitsna Bay was one of the great pleasures of my Alaska trip.
Classic
Vacation photos from Alaska aren’t complete without an eagle photo! They were everywhere- especially where we stayed on a beach on Kachemak Bay. This photo was taken on one of our excursions to Gull Island.
Wings
I have been doing intentional camera movement (ICM) for many years off and on, but I have never enjoyed it as much as I have when photographing birds this summer. The image below is gulls over Alaska’s Kasitsna Bay near the cabin on the MacDonald Spit where we stayed for our fiftieth anniversary.
Gull Island
One of the highlights of our Alaska trip was a two hour boat trip to Gull Island in Kachemak Bay. We enjoyed it so much that we actually returned the next day!
Gull Island is the breeding ground for several types of sea birds who return every year to make (and reuse) their nests and lay their eggs. There seemed to be many more kittiwakes (the white gulls) than the other species, and you can see them flying around and dotting the cliff in their nests. There were also many common murres and some puffins. A few eagles were sitting on the tops of the cliffs. Otters played in the waters below.
Here Come the Pelicans!
Here is another almost abstract image created by using intentional camera movement and slow shutter speed. Although it might look like I added a texture, this is almost straight out of camera. I find it so interesting the different effects that can be created this way.
Morning Flyover
The morning fog was just beginning to give way to a bit of sunlight as I took this photo of a gull flying overhead at Newport Beach. I love the quiet of mornings at the beach!
Peek-a-boo
While everyone around us was watching the hummingbirds at the feeders, I happened to turn around and spot this little guy on the pole behind the group. He looked at me, I looked at him. He was very cute! My bird app tells me he was a white-breasted nuthatch.
Happy Easter!
It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.
Rainer Maria Rilke
Feeding the Ducks?
Here’s something you don’t see every day…
melinda anderson photography 