Experimental

Your eyes are not blurry. 

These are intentionally taken while moving the camera.

I feel a bit odd trying to do this type of photography. I've seen some absolutely beautiful ICM abstract photos.

I'm still one of those that is on the fence with this method. I've also learned that trying to do it on a bright snowy day is really not the way to start.

This is obviously the outhouse. I moved the camera forward when pressing the shutter on a 1/2 second shot. 

So it ended up looking like a double exposure.

It isn't something I will put on the wall. 

I consider this as play and experimental photography.

 

I can always say that I am pretending to be Monet with a camera.

This shot was done by simply moving 
the zoom lens as I hit the shutter button.

It doesn't hurt my brain to look at this one. 

It was my first experimental shot I did of the day.

It is actually nicer than the others.

Really beautiful ICM takes a LOT of practice and generally
shooting when there is quite a bit of contrast along

with color.

Of course winter is not the best time to 

try to make ICM fine art. But it

is fun to practice.

Here is a sample of an image that really defines the beauty of ICM.

A flower by: 
KarenWallerphotography

It looks like a stunning painting and something I'd hang on my wall for its soothing effect. 

Obviously none of my shots have reached this caliber!

This summer, I did do a few shots with ICM and absolutely you do need brilliant color to do this with any good results. 

I did this shot in September and it is the only one so far that I really like.

----

So without further ado, I went back to something I know when I defrosted myself after my hike.

Some high key work. I put a white sheet over a kitchen chair and arranged some dried flowers to photo their textures.

When the outdoors suck, I can always do Still Life.

Since I had the white sheet set up, I pulled up the embroidered border and thought that Teddy Bears exchanging flowers would be cute.

I thought I'd work with my Lensbaby and the Teddy Bears. I really enjoy working with that lens as it makes you slooooowwwww way down and really work at getting the exposure and area of focus just right.

The ICM tutorials make everything look so easy. I have so much to learn!

I will try some more practicing to figure out what movements might look good. I wonder if I set up my dried flowers and did an ICM with Still Life?

Ahhh, you will have to wait to see what I may do next!

Otherwise. Have a good day and stay warm.

Turn the page

Here it is. November. 

I promise not to get glum.

However, historically, I have not liked November. I say this each year. I'm going to go out and find something I like in the landscape of November.

I have to look a bit harder, but I'm sure I can find beauty around me.

That is, until the period of time I can't go out for walks in any of my usual haunts for 10 days during the WI Deer Gun Season.

I don't want to complain, as the deer herd does need to be managed. But.....

November 22-30th is when the majority of the gun hunters are out. December 1-10th is the muzzleloader antlerless hunt. 
December 11-14th is a special antlerless gun hunt.
December 24th through Jan 1 is another special antlerless Holiday Gun Hunt.

If that isn't enough, Bow Season lasts through January 4th.

Uffdah.

The 10 day season is the worst.

However, the folks that end up on the land east of me during the other seasons keep me on edge. They don't always know that a barbed wire fence means property lines. Go figure. 

Sometimes I dislike living in such a rural area. However, there is till amazing beauty all around and this year I will have to make some special efforts to deal with it.

Below are a few of the last blast of some of the plants in our woods. Maybe not gorgeous like the full fall colors, but still interesting enough for me to stop and take a look.

I spent most of the day yesterday with another gal friend. We enjoyed an afternoon of fun things. 

November also holds the promises of all sorts of Holiday Fairs and Craft Shows that I can visit. I'll have to keep busy. These are things I couldn't do for the past several years.

So even if November is the time of less color outside, a time of weather change, and more...darkness, I promise to find something fun to keep the spirits up.

Glorious sunrises always do help.

Meanwhile in the Nuthouse...Spring signs?

Just some random stuff from this week.

Canada Geese 
protecting the nest

Wood ducks!

Fresh fern
Young fresh Sporophytes

Last year's leaves
Maidenhair Fern

A symbol of Purity
and
Innocence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've been waiting to use this Minifigure for a while. I wanted to go out and look for 'Spring'. It hasn't really arrived in our forest yet, but I keep hoping to find a sign somewhere. The Virginia Pinks usually arrive by April 20th and carpet the forest floor for about 10 days.

So I took this Mushroom Sprite [I call her Flora] and Hammie out for a walk with me when I went to check on the forest fencing yesterday afternoon. Once more I decided to experiment with the Lensbaby lens. I'm finally getting the hang of it...I think.

Since there are no spring flowers blossoming yet, I thought I'd try something different.

I wanted to create some flying Lego folks so I used wire to put these two in the air. I love the smile on the green guy's face.

Sunday came and with storms predicted, Jason and I decided it wouldn't be fun for me to go hiking in thunderstorms. He stayed home and after getting inside stuff done, I turned to some creative things.

It is amazing what a little light and cardboard can do! Of course Dr. Cob and his dog, Gear are collecting gears!

The shot and the result.

Later ~~ they are working in his secret lab???

And since I was doing spooky settings... I thought this was funny...

"Dude, I think you are in
the wrong movie set!"

Lucky for us! The day ended with a rainbow in the East!

 

Chasing ice

 

Thursday after lunch I took off to go look for ice along the bluffs of the Kickapoo River. I waited until after noon to head out as I was hoping for it to warm up above 10 F. It did, but the windchill was still at something like 9 F, if you were facing the winds.

I knew that hiking along the bluffs would keep me on the east side of the river with the forest and the bluff blocking part of the cool breeze. However, since the sun never shines on this section of the bluffs ... except on late summer evenings, it would be chilly next to the rocks.

That is perfect for the formation of little ice falls. Last year there was almost no ice or water in this area due to the drought we'd been having. This was promising sign to see. There is a small 'pond' under the rock that was frozen solid.

Light reflects strangely on ice and water which is why I took my Infrared Camera again.

I'm not sure why the mosses don't turn out with the same amount of colors. I suppose it is just how the light reached the moss and the ice in these two areas.

What the ice looks like in camera:

I channel swap, which means I swap the colors and blue can become pinkish, reddish, or with this filter more orange colored. The ice will almost turn blue with most filters [except the 850nm range which is a B&W filter...very useful for white fluffy clouds against a black sky]

Here was another unpredictable shot. I thought this would just turn out yuck with nothing fun. I wanted to see if I could differentiate the ice hidden inside this fern and moss covered area. It turned out to be my favorite shot of the day.

Some IR photographers call this 'Candy Colored' and I think it is! But the detail in the ferns turned out pretty neat. 

I did take some normal shots, but not many.

Hiking down Willow Trail.

Long Tall Shadows on old 131 Trail.

Charlie, the Explorer. 

Neat Ferns

Behold! 
The Cinnamon Fern!

I get excited when I see these guys as they are large and really stand out in the spring. So far in the past 28 years I've only found 3 places on our land where they come up. They like to grow near a wet area. Last year was so dry that I don't recall them coming up near our creek bottom. Or I missed this plant?

I just love how a fern comes up in a tight curl.
 

Close up of the same fern curl as above.
I've heard of people who look for these in the forest and collect the not so hairy curls to eat. They call them Fiddleheads.

I have not tried it as I'm still in the learning stage about fern plants. Plus there are not enough of these in my forest to harvest and eat.

Close up of the leaves inside the curling head of the fern. Ferns fascinate me as they have such symmetry to their leaves!

More Cinnamon Ferns found at
Duck Egg County Park
on 4 24

I found these on a south facing hillside
high above the water
but in a moist area.

The brown 'stuff' is supposed to 
be spores according to 
information on these ferns.

Another fern that I am very familiar with is the Maidenhair Fern. They are my favorite fern in the forest.

This group emerging from the forest floor 
looks like they are literally

dancing.

Maidenhair Fern, come up red
and turn green.
They spread out like a beautiful spiral
after they mature.

A mature Maidenhair Fern:

There are other ferns, but I don't know enough about them 

--> Yet <-- 

to put a name to them. But I do enjoy finding their beautiful curls in the spring and admire them through out the year.

Even in winter they add a bit of interest to the forest
Photo from the winter of 2011:

Chores are done! Yard is mowed!
And it look like I can go out again today and explore.

Who knows what we will find?

Goat Photo Bomber...

I was testing out a feature called *in camera HDR*. I put the camera on a tripod and set it up.
Sven managed to dart into the photo on one of the shots.

Now that the forest floor is springing to life, Sven is in goat heaven on our walks.
He nibbles and catches up. Today he learned a bit about soft creek banks as the dirt collapsed under him and he rode a pile of dirt and rocks down the ravine.

He shook his head and soldiered on.
Charlie kept a sharp eye on him.

We have been extremely wet this year. So wet in fact that when the township graded the road on the ridge -- they do this to fill the pot holes in with loose gravel -- ...and then it rained and rained more...
well.
When I went to town yesterday, imagine my surprise when I turned off our little dead end road and suddenly felt like I was in a road rally with slushy mushy gravel mud conditions. The Subaru handled it but it weaved and wobbled and bobbed side to side all the way out to the black top. The vehicle is now mud colored and no longer blue....

Anyway back to the goat adventure. Sven was ecstatic about being out with us and ran up and down the trail doing goatie things like bouncing, running, leaping, and doing sideways jumps. He even got exuberant enough to come up to me and try a head butt. His head met my stick and he decided not to mess with me.

He stopped often to nibble and experiment on different flavors that the woods offered.

I can see where goats would be incredible for cleaning up forests. They will eat the unwanted plants. My Dexters did the same thing however they left larger poo piles.

Donkeys did much of the same thing, but they and the Dexters cost much more to feed in the winter time.

Anyway.
We had an excellent walk about the land. I went into different sections of my property that I don't normally get to because by mid summer it is just too overgrown.

These were pretty neat and very different than the other ferns on our land. I think they may be Cinnamon Ferns. Not sure, but now that I know where they are I can make my way back to see them as they unfold.
Sven didn't eat them.

However, as I knelt to take some shots of Anemones ...

And then sat back to adjust my settings...

A curious goat walked up and stared at me then proceeded to eat all of the blossoms of this plant. I swear he winked at me as I moaned to him.

Later on I set up the tripod at the creek. Charlie wandered around and then sat on a rock next to me.

I set this shot up and took a few versions of it.

Next thing I know, I feel the gloves being pulled out of my pocket. Sven. He then reaches over and starts to nibble on the camera strap.

SVEN! NO!
He was unimpressed and very goat-like. I bonked him on the nose and he just shook his head.

I can say this. I am having fun with both Charlie and Sven and going on our walks. It sure kept my mood upbeat on a dull dreary day. I started my day with CrossFit learning a new skill and got to enjoy time out in the woods.
Even IF I had a Goat Photo Bomber/Pest along.

Friday is a new adventure. I'm going to be a *guide* for another photographer and take him to a few different spots so he can enjoy what our area has to offer.

Today? Off to the VA after CrossFit this morning....