Spring Pine

If you had to pick one thing that defines one's visual experience of central North Carolina, it might be the pine. From the scrub pines that congest every new growth forest to the giant tall pines in old cities and towns, you will find plenty of green needles in this state. So, feeling a little burnt out this afternoon but frustrated by a late NC spring that hasn't given me much to photograph, I took this shot earlier maybe 100 yards from our place.

Daffodils at Duke Gardens

Today marked the last day of a one week vacation, during which I had hoped to take a lot of photographs. In the end, I was far less prolific than I'd hoped. However, this morning, we did get over to Duke Gardens for about an hour. These daffodil images were probably the days best images.

Larger versions of these images will soon be posted on my flickr page, which increasingly I am using as my primary site for posting photographs.

Barn at sunset

It's a been a good long while since I got out to shoot. For the past few days, I've been visiting my parents in central Illinois, the land of much better sunsets than we get in North Carolina. I took this shot just outside of Macomb, IL on the way home from a visit to see my grandparents.

All in the eye of the beholder

I recently entered four of my pictures from my trip this summer to India for consideration into an international photo exhibit. Two of them were selected, which doesn't mean much as the flyer advertising the exhibit promised that they would try to include at least one image from each submitter.

What's intersting to me is that the two images that got selected were not the two I expected. Here are the shots that got in:



And here are the shots that got rejected:


Originally, I just submitted the latter two (which got rejected), and I only submitted the first two (which got accepted) as an afterthought. In terms of image quality, I'd rate the images on opposite ends of the spectrum. The image of the doors is probably the best or second best image (although not a great fit for the theme of the exhibit), but I've never thought much of the image of the young girl. On the other hand, I really like both images that got rejected.

It's a common theme for me with pictuers I take. Other people often prefer images that I don't.

Finally, to digress, it's a very late Spring in North Carolina this year, which has delayed my anticipated return to picture taking. Hopefully I'll be able to get something posted in the next week.

Time for photography on the horizon

It's been seven very hectic weeks here, as evidenced by the unusual quiet on this blog. However, a much needed lull is in sight, and I'm hopeful that I'll be able to get some decent images taken, beginning next weekend. Stay tuned...

From the Picture Album- Another look at the Yate's Pond Mill

Last month, I posted a black and white image of Raleigh's Yates Pond Mill, a beautiful structured restored by North Carolina State University and maintained by the Wake County park service. Right now, I'm buried by the beginning of yet another semester, so I've not had a chance to get out to take pictures. In the interest of keeping this blog from getting stale, here's my second favorite image from the day at the mill.

Introducing My Flickr Album

One of this blog's visitors, a friend and fellow photographer, has been bugging me to get a Flickr page for a while now, presumably so that the many flaws in my 360-pixels-across images can finally be revealed (just kidding, Barrett). I've long posted 550ish x 400ish images on my website but the resolution still has been lacking- not to mention that I don't update it too often.

So... I am going to begin posting some shots at my newly revealed flickr page. For now, it's just five of my better images. I'll try to get a few more of my favorites posted this week. After that, I'll update it with new shots that I am especially pleased with, and I'll make links from here to there.

Cheers.

Coming Christmas 2009

Stephanie and I haven't sent out Christmas cards in probably six years, but in about 340 days or so from now, I think we're going to do so. Why? Truth be told, I don't know. Yestrday morning, as I was taking the pine needle pictures Stephanie recommended, she came over and said, "There's also a really nice holly tree on the bike path. I think it would make a nice Christmas card." And so, I finished up shooting pine needles and started taking pictures for the 2009 Montgomery family Christmas card. Here's what you can expect in your mailboxes (or at least your inboxes) next December.