A few weeks ago I visited New Lake in Hyde County North Carolina with the Carolina Vegetation Survey. We were looking for natural lake shore vegetation, a type of natural community that grows along these shallow bay lakes. No one in our group had been to this lake before so we hoped the community was in good condition. I had seen natural lake shore vegetation at other lakes and they can be quite lovely, large cypress trees marching out into a shallow lake with grasses swaying in the waves. We were disappointed to discover that the cypress trees had been cut long ago. Weathered stumps marked the places where ancient trees once stood. A new forest of young cypress now lined the lake shore.

If I had been alone I might have turned around and gone somewhere else, but the team I was with decided the rest of the vegetation was in good enough condition to sample so we would be there for the rest of the day.


The Carolina Vegetation Survey at New Lake.

The trees I had hoped for were gone and the light was too harsh for landscapes. After a few minutes of dreary thoughts that were not producing photographs I decided I should see what sort of macro subjects I could find. It did not take long to discover tiny sundew plants growing in the shade of the young cypress trees.


Water Sundew

One advantage of young trees is the foliage is easy to reach. These trees were mostly pond-cypress, very similar to the better known bald-cypress but the foliage is more like a rope than a feather and it points up from the stem rather than out.


Pond-cypress Foliage

After making the pond-cypress foliage photo I was out of ideas so I decided to sit quietly and observe until an idea was revealed to me. There was just one problem, there was no where to sit. The ground went from damp to soggy to shallow lake. The only dry place I could see to sit was the old cypress stumps along the lake shore. Most were weathered into very uncomfortable shapes, but after searching I found one with a very nice dry top that fit my bottom quite nicely.


Meditation on a cypress stump.

My photography process has a lot in common with meditation. I sit quietly without thinking and just let the images I see wash over me. I try not to judge or think, I simply observe. After a time an idea for a photograph is usually revealed to me, provided I can remain open enough to see it.

After sitting there for a time I realized the images of all the stumps I had searched while looking for a place to sit were running through my mind. When I first arrived at the lake I looked at them in a negative way, they represented the loss of something great that once existed. But now I was seeing them without judgment, just the physical objects detached from their meaning. Each was different, weathered, and spectacular in its own way. The Universe had spoken, I needed to photograph the weathered cypress stumps!


Weathered Cypress Stump #1


Weathered Cypress Stump #2

You can see the rest of the new photographs for this month on the June 2009 page.

I photographed my brother's wedding a few weeks ago. Wedding photography requires a very different process from my usual work. You have one chance to capture a significant meaningful moment, and then it is gone. I am used to being able to work on an image as long as it takes to get it right. To mentally prepare for the wedding, I had to keep telling myself that the moment and the emotions were most important and that the more technical aspects of the images would just have to fall where they may. I am happy with the results, but I told Linda (the bride) that I could not take all the credit. I had some lovely subjects to work with, and Jason (the groom) cleaned up pretty well too.

Linda was ready for the ceremony with about 15 minutes to spare so I asked if I could set up my lights and do a quick formal portrait. I wanted to get an image of Linda before the ceremony but after she was ready. With all the hectic preparations before the ceremony and the celebrations after, this was my only chance to have a calm moment with her. I showed her where to stand and asked her to wait while I worked out the lighting ratio. After a few tries I had the lighting worked out, but then I realized she did not need any direction. She was waiting for me to finish with the lighting, and she had just the look I wanted to capture of her waiting for the ceremony to start. This was her moment. She was perfect.



I made a few more compositions, and then it was time for the ceremony to start. While I was photographing the wedding party getting their act together, I saw Linda peeking out of her dressing room to see if it was time for her. I had only a few seconds to make the image before she disappeared back into the dressing room.



Photography was not allowed in the sanctuary during the ceremony so this was my last image before assuming my position on the second floor.



I could not see faces or emotions very well from the perch where I was allowed to photograph the ceremony, but I did have an excellent vantage point to show the entire spectacle.



After the ceremony, the wedding party rode to the reception in a trolley. It was a rainy day so while we were outside the light was spectacular. The rain did not dampen any spirits, and the raindrops on the window of the trolley were beautiful.



When we arrived at the reception, all of the bride's maids ran to the building, and there was no one left to help Linda get her dress out of the trolley. Jason was still on board chatting with the driver, oblivious to Linda's plight. I was in position hoping to get a romantic image of Jason helping Linda out of the trolley or at least the bride's maids giving Linda a hand. While I watched Linda struggle I thought maybe I should help her, but before I could she took matters into her own hands. I love the look on her face as she realizes it is all up to her.



Photographing the reception was a lot of fun. The ceilings were suitable for bouncing flash, although it was challenging to balance the flash exposure with the ambient light because the room was so dark. I also had to filter the flash to match the color of the incandescent lights. My favorite images from the reception are of the bouquet toss. It just worked; I could not have photographed it any better if I tried.



Instead of throwing rice someone had the brilliant idea to have the bride and groom exit through a cordon of guests wielding sparklers. It probably sounded cheerful and colorful, but these were the biggest fire shooting sparklers I have ever seen. I was actually concerned someone might catch on fire.



Best wishes you two! And welcome to the family, Linda. It is wonderful to have a new sister.

It is so refreshing to see the first of the spring ephemerals emerge after a long winter, especially now with so many people caught up in the world's economic troubles. They are reminders of the inexorable forces that create life and drive it forward. Forces that are far greater than anything we create.

Just after dawn I came upon a newly emerged bloodroot flower. Drops of rain still clung to the delicate unopened petals. Light shone through, and I could just make out the shape and color of the bright yellow stamens waiting inside.


Bloodroot on the path toward myrmecochory.
You can see the rest of the new photographs on the April 2009 page.

I have had a couple forest photographs published recently. The 2009 cover of the Canadian Journal of Forest Research uses a photograph I made of windthrow in an old growth forest. Windthrow is a technical forestry term referring to trees that are uprooted or broken by wind. Windthrow is an important natural process that helps open the forest and make room for the next generation of trees.



The photograph was made in Cathedral Grove on Vancouver Island in 2003. The cover is a vertical crop out of the center of the original photograph. The photograph was reversed to work better with the title layout.


Windthrow in an Old Growth Forest

I should have mentioned this next one a few months ago, when it was time to buy a 2009 calendar. One of my old growth yellow-poplar photographs from Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest appears in the 2009 Ancient Forest Calendar. Hopefully you can still find these in stores. If not you can order them from the publishers web site.


Old Growth Yellow-poplar

I have also added five new photographs to the web site this month. You can see the new photographs on the March 2009 page.

I recently did some graphic design, photography, and web site development for my massage therapist. I don't usually stray too far from nature photography on this blog, but I doubt I would be doing any photography today without Gin's help.

I was pretty much out of commission for several months in early 2007, and I did not understand why. My doctor had no idea what was causing the pain and the various drugs he prescribed had side effects that were almost as bad as the pain. After months of this, I was not any closer to understanding what was going on, and things were not getting any better.

I knew I had a slight abnormal curvature in my spine in the vicinity of the pain so I thought a chiropractor might have some ideas. I found a great chiropractor, Dr. Hedgepeth, who could tell right away that the muscles in my lower back were in severe spasm. My doctor had never checked that! It's not really his fault though, at the time I was not very aware of my body so I could not describe my symptoms accurately. I decided to look for a massage therapist to help me with the muscle spasms and that is when I found Gin.


Gin is very knowledgeable and skilled in a variety of massage techniques, and she has a rare ability to communicate her expert knowledge in a language that anyone can understand. There is just something healing about her. Gin not only relieved the pain from the muscle spasms, she also helped me become more aware of my body so I could better recognize the early symptoms of the muscle spasms and take appropriate steps to minimize them. Gin's ability to communicate really helped me understand how my behavior was contributing to the problem as well as what I could do to improve my situation.

Gin recently started her own Ayurvedic massage business but she continues to do neuromuscular massage therapy as well. Check out the web site I designed for her if you would like to learn more about this ancient natural healing system. http://www.ayurvedicbodyworkcenter.com/

Making the photographs for her web site was an interesting challenge. The treatments inspire some unusual images. The shirodhara treatment involves pouring warm oil over the forehead. This is a profoundly relaxing treatment, but finding a composition that conveys that feeling was difficult. I eventually settled on this very symmetrical composition.


Shirodhara
There is obvious left/right symmetry, but there is also top/bottom symmetry in the dark shapes of the oil pot and hair. I think this symmetry helps give a sense of calm and balance that is hopefully picked up by the viewer.

The gandharva treatment uses a crystal singing bowl for sound therapy. The sound this thing makes has to be heard to be believed. You don't just hear it; you feel it with your whole body.


Gandharva
I could not think of a way to photograph sound so instead I simply showed the bowl in use. This was the only shot that I did not have to light. The light from a window created just the right amount of depth and contrast.

I struggled with the meditation photograph. I tried several times to come up with something using several different models but was not happy with the results. On my third try, Gin modeled for me. I tried a number of different compositions against a red background similar to the photograph above, but I felt something was missing from those. Then, for some reason, I decided to shoot into the main light source (a window).


Meditation
At the time I did not know what led me to do this but after giving it some thought I think I understand it. This is not just the hand of a person meditating, this is Gin's hand. Her hands hold special significance for me because they saved me from months of pain. This light gives her hand an angelic quality. It conveys, at least to me, some of the awe and admiration I feel for her skills and her healing spirit.