Northern Valley Art League Show

I wanted to let folks know that I was fortunate enough to have one of my images selected by the Northern Valley Art League in Redding, California for their upcoming International Juried Photography Show.  The juror was Jack Fulton of the San Francisco Art Institute.  Northern Valley Art League is a significant supporter of the arts in northern California.  I’m very grateful for their support.  The image chosen was of the Spillway at the Quabbin Reservoir.

Late Winter at the Quabbin Reservoir – Photoessay

It is supposed to be spring here in New England, but it isn’t really.  It snowed yesterday a bit though it quickly melted.  The wind howled last night, but it has calmed down today, leaving us with a new burst of unseasonably cold weather.  This is global weirding, though some claim it is proof that there is no global warming.  The earth looks flat from where I sit but it isn’t.  When they started the Iditarod in Alaska, they had to import snow to Anchorage.  But it remains cold here.   Nevertheless, we went out on two occasions in an effort to look at the landscape in a different light.  We were cold, but not disappointed.  Some photo thoughts from late winter at the Quabbin.  First at Goodnough Dike.

It proved to be too early to be able to look at the story underneath the snow at Dana Common.

But the light was working with the trees, juxtaposing old and new.

These old trees have seen a lot.  They seem to be saying that they aren’t finished just yet.

Though some seem to be close.

And some, such as these red pines (below) at the Spillway, are gone, but the late winter light tells something of what remains of their story.

So it is late winter.

But soon….

 

Happy New Year

May your water always flow…..

This coming year the environment will face, potentially, it’s gravest series of threats, ever….the Presidential and Congressional Elections in the United States.  Hopefully, the water will still be flowing next year at this time.  Those of us who care about the environment need to NOT sit this one out.

What’s Left Over

I’ve been trying to get a reasonable shot of this location for the past few weeks. It’s not physically demanding but the lighting once again can be friend or foe.  The water is moving through a man-made canyon.  This is what is left over from the Quabbin Reservoir after the water has begun to tumble over the spillway.  I should add that this flow back to the Swift River is in addition to the water released from below the Winsor Dam, that keeps the Swift River alive and heading down to Connecticut.  Seems that when the Reservoir was built, the good folks in Connecticut said something like, “Hey, what are you doing with all that water???”  They said that in court, and the settlement required an on-going release of water regardless of the level in the Reservoir.  The spillway releases when the water gets high enough, which it has been this spring.  Back to the challenge, the canyon creates some really nasty shadows so when the light hits the white water and starts to glow, the difference in terms of F-stops between light and dark becomes sufficient to cause your camera to practically seize.  An overcast sky can help once again, alleviating that very wide “dynamic range.”  (Click on the image for a better view.)

Tech note:  Nikon D3s, and the Nikon 300 mm F4 AFS lens.  First time out with that wonderful piece of glass.  Old tech, but incredibly sharp.