ICE fishing

MADison, WI
BRRR. Say it isn't true. Much to my surprise, this really is a popular sport. Driving through Madison one afternoon I was drawn to the frozen lake by the many small huts set up across the ICE. Used to house Ice fisherman, these huts were wide spread and resembled a Saturday afternoon of tailgating. I did isolate this fisherman from the many surrounding huts mainly because he was "hutless" and he appeared to be somewhat of a frozen permanent fixture, he eventually moved, although slight! Of the many things i have photographed I often find myself wanting to participate or at least be on the other side of lens in some capacity. I can honestly say, this is not one of those times.

Tubing

Wisconsin,
Photo is of stacks of tubes used for riding down a snow covered hill. Its like riding a hockey puck.

Wisconsin Farm

Wisconsin,
Its the tree that really caught my attention. Shot from the car because of high snow drifts on the side of road. I was finally warm though!

Red Barn

Madison, WI
Composed this a few ways and decided I liked the close up. 18 inches of snow before we arrived made for some great color contrasts and scenic farmland.

Railway

Madison, WI.

Something about this photograph that seemed like it should be a black and white.. the track crossed the lake, and below, Ice Fisherman! Trying to escape the warm sun I guess.

Wisconsin Winter

Family and I decided to visit relatives in Wisconsin between Christmas and New Years. Having not been to Wisconsin in the winter for seven years, I was anxious to photograph the rolling, wintry countryside and visit many of the places I like to photograph in warmer weather. As chronicled on this blog in the past, Madison is full of colorful characters, beautiful farmland, vibrant colors and endless photo opportunities....In the SUMMER that is! So the characters are not to be found but I did find plenty of "color" to photograph. Here are a few shots that I like. Keep in mind that 5 degrees and wind coming of the lake is not the best for working on techniques, bracketing or doing anything other than point and shoot, so some of these could have certainly been refined a bit. Photo above is rows of Sailboats stacked on top of each other facing the lake waiting for a better day. In an otherwise dead landscape, Much color to be found around the Sailing Club.

Merry Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Confederate Cemetery

Confederate Cemetery

Confederate Cemetery

West End Cemetery in Qolquitt GA has caught my eye on numerous occasions. From the road it is obvious this cemetery has been around for a long time. Weathered head stones, large Southern Oak's draped with Spanish moss, Iron fences surrounding each family plot, Magnolia trees that reach for the ground....only this time I had to stop. What caught my eye was the number of graves marked with a confederate flag. Now we are in the south mind you, however those times have passed. I have seen American flags on graves indicating a war veteran and have posted those photographs on prior postings, but never a confederate flag. I have sense learned this cemetery is a Civil War Cemetery containing numerous war causalities and 17 confederate "unknown soldiers". Apparently they traveled by train to Colquittt and their death remains a mystery. A mystery because there was no battle in the vicinity, and no medical records indicating cause of death...Disease was the most common "non war" cause of death and the most likely fate of these confederate soldiers...The following photographs are of this Cemetery. The experience was eye opening as I stood alone, looking at angles, wind blowing the flags and spanish moss, providing a ghostly sound as they rattled the air.

Mirror Images

1 Year later

August 29th, 2009

1 year ago today my brother and his wife were blessed with the birth of two baby girls (photo below). We use the phrase miracle babies when talking about them because they were born weighing just 1lb-13oz. While in utero they underwent a very tricky surgery to supply both fetus' with equal nutrients from the placenta. Prior to, it was realized during a routine ultrasound that one fetus was receiving 75% of the nutrients (more than needed and often leads to heart failure) and the other receiving 25% (not enough to sustain growth and development). Once diagnosed a highly trained Surgeon conducted a micro surgery to equally supply the two with nutrients. The success of the surgery was not fully known until they were born and began to develop. After spending more than three months in a highly specialized section of the hospital they were allowed to visit their home. I m happy to report that they are celebrating their one year birthday and could not be any healthier. From the photos above you can certainly tell they have both added all the weight needed and have very healthy appetites. Thanks to modern medicine and many prayers we are truly blessed to have them in our lives.

Miracles of Modern Medicine

Born August 29th 2008

Yes another Butterfly

OK , so enough with the butterfly's! However, I really liked the soft background on this one. Why is it not green or brown like most close-up-nature shots? I actually went back and reviewed the angle of the shot to determine just why. It is my neighbors driveway 40 feet away. When shooting at a certain angle the driveway creates a soft, clean backdrop.

Hummingbird

Alpharetta, GA

Hummingbird

Alpharetta, GA.
Zennia's, find a patch!

Reach for the sky

Alpharetta, GA
One of my favorite flowers to have around is the Zennia. They are easy to grow and regularly attract Finches, Butterfly's and Hummingbirds. This morning, with a nice blue sky as a backdrop, I decided to try a different perspective. This photo is taken on my back at the underside of a Zennia. After reviewing, I liked the color contrast and angle with the sky as a backdrop. Furthermore, there is something about it that reminds me of a child's drawing of a flower or a firework in the sky.

Cooperating butterfly

Alpharetta, GA

Butterfly

Alpharetta, GA.

Finally a cooperating butterfly. Didn't fly away at the first sign of close movement and opened her wings right on cue. A few more photos to follow. Thanks to my friend Henry and his recent photographs for inspiring me to get back in the yard and take some shots.

Piccolo Pete

Madison WI.
As previously mentioned. Always in all orange (shoes also) playing for a crowd

Mad-City

Madison, WI.

Alright, I promised a few colorful characters. They call Madison the mad-city for a reason and this guitarist lives up to the title. He does this for hours and by the look in his face and his skin tones, he has been on a long song set. For those of you wondering, he is leaning against a tree.

M&M Cookies

Baked by the Wisconsin Amish these covered a large table and were stacked 40 high. After a few laps through the market, the majority of these were all gone.

Veggies...

Madison, WI. The farmers market in Madison Wisconsin is the subject of many of my photographs. Not only is it vibrant with the colors of fruits, vegetables and flowers but also colorful with characters. Over the next few days I will post a few of my favorite shots from Madison, including Piccolo Pete, the upside down guitarist, mounds of M&M cookies and a few other posts. Some of these characters are posted from previous years in my "people" category..Piccolo Pete, for example, is always clad in bright orange, head to toe (sometimes including hair). He plays an angelic piccolo and is often found on the streets of Madison and always at the farmers market on the capital grounds.

Fat Tire Ad

Jackson Hole, WY.
OK..so I went to Jackson Hole and was not impressed with any of my photos..Sometimes when you step away for a bit and re-evaluate, then you may see something that can be "edited" or looks better the second time around. That didn't really happen for me this time, however there is something about this photograph that I like. First, a local beer, Fat Tire, is very popular and I always look forward to this beverage on my visits to Jackson. Secondly, Jackson Hole is an extremely active community and biking is a main mode of transportaion. Thirdly, behind me while taking this photo, the locals were conducting a "hoot-en-Annie". A large crowd by Wyoming standards, 75-100 people, gathered to hear local musicians play music. All types of music ranging from Blue Grass and Country to acoustic Rock and Roll. The setting was a large grass area, pick nick tables, blankets, chuck wagon dinner if desired and the backdrop is the Grand Tetons. Many of the people bike, hike, walk or even ride horses to the event. This picture is of several bikes lined up around the grounds and a storm rolling in over the Grand Tetons. The photograph just seems like a perfect label for the "Fat Tire" beverage company..

4th of July

Jackson, Wyoming..The Jackson Rodeo embodies small town america and the Old West.