Words and Pictures

After several months of posting photos to this blog, I realized that has taken on a China focus to the exclusion of virtually all other topics. I am happy with that, but realize that there also needs to be an outlet for my nature photos as well. Therefore, I invite you to visit my nature [...]

Take advantage of low–light conditions. The sun had already dropped below the horizon in this mountainous valley when I came upon this mare and her foal. The low–light conditions added to the mood of the scene isolating the young foal yet maintaining enough clarity of the background to provide a sense of place.

There are some things that are virtually impossible to fail at, and taking pictures of peacocks is one of them. Blue and green are the dominant colors in nature — both of which are very easy on the eyes; however, so many of the creatures in nature are brilliantly colored; almost fluorescent, if not psychedelic. [...]

Is it cheating to take pictures at the zoo? In short, I don’t believe so if you say it is at the zoo and not in the “wild” somewhere.
That being said, the snow leopard, photographed at the Santa Barbara Zoo in California was quite unique. We were on the last leg of our walk through [...]

I suppose you can tell a lot about a person’s interest by the photos they post and I noticed that I have had a pretty good run of China photos. Therefore, I decided it was time to make a transition back to nature photography, at least for a while.
This photo of a Mandarin Duck was [...]

I don’t like snakes, but I do have a tremendous appreciation for good design. This tree snake was resting on a branch in it’s display case at the natural history museum and allowed me ample time to frame and focus.

One of the things that has amazed me is how much wildlife there is in the area where we live. Under normal conditions North Carolina receives a fair amount of rainfall, which makes for a good habitat for birds and water fowl and all kinds of other creatures. One of the birds that has impressed me [...]

Sorry, but I never really get tired of Japanese Maples.

In reality it is very hard to fail when photographing swans. They are beautiful, exotic birds that really like to show off. Which makes this photograph somewhat unique. It was the end of the day with the sun just above the horizon but there was enough in the way that the area behind the swan [...]

Every once in a while it is important to stop and reflect. For several months last year my wife and I made the drive from Apex to the Ackland Museum in Chapel Hill, each time crossing Jordan Lake. On this particular morning the light and clouds were perfect and the lack of wind left the [...]