PHOTOGRAPH INFO

This photo was taken in the early morning after an overnight snowfall. I'm always amazed at how snow clings to such delicate objects.

There's still snow on the ground here but it's disappearing fast, and I'm not sure we'll see much more of it this winter. The smell of spring is in the air. The bluebirds are here, and I saw a Great Blue Heron flying overhead this morning.

Post-processing: Shot with the Canon EOS 5D and the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 with B+W UV Haze Filter at 150mm, ISO 200, shutter speed 1/640s and aperture f/8. Curves adjustments for contrast and saturation, color balancing for tone.

Thank you for visiting Durham Township!

--Kathleen

Kathleen, the blue on the left side adds a harmony of winterfeelings for me too the main object on the right side. Thanks !

I think you may be right about the snow for this winter, but I remember a few rather significant snows in April in the past so you never know.

I love the way this is lit. Snow does decorate things so beautifully.

Lovely, just lovely.

Simple and very beautiful.

I'm a bird lover, and Great Blue's are my favorite type of bird. Living so close to the Delaware, we have a lot of them in the area. Surprisingly, the heron's who often dine at our little lake don't leave for the winter, I see them almost daily.

sorry , I am watching your site for over a year. I think your pictures are getting less interesting. It is getting more like a family album. You used to make pictures, verry nice pictures, now it'smore like well taken snapshots.
You are a to good photographer to let this happen.

Nice graphic design. Love the rich blue against the warm whites. This kind of image speaks well of your judgment and your camera.

Thank you #143.

Sometimes I wish we were accustomed to eating rain, snow or dew. It would be much more esthetic than beef.

I like it. You should try posting this same shot in black and white. ( I think I would like it even more!)

Lovely. The blue does it for me.

Love that snow still floating in the air.

We're supposed to get a big dumping here this weekend; perhaps some of it will end up on your doorstep, but most likely not. At this stage of winter, I think most people are wishing for spring.

This is magical. I love early morning snow and frost.

Wonderful shot, Kathleen; I like this snow reflecting the sun and this slight snowfall. Really good work!

I understand mace's comment, and I don't disagree entirely. There is an 'ordinariness' to the photos in this last year that just doesn't put them in the same artistic category of your earlier works. Perhaps it lies in your daily attempt to record 'something.' Sometimes a rest is good and prepares the way for a return with fresh creative juices flowing. Of course that isn't to say that there weren't ANY great pictures, some have been outstanding. BTW, did I say I was an admirer of yours for the last year and a half. Obviously something keeps me coming back...but I'm looking for more of what you use to do! :-)

mace Dekker and Blayne: I really appreciate the time and thought put into your comments; you've given me the opportunity to discuss the changes going on here.

First off, I'm flattered that you've spent enough time looking at my work to notice a big difference in my 'style' over the last year or so. That means a lot to me! And, you're absolutely correct in your observations.

Your comments that my photos look like "well taken snapshots" or that the images are not "in the same artistic category of ... earlier works" are music to my ears, oddly enough! :) You're telling me that I'm beginning to achieve some of my aesthetic and philosphical goals. Without going too far in describing that, I'll just say that I think of each photograph as a haiku poem. The haiku poet's goal is to capture vital moments in life through experience, then present them in a way so the experience is effectively reflected in another's mind. The haiku poet must 'dance on the blade', as they say: the poem must grab the reader's attention but not go to extremes, because artifice impresses no one.

To step backward a bit, there is a paragraph on my 'About' page that I'd like to reiterate here:

This project is my ongoing attempt to become a better photographer. Some images work, some don't -- you're witnessing a permanent work-in-progress! I hope to visually convey the intricacies and joys of rural living and the critical importance of farmland, open space and uncluttered horizons to our wildlife, our watersheds, our food supply, our health and our sense of well-being.

I call that my 'project mission statement', and what it boils down to is that I'm passionately dedicated to being the best photographer I can be so that I can tell an important story, about an important place, at an important time in human history. This photoblog serves as one vehicle to realize that vision.

The change in style you see is really a change in my artistic vision and philosophy, and a re-dedication to my pursuit. It's very deliberate. While the images may look 'ordinary', they're far more technically disciplined and intuitively driven than anything I've done in the past. If I may be so bold, I'd challenge you to spend more time looking at the details and understanding the stories presented - because each one is loaded with love, passion and utter exuberance! What may look casual, dull or plain is ironically full of contemplation, intent and action. You may not like the results and I respect that -- and appreciate knowing that -- but know that I create each photograph out of thought, never out of routine.

The pendulum may have swung too far in the other direction, but equilibrium is an eventuality if it keeps going. :)

I'm sorry you've felt disappointed in what you've seen here lately, but I can assure you that everything is done with the utmost attention to my mission. And I can offer you some solace, I hope! There are so many STELLAR photoblogs out there that I'm sure someone, somewhere is making photographs that will thrill you out of your trousers! :) Take some time to look at what's available through photoblogs.org -- you'll undoubtedly find a world of photography with which you'll resonate.

A quick mention about photoblogging in general: you're practically sitting inside the studio of one person, day after day, watching that photographer grow and evolve. I feel so blessed to be able to peek into the lives of photographers around the world!

Thanks again to both of you! :)

Wow, I am just so tickled by what I just read here. I too had noticed a change in your photos since I began following it here about a year ago. There were times when I thought, well, that was just a photo of the same child in another field. BUT . . and this is a BIG BUT . . . I kept coming back and started to realize just what you wrote here. That you are chronicling, very skillfully, a place. And its people. You are looking so closely that if someone is looking for entertainment, they might not get it in a 5-second glance. (Not to say that is what mace Dekker and Blayne were doing.) As I've wandered around my rural community in Michigan, I've thought of you and your photos countless times. I really believe in what you're doing, and it seems very real and honest to me. I don't usually leave comments. But today, your response to some honest feedback just confirms what I've felt. Thank you for that amazing honesty and vulnerability. And for teaching me.

Dekker and Blayne: Never look a gifthorse in the mouth.

It's snowing here in Jersey! I hope I get a few pictures like these tomorrow morning. I love the snow falling in the background.

Dear Kathleen, thank you for your answer. I never felt your recent photo's where casual, dull or plain. Just saw a diffrence taking place. I used to see a lot of poetry in your pictures nowdays it doesnt work for me. Please go on with your journey. I whish you all the best and I will be coming back to see how you evolve.

Mace

Great winter shot! Feels cold :)

great shot!

Stunning and oh so different to here at the moment. This is one of those images that works well small as posted, but so much better when viewing the larger version.

Thank you, Kathleen, for your considered and well expressed vision. Perhaps I was to quick to rush to judgement, having seen a few of your recent posts that didn't resonate with me.

I have taken the challenge that you proposed, and revisited many of your images that were taken in the last year. I find in them, once again, many of the subtle and delicate expressions of country/rural living. You have done exceedingly well in conveying the importance of such open spaces.

Additionally, you have shown us the face of 'ordinary' people hard at work, enjoying family and friends, and living life with all of its associated ups and downs. There is something inherently honest about your photos that I find appealing. Images without hype, life as it is, or should be.

Thanks again for sharing, and I'll be sure to continue 'dropping in' for a peak at your recent works and to see your ongoing process. Keep goin' girl...you're doin' great!!!

Kindest regards,
Blayne

Oooops!! The above closing remark should read, "...ongoing progress." :-)