Rhododendron After A Spring Shower

Pine Hill, NJ

The rhododendron bushes are getting ready to bloom. For some reason our property is always later then our neighbors. As Bill and I were driving today, I noticed other bushes already in bloom and have wondered why we are later. April rains are done and I await a chance to take a photo of our rhododendron again this year.

Flowering Pear Tree

Pine Hill, NJ

Out in our backyard we have three pear trees and Bill caught this just before it bloomed.

Reaching Up and Making It

Pine Hill, NJ

There is a dead oak tree on our property and a few weeks ago I took several photos of it. From this I've made several abstracts. Over the next few weeks I'll begin putting them on the blog. This one is named "Reaching Up and Making It".

Batsto River

Pine Barrens, NJ

The Batsto River flows east past Lower Forge campground, Quaker Bridge and through Batsto Village. Route 542 passes over it as the river continues to its meeting of the Mullica River where they both merge and enter the Great Bay and the Atlantic Ocean off New Jersey. This image of the river was taken at Batsto Village not far from the worker cottages and sawmill. It can sometimes be a very quiet place or the river can be difficult to paddle as you wind your way around overhanging trees, shallow water and underwater obstacles. The Batona Trail follows much of the river from Batsto Village to Lower Forge Campground. It is one of our special places to visit.

The Tree

Berlin, NJ

The tree is gone I think. The last time we were in the park I didn't see it. It had to be at least a hundred years old. The county decided to widen the path making it no longer a trail but a road. The "road" is large enough to allow trucks to get back there. Bill thought, but, we have no proof, that the county was going to start allowing atv's to ride back there. I thought it more likely that they wanted to be able to get larger vehicles back there, fire trucks, utility trucks, etc.... Along the edge of the park and trail is a new shopping center. Making the trail a road allows access to the rear of the shopping center. So, good-bye old tree. I think maybe I need to go back one more time. Maybe I just missed it. I hope so.

Steps

Penn's Landing

Philadelphia, PA

For as long as Bill and I have been going to Philadelphia, PA, we have enjoyed sitting along the river at Penn's Landing. Bill liked the pattern of the steps and at the top this man standing with his foot on a light post just enjoying the moment.

The Feather

Ocean City, NJ

Footsin' along Ocean City's beach and I came across a gull's feather. Ive darkened the sand trying to bring out more of the feather.

Colonial Garden

Philadelphia, PA

There are many gardens in Philadelphia. There is the Azalea Garden off Kelly Drive, the Rose Garden off Walnut or The Colonial Garden also off Walnut. There are garden tours and there are public buildings where one can feast their eyes on beautiful flowers. Philadelphia even boasts of a Japanese Garden. One place that is nice and offers a little quiet is the Colonial Garden. For ever so brief a time the city disappears.

Red-winged Blackbird

Dramesi Park

Gloucester Township, NJ

This photo was taken with only the 300mm lens. I had just bought it and was taking it out for a "shake down cruise" at our local park. When the slides returned I had my first taste of bird photography. Unfortunately I soon realized that I needed a larger lens. It would take years before I had the 600mm. The red-winged blackbird sings for his mate and fights for his territory.

Red Roofs

Cape May, NJ

We were staying at the Atlas in Cape May, NJ, when Bill went out on our porch and shot a photo of these red roofs. He decided to make the roofs redder and allowed the sky and water to become bluer.

Dunking

New Brooklyn Park

Winslow Township, NJ

Bill and I love walking around our county parks. Camden County in New Jersey has some really nice ones. The county has become more and more congested over the years. I appreciate it when we can find a nice park to visit. In Gloucester Township its Dramesi Park, Cherry Hill has Maria Greenwald Memorial Park (also called Pennypacker Park), Haddonfield has Hopkins Pond and Winslow has New Brooklyn Park. There are many more. A birder's paradise and a chance to photograph birds. This photo of three mallards dunking was taken as we walked around New Brooklyn Park. Some days I carry only a 300mm and 1.4x teleconverter. On other occasions I use a 600mm and 1.4x teleconverter. I've dubbed the 600mm "Big Bertha". This photo was taken with the 300mm set up. I thought it was cute the way all three dunked at the same time.

Mountain Laurel

New Brooklyn Park

Winslow, NJ

Bill once told me one is better than two and three is best to balance a picture. Here is has just about captured the third leaf of the Mountain Laurel. It's enough. With the help of contrast he has been able to remove the background so the dominate feature of the image are the leaves.

Man Alone

Vineland, NJ

We were on a trip to Vineland, NJ to see their beautiful azalea gardens. I past a tulip tree and photographed its bark in the hopes that if someone needed this image we'd have it in stock. I took the slide and scanned it into our computer and began to work on it again using Ulead. The result is what I'm calling "Man Alone".

I see a man walking hands in his pockets, he has his gray hooded sweatshirt pulled up over his head, he is looking down and is alone. Walk down any street in any town and you will see just such a man. Today the young, especially, embrace this look. I will sometimes see them as I come home from work wearing their "hoodie" and their faces so far tucked inside that you can't tell who they are. Of course this is today's dress and ten years from now it will be something else and these young men will move on not alone like the subject of my picture above.

Tulip and Fence Post

Cape May, NJ

More footsin' in Cape May. Bill found beautiful tulips along a small fence and fence post. This is one of my favorite images.

Music of the Lake

New Brooklyn Park

Winslow Township, NJ

When we first started this blog we were going to use it as an advertisement tool. Some of our earlier images were similar or the same ones that appear on our web site, www.NewWavePhotog.com. But, as both of us began working further with our scanned slides we began to push our artistic nature further. I think that is why I've done the abstracts. Although I could have taken abstracts with my camera, it was the computer that allowed me to move forward with my expressions and impressions. I can see Bill's work changing also. I really like his daffodil and fence picture. In this image called "Music of the Lake" I took a photo of the tall grasses in early spring that grow along the waters edge. By fall they turn a wheat color and are still there in early spring. I cropped the original image, darkened the back ground and lightened the highlights making everything appear golden and musical. They are like sounds moving across a page.

Together Always

National Park, NJ

Bill took this shot many years ago at Red Bank Battlefield Park in National Park, NJ. He scanned it in and created this wonderful sunset as the couple walks hand-in-hand along the path by the river. The computer gives us a chance to become more creative with our images then the old fashioned dark room developing. I've asked this before are we now moving from true photographs into a new artistic medium? Or, are we into a new artistic expression? Is there anyone else doing the same thing?

Golden Club

Pine Barrens, NJ

Walking along the trails in New Jersey's famous pine barrens, following the Batsto or Mullica Rivers, turn down the nature trail and exit the Batona Trail finding wildflowers. The golden club, an aquatic plant begins to blossom in April and May. The plant has long club-like blossoms with bright yellow tips reminding me of tiny golf clubs.

Dogwood Blosson No. 1

Pine Hill, NJ

Bill worked on this image he took of a dogwood blossom. He cropped the picture to show only the blossom. He used his Nikon N70. He thought it was an OK image yet, somehow he wanted to push the picture a little more. His result is another image of the same flower using Ulead.

Dogwood Blossom NO. 2

Pine Hill, NJ

Whelk

Atlantic City, NJ

The shell was years in the making. Finally after floating along the bottom a wave bounced it onto the beach where I found it and photographed it. The sand and holes in the shell give it a really granny affect. I made it warmer looking. After I was finished with this version I cropped the inside and that is the abstract I showed yesterday.

Whelk Shell

Atlantic City, NJ

I call this abstract simply "Whelk Shell". Tomorrow I will put another version on the blog.

Bernie

Gloucester Township, NJ

Sometimes when you keep going to the same place you begin to meet the same people over and over. Bernie became just such a friend. Always a smile and a laugh and a story to tell. I heard he's in Florida now.

Spring Dogwood Blossoms

Gloucester Township, NJ

I've been watching the dogwood trees around our property and I see the beginning of buds. Soon they will flower. The weather is still cold. With luck next week will be warmer.

Trying To Sleep

Pine Hill, NJ

It was March 28, 2004 when someone came into where I work and dropped off 4 kittens. Three were orange and white long-haired kittens and one was a black and white striped tabby. They were all from the same litter. The person claimed to have found them outside. I don't think so. All four followed us around like they were use to humans. All except for the black and white. He (we found out it was a male) sat on this shocking pink afghan layed out on the floor and watched everything. Finally he saw me and followed me all over. He sat in my hand and I guessed he was all of 4 weeks. I fell in love. Calling Bill, he said it was up to me. As you can see from this photo that he came home.

Look at how innocent he looks. NOT. There were times that I wondered if he'd be dead before the week was out. Our first trip was to our vet to have him checked out and begin his shots. Within a week of that visit Rocky for that became his name, he climbed to the top of Bill's shoulder, then before we could blink an eye he jumped down to the floor. At this point he began to limp. Frantic and scared we drove him to an emergency clinic where they checked him out. While Dr. Rose sat on the floor, he walked over to her without a limp. I began to think that maybe he faked the whole thing. He was fine. No damage to his leg but damage to our wallets.

Well he now made it to his third birthday. He terrorizes our other two cats, knocks over the trash cans and won't let me hold him. He and Bill have bonded though. During that frantic ride to the emergency vet I drove, Rocky, he slept tucked neatly inside Bill's flannel shirt. They're best buds now.

Bill's photo was taken as he slept in his basket with a wrapped hot water bottle in our office.

The Unexpected

Unexpected Wildlife Refuge

Franklin Township, NJ

There is a place in Gloucester County, NJ. It's called Unexpected Wildlife Refuge. The late Hope Sawyer Buyukmihci and her husband Cavit began the refuge where they found beaver on the property. Today not only the beaver but birds, deer and other wildlife call this home. This photo shows a small stream that runs through it. It is truly and unexpected place to go.

Potted Tulips

Cape May, NJ

Bill found these pots filled with tulips on a step of a house in Cape May, NJ.

Eastern Bluebird On Fence Post

Winslow Township, NJ

Over the next few weeks we hope to go back down to New Brooklyn Park and watch the bluebirds. They will be selecting a nestbox to use now and if we are lucky we may catch more photos of the male and female at the nest. We try not to disturb them. I use a 600mm lense with a 1.4x extender. Bill uses a 400mm lense only. A few years ago he had picked a place to sit and watch the nest box and suddenly only a few feet away landed this male bluebird on a nearby fence post.

The Scream

Pine Barrens, NJ

Playing with the scanned slide I took a simple image of a dead branch and turned it into some woodland creature with feathers and a knife. It's mouth open in a scream that only the woods can hear.

Tulips At Rittenhouse

Philadelphia, PA

As April progresses so to do the flowers. Crocuses, daffodils and hyacinth give way tulips.

Harmony

Pine Hill, NJ

Bill planted these dwarf irises. They blossom in late March and early April. Most of the blossoms are gone already.

Tulips At Home

Pine Hill, NJ

Since we bought our home we are constantly planting tulips. I love them and Bill knows this. He is always adding more bulbs in our gardens. It makes it easy to photograph tulips when you have your own garden to go to. Some people take offense at a photographer squating down in front of their flower bed and taking a closeup of a tulip.

In this image I cropped not with the camera but the computer. It gave the tulips a softer focus. I then used contrast and brightness to get the exposure I was looking for. I find that working with my images on a computer as opposed to a dark room seems to give the images a look of a painting. A question. Does this make my images a photograph or an illustration?