Birding Workshop with Don Freiday Sr. Part Two: Birders and their Environment

While we were out and about on the unseasonably pleasant last Sunday in January for the workshop, we were encouraged to take photos of things other than birds- in particular, of the birders themselves, and of the birders' environment.  I have done extremely little in the way of human portraiture at all.  Part of this stems from my hesitance to take photos of strangers without their permission, and the other part from my difficulties with a small amount of social anxiety.  However, legal adults out and about in public spaces such as a park or city street are fair game for photography (not so much their children).  The portrait which I am most satisfied with from that particular day is of a young man who shares my apprehensions about photographing people.  He is listening to my father's lecture intently, the morning light illuminating his face.  It's a great picture of his profile, and I just can't get enough of how crisp and clear the photo is, and how soft the lighting is.  I processed it through Lightroom to lighten the shadows under the brim of his hat, to crop out a cut-off face to his right, and I chose to put it through a yellow black and white filter to enhance the mood and classic feel of the photo.

Robert Jr, I did not watermark this photo in case you ever come across it.

Getting outside for any reason always makes me feel better about life.  One reason it never fails to cheer me up is all the beauty that can be found in any landscape.  Cape May Point State Park has a lot of appeal, but one area that tourists focused on the Jersey Shore might miss out on is the bird walk (not the boardwalk).  To the left of the hawk viewing platform is a trailhead around some marshy brackish areas where plenty of waterfowl convene, along with woodsy areas where a diverse number of other bird species can be observed.  Bringing my camera along yielded a very appealing and just barely asymmetrical photo of a pedestrian bridge over very still, mirror-like water.  The scenery put me in mind of a lovechild of Monet and Hokusai's ukiyo-e prints.  The lighting had remained soft and diffuse as we walked and photographed.  I am extremely pleased with the composition and clarity of this photo, and love the sense of peace that I feel when I look at it.

A true picture of the floating world.

Lehigh River on the second day of spring

"Right Bank"
Nikon D300

On the second day of spring, I decided that I would go up to the highest point I could find to take a picture of Easton in the snow.  I got those photos, but while crossing the Lehigh River to drive up the mountain, I was struck by the calm beauty of the snow-laden trees reflected in the water.  For the first time in a while, I was driven by impulse to find a place to park and walked back onto the bridge for these shots.  It was cloudy, cold, and serene, even with traffic whizzing behind me.  I think that I will be listening to my intuition more frequently from now on.

"View from the Bridge"
Nikon D300

Landscape drawing and small acrylic painting of a fox

"Landscaping"
gel pen
small leather sketchbook

It was pointed out to me that I tend to focus on details or single subjects in my work, followed by the suggestion that I try to branch out and experiment with landscapes.  I have done a couple of small landscapes here and there, and while there are many possibilities within the scope of landscape painting, it just isn't something I have really gotten into.  Many landscape paintings are large, grand affairs.  This sketch was somewhat tedious for me.  Leaves were agonizingly difficult to represent to my liking, so I settled for suggestions of leaves.  I remember several years ago when I had recently gotten my driver's license, I took my paints and even an easel out to do a little plein air, but once I had arrived at my destination, I realized I hadn't brought a single scrap of paper. 

As a viewer of art, I find myself attracted to more impressionist landscapes in the style of Monet  than those devoted to capture every detail.  Tight, realistic brushwork is impressive, but it doesn't stir me the same way loose strokes and a sense of effervescent light do.  Maybe I'll hit the road with brushes and paints again, and this time I'll remember to bring a canvas or two.

"Vulpes Sienna"
acrylic paint
4"x5"

Yet another snowy day gave me some time to break out the acrylic paint again.   I've been considering re-reading His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, and I've always wished for a daemon of my own.  Sometimes I like to wonder what my spirit animal could be, even going so far as to take some of those silly online quizzes out of boredom.  The answer points strongly to wolf or bear, so I originally was going to do a spirit-wolf painting.  Then I made the face of the canid too pointy.  Oh well, I had been reading about foxes lately, so I pursued the vulpine subject matter.  This was just for fun, and I wanted it to be a simplistic representation of the animal.  I've seen foxes hunting in the winter snow.  They leap straight into the air, back arched, tail looped, and come pouncing down forelegs first.  This behavior is what inspired this fox's pose.