10 Favorite Photos From 2008...

Here are ten of my favorite photos I took during 2008. They are in no particular order but if I had to pick one, over all of them, it would have to be the hoverfly on the depford pink. If I had to pick my favorite photo experience from last year it would have to be when the otter popped up out of the ice about ten feet behind me. It was the first time I had seen an otter in the wild in Maine, all I did was turn around and snap away. A few months later I took the picture of the three curious whitetails a couple of hundred feet from the spot where I saw the otter.

Merry Christmas....

Frosted Waves of Grass....

There was very little color in this photo so I converted it to black and white.

Icy Flow....

Cold temperatures and flowing water create some beautiful ice sculptures.

November Icicle....

The same icicle as last week but a horizontal format.

Rain Barrel Abstract...

I tipped over my rain barrel the other day and it was half frozen, I thought the patterns in the ice made for an interesting abstract so I had to take some photos.

Frosted Goldenrod...

Hard to believe, not too long ago this was a nice bright yellow.

Frosty Pine.....

Another frosty photo from yesterday morning.

Happy Thanksgiving....

A couple of days ago we had a lot of rain and wind but last night it was clear and cold and absolutely no wind. Because there was so much moisture in the air there was a real heavy frost this morning. I went out early and roamed the neighborhood. These winterberries are everywhere this year but I took this photo right in my yard. In the next few days I'll be posting more photos from this mornings walk.

Icy Hoodoos.....?

These ice formations reminded me a little bit of the Hoodoo rock formations in Bryce Canyon, Utah.

More Ice....

Here's another photo I took yesterday.

Frigid Flow...

It's been very cold this past week. Frigid temperatures and flowing water create some beautiful ice formations so I went to my favorite spot this morning and took this photo. When I left the house it was 7 degrees.

One Year and Counting...

My internet was out all week and I just got it back, that's why I haven't updated until today. Last Monday made exactly a year since I've been doing this blog, the two photos above are the very first photos I posted so I decided to reprise them.

I've enjoyeed sharing my photos with others this past year and I've also enjoyed visiting other photo blogs and checking out the great photography. Here's to the next year.

Past Color.....

I've been busy the last couple of days installing roof trusses on my addition, it's raining today so I can't be outside. November tends to be kind of a drab month for photography so I looked through my archives for some color.

Leftover Flower....

Here's a photo of a bushy aster that I hadn't posted and didn't put it into my book. Most people think the white petals are the actual flower but the flower blossoms are the yellow center.

Frozen Raindrop....

More November Color...

The leaves on lower growing shrubs tend to stay on the plants a little longer because they're not exposed to the wind as much as a full grown tree.

Backlit Raindrop....

November is really kind of a bland month for photography, everything is a brown monotone but if you look around you can find some color like the tip of this maple branch.

Fallen Leaves....

The leaves are no longer on the trees but are now on the ground.

More Frost....

Another frosty, backlit close up.

Before and After....

The top photo is what the black eyed susan looked like this past summer and the bottom pic is how it looks today.

Halloween Frost....

This was the most halloweeny looking photo I could find in my archives so I thought it would be appropriate to post it. Of course it was taken at my favorite spot, Sabattus River.

The Book Is Complete...

My first book is finally complete and I must say it came out pretty nice. Above is a horizontal version of the cover shot. If you'd like a better look at it just click on the banner on the right of this page, the book can also be ordered by clicking the banner.

Pastel Shades.....

Here's another leftover close up from this past summer, one of my irises.

More Frost....

Here's another leaf photo from Friday. The patch of red in the upper right was the sun hitting a colored oak tree.

Jack Frost Nipping the Air....

Friday morning it was clear and cold and there was a heavy frost outside so I had to get out there and take some photos. The sun was shining through some trees behind this leaf and one beam was highlighting the frost making the edges glow. On mornings like this you have to move quickly because once the sun hits the frost it melts.

Leftover Aster....

Here's a leftover photo from last month that I didn't post. I was going to use it for the cover of my book but I ended up using a better one, one I have not posted to this blog. The book is complete and at the printer and I should have a copy in my hand by next week.

October Paddling...

This photo was taken on the Androscoggin River at sunrise a couple of years ago.

Heron Reprise....

Here's another shot of the herons I saw last week. You can see the second one out of focus and in the background of this photo.

Autumn Leaf and Raindrop....

I took this photo last Thursday. I should've used my polarizing filter to get rid of the glare on the leaf but it was a real dim day and a polarizer cuts the light so I was afraid the shutter speed would be too slow and would cause a blurry picture.

Tenacious Blossom....

This may very well be the last flower photo I take this season. We've had frosts for the last three mornings and this morning it was the coldest, 22 degrees farenheit. When I went out to get the paper I noticed this mouse eared hawkweed by the side of the road so I went back in to get my camera.

Autumn Heron....

Tuesday afternoon I had to go to Lisbon Falls so on the way home I decided to stop by the Papermill Trail for a walk, that's the trail that follows Sabattus River. I went to my favorite spot and I noticed a heron sitting on a rock right in the middle of some rapids but I didn't have my camera. I decided to go home and get it hoping the heron would still be there when I got back. It was, but just in a different area, there were actually two of them and these are a couple of the shots I got.

Autumn Frost....

Autumn is not always about the grand and colorful landscape.

Work a Subject...

This is the same little waterfall that I posted on Monday but a horizontal format and just to the left of the clump of grass that was in Mondays picture. The far left of this photo is the section I photographed for my post on Oct. 3rd, that photo was looking across the waterfall. When I find a nice subject I like to move around and shoot it from different angles to make sure I get the best shot possible.

Orange Maple...

There are not too many trees that are still green right now, I'd say we're at peak autumn foliage.

Another Autumn Flow...

Another shot from Sabattus River.

Autumn Beeches...

Regular visitors to this blog may recognize this group of beech trees, I posted pictures of the same group of trees earlier in the year, I have a winter version and a spring version posted. Like I mentioned the other day; typically during this time of year the water flow is real low so there would be barely a trickle behind these trees, I'm glad it isn't the case. Timing is everything, I took the photo last Friday and you can tell about half of the leaves have already dropped, we've had some windy days this week so today these trees are bare.