Rachel's Images

I originally had chosen a different image for my photo of the day, but I kept going back to this one and decided to swap them out. After I made my initial photo at Stearns Beach, I headed back to my van. Before putting my gear away, I decided to try an abstract shot. I placed my camera on my tripod and zoomed in on the spot of color above the horizon. Panning my camera side to side while exposing gave it a very painterly feel.

Today is my dad’s 78th birthday. We celebrated with him at the farm, and afterwards I took a winding drive through the woods along the Pere Marquette River. To my surprise, I saw a sandhill crane in the water. I grabbed my camera and big lens and climbed halfway down the steep bank. I waited until she walked into the clearing and her reflection showed in the calm river.

I grew up listening to the mourning doves on the farm. Today, they were fighting over dropped grain in our freezer beef field. I love the combination of sharpness in the sitting dove, and movement in the fluttering one.

I am fortunate to live in an area where it doesn’t take much to see wildlife around you. I am not sure what type of bird this is, but it sure is a beauty.

Our wet spring has turned most places into a wetland. This spot was no exception. The straight trees surrounding the green triangle-shaped moss was a showstopper.

My kids love our chickens. This is one of David Benjamin’s favorites. He suggested I make a portrait of the two of them for my photo of the day. How could I resist those beautiful faces?

The maples are a favorite spot for my kids and their cousins. It is close enough to my parents’ house that they can venture out without supervision, yet the trees feel miles away. My mom enjoys sitting on their porch watching them play. They spend a lot of time exploring here under what I call “The Triple Trees”.

I grew up with orchards, flowering bushes, and gardens surrounding our farmhouse. I was fortunate to purchase a home that also has apple trees and several flowering bushes in the yard. This is one of my favorites.

My front door has the most picturesque designs in the glass. I have always admired these types of doors, and now I have my own.

My kids aren’t afraid of anything! Often, I must ask what is in their hand before they open their “surprise” to show me. Today it was a salamander. It brought back many memories of when I was little, and always squealed with delight at finding them, and I too rushed to show my mom and dad.

The kids and I spent the afternoon fishing down by “The Point”. The marshland was a brilliant green today. While they fished, I shot….photos that is. It was a great day full of wonderful memories!

I admitted to my love of solar lights in an earlier caption. Here is yet another solar light that graces my deck. This one is a wind chime and provides me with beautiful music on windy days. Because it reminded me of the Earth, I decided to spin it while exposing my photo of the day.

Our home is surrounded by trees. I love all of them. Tonight, I made this image of a small section during the blue hour. The stars were just starting to show, so I worked to compose them around the treetops.

The dandelions are in full bloom and the bees are buzzing with excitement! I put on my macro lens and got on my hands and knees. I crawled around the yard until I was able to find a bee distracted enough by the pollen that I was able to get super close. These creatures are small but powerful and very important.

I cannot even estimate how many times I have driven past this farm in my lifetime so far. On my way home this evening, it stopped me. I pulled over and carefully composed my image. I made sure that the silo was completely showing, and that there was enough green grass in the foreground to pull the viewer into the image.

This huge tree in my Aunt Mary’s yard is always so stunning. The green buds were alive with magic light today.

The pond at Bespop’s is filled with wildlife. Growing up we would take the rowboat out for rides quite often, making sure to bang the upside-down boat first to scare away the snakes! Today, I didn’t see any snakes, thankfully, but I did find these turtles sunning themselves.

Nikon D810. F22.0 at 1/60, ISO 100. 14.0mm lens at 14.0mm. May 8, 2020 at 4:10pm.

My parents have several birdhouses around their yard. I particularly love this one. This bird was busy making a nest, and it took a while to capture a sharp photograph of it, but my stubbornness won out.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! I spent the day with my mom. I am blessed for each passing day I can spend with her. Around 8 PM, I wandered, looking for a photo of the day. This tree was one of many blown down on our farm during the horrific wind storm a few years ago. It was completely uprooted. My kids love this tree and they call it the porcupine tree.