It is hard to describe, exactly, how this scene affected me as I made this photograph. I was in the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge near Socorro, New Mexico, one of my very favorite places to photograph. I find the entire refuge to have a large and diverse range of wildlife in it, and as you are there you never know quite what you will see.

This day, however, the refuge was fairly quiet. The inhabitants who were there preferred to stay hidden, which was a pity. It was early fall, too early yet for the majority of migratory birds to arrive, so seeing any bird this trip was something of a rarity. Still, there was plenty to see and I enjoyed myself thoroughly.

My trip that day was done, and I decided to sit by the shore of a pond and enjoy the last of the day, for it would be dusk soon. As I sat, I simply relaxed, enjoying the sun, enjoying the day, and mostly, enjoying the few canada geese who were at the far side of pond. It was a time of peace, solitude and reflection; the rest of the day began slipping away even quicker than before. When I look at this photograph I am reminded of that time; of that peace and quietude, that perfect afternoon in the bosque. I hope that you feel much the same, and may the peace of the bosque be with you.

Hidden Deer

The wind barely has enough life in it to gently rustle the brush, but that’s OK. It has been a long day, and the afternoon grows late, meaning it is almost time for the wind to be done for the day. It is still wintertime, too, and although the sun is providing a most wonderful afternoon, the night will be cold, and one is best bundled up. That, of course, includes the wind. With a last half-hearted gesture, the wind puffed once, and then packed it in for the evening.

The sun wasn’t ready to give up the day just yet, though, and continued its slow journey to the horizon, bringing the most wonderful hues of gold everywhere.

The sun wasn’t the only one out enjoying the afternoon, either. This hidden deer was quite at peace in the golden field; she was still as all can be, not moving an inch, but yet… there was this complete sense of serenity. She was well hidden, and knew it, and was safe, comfortable and very much enjoying the last of the day.

With a gentle click the camera’s shutter closed, and the hidden deer was left to enjoy the rest of her golden afternoon.

Reeding Answers

The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind.

Bob Dylan pondered many questions in that iconic song. And of course, there answers were, well, blowin’ in the wind. And that in turn conjures up images of things blowing in the wind, and what better thing to represent that than a simple reed?

We hum (or sing if we are so inclined) that song quite a lot, but often, with a surprisingly cheery lilt. Yet, when it comes down to it, the song isn’t really about cheery things at all, and the questions it asks are not easy ones to ask or answer. Mountains washing to the sea? Cannon balls flying? Doves “sleeping” in the sand?

This tune was indeed running through my head as I was composing this shot. I didn’t, and don’t, have any answers, but it seemed to me that this shot represented the song quite well. The wind for me continues to blow: perhaps one day it will carry to me the answers.

There are different sizes of this photo available at our portfolio. Reeding Answers is available for purchase, as well, and you can have this print framed and delivered right to your door.

Saw-Whet Pose, originally uploaded by ifringe.

I’ve been sorting and collating photos over the last couple of days (it’s that dreaded “organization” thing–I try to avoid that as best as possible but every now and then slip up and accidentally get it together) and out popped this little guy.

This is a rescue Saw-Whet Owl, taken at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. Plenty of fantastic groups are out there taking care of nature when it needs help, and this little guy is a rescue from one such group. They were kind enough to let folks meet this little guy and he was quite a charmer. In fact, for all the world he seemed to know what a camera was and how to strike a pose–my finger never has hit the shutter button so fast. He just sat there, very willingly, and very happily (I think. Come to think of it, how do I really know the owl was happy? I’m guessing it was. And if you know differently, please be gentle when you burst my bubble. Anyway.) turning this way and that in the sunlight. He was enjoying the afternoon, enjoying the sunlight (well, it is usually nocturnal, but one must make exceptions now and then), and enjoying it all.

When it comes down to it, is there anything better than spending your afternoon with a posing owl?

Crane Flight, originally uploaded by ifringe.

I’ve been known to live on the edge of focus. And, more often than I would care for, I fall off that edge. In this case, however, I achieved what I set out to–namely, getting those three geese in the middle spot on while leaving the rest tantalizing out of focus.

How did I get this shot? By being completely against my nature, which is to say, patient. Just outside of the Bosque del Apache, there is wonderful pond–it’s not a big pond, but nor is it small. And best of all, there is nothing whatsoever preventing you from walking right up, and into it. Naturally, this was like a siren call to me once I saw the pond was full of Snow Geese. Grabbing a camera I headed down to the shore and plopped myself down to wait and see what develops. For no explicable reason the Snow Geese started swimming my way from across the pond. “Wonderful, I though to myself,” as I continued to sit there. Then, to my utter astonishment they started getting out of the pond pretty close to me. At this point, there was no moving, no getting up, and no way to think about any other piece of equipment save the nice long lens I happened to get (which made sense at the time, since they were across pond, not next to me. Anyway, one makes due with one has and thus was born my idea of very selective focus.

Time passed, and eventually, the snow geese did, too. But between the time they landed to my right, then passed me on land to my left, this particular shot presented itself. The Three Honketeers led the way from there to here to there. What an incredible experience to be part of and the memory of being in the middle of a gaggle of geese wandering around will be with me for a long time to come.