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We welcome the new year with a few favorite photos from our adventures. Unfortunately, photography adventures were very limited this past year but we are hopeful that 2021 will prove to be a better year for all.
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"Blackwater Sunset"
Photograph by: Debbie Jordan
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I took only a few photo trips this past year and these were only to local spots whose familiarity required some creativity to capture a unique image. The photo above, was taken at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge near Cambridge, Maryland. Blackwater NWR is a place I have visited numerous times and is a favorite spot of mine to photograph. So having been there many times in the past, I have witnessed many beautiful sunsets from this tidal-water area. The sunset on this particular evening looked as though it was going to fizzle out as the cloud cover began to move in and the light was fading fast. Just as I was about to give up and call it a day, the sun dropped below the clouds lighting up the sky with dramatic color. I immediately hopped into action, set up my tripod low to the ground right where the channel curved toward the horizon, and plopped down on the ground so that I could see though the viewfinder. I began to take shot after shot until the sun sank below the horizon and all hope of a night shoot was obscured by the clouds. This was my favorite image from that evening. It serves as a great reminder that beauty is still all around us and that, even though the skies may be cloudy now, the sun can break through.
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"Red"
Photograph by: Debbie Jordan
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One of my annual traditions is a visit to the Downrigging Weekend each October in Chestertown, Maryland. This fabulous waterfront festival offers bluegrass music, great food, sailing exhibits, and opportunities to sail on the tall ships which gather there from many ports along the Eastern seaboard. Unfortunately, the 2020 festival was cancelled... as were many other festivals and events this past year. To honor this tradition, however, I wanted to share with you the image above. "Red" was captured while I was sailing aboard the Virginia in 2019. It was a beautiful sunny day - one which manifested brilliant colors and crisp reflections of the sailing vessels that traveled nearby on the river. Although not my normal nature or wildlife photo, this image has definitely become one of my favorites.
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"Smoky Mountains Forever"
Photograph by: Benjamin DeHaven
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The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a great place to visit. It is one of the most visited National Parks, so perhaps not the place to be during an uncontrolled pandemic unless you go out of your way to distance yourself. The photograph above was taken during a 2016 trip and only more recently edited. When I travel, even before the pandemic, I look for solitude and avoid crowds as much as possible. Meaning, if everyone is taking a specific shot from a specific spot at the location, I am most likely to move on. Luckily, your average joe doesn't want to be up at 4:00am, standing outside in the cold taking photographs like I do. But that's when the magic happens.
Believe it or not, this image was taken with the Nikon kit lens, 18-105mm, at 25mm (just outside of the range of my more expensive 10-24mm lens). I have since gone to a full frame camera and upgraded my lenses, but my point is that too many people obsess over gear and fail to go out and use what they have. New gear is great, fun, and even motivating, but if you wait to take a trip until you have the best possible gear you never know what you miss out on. Use the gear you have at the time, because photography is more about the artist's creative eye then the artist's brush.
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So, as we launch into 2021....we encourage you to go out and take a few of your own photos. This can be done safely and locally. Even your own backyard can provide a number of interesting subjects. And, until you can get out for more adventurous photo ops, take a look back at a few of your photos from prior years and see what creative ways you can reimagine the images. And remember, use the gear you have - it's not the gear that makes a great shot, it's the artist behind the camera.
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