New Website and Blog!!!

I have been working hard on a new official website for my photography work. It still needs tweaking, but it is live! All blog posts will be on the new site from now on. 

Please visit www.jonreaves.com

 

Thanks to all who have been following this blog!

-Jon 

From the Archives - Grand Manan Island...

I'm continuing to re-edit my digital shots from Grand Manan, Canada this week. There are literally thousands of photos going back to 2009. The first shot below was made on Seal Cove beach during my first trip to the small island. The blurry figure on the left of this long exposure is actually my wife. All of these images are from 2009.

Dusk at Seal Cove Beach, Grand Manan, Canada

Rock and Ocean, Grand Manan, Canada

Low Tide at Dawn, Seal Cove Beach, Grand Manan, Canada

Fishing Boat Off Seal Cove, Grand Manan, Canada

 (c) 2015 Jon Reaves. All rights reserved.

Nature Walk...

Here are a couple shots from this weekend's walks in the woods. This is the first time I've ever seen a red squirrel in 8 years of living in the NC mountains. Dark-eyed Juncos (the bird) are common in the thick brush bordering the forests. 

Red Squirrel, Creston, NC

Dark-eyed Junco, Creston, NC

 (c) 2015 Jon Reaves. All rights reserved.

Autumn's Final Hold...

Fall is a short season here in northwestern North Carolina. It seems that as soon as the bright reds, yellows, and oranges of the hardwoods peak, they begin to fade and are gone for another year. This morning, I observed the busy fury-forest dwellers (squirrels, chipmunks, birds, and the owl whose shadow haunts them) racing to collect food for the coming freeze. This morning the air was a nippy 20 degrees. Winter is coming. 

Over the weekend, my wife and I took a short hike up Mount Jefferson here in Ashe County. I made a few images of the last bit of fall color at that elevation. Here are a few of my favorites.

Golden Woods, Mt Jefferson State Park

Can you spot the rabbit? Mt Jefferson State Park

Mountaintop Blueberry Leaves in Fall Color, Mt Jefferson State Park

Golden Hardwood Forest, Mt Jefferson State Park

(c) 2015 Jon Reaves. All rights reserved.

24 Day Project Film Reveal...Days Nineteen Through Twentyfour

September 19th - Sanderling

 I managed to sneak away at sunrise on day 19. I drove over to Sunset Beach, NC. The beach was quiet and mostly vacant, except for about a dozen sanderlings. They are very quick little birds and are difficult to photograph, especially on film!  This one stopped briefly before prodding its little bill into the sand, just enough time for a shot.

September 20th - Ancient Oak

 My wife and I were staying with her father in Little River, SC. Before we left for our home in the NC mountains, I needed to get my shot for the day. I simply took an early morning walk down the street in the direction of the docks for about a half mile to find this huge live oak. It must be 200-300 years old! My wide angle lens could only capture about a third of the tree from underneath it.  

September 21st - Lichen on White Pine Bark

 The misty and foggy morning of day 21 brought me back to the pine grove. I decided to include some more forest texture. Lichen thrives in our damp little hollow. 

September 22nd - Wild Turkeys in Donelly's Pasture

 This group of wild turkeys frequent a cow pasture not far from our home. I took my F100 and telephoto zoom lens with me in the car while driving my wife to work. I stopped and shot out of the car window. This didn't turn out quite as well as I'd hoped. I was feeling rushed as cars started to come up behind me, so I snapped a few shots and moved on.

September 23rd - Crab Apples

 The south-facing ridge behind my home has some of the tallest maples and oaks I've ever seen. I climbed the slope through thick thorny brambles hoping to capture a nice landscape of that old growth forest in the golden morning light. When I noticed these little crab apples littering the ground and the contrast they made with the green moss, I couldn't pass it up.

September 24th - Heron on Bass Lake

 Here we are, the last photograph of the 24 day film project! I returned to Bass Lake to find this immature great blue heron wading through the lily pads. My heart was beating a bit fast. Was this the final photo, or should I pass this subject up and look for another? When the bird tilted its elegant neck, revealing its full profile, I released the shutter. I felt pretty good about it. 

(c) 2015 Jon Reaves. All rights reserved.

24 Day Project Film Reveal...Days Thirteen Through Eighteen

September 13th - Blue Aster

 After the jewel weed dies back, blue aster becomes our most prominent flower in the mountain meadows.

September 14th - Last Light on a Ridge Top

 Day 14 was another one of those last call for light pictures. I was racking my brain trying to think of a photograph and looking everywhere. It came down to the last few minutes of daylight and I made this exposure of the shadow covering the valley and the day's last light on the ridge. When I first saw this photo after it was developed, I was disappointed, but now it's growing on me.

September 15th - Maple Leaves on Lichen Covered Log

 I was sweating on this day, too. It was another late evening shot. I like to experiment with texture in the natural world, but the lichen and moss alone were not enough to make this image. I placed two maple leaves on the log and made the exposure. 

September 16th - Queen of the Undergrowth

 I have not been able to identify this flower. Could it be a type of Queen Anne's Lace? Or a type of Yarrow? I'm not sure. I found it under the dense pine forest. It's one of the few plants that grow through the thick pine straw this time of year.

September 17th - Yellow Leaves

 I walked by this tree with its yellowing leaves almost everyday of the project. On day 17, I finally decided to take a chance on it. It was early morning and the dew still saturated the leaves and branches making the colors more bold than they would be in the midday sun.

September 18th - Sunburst through the Woods

 In a rush to pack the car and head to the coast for my Grandfather's 80th birthday celebration, I had to make a quick decision. It was morning, the sun had just breached the horizon. I selected a narrow aperture to create as many points on the star as possible. Even though this shot was made in haste and I didn't have much confidence in it, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

(c) 2015 Jon Reaves. All Rights Reserved.

24 Day Project Film Reveal...Days Seven Through Twelve

 September 7th - Hummingbird on a Branch

 I sat on a rock wall, watching bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds dance around from flower to flower in a pasture adjoining my property. This female ruby-throated hummingbird stopped for a rest on a buckeye branch a few feet in front of me. 

September 8th - High Brown Fritillary

 While weaving my way through the tall grasses of the same meadow as the previous day, I came across this butterfly. It was only inches from my face when I spotted it. I shot up close with a wide-angle lens.

September 9th - Hummingbird in the Jewel Weed

 On day nine, I found myself in the pasture again looking for hummingbirds. I really wanted to push it and go for an in flight shot. At this time I was still sticking to the one shot rule. I nervously waited for the right moment. Click!

September 10th - Small Waterfall near Glen Burney Falls

I knew I would come to this spot, but with the intention of shooting the 20 foot high, water spewing  monolith that is Glen Burney Falls. Instead, I went for an offshoot, only a couple feet high.

September 11th - Doe in the Woods

Now we have come to the subject that caused me to break my one exposure a day rule. I was hiking up Elk Knob when I spotted this doe and her fawn tiptoeing through the misty hardwood forest. I quickly changed lenses, from a wide to a telephoto. I made this exposure hand-holding the camera. The shutter speed was slow even with a wide-open aperture. I was pretty sure I'd just made a blurry shot. So, I decided to forget the project. I had a good opportunity to photograph a doe and her fawn. They didn't even seem nervous at my presence. I shot 4 or 5 more frames on a tripod, but never got the doe and fawn together in the same shot. Ironically (life is full of them), that very first frame ended up being my favorite, as well as the sharpest! From then on in the project, I shot multiple frames of only one subject each day.

September 12th - Autumn Maple Impression

It was a windy day. These bright orange leaves were the first to change color for the fall season in my woods. I situated the camera on a tripod and selected a slow shutter speed. When a strong enough gust of wind came, I tripped the shutter.

(c) 2015 Jon Reaves. All rights reserved.