South Carolina Scenes

The trip to South Carolina continues. Having a little trouble with a borrowed mac computer which is my only web access. Anyhow, went to Caw Caw Nature Center. Amazing place for wading and other types of birds. Also, another stop was to visit the "Angel Oak" near Charleston, SC. This oak estimated to be 1,400 years old is amazing and is a must see.

Hunting Island State Park on the Atlantic was another stop this week. The sunrises (pictured here) have been very cloudy though and the sunsets even more so. Well, it at least is warm. The Tricolor Heron in the upper left was very tolerant of my presence. The Little Blue Heron was a fortunate catch as it was trying to catch fish. One more day in the South. Then a flight back to Michigan, weather permitting.

Christmas 2008

Christmas 2008: Merry Christmas to all. Spending Christmas in the south this year. Here are a few photos of the family from Christmas morning. Breakfast was on the back deck. Best wishes to all for a very Merry Christmas.

Winter Moonlight

One would never guess that this image was taken at almost midnight. The moon was full and although it kept dodging behind the clouds there was still enough for a 12 minute exposure to look like daylight. Was actually hoping that the light from Traverse City would cast an orange glow in the clouds - as it usually does in winter.

It did not actually feel too cold at first - it was about 16 degrees. But, eventually the fingers and nose started to feel a little nippy. Oh well, had to try it and although this may not be an award winner the light was just about right - moonlight that is.

Sunshine in the Dunes

I do not usually take a lot of photos in the middle of the day which usually means harsh light. However, the low sun angle of winter does make for slightly softer light. Here are a few that I took at the Sleeping Bear Dunes today when the sun was shining. Oh, the clouds were spectacular!

Gales of November

November skies can be some of the most dramatic skies along the Great Lakes. Yesterday was one of those days. Waves crashing, winds howling and snow and rain blowing sideways. This is what I found.

More Mt. Holiday

Some of the other folks whom I did not know.

I think that "they" are real. Is that a Congressman in the background?

Mt. Holiday Halloween

This was not a kiddie Halloween Party! So many different characters, so here are just a few: OH DEER!

Halloween 2008

Trying different types of photography is good for me. I really enjoy the landscape photography and that is my strength. However, capturing the fun of Halloween was too much to resist. These are some of the people from my office.

Blue Hen Falls

Well, thus ended my trip to the Smoky Mountains. I hope I can go back and that I will have the chance to get more and to me even better images. The images here are of Blue Hen Falls in Cuyahoga Valley National Park near Cleveland, Ohio. I made a stop there on the way home. My brother in-law, Steve, and my nephew, Dan, accompanied me to the location - thanks guys. Though one of the photographers there was lamenting the lack of reds in the fallen leaves, I still enjoyed the opportunity to photograph in this beautiful location. I must add that the light was very good for waterfall photography. I also stopped at Hocking Hills State Park in south central Ohio. The light there was too bright. I did have the good fortune of photographing a raccoon who just wanted to nap. Unfortunately for it, the nap spot was right next to a popular trail in the park. I will be adding more images from my trip to my blog and some will be added to my web galleries. Comments are always welcomed.

Smokies Trip Post 2

The trip to the Smokies has been good and bad. I have gotten a few good images which is the good. The other good was getting the chance to watch a group of 4 river otters as they swam and dashed over the rocks along Big Creek. The bad is that I hurt my back which hampered my shooting, the weather has been too bright and the fall colors are not much in evidence this year. Here is another sunset photo from Clingman's Dome. This was taken long after the sun had gone down.

I also spent a little time along Big Creek on the east side of Smoky Mountain National Park. This is where I saw the river otters. They were checking me out and were a bit of a pleasant distraction from my landscape photography routine. Here are the 4 Otters. Not the best of images because it was a little dark, and the otters move around so quickly.

Finally, this is the sunrise looking west from Clingman's Dome.

Clingmans Dome

Okay, so this is a well know icon. This however appeals to me because of the mountain layers.

Also, realize that you can make this a larger image by clicking on it. I have a couple more days in the Smokies to hopefully get some more images. However, the fall colors are not going to show this year. It has been a bad drought year.

High Rollways in da moonlight

Thanks to some inspiration from Ron Strong I tried a moonlight shot from the High Rollways overlook on the Manistee River. The streaks in the sky are star trails. Taken at 10:00 p.m. on a full moon night. Would like to try again when the shadows from the hilllslope behind the camera are not so pronounced. A few whispy clouds in the sky would be good too! Notice also the cell phone tower lights on the horizon.

Another Council Lake Image

Here is another in the series from Council Lake.

I have not tried to print this yet, but I like the image on the screen. I am starting to enjoy the brief, but glorious fall in the northcountry. At least this year it has not been too wet or too cold - just right.

More UP Pictures - Icons

I frequently get asked whether I have an image of the Mackinac Bridge. As many times as I have crossed it, I have never stopped to photograph. Here is one from my trip two weeks ago.

Also, several of the waterfalls are well known sights in the UP. Pictured are Miner's Falls on the right and Munising Falls on the left. The light was actually quite good for photographing waterfalls that day.

Tahquamenon Falls

Here is another from the trip last weekend. This is Tahquamenon Falls which is one of the widest falls in the country. Though it is tough to get a good angle because of the fences and vegetation in the way, I like the lines in this image. I also photographed this last spring during the peak snowmelt runoff. That was a lot of water over the falls!!

Successful Trip

This is another photo from the trip to the UP last week. This is a reflection in a lake which is of course upside down. I could flip it, but this is the way it was. I do like the abstract look to it and the colors are great. I will soon be adding this and the others from my trip to my website.

Another Image

Here is one more from today's shooting. If you look closely you can see the leg from another photographer from a photo group. This is on Miner's Beach at the Pictured Rocks Lakeshore. I guess that everyone has a right to their own space and I cannot expect that others will not want to take their photos from a chosen location. Have to say though that I was a little miffed. Oh well, I have been on this beach when I was the only one there and there was a lot more water flowing http://www.tomhaxbyphotos.com/galleries/MichiganHTML/MIGalleryHTML_20_MinersBeach.html

What a Day in the UP!

This has been a great day of shooting waterfalls, the Lake Superior shore, lakes with fall colors. Tomorrow will be the last day of shooting up here. Hope that I can get some more good images. Pictured are Wagner Falls (upper right, a group photographing a sunset on Lake Superior (upper left), and a reflection on Council Lake (lower right).

UP Trip

I have recently lost my beloved beagle, Bogey, after 15 years. He was a great companion and he will be missed greatly. I will be traveling more now that I have nothing to keep me home. So, I am in the UP this weekend enjoying the fall colors. Here is one that I took this evening. In a couple of weeks I will be headed to the Smoky Mountains for the fall color there.

Being Different

This is a different type of image for me. No strong lines, very complex shapes, no single element. I think it sort of resembles an abstract painting. Taken in a wet swampy area as fall is starting to show its color. Would like to hear feedback on this type of image.

On the Beach

Here is another one taken from a frequent location for me. This is one of the better sunsets from this past summer. Where did the summer go? I have gotten quite a few good photos from this location. Funny thing is that it always changes - especially the water levels this year. I would guess that the Lake Michigan levels are up a good 2 feet since last year. Many of the rocks are now submerged or at least partly covered.

Finally New Images

I really do not know what happened to the month of August since my last post was on July 24th. Well, actually I do. Too much work on the other job, plus family obligations and spotty weather. So here 'tis my first images that I am willing to post in almost 2 months.