Saturday, December 25, 2010

Moon Over Brown Bridge Pond


It was a rare nearly cloudless morning as I headed out to a frozen pond for sunrise. Fortunately, there were a couple of ice fishermen cutting their first hole in the ice and reported that the ice was 7" thick. Nice to have guinea pigs on the ice before I went out.

Anyhow, this is what I got.

The pre-dawn sky here is the most amazing color in the winter when it is not cloudy. Having a full moon going down is was a real bonus.

Enjoy!!!

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Greeting Cards Available


Here is another greeting card that is now available online http://www.tomhaxbyphotos.com/galleries/PostersHTML/A%20Note%20of%20Thanks%20Card.html

New Calendar and Greeting Cards Available

My 2011 Calendar is available online through my website at http://www.tomhaxbyphotos.com/galleries/PostersHTML/Calendar_2011.html . It features some of my best images from throughout Michigan. Here is the back cover which shows the thumbnails for the monthly images.




Also, greeting cards are also available online. This holiday card featuring a winter image of the Manistee River http://www.tomhaxbyphotos.com/galleries/PostersHTML/Peace%20on%20Earth%20Card.html . Here is the card front

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Bird's Eye View

This was taken from a hot air balloon thanks to Grand Traverse Balloons . This was quite the adventure and a difficult photo expedition. Really like the fall colors - they are not enhanced, and the blue water with the hint of reflected clouds. I would encourage anyone to take the opportunity to go up in a hot air balloon, especially now with the fall colors.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Red Jack Lake

This image was taken on perhaps on one of those days that will stand out for a long time. Rainbows, fantastic sunsets, wild weather on Lake Superior, fall colors - this day had it all. This stunning scene on the Hiawatha National Forest was captured after several hours and was after I was almost ready to pack it in for the morning.
Spent part of the morning along side two other photographers whom I know, Nick Bristol from Wisconsin and Dean Pennala from Kalamazoo, Michigan. We had a blast watching the rainbows magically appear over the lake.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Scout Lake


Taken this morning on Scout Lake. Wow, what an awesome sight. The rainbow seemed to last forever. That, and in a later image the rainbow can be seen coming down all of the way to the ground.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Fall in the UP

Spending some time in the UP this weekend for the fall colors. Good in some places. This was on Miner's Beach this evening.

Monday, September 27, 2010

High Banks in Winter

In a few months this is what our landscape will look like.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Another Chickadee Photo

Well, today I had chickadees whizzing around my head. The hard part was not flinching. A couple of the images are keepers, and here is one. The ISO was bumped up to about 1,000 and I used a flash to add a little sparkle to the eyes - well at least the eye that is visible.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Foggy Dream

This was taken on the last day of July. Unusually foggy morning as the fog lasted until well after 11:00 a.m. Lots of dust on my sensor though and it too some cleaning up. This maple tree will be the subject of many more images.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Schooner Festival

I had the pleasure of photographing at the Second Annual Traverse City Schooner Festival. Friday I got a few shots from the shoreline on West Bay. Saturday it rained most of the day and Sunday it was sunny and bright. Here are 2 that I got on Sunday. Wish this event would happen more often and that there were more schooners.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Two Images from the UP


I made a quick trip to the UP this week and came away with a couple of new images. The first is from the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Amazing coloration in the rocks from mineral deposits. The second is of the Manistique Lighthouse and an amazing sunset.


NANPA Article

Included in this newsletter from the North American Nature Photographers Association is an article that I wrote with photos of my participation in the Smoky Mountains Regional Photo Event. Ripples Newsletter.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Navy Blue Angels


The Navy Blue Angels visited the National Cherry Festival on the 4th of July for the annual air show.

Wow, what a splendid day for an airshow. It must be something to pilot those babies. You cannot have an "off day" with the kind of flying these guys do.
Photographed with a Nikon 500 mm F4 lens. It was great at getting really sharp images.










Saturday, May 29, 2010

Moonrise over Traverse City

On the second night of the full moon, I captured this image of the moonrise over Traverse City. There were some high clouds partially obscuring the view of the moon.

May Newsletter Online

My May Newsletter is now available online at http://www.tomhaxbyphotos.com/Newsletter/May_2010_Newsletter.htm

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Columbine

I have been planting native wildflowers in my yard for a few years now. Some are doing quite well. Who needs to mow grass when you can grow flowers? Of course they become models for my camera when they look their best. This columbine was just outside of my back door. The dark background was part the dark area under my deck and part a few tweaks in Photoshop©.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

More Pickney Birds


My father was the one who lead me to Pickney Wildlife Refuge. Thanks dad. Fantastic place for nesting birds. Here is another from there - a tricolor heron. Shot early in the day while the light was still soft.

Pickney Wildlife Refuge Birds



If it weren't for some excess vegetation I would really like the image of a tricolor heron at the Pickney Wildlife Refuge in South Carolina. Quite an amazing place. Next up is a green heron. Beautiful bird striking a good pose for the camera. The last is a great egret carrying a stick for a nest building project.


















Friday, May 7, 2010

Another from Big Creek

Here is another from one of my favorite places in the Smokies the day after a night of heavy rainfall. What a great place.

Pickney Wildlife Refuge

Went to the Pickney Wildlife Refuge on the South Carolina coast yesterday. There were so many birds and one gator. The gator kinda startled me as I did not see it at first and it was close to the trail. Kinda makes you nervous being about 25 feet away from an alligator. Many of the birds were nesting and some had young birds. Unfortunately, I could not get a photo of the young birds.



Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Spring Flood on Big Creek

I was in the Smoky Mountains when the flooding hit Memphis and Nashville, TN, and the Smokies fortunately did not get the flooding rains. However, we did get a lot of rain and it was quite dramatic on one of the streams.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Cataloochee Cove


Thanks to our NANPA leader, Bill Lea, our group at Cataloochee Cove in the Smokies captured this image. I have even learned a couple of new techniques. One more Smokies shoot tomorrow morning. With our leader Donna Eaton, we found some amazing trilliums, and with Bell Campbell we found the painted trillum to be posted later. Some light does not faze me any more.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Day 2 Great Smoky Mountains

Two photos from the Smoky Mountains today. The photo of the trees was taken along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Nice that it shows that spring is on it's way, even in the higher elevations. The flower is a crested dwarf iris.











Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Great Smoky Mountains

Taken this afternoon in the Great Smoky Mountains. Yes, that is snow on the high peaks of Mt. LeConte. Gatlinburg is just to the left of the image. It is spring in the lower elevations and looks like the last of winter at the high elevations. Am here for a few days for a North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) workshop. Hope that I can get some good images.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

April Newsletter Available

My April 2010 newsletter is just about ready to be sent out. However, it is available here http://www.tomhaxbyphotos.com/Newsletter/April_2010_Newsletter.htm

Unfortunately, it did not get out until today and this is the day that I am presenting the first of my two seminars on photography at the AuSable River Expo.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Beyond the Basics Guide

I have produced a guide which goes along with a photo presentation for taking better photographs. It is available for download in a .pdf format here http://www.tomhaxbyphotos.com/Newsletter/Beyond_the_Basics_3.pdf

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Spring Has Arrived

Finally, well kinda sorta, spring has arrived. This really was a short winter, as November was mild and March has been warm and dry. However, the longer daylight hours and the warmer temperatures have finally made me want to go out and shoot photos. Here are a couple from Sleeping Bear Dunes:





Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Balancing Ibis

This photo of an Ibis was taken from a kayak last fall in Florida. Sure wish I were down there again for the spring breeding and nesting season.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Spring Fling


It was a mild and sunny day so off to the lakeshore we went. The camera and me that is. It was too bright and there were no great clouds, but it was good to get out.

March Newsletter

My March Newsletter is now online at http://www.tomhaxbyphotos.com/Newsletter/March_2010_Newsletter.htm . If you wish to receive the e-mail version of the newsletter please e-mail me at thaxby02@yahoo.com.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Light Painting Guitars

A friend is really into collecting guitars and he and I worked on photographing some of them. Using only a penlight for light. There are a few other images which are still a work in progress.









Sunday, February 28, 2010

Here is another from the Vasa Ski Race. A happy winner.

Snow Fun


Big city folks in the northeast should learn to enjoy the snow they've gotten this year. At least in places like Northern Michigan there are winter sports. Case in point, the Vasa Ski Race held every February in Traverse City, Michigan. Th
is year was perfect, except for those who do not like fresh snow and temperatures in the 20's. Here are some of the photos from the race.













Saturday, February 27, 2010

Two Cover Photos

In February, two of my photos have appeared on covers of publications. The first was a photo taken of the tall ships at the Schooner Festival in Traverse City and appeared on the cover of the Traverse Community Directory http://www.pdspages.com/ . The second image was a photo that I took of a group of showy lady slippers which appeared on the cover of Michigan Blue Magazine . Kind of nice getting the exposure - no pun intended.

Sunday, January 31, 2010


There is good news. I may have 2 cover pages and one other image being published soon. The first is on the cover of the PDS pages, a community directory in the Traverse City Area. This is the tall ship the Sullivan, which was part of the first Tall Ships event in Traverse City in September 2009.







In that publication there is also an image of grapes that I took on Old Mission Peninsula.













And finally, this image may appear on the cover of Michigan Blue Magazine in late February.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Sunshine

It is so rare to see any color in the landscape these days. Even seeing the sun for more than a few minutes is cause for celebration. So, here is an image that I took just before Halloween. Yes, that is a bee in the sunflower.