A trip to your local botanic garden is always a great idea in the spring

Tower Hill in Shrewsbury is always a great take.  These shots were from last Friday.  I have posted a set of 25 larger images here: http://www.peterfraileyphoto.com/botanicgarden2011apr22

Lots of pretty flowers, and stuff was beginning to pop everywhere.



Club print "salon" entries for April, 2011

The color image was taken in Bucks Harbor, Maine, while on vacation last year.  For the Salon, I printed it square on 9x12 paper and matted it with a mat with a 8.75" x 8.75" opening.  The camera was the Canon S90 point and shoot.

It was taken in June and the high season for lobstering was beginning. I saw many lobstermen loading their boats with pots to take out to their fishing grounds. These pots don't have the class, in my opinion, that the old wooden pots had; but certainly from a maintenance point of view the new pots are way ahead of the wooden ones.

Lobster Pots at Bucks Harbor

This black and white image was taken along the Sudbury River in Concord, MA.  I printed it on 9"x12" paper to fit the 4:3 aspect ratio.  The camera was the Canon S90 point and shoot.

My thought is that the cloud reflection is the central subject and that the kayakers provide context and perspective.

Cloud Reflection on the Sudbury River

Club digital "salon" entries for April, 2011

These three images were submitted for our photo club's monthly contest.  The red Columbine was entered into the nature category. 

The second two images were entered into the open category. The ducks are sitting on what is cut grass, so the "hand of man" is evident and therefore they do not qualify as nature, at least for our purposes. 

The butterfly image was taken in a butterfly house.  Like animals at a zoo, this does not quality as a nature photograph either. 

Eastern Red Columbine

Getting Your Ducks in a Row

Postman Butterfly

My first butterfly images this year

I took an early morning trip to our nearby butterfly house this morning.  They open the doors an hour early for photographers on the first Saturday and Sunday of the month, during the season.  I like that first hour because the fans and heaters aren't yet going full blast, so the butterflies are still a bit sleepy.  I am pretty happy with the shots I took (link below).  All are taken hand-held at 1/250 second and (usually) F8.  Mostly ISO at 1600, with a few at ISO 800.  My camera settings: Manual mode set at my desired shutter speed and F-stop, and auto ISO.  All are with natural light, diffused somewhat through the glass dome of the butterfly house.

12 images here:

http://www.peterfraileyphoto.com/butterflyplace2011apr2

My favorite is the Glasswing.  Below are two images: