Graf Nature Photography | Notes from the woods

Returning to Cayman

Mark — Sun, 20 May 2012 13:55:31 +0000

Soon my wife and I will be returning to the Cayman Islands for this year’s dive trip. It is hard to believe how much time has past since we were last there. I checked my photo database, and our last trip was to Cayman Brac back in November 1999. I was still pretty [...]

Phlox and more time with the D800

Mark — Tue, 15 May 2012 00:48:43 +0000

I had some more time to spend in the field this past weekend getting to know my D800. I ventured into a new section of woods along the Clinton River, about 20 minutes drive from my house. I immediately saw some high densities of color in the distance which captured my curiosity. [...]

Fracked

Mark — Sat, 12 May 2012 15:47:50 +0000

Often when working with my rock abstracts, I will rotate, zoom in and zoom out of these intricate patterns looking for something to make a connection to something other than the literal subject I am photographing. After all, I see this series as not just looking closely at rocks, but how they have a [...]

Warbler Migration

Mark — Sun, 06 May 2012 16:47:45 +0000

This past week I had planned to spend a day down at Magee Marsh in Ohio with hopes to catch part of the bird migration underway. This area is a well known migrant trap, where many birds stop to rest and feed before making the flight across Lake Erie. Birding reports throughout last [...]

Tree branches & updates

Mark — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 23:56:43 +0000

Hey folks, long time no post eh? Things have been a bit slow this spring on many fronts for me, suffering from both photo and writers block. I know the way to kick it is just to “do something” – anything – but it is sometimes a real drag on motivation as well. However, I [...]

Ignoring the camera

Mark — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 02:16:39 +0000

I have always thought there are two paths of exploration when it comes to photography. The first one being in the field, in the moment. The second is post capture and where the image guides you. It is in those post capture moments where you may or may not connect with subconscious processes that [...]

Red-backed Salamander photo

Mark — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 23:42:58 +0000

Sometimes the smallest wildlife encounters can give the biggest joys, and this was the case this past weekend. For the very first time, I stumbled upon my first salamander in the woods. Red-backed salamanders (plethadon cinereus) as I understand are one of the more common varieties in Michigan, but I typically don’t go out [...]

Blurred Beech, not beach blur

Mark — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 19:12:55 +0000

I was anxious last night because I wanted to get up early today and head up to Lake Huron to hopefully do some long shutter speed blurs at the shoreline during twilight. However, the weather forecast didn’t look like it was going to cooperate with my intentions. One of my favorite tools for checking [...]

Bullfrog in Duckweed pond

Mark — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 14:05:46 +0000

I learned an important identification tip this morning in processing this image. I wasn’t quite sure whether this is a Green Frog or a Bullfrog. I have a number of ID books on frogs, but the first one I turned to wasn’t very good in giving the key hint to telling them apart. [...]

Interesting tangents

Mark — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 05:33:26 +0000

A week or so ago, I had a new person follow me on Twitter or Google+, I don’t quite recall which one, and can’t find them now. The person had a last name that prompted me to go “hmmm…” That last name was Medvedev. As someone who tends to follow global news, yes, [...]

So many megapixels ago

Mark — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:40:41 +0000

With some recent print orders, I stumbled upon this image in my archives. When I saw what camera I made it with, it made me think of an interesting contrast of the times in DSLRs and the complete flip in what people chose to complain about. It was made close to 8 years [...]

Hidden beneath the ice

Mark — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:52:43 +0000

It is that time of year when I start thinking about photographing on the ice. However, with the extremely mild temperatures this year, I am doubtful I will be able to walk out on the ice like I did in this shot a couple of years ago. This lake, Lake St. Clair, is about a [...]

Paths to Simplicity

Mark — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:14:05 +0000

An interesting thought popped into my head during this day walking in the woods and approaching this area. The woods around my home are pretty much a jumbled mess. Vines, scrubby bushes and snags, thorny plants everywhere. Long time readers may recall me mentioning this a few times in the past. I think most [...]

Schizophrenic Winter

Mark — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:01:30 +0000

I shall be snowy, no, wait, I will be warm, no, maybe some ice, no, bitter cold, no, how about some rain? We have been on a roller coaster ride in our temperatures here for months. This is turning into the craziest winter in my recent memory. I have only had to shovel [...]

Tangerine Tango sky

Mark — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:01:46 +0000

For a few years now, I have been casually following Pantone’s Color of the Year. These colors are the trends Pantone’s color experts see in the markets of design, art, and fashion combined with an outlook of where the world and society are headed the upcoming year. Since nature doesn’t really follow the [...]

Creative Restlessness

Mark — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 03:08:57 +0000

The winter thus far has me spending much more time indoors than out. My one time in the field photographing this winter resulted in images that I didn’t quite connect with. So when I am not outside, I find myself wandering somewhat aimlessly through my archives. This is a bit where some [...]

Why My Trees are Yellow

Mark — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:59:55 +0000

The new year has found me keeping to myself inside for these first couple of weeks, doing some reading, playing some games, and not a lot of new photography to contribute. It has me sometimes perusing some of my archives in search of trying something new, something different, something to inspire me. I suppose [...]

Top Nature Photographs of 2011

Mark — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:38:26 +0000

It is that time of year again to look back, ponder, reminisce about photographs created in 2011. I have continued this tradition since 2007 now, and you can view my past picks under the surprising tag of Yearly Favorites. It is a post I enjoy spending a bit of time on each year [...]

Year End Photography Checklist

Mark — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 23:41:44 +0000

It is around this time of year that I start a number of activities to tidy up another year of photography. The year end gives us a chance to reflect back upon where we were at the same time a year ago, evaluate any goals we set, and do some organization and filing chores. [...]

Winter Solstice

Mark — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:44:32 +0000

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Winter Solstice, at least for those of you in the Northern Hemisphere. For the shortest day of the year, I have started by getting up late, and perhaps I will go to bed early. The psychology of shorter days and less sunlight will be settling in. I [...]