| Friday, July 13, 2018 | | Summer Days | One of a photographer's challenges is to see the familiar in fresh ways. I've lived here 42 years now, so I can definitely relate! I find that is a life challenge, too. Sometimes nature itself provides the freshness, and sometimes I have to deliberately change my perspective in order to see and share a fresh angle or a fresh vision. One reason I love photography, besides the fact that it leads me outside, is that I am reminded of these larger life lessons every time I pick up my camera.
The past thirty days has provided wonderful opportunities to be outdoors. Even in the middle of a busy summer schedule, I’ve managed to work in a sea turtle release, two trips (one planned, one spontaneous) to Carova, and some stormy sky watches both in Duck and Colington. More than one of the artists we represent uses the Shakespeare quote, one touch of nature makes the whole world kin, and I feel that kinship every time I step outside with camera in hand. Sometimes the kinship is extended to shared experiences, and that happened several times this month, too. I went to Carova with fellow photographer Ray Matthews and for one of those excursions, Phyllis Kroetsch came as well. I am always intrigued by how different photographers view the same general scene, just as I am enchanted by the myriad of authors and musicians who interpret our shared human experiences through their own gifts and perspectives.
For the sea turtle release, I positioned myself out in the water. The tide was coming in and that meant I got wetter and wetter as we waited for what turned out to be nine turtles headed back to sea after being cared for during the winter months by the staff and volunteers of the NC Aquarium’s STAR center, now open to the public. The little Green and Kemp’s Ridley turtles had been cold-stunned during our freeze in January, while the huge Loggerhead was the victim of a shark bite. It is a thrill to watch the turtles crawl back into the ocean, well worth the soaking from a couple rouge waves that nearly toppled those of us at the edge of the line! I kept my gear high and dry and the angle I chose was certainly worth the wait. A bonus from that day, along with being able to share my images with the NC Wildlife Resources staff, was an unexpected visit with friend and photographer Pat Draisey who had come to the release as an observer more than as a photographer that morning.
Just as I have not yet seen close up bear cubs this year, I have not yet seen any of the foals born in Carova this year either. The most exciting sight this past month was a harem running single file, one at a time, down the dunes and down to the water. Cattle egrets were resting atop several horses’ backs and I managed to make some images before they flew off. We saw some posturing and a bit of race-chasing both trips but no serious fighting. The most humorous sight which gave all three of us a chuckle was a harem browsing and meandering beside the Wild Horse road sign back behind the dune. The most unusual sight was a band of horses lit by our headlights as we drove back down the beach, with a cobalt blue dusk background all around them. Our second Carova trip was timed for sunrise and we all enjoyed the tide pools and the sun’s disk rising in a clear sky before we continued up the beach to look for horses.
That day, we saw only two by the water despite more than one trek up and down the shoreline. Instead, we were treated to a Dragonfly Migration Day, which regular readers will remember is one of my favorite events all summer! This time the dragonflies that had just come ashore all seemed to be the same species, with bright red bodies and heads. We paused to photograph the phenomenon of dozens of dragonflies perched all over the not-yet emerged sea oats before driving on. Ray told me later that his favorite image from the day was a closeup he made of a single red dragonfly resting atop a green sea oat stalk against the Carolina blue sky. You just never know what gifts nature will bestow. The key is to be alert and have open eyes and heart. That’s good advice for living a full, fulfilling daily life, whether as a photographer or not!
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click for larger image | The Loggerhead survived a shark bite and after months in the STAR center, was finally ready to swim home. |
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click for larger image | One of our dramatic sunsets this past month. I love the rain bands, but what caught my breath was that dark blue streak above the cloud, like a beacon. |
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click for larger image | A bright sliver of a new moon and the planet Venus shine above the dock at the Blue Point restaurant in Duck. Using a tripod and a long exposure smooth the water. |
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click for larger image | The illumination from our headlights at dusk gave the scene an entirely different look and feel. |
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click for larger image | Dragonfly migration day is one of my favorite nature events all year; in some years we have more than one migration. This is one of those years. |
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posted by eturek at 1:17 PM |
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