Tag: Spring

Favorite Images 2018

Published on by tbeckerphotos8 Comments

Another year has almost come to an end. Hard to believe 2018 is almost over. My time for photography has been limited this year and my time for writing has been even less. (Something to work on for 2019, making more time for both.) As I was pondering whether or not to show my favorite images for 2018, I wondered if there were more than a handful as I had only wandered through the nearby parks a few times. But those few times I knew I had to work hard and really make my time count.  To my surprise, while browsing through my Lightroom catalog of images for 2018, many I was quite pleased with. Each year there is a different theme to my photography and at first I thought it was all about trees, white and red this year. However, as I discovered images that I had forgotten about, two themes came to mind. One, I was looking for peace, for which I hope you see as I did when the images were made and still see today. Two, I was pushing myself to be creative.  With little time in the field this year, I was usually chasing a moment, when nature’s show would be for a short time, as little as a fleeing moment, making me work hard to catch it.  Whether a wet snow in early spring or an early wet snow in autumn. One week it was full autumn splendor and just a week later the trees had snow clinging to them.  The morning I photographed the snow-covered red maple trees, it was before I had to be at my day job.  I had about 35 minutes to make images.  Three from that morning made it into this gallery.

So as we say goodbye to 2018, I hope you enjoy seeing my favorite images of 2018!

Lily Of The Valley

Published on by tbeckerphotos4 Comments

Lily Of The Valley is one of the most fragrant spring flowers.  A perennial flower that prefers moist soil and shade and grows in the northern zone, USDA 2-9.  Tiny white bell-shaped flowers on stems with lance-shaped green leaves.  As I sat on the ground to photograph these tiny white flowers there was a gentle spring breeze.  The breeze filling the air with the beautiful fragrance of Lily Of The Valley.

As a toddler, I loved to walk behind the evergreen shrubs to find the blooming tiny white bell-shaped flowers in the spring.  A memory that is vivid, so vivid that when relocating back to the Midwest I wanted to have Lily Of The Valley in my garden.  Not just any Lily Of The Valley, but the plants my mom had planted probably 50+ years ago.  And I did.  The owner of the home where we lived is not fond of the flowers and I asked if I could come over and dig them up to transplant to my yard.  She said yes and in fact helped me dig up the plants.

As I sit and process my photos and write, I can smell the beautiful fragrant flowers.  Not just in my mind, as I picked a few stems and have them in a small vase on my desk.  Soon the Lily Of The Valley blooms will be spent and I’ll have to wait until next spring to relive the vivid childhood memory.  Until then I can embrace the fragrance and beauty of Lily Of The Valley through my photography.