Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Summertime, And The Livin' Is Easy ...


"Summertime, and the livin' is easy ..."
                     ~ "Summertime"
      ~ composed by George Gershwin in 1934
        for the 1935 opera "Porgy & Bess" 
        ~ performed by such jazz greats as 
           Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong,
            Sarah Vaughan & Billie Holiday

It's summertime, and the livin' is easy for my favorite white-tailed deer doe as she grazes in the park on a warm, lazy and lush July evening ... quintessential summer.

I've been blessed to photograph this doe and her fawns since 2012, and it's a true joy to me personally and as a photographer.

 

Monday, July 25, 2016

My Witness Is The Empty Sky ...



“My witness is the empty sky …”
            ~ Jack Kerouac
             ~ 1922-1969

The words of Jack Kerouac soar in this image of a bright hot air balloon gliding with its passengers in a cloudless, cerulean blue September sky.

I captured this sight as I stepped out my front door on a warm, waning summer evening – it’s not a scene that floats over your doorstep every day!


Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Sunshine On The Water ...




“Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy, sunshine in my eyes can make me cry.
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely, sunshine almost always makes me high.
If I had a day that I could give you, I’d give to you the day just like today.
If I had a song that I could sing for you, I’d sing a song to make you feel this way …

If I had a tale that I could tell you, I’d tell a tale sure to make you smile.
If I had a wish that I could wish for you, I’d make a wish for sunshine all the while …

Sunshine on the water looks so lovely, sunshine almost always makes me high.”

                 ~ “Sunshine On My Shoulders”
             ~ recorded & co-written by John Denver
                            ~ 1973


The summer was waning but its special beauty still shone through on an early September afternoon when I saw this sunflower bloom gently floating and reflecting in the creek at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Two other sunflower blooms were floating nearby, and John Denver's beautiful  “Sunshine On My Shoulders” immediately sprang to my thoughts, with its wonderful lyrics – isn’t this what we’d all want to give those we love?

Indeed, sunshine on the water looks so lovely.

                                                        
                                             








Monday, July 18, 2016

Winter Satin Video ...




Smooth, silky and sophisticated, the legendary Duke Ellington's "Satin Doll" sets the jazz-infused mood for this celebration of winter showcased in my original photos.

My greatest joy as a photographer is harmonizing my favorite original photos to music to create a lingering snapshot of the season. 

Also on my YouTube channel at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3jIRKnfpag 

Thursday, July 7, 2016

Leave Nothing But Footprints ...




“Bring nothing but silence
Show nothing but grace
Seek nothing but shelter
From the great human race
Take nothing but pictures
Kill nothing but time
Leave nothing but footprints
To show you came by.”
                                    
            ~ “Nothing But”
               ~ words & music by John Kay

A portion of the Kittattiny Ridge, also called Blue Mountain, seamlessly slopes into the landscape on a serene summer evening at Lehigh Gap in this high contrast monochrome shot.

The Lehigh Gap in Slatington, Pennsylvania, is a crossroads where the Lehigh Gap Nature Center’s trails connect two historic trails – the Appalachian Trail and the Delaware and Lehigh Heritage Corridor Trail (D&L Trail).

The Appalachian Trail, a foot path, follows the ridge on both sides of the Lehigh Gap, running 1,245 miles south to Georgia and 930 miles north to Maine. Running from Wilkes-Barre to Bristol, the D&L Trail passes through the Lehigh and Delaware rivers and their canals in Pennsylvania.

The Lehigh Gap Bridge, slightly seen at right, was built in 1930 and rehabilitated in 1984, and spans the Lehigh River.

This scene echoes the beautiful chorus of the John Kay song “Nothing But.” The words “Leave Nothing But Footprints” are often seen placed on hiking trails, and in fact can be seen along the Walnutport Canal Towpath Trail a few miles to the south.