My "and what not" is a hodgepodge of photographs, thoughts, and videos. My "portfolio" is ongoing and is dedicated to individual categories. MrsBarbieD's Portfolio Blog is often updated with new photographs, reflections, and observations.
While I have a store anything that has been posted on my site is always available for print. My prints are done on semi-gloss 19x13 paper. The photograph is 18x12 or 14x11 depending... Email me at
[email protected]
with the word
"print"
in the subject.
My "and what not" is a hodgepodge of photographs, thoughts, and videos. My "portfolio" is ongoing and is dedicated to individual categories. MrsBarbieD's Portfolio Blog is often updated with new photographs, reflections, and observations.
While I have a store anything that has been posted on my site is always available for print. My prints are done on semi-gloss 19x13 paper. The photograph is 18x12 or 14x11 depending... Email me at
[email protected]
with the word
"print"
in the subject.
Born in the spring, this young raccoon is going thru its first winter
Just below it is its mom cuddled up in the tree
Barred Owlet that has left the nest and branched at a near by tree
Detail of barred owl underparts female/male
Georgie's Treasures
While I am primarily a wildlife photographer this picture is from my moms collection of "whatnot.' I've added it to my store.
Barred Owlets
See videos
Owl video
Raccoon kits...
On the day that I took this footage Mom safely relocated her kits to a deep and secure hole where they are hidden well and unable to fall out. Once the kits are old enough (still weeks away) they'll climb out with Mom's assistance and care. InTheSecretWoods link
Male Hummingbird
All my grammies books...
“The Ox Cart Man” where can you be…beneath the
piles before me or hiding near my knee?
Six eyes line the window, hazel and brown, wonder
of wonders a bag full of books has just been found.
Here she comes our teacher grammy…could it be the
“Good Night Moon” or “Free Fall” from leaves high in a tree?
Tiny fingers hold tight the chairs propped looking up
the driveway, just twenty minutes longer the day
still bright reminds me. “Hello Red Fox” says Eric Carle,
as she enters with a bell “The Polar Express”
has her excited this story she has to tell.
Oh joy she longs to share as they sit upon the couch
“Roxaboxen” or “Green Eggs and Ham” if you please,
our "Mama s not a Llama" they laugh and tease.
Their cat comes up beside them as she reads
“Cats here, cats there, cats and kittens everywhere”
while fingers touch her necklace dangling with
white beads.
Oh for such a time as this she loved them through
and through “Blueberries for Sal”, “Make Way for
Ducklings”, “One Morning in Maine” and “Time of
Wonder” the cover written in gold and blue.
For your inquiring, enchanted mind she wrote in
’89, moon snails and spiders are very similar you
know for “Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones” where eggs are made to grow.
The funny ones we love “There’s a Nightmare in My Closet” peeping and nestled
on the blankets edge “The Napping House” breaks not my bed when everyone is
sleeping.
Should it end not there for further on she goes and
here she comes again with Lewis in tow.
By far a favorite each summer stuffed in her big black purse,
the chronicles of Narnia where Prince Caspian is
known to say “I don’t like running away” come jumping off the page.
Yet in another pocket she reveals something new
“The Island of The Blue Dolphin” is torn and tattered too.
She knits you all a snowflake and gives you each
a kiss while her face is singing sagas of the Sacketts’
in the west, L’Mours’ historical fictions are sitting on her chest.
Her shelves appear disordered some would even say a mess,
but hands reach out to touch them her books above her desk.
She signed everyone one she gave you each child
received her best, a scripture to remind them how
wonderfully they’re blessed.
Once asked a person wisely does anyone perceive how
much she loves those written words books “A” to “Z”?
Most worshiped within her soul the one the Lord Himself holds.
She prays the words He’s written with each of you in mind,
His glory may they find...
White Pelicans
Raccoons sharing a tree hole
Barred Owl Courtship
Barred Owl ... she pops out of her favorite hole and flies away
Barred Owl Digital Art
Winter Moose Digital Art
Fall Sandhill Cranes
The Rookery and my thoughts ...
It was quiet all around me with only an occasional sound from the wind or a yelp from the herons which I'd come to see. Bundled up in layers of clothes along with water boots, I turned off my iphone as to not disturb nature. I watched and waited, hoping to see the dance of the great blue herons mating. I saw one pick up a branch from a nest, drop it, then pick up another one and fly off.
Herons and egrets present sticks to the one that tickles their fancy during courtship and nesting. It’s like a man bringing a woman flowers...the sticks are gifts and a show of affection. Herons don’t mate for life so this is a yearly ceremony. I’m eager to see it in full display.
I thought about my life today and said aloud, “I cannot believe it.” How blessed I am. I reflected over how time flies and the gentleness and grace of God. Experience and age changes us but He is the conductor of life's orchestra: the beginning and the end. I said again out loud, “ I never thought I’d see and do the things I’ve been privileged to see and do these past few years. I never even imagined it.” I’ve been immeasurably showered over by my husband’s generosity in allowing me to pursue the things I feel passionate about. I hardly ever put down my camera and I thrive on crazy abstract adventures, especially on rivers and in the woods. I am not well liked by most but to my husband I know I am his whole world. This is a delicate and sacred knowledge and my own heart is full of flowers every day.
Many years of my own life were about survival. They were unstable years, stained with much sin that haunted me with deep sorrow. For years I cried because I knew that as a mother of three children I had not had the wisdom or strength to give them what they deserved. It was only when I met my husband that he provided a sanctuary and a home. Together we gave them our best, together we sought the Lord, and together we attempted to fill their brains with His truth before they left our home. In a way it was a crash course in parenting and priorities as we worked to make up for lost time.
I turned away from friendships then so that I could look to God alone, ignoring others' opinions about right and wrong. I needed time to work through all the feebleness and the grandiose, “there are many truths” mindsets which are so pervasive in today's society. I did have friends who I loved and adored. It was they that helped me to get by many tragic crossroads in my life. For that I will always smile when I think about them. I found, though that I didn’t want their truths I wanted “THE truth.” I spent several years reading the Bible word by word, line by line, verse and chapter by chapter, book by book,(I still do). I also studied doctrine, theology, church history, cults, progressivism, Catholicism, dispensation, Calvinism and the likes. Name it, I’ve likely studied it. I discovered that to be an intellectual one does not have to be an academic.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15
Though I continue to examine the Bible, I also have entrenched myself to nature and Gods creation. I find it fascinating. I recall thinking last year as I was embedded with Canada geese, how anyone could possibly believe in evolution. Evolution is about evolving but geese are practically perfect. Herons, on the other hand are predators and they look like dinosaurs. Sarcastically, I wonder if that’s why so many people like them. I like them too. They’re beautiful, graceful and like all things, they are Gods handiwork. I know I’ll learn something and I am looking forward to that.
Sweater Walk
It felt silent but rather, it was the gentle orchestra of the backwoods.
My dogs stay close while all around us acorns bounce off of the ground that is covered with pine needles the color of an amber beach.
The transitioning green ferns now spotted in shades of brown, dance in the breeze as autumn’s-colored leaves flutter like butterflies.
Almost tiptoeing, we walk, scanning trees and fallen wood branches for any sign of hidden life.
Caught by surprise, a chipmunk makes its shrieking, chipping noise and scampers away.
Squirrels bark, warning the forest of a hawk or an owl which is present and looking for lunch.
Spotting some raccoons, I call the dogs in to sit and stay nearby. Always attentive, they move their heads, instinctively sniffing the air with their noses and perking up their ears.
Doe and Fawn
Maine Lupines
Photography, Lymes Disease, & Thoughts
I’ve had many thoughts reeling around in my mind which I’ve wanted to write about. Photography, Christianity, despair, ongoing grief, life, marriage, and a new grandchild en route are only some of the things I’ve been thinking about. In my mind I’ve written full blogs, complete with sarcasm, honesty, and humor. But alas, my Lyme disease has gotten the better part of me causing tiredness, confusion, and procrastination. As a result I’ve done plenty of contemplating and had time for personal evaluation of my past year.
Having Lyme disease feels, at times, like depression...or worse yet, (my Achilles’ heel), having Alzheimer’s. Not prone to whining or seeking a doctor, I have found it to be a bit crippling and downright annoying! I have bursts of energy and work steady for a few hours only to have that followed by days of sitting, resting, and diminished focus. I don’t necessarily think of myself as having chronic Lyme but since being diagnosed I have times that I just hit a wall for days or weeks. I am learning to adjust… but I refuse to get overly analytical or neurotic.
I have had good days. I’ve been able to go out and find eagles. I’ve observed waterfowl. I’ve walked new paths and come across big cat paws. I’ve met some wonderful people in the past weeks. They have told me stories about themselves and have been encouraging towards me and my lifestyle of photography. They’ve told me about places they’ve discovered “along the beaten paths.”
I often run into people who pull out their smart phones and start to show me all of their pictures. I hardly ever show people my pictures. Most don’t ask to see them, but they see my camera and assume that I want to see their pictures, which I find interesting. I am a study of character, personalities, and a person’s peculiar estimation of themselves. I do at times have to pull myself away from some “longwinded” grandiosity.
Pictures, pictures, and more pictures. “Are you a photographer?” This is a question, not only asked of me but one that I have given considerable thought to. What is a photographer? Who calls themselves a photographer and why? What makes a person a photographer? It’s not a good time to “be” a photographer, as the world is full of pictures. iPhones, smart phones, social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Audubon, National Geographic, magazines, and the list goes on ad nauseam. Everybody, or at least 1 in 5 people, is a photographer. The word itself as found in the dictionary doesn’t help to define the matter; a person who takes photographs, especially one who practices photography professionally.
Wikipedia offers a better explanation or one that better describes the word photographer:
“A photographer (the Greek φῶς (phos), meaning “light” and γραφή (graphê), meaning “drawing, writing”, together meaning “drawing with light” is a person who takes photographs.”
An artist of sorts… Pure, edited, manipulated, or not photography is more than a hobby and more than just a picture. It is an obsession and a way of life. Photographers think about photography all the time. When we see something, when we travel, when we plan, when we read a magazine or watch TV our minds are pondering how, what, where, when, and capturing a scene. Many, like me, consider what speed or iso was used to capture a picture that we may admire. Photography is more than simply taking a picture; it is a focused, practiced, and disciplined craft/art.
Yet in this day and age, with just about everyone being a photographer, it is competitive, cutthroat, and snarky. It is veneered with “niceness,” pride, and clicks that in some ways reminds me of adult high school. "Are you published?" "What equipment are you using?" "How did you edit that?" "Have you met so and so?" Once I was on a beach photographing and was asked, “who do you represent?” as though my credentials meant something. To me nobodies’ credentials mean much. Once a photographer is deemed as popular, they're always popular. Even when a new photograph is not very good, critics continue to hand out positive feedback, while the social media world of validation give out mindless thumbs up and “likes.”
Many so-called photographers want handouts on others work and edits. They see something they like, they follow crowds of favored photographers, and they flood landscapes for sunsets, sunrises, and established preferred in demand pictures. I appreciate that for gaining understanding on how our own camera works and advancing personal knowledge, but let’s face it... learning how to photograph requires perseverance, growth, and blood, sweat and tears. As my husband can attest to it is not without meltdowns and disappointment.
I am a photographer, I am a book publisher, and I am a writer. Good, bad, indifferent, or rejected it has to be a passion. It cannot be about seeking others' approval. It is art. It is intimate. It is sincerity shared.
SIDE NOTE: This is not meant against my FB friends who share their wonderful pictures of family, kids, and animals. I love to see your life! This is about a different segment of people.
I'll Fly Away
Some glad morning when this life is o'er,
I'll fly away;
To a home on God's celestial shore,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).
Chorus
I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away; (in the morning)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).
When the shadows of this life have gone,
I'll fly away;
Like a bird from prison bars has flown,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away)
Chorus
Just a few more weary days and then,
I'll fly away;
To a land where joy shall never end,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away)
song by Albert Brumley
I'll fly away;
To a home on God's celestial shore,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).
Chorus
I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away; (in the morning)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).
When the shadows of this life have gone,
I'll fly away;
Like a bird from prison bars has flown,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away)
Chorus
Just a few more weary days and then,
I'll fly away;
To a land where joy shall never end,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away)
song by Albert Brumley
Eagle Pair
After 8-9 years of hunting eagles on the Presumpscot and Androscoggin Rivers, I am now exploring the Kennebec River. I absolutely love mating season, probably more than in March/April when eaglets hatch. Bald eagle pairs mate for life and in the fall they begin their yearly courtship. They are fascinating to watch! They soar in the sky in dancing rituals, they sit together for long lengths of time, they reclaim their nest and territory, and they continue to keep a watchful eye on their prior fledglings. I have seen them wrap their wings around one another and even kiss, beak to beak. (And of course other unmentionable activities) They are fiercely protective of everything that they claim as “their own.”
“The world looks like something God had just imaged for his own pleasure, doesn't it?”
Anne of Green Gables
For Kristin ... quick otter uploads from my camera!
River Otter
River Otter
Outer Banks NC
Tundra Swans
Bald Eagles nest
'Great Shepherd of the sheep,
Who all Thy flock doth keep,
Leading by waters calm;
Do Thou my footsteps guide...'
Sandhill Cranes
Sandhill cranes have been nesting in my home state of Maine since 2000. Small breeding pairs migrate here in the early spring and then gather in the fall to migrate south.
Sandhill Cranes
As a #wildlifephotographer I love to capture #urban #wildlife as well. All around us are common critters that scurry past us as we take a walk or tidy our yards up.
My primary objective in photographing wildlife is to witness babies...kits, cubs, ducklings, goslings, fawns, and the likes. This goal always requires me to spend much of my time quietly "observing" in order to discover dens, nests, and spring hiding places. Here is a female woodchuck gathering nesting material to take to her den.
Young woodchucks are usually born at the end of March or the beginning of April. They are born helpless. They will begin to poke their heads out of their mothers ground hole somewhere between 4-6 weeks of age.
#Goslings are one my most favorite subjects to photograph.
#Geese are a most common species, but there is nothing common about them...
Gosling
Goslings
Southwest Of The Bog
(New book in process)
Heron
Winter snowy owl
These pictures of a #snowyowl were done ethically and without chasing this rapture. I arrived (at 6:30am and in my winter camouflage) to a location where I suspected the snowy owls might be. There were two of them but I only spent time with one as I saw the other fly off far away. One stayed within my sight for 5 hours and I saw it hunt and catch voles, mostly sat and rested, which is what they need to do to preserve their energy. I positioned myself three different times in the five hours that I spent in the wind and in the freezing cold. Each time my photographing distance was greater than a football field length. At around 4:30 hours of watching and waiting this snowy owl flew to me and rested about 35feet away. After a few quick shots I quietly walked away.
Putting in my time, it's the only way to do it right...
Snowy Owl
Snow Day
I don't really do much with black and white photography but I do like it. I generally will go almost black and white, adjusting a color I want to pop slightly. These domestic geese in snow were already there, black/white naturally.
Go tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born...
Davids Yard (from a series of pictures)
"Oh my dear, sweet love, it's a long, long journey."
Van Morrison
The Ledge... for Pam, who loves them!
Waterfront #StreetPhotography "Working for a living"
Mourning Dove and Squabs in their nest...
Brown Pelican out "fishin"
Great Horned Owlet
Great Blue Heron
Beach Buddies
Dove
Dawn...
Pumpkin colored full moon...
Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and stars by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The Lord of Hosts is His name...
Flowers.jpg, Zinnia.jpg
Geese.jpg
"One can never consent to creep when one feels the impulse to soar"
Helen Keller
Egret.jpg , Beach.jpg , Gulls.jpg