Ok, been absent for a little while, but with the new year here I want to share a few favorite images I've taken in 2010. As some of you may know, 2010 has been a year full over very high highs and very low lows. It has been both the best year of my life and the very worst of nightmares at the same time. Anyway, heres to 2011 with a look back at 2010:
This image of Blackwater Falls in Davis, West Virginia was taken on October 10th. This stop capped off a weekend where we traveled over 1000 miles going from the Delaware Bay, to the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and finally to the mountains of West Virginia. Normally I do not like to have the main subject of my images obsured in any way, but the color of these leaves against the white of the falls was simply striking. I chose a long exposure because I simply love the velvety soft look of flowing water. I broke the rule of thirds with how high the top of the falls is, I did that to try and convey the size of the falls. For those who have not seen or heard of this waterfall it is actually roughly the height of a five story building. It is quite an impressive sight. Almost as impressive is the number of stairs leading down to the falls, 294 if my memory serves. This goes down in my book as one of the hardest "easily accessible" sites in the area.
This image is entitled "Bashful Raccoon". This was an image of sheer luck (always remembering that even with luck, if you do not know what you are doing when you get the opportunity to get the shot, you will fail). I was at Bombay Hook along the Delaware Bay on July 3rd. I had brought my kids along to what they called "the bug place" due to the number of biting flies that would sneak into the car only to be squished by a hyper 5 and 3 year old. Driving along one of the back trails where nothing is normally sighted, I spy movement along the edge of the road in the brush. I immediately hit the brakes, grab my camera with the telephoto zoom on it and rush towards the movement. It turned out to be a raccoon. And he was not very happy to see me. He bolted for a tree and went to climbing it. Luckily for me he stopped about 10 feet up in a nook and was curious enough to peer down at me. It really looks like he was posing for me, perhaps he was...
Click here for the original, this smaller thumbnail just does not do the eagle justice. I've spent a lot of time this year up a Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River. If you have not heard, they have a thriving population of eagles that live and breed there in the area. This is a very popular spot for photographers, bird watchers, and fishermen. I've spent much time there learning how to use an ultra-telephoto lens and learning the ins and outs of eagles and how they move. This shot was taken very late in the year: December 11th. Some days you go up and the eagle simply sit and watch the world. Other days, like the 11th they are hungry and decide to fish the entire day. But I have found that finding them fishing is the easy part. Learning how to track with their movements so you can get a good crisp shot is the hard part. Its taken many months and many, many shots but I am finally getting the hang of it. There is something about the cry of a Bald Eagle that is simply intoxicating and keeps drawing me back with hopes of catching these amazing birds in action.
If you like what you see you can see more at Benjamin DeHaven's Gallery at www.dajdesignsphotography.com. Here are a couple more photographs that hold a special place in my heart:
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| Great Egret Taking Off At Dusk in Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge |
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| Old Fishing Boat on Hooper's Island, MD |
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| Elakala Falls in Blackwater Falls State Park |
