Spring Awakening – WPC

“It is spring again. The Earth is like a child that knows poems.”

Rainer Maria Rilke

SPRING RITUAL

SPRING RITUAL

As Jen has so aptly pointed out, for many of us here in the US, spring has finally sprung. This week I was fortunate to participate in a 2-day session with Ralph Lee Hopkins, an incredible photographer as well as the Director of Photography Expeditions for Lindblad/National Geographic. All of this week’s images, focused on some local spring rituals, were made during a post-lecture shoot with Ralph on one of Kiawah’s beautiful golf courses.

SOARING EGRET

SOARING EGRET

“The ghostly winter silence has given way to the great spring murmur of awakening life.”

Jack London

Interestingly, some glorious egrets and cormorants have created a very active rookery beside one of the course’s lagoons. Although the weather was not Kiawah’s best, the overcast made it a bit more feasible to capture the snowy white birds as they soared through the trees and tended to their nests. They were clever in the placement of the rookery, making it impossible to get close, but we did our best with zoom lenses, cropping and creativity.

POND PLANTS

REFLECTED POND PLANTS

“You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep spring from coming.”

Pable Neruda

Beyond the nesting birds there is evidence of spring’s arrival all around us. The ponds are blooming with new plants, baby alligators are everywhere, and the beautiful trees are filled with that wonderful shade of green that is only fleetingly seen as spring arrives.

COPSE AND LAGOON

COPSE AND LAGOON

“The deep roots never doubt spring will come.”

Marty Rubin

Jen mentions that during her years in South Carolina her favorite season was autumn – which does indeed provide welcome relief from summer’s heat as well as the incredible purples and pinks of sweetgrass. For me though, spring’s arrival plays an even more important role. I love the smells and sights of the season – the budding flowers and trees, the courtship rituals of the birds, the birth of the fawns and bobcat kittens…it doesn’t get much better than spring on Kiawah for a nature lover.

FRONDS

FRONDS

“Can words describe the fragrance of the very breath of spring?”

Neltje Blanchan

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite images from the day – the sight of soaring white birds in motion against a pale sky is for me a near-spiritual moment. The elegance of these graceful creatures as they return to the nest, where their life-long mates are tending their soon-to-be-born offspring is a special gift not to be taken lightly.

SOARING

SOARING

“Spring came, and with it the outpourings of nature.”

Dalai Lama XIV

 

Wishing everyone the beauty of spring’s awakening whatever your current season.

 

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94 thoughts on “Spring Awakening – WPC”

  3. How wonderful to be able to participate on a photography expedition on Kiawah with R. L. Hopkins, Tina. I looked him up, his work is impressive and so is yours. This is outstandingly beautiful work, it looks awesome in monochrome and as always perfectly framed with words. x

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  4. It was nice to read your last post, so I could come back and see your B&W on this one. Sent out an earlier comment on this, mentioning this is one of my favorite posts of yours because I do not see much B&W from you, yet you use it so well. The second and fourth shots are such contrasts, but so perfect. The minimalist feel of the soaring egret is very zen-like. Of course, your favorite last shot is pretty special too 🙂

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    • Many thanks Randall. Although I love B&W I do like to be consistent and do all or none in my posts. Many times I have a favorite B&W I don’t post because my other favorites for that week are in color. That said, I thought all of these lent themselves to B&W and am pleased you agreed 😀. Thanks as always for your visit and comment.

      >

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  6. I can understand why your last photo “soaring” is your favourite Tina. I love the way you have cropped it giving it both a mystical and almost musical quality. What a great series of images. Bravo 🙂

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  7. just love these Tina….so calming & fresh!! for a minute there wasn’t sure if spring would be coming around here…happy it is finally!!!

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  8. These B&W images are lovely! “Fronds” really caught my eye.
    Happy spring to you (we had a few more snow flurries here in Virginia today … wonder if that will be it?0

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  20. Fabulous! 🙂 🙂 I love your reflected fronds. Hate to be a killjoy but it’s still cold and dank here, but we are promised that on Tuesday….. 🙂 🙂 I wait with baited breath. But I have see lambs in the fields, and at least the snow’s gone. Have a joy filled weekend, Tina!

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  22. Absolutely wonderful images Tina, despite the lack of any colors, still so expressive. Some of the pictures appear to be drawn, soft and so beautiful.

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  23. Pingback: Awakening: Smoke Break – What's (in) the picture?

  27. Great shots, Tina, especially Soaring Egret and Copse and Lagoon. Mesmerizing, as always. Then, love this line “You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep spring from coming.” Have a great weekend 🙂

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  29. Spring is my favourite season as every day something new emerges. Have I already told you that you live in Paradise? A true nature lover’s island and you do it justice every time you take a photo. I love the pond flowers reflection, there is something so simple and yet so beautiful about that composition. That really should be hanging on a wall.

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  33. Tina, I’m sometimes at a loss for words to tell you how lovely your photos are. You’re obviously an apt pupil, but one starting from a point of excellent and going from strength to strength. I, too, love the ethereal beauty of the B&W, but although I love all the shots, the one of the reflecting flowers is the one that caught my fancy today.

    janet

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  35. Pingback: WPC: Awakening | Lillie-Put

  37. Wonderful captures! The black and white did the day justice. Can see the copse and its reflection framed with a circular mat. Beautiful.

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  41. All wonderful in monochrome, Tina. The reflections in the ponds are gorgeous and the ethereal feel of the egrets in flight is beautiful. I am sure the workshop was great– his work is amazing.

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  43. Tina – the ghostly light is breathtaking – felt airborne myself just looking at these. And the emerging pond plants reminded me of the corps de ballet – may I ask what settings you used to created these and the egrets?

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      • Interesting as I was complaining of bland light days & struggles to take decent photos – you proved me wrong

      • saw some sun Saturday for a change and was out in (not with!) a flash with camera

    • Hi Laura, the flying egrets in the white sky were shot at f/8, iso 200, ss 1/250 sec at 120mm. The plants (love your analogy) were also iso 200, f/7.1, 1/30 sec at 95 mm. I shot the egrets with my Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 lens and the plants with my Fuji XF 55-200.

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      • Thanks for all the tech details Tina – all adds up to some very special photos

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