Jim Salge Photography Blog

Spring on my Mind…

Well, it’s good to be back at my computer after a prolonged power outage last week. The remainder of vacation week did not allow me to accomplish many of my shooting goals, as the weather really never cleared. I still hope to make a few trips up north before the snow disappears…as there are some views I need. Look for a sunrise from Wildcat, a sunset from Pierce, and a glorious wide shot from Tuckerman Ravine at somepoint before May if all goes to plan. Heck, after the challenging weather and lack of views during the past week…I’ll take one of those! 

I was fortunate to be in a great location on the one clear day last week.  I mentioned in brief that I spend the night on Mount Washington last Monday, and have edited down my favorite shot of the week.  Stacey Kawecki, an observer at the Mount Washington Observatory can be seen here taking in the magnificent undercast around the Southern Presidentials.  Not much to this shot besides right place and right time.  I did have a polarizer on…but I believe that’s it.  You can view the shot below in a larger format here. 

For winter shots, time is running out. Signs of seasonal change are all around us already. This morning I drove to work in partial daylight, and the sunrise/sunset will break the 6 o’clock barrier on each end by mid-month. The edges of ponds and lakes are thawing.  The forests are awakening from their deep winter state of dead quiet, and birdsong is beginning. The cardinals and finches are becoming vocal…and soon the wrens and red wing blackbirds will start. And though a long way from leaf out…the pussy willows around my neighborhood are beginning to pop! The first wildflowers, the hepatica, the colt’s foot and the skunk cabbage, are about a month away!

All this certainly doesn’t mean that winter is over, but the seasonal transition is a nice time of year, and spring fever is a good state of mind to be in!