This morning we had freezing rain and I headed out to photograph the same seed heads in my garden that I’ve been documenting over the fall. As the day wore on and the temperature crept over the freezing mark the ice started to change, and then things really started to look interesting. The transitions in nature are just so fascinating.
If you are interested in the seed head series you can see it here, and there is more iced flora here.
© Karen McRae, 2012
How the fields looked yesterday as they were collecting generous flakes of sticky snow. An irresistible sort of snowfall.
*The middle image is an in-camera double exposure (digital), the others are not.
© Karen McRae, 2012
Reflections and compositions in a partially frozen pond. The last couple of days have been mild so there is a watery surface on the ice.
© Karen McRae, 2012
In a technical sense this first image is a poor photograph – it’s blurry and improperly exposed – but there is something about the way it expresses the season that I like. Partly it’s the colour of the leaves and the movement of the water but it’s more likely that I am recalling the moment when I was actually there and responding to the environment. We each bring our own rich history with us when look at things.
It’s been a long while since I’ve posted images of the landscape from a broader view. These are views of the winding creek, which I have photographed the slow-moving surface of, so many times. 
A flutter in the chest. A small bird, caught inside. Almost weightless in its restlessness. Almost. At times nestled in, curled up, resting. At times. A flutter in the chest. Wing-beats and sharp feet. Pulchritude and ache in equal measure. Almost.
© Karen McRae, 2012
The days seem intermediary. Frosted only at the edges. The autumn colours have faded – to sepia – to grey – to misty blues.
But for some reason these are colours I can sink into. Literally.
There have been a few times when I thought my boots might be lodged permanently in the clay bottom of the creek. But so far I’ve managed each time to wrestle myself out on to solid ground. When your mind is absorbed in one thing, you may not notice that your feet are being absorbed by another…
Each of these images is an in-camera double exposure. Layers of light and shadow on a rippling surface.
© Karen McRae, 2012
Wishing there was a bit more time and light in a day to fit in all the possibilities.
These were taken with natural light, but in my studio, rather than outside. The background is a smudgy black chalkboard.
*Addendum: My mother just sent me an email asking “isn’t there anything else you can photograph?” Perhaps it’s time to change the subject… =)
© Karen McRae, 2012
I’m just working through some images for printing and I realize that each time I look at the above image it makes me think of a little bird’s nest on a spindly stick – small seeds in winter coats nested inside.
It’s interesting to me how once an idea like that is planted in my mind, it seems I always reference that image the same way. I no longer see it for what it actually is.
In the image below, I always imagine it to be the face of a rabbit. That’s what immediately came to mind the first time I looked at it and that idea has stuck.
Alright, back to work. I’ve run out of words…
© Karen McRae, 2012
Some things just restlessly vie for attention over and over again and you find yourself humouring them.
All images © Karen McRae
draw and shoot 