Angel
“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive.” ― Gilda Radner
Daisy
I saw this quote posted above a picture on Facebook and knew it was going to be the subject of a post. Gilda Radner was always one of my favorite “Not Ready for Prime Time Players” and it is tragic that she was taken from this world at such a young age.
I love dogs. I have been around dogs all my life – we had dogs in our house, my grandmother had dogs, my aunts and uncles, just about everyone in my family had dogs when I was growing up. You may recognize my dog, Angel, from previous posts. She is half Boxer and half Labrador Retriever; we got her 8 years ago as a puppy from a rescue shelter. Even though it has only been 8 years it seems like she has always been here.
Jack
Daisy was one of my aunt’s dogs, shown here with one of my cousins. She was a great dog and was actually named after a very famous person; Daisy from “Bicycle Built for Two”. Really, it’s true! My grandmother used to sing the song all the time. It was her anthem….
Heidi and Katie
Jack. What can I say about Jack? Jack was my aunt’s (a different aunt) dog and I took this picture at Christmas in 2004. He was a great dog and I have a feeling a little kid could have beat him up pretty good and he wouldn’t have batted an eye. I have another picture of him that I took during a visit in 2007 right after he decided to walk through the creek behind my grandmother’s house. You can image how nicely the black mud complemented his white coat.
Going back to the 1970′s we have a picture of Heidi and Katie, a Collie and Alaskan Malamute. The image here is the result of a quick scan of an old negative I found laying around one day. I think it was shot with a Kodak Instamatic on 126 film. Heidi was my great-aunt’s dog and Katie was ours. They were both good dogs but they grew intolerant of young children in their later years. If you got too close there would be a quick snap but they never bit anyone.
These are but a few of the family dogs through the ages – there were also Taffy, Brandy, Molly, Wimpy, Duke, Pat, Buffy, Spike, Baby, Loran (I think that was the name) and a whole host of others that I can’t remember names for. There was also Maxie and Dakota from next door but I can’t find photos.
If you are looking to get a dog check out the ASPCA and other shelters or go onto PetFinder to search. A rescue dog is pretty special and they aren’t all mutts.
All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia, All Rights Reserved
They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer.
If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at joevalencia@photobyjoe.comxa.com
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Horseshoe Cove – Sandy Hook
My son
I didn’t realize that today was National Teacher Appreciation day until it was almost too late. I have always had an appreciation for teachers, even more so after I did some teaching of my own. It isn’t an easy profession but it can be quite rewarding. There are a number of teachers in my family – cousins, children of cousins, in-laws, even my god-daughter! You may remember last month I wrote about my god-daughter, Karly. She works with autistic children.
We have all had teachers who have influenced our lives – some peripherally and some tremendously. I have had a number of teachers who have to take credit (good or bad) for who I am today. They have influenced me and ignited something inside of me that burns deep.
I want to start my homage to teachers with a quick anecdote from my freshman English teacher, Mrs. Beverly Muldoon. English has never been one of my best subjects and I am sure I was nowhere near her best student but I remember a story she told us. She was early in her teaching career and had a student named Fred who thought he was really cool. He was so cool that he wanted to be referred to as “Derf” because Fred wasn’t cool enough. I don’t know exactly who Derf was but I suspect he went on to become a singer/songwriter in a popular band in the 80′s. Am I correct, Mrs. Muldoon?
Mrs. Goodman, one of my high school math teachers also taught me about computer programming. I was a freshman in high school and we had a terminal connected to a computer at Brookdale Community College. I learned BASIC and then we graduated to FORTRAN IV and punch cards. Who would have thought all those years ago that I would be making a living as a computer programmer? When I started high school I was determined to become a scientist but Mrs. Goodman changed that and I thank her for it.
Mr. Len Watson was my gym teacher from 4th grade thru 8th grade. He was responsible for getting me interested in wrestling and I will be forever grateful. I was always active and was involved in sports – Little League, softball, intramurals, etc…. – but I was never really considered a terrific athlete. Don’t get me wrong, I was far from awful but I wasn’t one of the “elite”. That changed with wrestling. I was good! Very good! It taught me discipline and how it was just as important to be smart as it was to be strong. You could beat someone stronger than you if you were smart; a lesson that sticks with me to this day. I ended up marrying someone from a family that is wild about wrestling and both of my children were involved at young ages. My daughter as a fan and wrestling manger and my son as a wrestler. Who knows what life would have been like had I not taken to wrestling? I lost touch with Mr. Watson but thought of him every time my son took to the mat.
The last teacher that I am going to write about is Mr. Charles Poulos, without whom there might not be a Wandering Photographer blog. He died last year and though I haven’t seen him in many years I felt deep sense of loss when I learned the news. Mr. Poulos got me involved in audio/visual arts and, most importantly, photography. When I was in 8th grade I was responsible for doing the lights and sound for the school plays. I delivered and set up slide and movie projectors for the entire school. I even got to set up a black-and-white darkroom! That was incredibly exciting for me and I have had the bug ever since. I think of him all the time when I am out shooting or when I am writing this blog.
And so ends another blog post. My hat goes off to all teachers who work hard and seldom get the appreciation they deserve. The two photos featured here are a tribute to Mr. Poulos and Mr. Watson. I chose Horseshoe Cove in Sandy Hook because we took an 8th grade class trip to Sandy Hook and Mr. Poulos was one of the chaperones. The wrestling photo of my son just seemed a logical choice for Mr. Watson.
All photos are copyright 2013 Joseph S. Valencia All Rights Reserved
They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer.
If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at joevalencia@photobyjoe.comxa.com
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“I feel a responsibility to my backyard. I want it to be taken care of and protected.”
Annie Leibovitz
Breaker – Ocean Grove
I love Annie Leibovitz! I don’t normally think of nature and outdoor photography when I hear her name but I knew as soon as I read this quote that I was going to write this post. Maybe I will find an Ansel Adams quote that inspires an article about portraiture!
Horseshoe Cove – Sandy Hook
My initial thought was that I needed to take the quote literally and make this about my own backyard and then thought on a grander scale and how the park beyond my property is also my backyard. That lead to considering the entire planet as my backyard and how we must do what we can to protect it.
 Pine cones – Allaire State Park |
I am not suggesting that everyone walk around with a garbage bag and pick up all the garbage – that would be unreasonable. You can help by taking the extra couple steps to throw garbage in the can rather than the ground. If you smoke, please remember that the ground is not an ashtray – dispose of you butts properly! I was at a park one afternoon and found a half dozen or so cigarette butts on the ground – 5 feet from an ashtray! I happened to have a notepad with me so I took off the cardboard and used it to scoop them up and throw them away.
Here in New Jersey there are a number of “beach sweeps” every year, including one lead by Congressman Frank Pallone, and they are always looking for volunteers. Your community probably has something they do to clean up the town – find out and volunteer! If you see a field, stream, roadway or whatever that needs to be revived look up a local scout troop and see if they will do it.
Plant a tree, a flower bed or a garden. Recycle what you can. Compost what you can. If you are lucky enough to work close to home, ride your bike to work. I have been lucky enough to have this opportunity a couple times in my life and it was great!
All of the photos shown here were shot in New Jersey, some were actually shot in my backyard. Now, go out into your backyard and shoot, or plant a tree, a flower, a garden. You may think that what you do – good or bad – doesn’t make much difference but remember this; the beach is made up of small grains of sand and the ocean is nothing more than a collection of water drops! You can make a difference! |
 After the rain |
 Frozen in time |
 Box turtle – my front yard |
 Butterfly on lilacs – my backyard |
 Wasp – Oceanport |
 Black-capped chickadee – my backyard |
All photos are copyright 2013 Joseph S. Valencia All Rights Reserved
They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer.
If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at joevalencia@photobyjoe.comxa.com
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It was a beautiful spring day so I decided to forget about everything, sit in the backyard and enjoy whatever happened around me. I had my camera at the ready on the patio table, my iPad playing music and occasionally my dog, Angel. I went out in the morning for a while, mostly to shoot some of the new growth on the bushes and trees and to see if I could get a good close-up of a bee. I found a great bee but after following it around the yard it went into the woods and I got nothing. Actually, that isn’t entirely – true I did get some exercise chasing it around the yard. It must have been a great show if anyone was watching. I did take some pictures of a small tree my wife planted, along with the lilac bush and buds on a grapevine, at least we think that’s what it is.
After a while I went in for lunch and to send out some email. The afternoon proved to be even nicer than the morning and it brought birds to me. It started out with just a lone bluejay but after a while I had 2 bluejays, 4 cardinals and 2 robins in the yard and 6 turkey vultures flying around overhead. They weren’t necessarily all there at the same time but they were there. All of the bird photos shown here were shot while sitting at my patio table. I spent a couple hours that afternoon sitting at the table, never wanting to go back inside.
I had the most fun watching the bluejay that afternoon. He was the first to arrive and for a while was the only bird in the yard. He went from the holly tree to the ground and back to the tree. This went on for a while and then he started going from the ground to some downed branches in the yard that we use in the fire pit. After a while the back and forth turned into a triangle – holly tree, ground, branches and back to the holly tree. I haven’t really observed bluejays much (they aren’t one of my favorite birds) so I couldn’t tell when he was ready to take off so the only pictures I have of him in-flight are poorly composed and blurry. At one point he became interested in the swing set and perched there for a little while but then it was back to his triangle.
There were more cardinals but they never came in very close and 2 of them were somewhat hidden in the grapevines. I did get a few decent shots and have included them here along with the one good shot I got of a robin. The robin is the most plentiful bird in my yard but they have also proven to be the more difficult to shoot. They tend to keep their distance when I am outside.
I came away from the day feeling much better than when the day began; thankful for the nice weather and the entertainment. I also came away with a sunburn on my head. I normally do not spend much time outside without a hat but I spent the whole day without one and it showed.
Today is beginning to look like another one begging me to sit and watch the show in my backyard. I think everyone needs time to sit and enjoy the wonders of nature but we seem to be too busy. I hope I never get so busy that I can’t take a walk in the woods, go to the beach or just sit for a few hours in my yard.
All photos are copyright 2013 Joseph S. Valencia All Rights Reserved
They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer.
If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at joevalencia@photobyjoe.comxa.com
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Ocean Grove – The Great Auditorium
Self-portrait – Ocean Grove
I can’t believe it is already May! I have decided to celebrate National Photography Month again this year but not in the insane way as last. You may remember that I did a post every day, beginning with the 7th. I found that it was exhausting and became more of a chore than a labor of love so this year I am doing this posting and then going about my business. I normally try to keep each post about a specific event, theme or place but this one is different; it is just a bunch of random photos that I wanted to share.
You may have noticed that I am a big fan of Ocean Grove (if you haven’t done so, check out Ocean Grove @ sunrise and Photography Month – Day 11: Ocean Grove) and so I start off with a photo of the Great Auditorium in Ocean Grove. I took this shot just a couple weeks ago on a nice Sunday afternoon. The auditorium was damaged during Superstorm Sandy but it wasn’t too bad and they are hard at work patching the roof. It is a beautiful building, inside and out, and they use it for worship and concerts. If you get a chance to attend something there, do not pass it up! The second shot here was taken the same day as the first – it is a self-portrait. You will notice that the verticals are not quite vertical; that is because I had my camera mounted on one of those “flex” tripods and it didn’t like staying in the position I put it in. I had the legs wrapped about one of the boards in the bench backrest but it just wouldn’t stay so I thought “avante-garde”!?
Deer in my back yard
Lilac buds
The deer was one of five that I found in my back yard the other day. I was walking by the backdoor and saw them back at the end of my property. There is a 4 foot chain link fence but that doesn’t stop them. I grabbed my camera, slowly opened the door and took four shots before my dog discovered them and started barking as though someone were killing her! They took off and she ran out barking to make sure they knew who was boss and that they were trespassing on her territory. Years ago, before the dog and the fence, I would get deer coming almost to my backdoor. I have a holly tree about 10 feet off my kitchen and there was one fawn that came just about every day and stood under the tree eating. I would sit for the longest time doing nothing but watch her eat. Yes, my life was THAT exciting back then….
My wife planted a lilac bush a few years back and the buds are beginning to come out. I took this a couple days ago on one of my excursions around the yard. I like to go out a couple times a week with the camera around my neck to see if I can find anything new and interesting. I especially like to find trees, flowers, bushes, etc…. in various states of bloom and chronicle them during the spring and summer. I like the lilac in particular because there is always a lot of action around it during the spring and summer. Birds, butterflies and bees all seem to enjoy hanging around our bush and the ones that my neighbors have along their fence. I have some nice close-up shots of bees that I have shared in the past and hope to get even better ones this year.
Red leaf
Black-crowned Night Heron – scanned from slide
The photo of the red maple leaf is another example of my meanderings. This was taken towards the back of my yard, just about where the yard ends and the woods begin. There are a few maple trees back there along with birch, holly, cedar and others. I have found that it is just as important to look down when you walk as it is to look up (and not just because the above mentioned deer leave their “calling cards”….) If I was looking for something instead of just looking around I never would have seen this red leaf all alone amongst the brown.
I will leave you with a shot of a black-crowned night heron that I shot back in the 1980′s. This bird used to show up on a regular basis and perch on my neighbors dock support. I found this slide a few weeks ago while looking for something and did a quick scan. The slide needs to be cleaned and the scan isn’t the best but I like the shot and wanted to share it with you.
And so ends my tribute to National Photography Month 2013! Now that you have read this, turn off your computer and go out and shoot!
All photos are copyright 2013 Joseph S. Valencia All Rights Reserved
They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer.
If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at joevalencia@photobyjoe.comxa.com
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“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.”
John Burroughs
Lily Pad Lake at Allaire State Park
This is another quote that I found posted by a Facebook friend, Debbie Housechild Johnson, a while back and decided to write about it some day. That some day is today. If you have been following me for any length of time you know that I am a big fan of parks – local, county, state or federal doesn’t matter – if it is a park, I will check it out.
Ocean Grove Fishing Pier @ Sunrise
When I first read this quote I immediately thought of the lily pad lake at Allaire State Park shown in the first picture. This is where I go if I want to be alone with just my thoughts and the beauty of nature (and my camera, of course.) It lies on a major trail but not many people venture that far back. I have come up with topics written about here, solved code problems for work and written letters while sitting on the bench.
Sunset over Shrewsbury River – Oceanport
A sunrise over the ocean is something that everyone should experience at least once in their life. Watching the sun come up is like a rebirth or hitting a reset button. My favorite sunrise location was the Fishing Pier at Ocean Grove but the pier was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy in October 2012. They are rebuilding the pier but, as-of this writing they have a long way to go. I don’t know what it will look like when it is completed but plan to be there at sunrise shortly after and will share that with you. I guess the flipside of sunrise over the ocean would be sunset over the river. It can be quite soothing after a long day, putting an end to one chapter and refueling for the next. The sunset shown here was taken from the back yard of my childhood home in Oceanport some time in the 1980′s and scanned. This particular section of the Shrewsbury River is name the Oceanport Creek and ends just a couple houses south of where I lived. The dock and boat in the foreground belonged to my neighbor.
Waterfall – Bushkill Falls
The magnificence of a waterfall cannot be overstated. I have never been to Niagara Falls but I have been to Bushkill Falls in Pennsylvania. The sound of the water is both powerful and soothing at the same time. The photo shown here was taken in the mid-1980′s with my Canon A1 on Kodachrome and scanned so that I could include it here. I miss the old days of Kodachrome, especially my favorite Kodachrome 25. My digital camera only goes as slow as ISO 100 which is fine for most instances but I am going to need a neutral density filter (or 2) if I want to use slower shutter speeds during the day.
Buck - taken along the Orange Trail @ Allaire State Park
Last, but certainly not least, is wildlife. I love to sit and watch birds come and go in my backyard. Looking to the sky and seeing a hawk flying around is awe inspiring. For my money I enjoy watching deer, egrets and herons more than any other of Mother Nature’s creatures. There is something majestic about a deer, especially a buck, and the gracefulness of an egret is virtually unparalleled. The buck shown here was shot at Allaire State Park, not far from the lily pad lake I wrote of earlier. You may remember this shot from an earlier article. The great white egret was shot in Union Beach during a lunchtime visit to the beach. I made a point of going to this spot when my lunch coincided ex with low tide because I knew I would find at least one egret feeding along the shore. The only problem was that I had to go back to the office….
Great egret in flight – Union Beach
And so goes my tribute to the soothing, healing affects of nature. If you find yourself feeling stressed or life has been dealing you a losing hand lately, go to a park, a beach, woods or whatever you favorite getaway spot is and get reacquainted with Mother Nature and all she has to offer.
All photos are copyright 2012 and 2013 Joseph S. Valencia All Rights Reserved
They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer.
If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at joevalencia@photobyjoe.comxa.com
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April 22nd is Earth Day. I’m going to keep this brief and let the photos speak for themselves. Go out and spend some time with Mother Nature and enjoy all that is beautiful on this home of ours.
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All photos are copyright 2013 Joseph S. Valencia All Rights Reserved
They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer.
If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at joevalencia@photobyjoe.comxa.com
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