Buzzing for Milkweed /  by Todd Henson

Buzzing for Milkweed, a bumble bee flying beside milkweed flowers.

I love random walks through parks, camera in tow, looking for anything that catches my eye. I don’t go with any specific goal other than enjoying nature, but I’m completely open to anything that catches my eye. Sometimes that may be a nesting osprey with its young, a raccoon bedding down for a nap, a group of young red fox playing, or a bumble bee gathering pollen from a patch of milkweed.

We walked a trail along the edge of the bay, with water to the left and swampy land to the right. Occasionally we’d see and follow a monarch or zebra swallowtail butterfly, which eventually led us to a small patch of milkweed. There I found bumble bees gathering pollen from the flowers.

A bumble bee gathering pollen on milkweed.

Bumble bees are great subjects. They just don’t care about the presence of people. Some insects will fly off when you get too close. This is often the case for me with butterflies. But bumble bees just go about their business completely ignoring my presence.

I used my macro lens and I slowly moved in close to the milkweed and the bumble bee, trying to follow it the best I could. Often it’s best to pick a spot the bee seems to like, prefocus, and just wait for the bee to enter that spot. But sometimes I’ll also try following the bee. It’s not always successful, but it’s fun. On this day I was very pleased to capture the photos I did, my favorite of which shows the bumble bee in flight as it was approaching the flower, buzzing for milkweed.

Both of these photographs are available for purchase through my online store, run by Fine Art America / Pixels.

Fine Art Photography Prints by Todd Henson

Fine Art Photography Prints by Todd Henson

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The Art of a Diving Duck /  by Todd Henson

The Art of a Diving Duck

When I photograph nature I’m often trying to capture interesting views of different species to share my love of nature and wildlife. But sometimes something more artistic can come out of my explorations. I’ll notice something beautiful, or something I think has the potential to become beautiful. And I begin exploring this, trying to find whatever it was that sparked my interest.

Diving Below the Glowing Surface

The 3 photographs in this post came out of one of these explorations. I had been photographing a Long-tailed Duck, a somewhat unusual species in Northern Virginia. It was very indifferent to human presence so I was able to spend a lot of time watching its behavior, and it was often close enough to fill the frame without need of cropping.

Across the Water

As I watched I kept noticing the patterns formed when the duck dove below the surface of the lake. Its long tail helped add an interesting element, either forming a fascinating pattern, or flicking droplets of water in fantastic patterns. I began watching specifically for the moments it dove, trying to capture as many variations of this as I could.

I think these 3 images best express what I was seeing and feeling as I watched this unusual duck repeatedly diving for food. I’m sure it was as indifferent to my excitement at the beautiful patterns it was creating as it was to my presence. But I’m very happy to have shared these moments with this duck, and thankful for the opportunities it gave me to explore my creative side.

All of these photographs are available for purchase through my online store, run by Fine Art America / Pixels.

Fine Art Prints by Todd Henson

Fine Art Prints by Todd Henson

Fine Art Prints by Todd Henson

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Ansel Adams: Classic Images /  by Todd Henson

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Cover of Ansel Adams: Classic Images

Cover of Ansel Adams: Classic Images

Ansel Adams: Classic Images is a classic Ansel Adams photo book. It contains 75 plates, all of photographs chosen by Ansel to represent his best work and intended to be shown as exhibitions in museums.

The book includes a short introduction by John Szarkowski and an excellent essay, titled Ansel Adams, American Artist, by James Alinder. The essay is a biography of Ansel’s life exploring how he became the quintessential American landscape photographer of his time. Following the photographic plates, which are all one per page, is a list of the plates and a chronology of important events in Ansel’s life.

Ansel Adams: Classic Images, plates 4-5: Winnowing Grains, Taos Pueblo, New Mexico, 1929 & Saint Francis Church, Rancos de Taos, New Mexico, 1929

Ansel Adams: Classic Images, plates 4-5: Winnowing Grains, Taos Pueblo, New Mexico, 1929 & Saint Francis Church, Rancos de Taos, New Mexico, 1929

I was curious what the differences were in the photographs in this book, chosen by Ansel, and those in Ansel Adams: 400 Photographs, chosen by Andrea G. Stillman, who worked as Ansel’s assistant. Obviously, 400 Photographs contains far more photographs than does Classic Images. But does it contain everything in Classic Images and is there any point in owning this book versus that one?

Ansel Adams: Classic Images, plates 14-15: Georgia O’Keefe and Orville Cox, Cnayon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, 1937 & Ghost Ranch Hills, Chama Valley, Northern New Mexico, 1937

Ansel Adams: Classic Images, plates 14-15: Georgia O’Keefe and Orville Cox, Cnayon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, 1937 & Ghost Ranch Hills, Chama Valley, Northern New Mexico, 1937

As it happens there are 13 photographs in Classic Images that do not appear in 400 Photographs:

  • Plate 6: Juniper Tree Detail, Sequoia National Park, California, c. 1927

  • Plate 17: Spanish American Woman, near Chimayo, New Mexico, 1937

  • Plate 23: Vernal Fall, Yosemite Valley, California, c. 1948

  • Plate 31: Pool, Acoja Pueblo, New Mexico, c. 1942

  • Plate 41: Mrs. Gunn on Porch, Independence, California, 1944

  • Plate 43: Dune, White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, c. 1942

  • Plate 51: Grand Canyon of the Colorado River, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, c. 1942

  • Plate 59: Penitente Morada, Coyote, New Mexico, c. 1950

  • Plate 60: Church and Road, Bodega, California, c. 1953

  • Plate 61: Buddhist Grave Markers and Rainbow, Maui, Hawaii, c. 1956

  • Plate 62: Manly Beacon, Death Valley National Monument, California, c. 1952

  • Plate 66: White Mountain Range, Thunderclouds, from the Buttermilk County, near Bishop, California, 1959

  • Plate 71: Trees, Slide Lake, Grand Teton National Park, c. 1965

Ansel Adams: Classic Images, plates 34-35: Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, 1942 & The Tetons and the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 1942

Ansel Adams: Classic Images, plates 34-35: Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, 1942 & The Tetons and the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 1942

Fascinatingly, some of the photographs that appear in both look different. In some cases this may be due simply to differences in printing. But in some cases I wonder if it may be different versions of the same photo? Ansel is known to have reprocessed some images throughout the years, and there could be examples of this in these books.

Ansel Adams: Classic Images, plates 46-47: Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite National Park, California, 1944 & Tenaya Creek, Dogwood, Rain, Yosemite National Park, California, 1948

Ansel Adams: Classic Images, plates 46-47: Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite National Park, California, 1944 & Tenaya Creek, Dogwood, Rain, Yosemite National Park, California, 1948

So is Ansel Adams: Classic Images worth seeking out if you already own Ansel Adams: 400 Photographs? I may be biased, as I did purchase both, but I believe the answer is yes if you are enough of a fan of Ansel’s work. There are photos in Classic Images that don’t appear in 400 Photographs. And Classic Images has the essay by James Alinder, which I very much enjoyed.

Ansel Adams: Classic Images, plates 60-61: Church and Road, Bodega, California, 1953 & Buddhist Grave Markers and Rainbow, Maui, Hawaii, 1956

Ansel Adams: Classic Images, plates 60-61: Church and Road, Bodega, California, 1953 & Buddhist Grave Markers and Rainbow, Maui, Hawaii, 1956

However, if you are looking for a single book that shows a broad range of Ansel Adams work, I would recommend Ansel Adams: 400 Photographs. It has a much broader range of material. The plates in both books are of similar size. Some are larger in one, some larger in the other, but they are mostly comparable.

In the end I don’t think you can go wrong with either book. They are both excellent representations of Ansel’s work.