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RJ Wilner
@rjwilner.bsky.social
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Arches National Park 037, 04/25/2005

It's been a (long) minute since I've visited this park, but this image has always been one of my fave images made there.

#LandscapePhotography #Travel #MountainMonday #Monochrome #EastCoastKin #ArchesNationalPark
A black and white image of a long string of massive rock fins in bright sunlight while heavy cloud cover is moving into the area. There is a lone hoodoo in the distance and heavy shadows created by hoodoos just outside the frame from camera left.
February 24, 2025 at 1:52 PM
rjwilner.bsky.social
A 2019 trip to South Dakota with a several day stop at Badlands National Park...

#Nature #LandscapePhotography #Travel #MountainMonday #Monochrome #EastCoastKin
A low-key b&w mountain image from Badlands National Park in South Dakota, USA. A sunset mountain image made in Badlands National Park in South Dakota, USA. The sun is getting low on the horizon and kind of skipping across the peaks. At the same time, the sky is a soft color palooza. A layered mountain image of subdued warmish colors made in Badlands National Park in South Dakota, USA.
February 17, 2025 at 12:45 PM
rjwilner.bsky.social
Where: Don Robinson State Park, Missouri, USA
When: 10/26/2024
Subject: The colors of autumn

#Photography #Missouri #Nature #AutumnColor

(P.S. - Please read at least one of the 'alt-txt descriptions)
A color image made in Don Robinson State Park during the autumn color palooza of 2024. The subject matter is not entirely clear. It could be of some grasses with morning dew on its tips, perhaps a shrub, or some other ground cover. The only thing definitive is the shapes would be those of Mother Nature's making with this one having a primarily yellow & orange color palette with a few sprinkles of green, a hint of purple here & there and maybe a smidgeon of red. What it is matters not one iota. It's the color palette and the shapes that are the 'She Loves You Yeah Yeah Yeah' of the image. A color image made in Don Robinson State Park during the autumn color palooza of 2024. The subject matter is not entirely clear. It might be a canvas full of similarly sized roundish blobs oozing a color palette dominated by orange with a fair amount of red, some yellow-green and a smattering of a few other colors. Are these shapes Mother Nature's making? Judging by the color, *probably*. What it is matters not one iota. It's the color palette and the shapes that are the 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' of the image. A color image made in Don Robinson State Park during the autumn color palooza of 2024. The subject matter is not entirely clear. At first blush, I would guess many might think the shapes have the vibe of blades of grass...maybe.(?) With maybe some morning dew resting on each blade.(?) What it is matters not one iota. It's the color palette and the shapes that are the 'I Saw Her Standing There' of the image. A color image made in Don Robinson State Park during the autumn color palooza of 2024. The subject matter is not entirely clear. Perhaps a woodlands scene? Perhaps the trees are full of yellow leaves? Perhaps there are tidbits of sky peeking through the forest canopy? What it is matters not one iota. It's the color palette and the shapes that are the 'The Long and Winding Road' of the image.
February 10, 2025 at 8:52 PM
rjwilner.bsky.social
Three images from the same early morning hike along the Middle Prong of the Little River in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

#Photography #Travel #Scape #GreatSmokyMountainNationalPark #EastCoastKin
Image 1 of 3. An early morning long exposure image captured along the Middle Prong of the Little River in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (USA). It celebrates the vibrant greens of early spring and the S curve flow of the river. Large moss covered boulders litter the river influencing the water's direction. Captured very early morning, the entire scene is in rather deep shadow. Image 2 of 3. An early morning long exposure image captured along the Middle Prong of the Little River in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (USA). This scene depicts a single large cascade (waterfall?) along with numerous smaller ones strewn through the large moss-covered boulders peppering the river's right to left flow. Another very early morning capture blanketing the scene in deep shadow. Image 3 of 3. An early morning image made along the Middle Prong of the Little River in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (USA). The river runs diagonally right-to-left through the frame with a short stretch of smallish cascades dumping into a single very large cascade that I prefer to think of as a waterfall. The water flow was heavy during this visit and the sound of the water pounding its way over the falls was loud and powerful. The lower right corner of the frame displays the very large boulders that create the falls while the upper and left portions find the rhododendrons (or possibly mountain laurels?) so common in this part of the world growing right up to the edge of the river.
February 7, 2025 at 7:38 PM
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Missouri Botanical Garden, 10/16/2025
An early morning visit to the garden...

#Photography #Missouri #Treescape #SunRays #EastCoastKin
An image made during an early morning visit to the Missouri Botanical Garden. The early morning sunlight filters through the spaces between branches of trees and create 'sun rays' as the garden's sprinkler system 'rains' on the scene.
February 3, 2025 at 10:51 AM
rjwilner.bsky.social
From a 2017 trip to Ireland...the long exposure suggesting the passage of time seemed appropriate for these 'portal tombs'.

#Photography #Ireland #History #Travel #BlackandWhite #Monochrome
A black & white image of a 'portal tomb' (otherwise known as 'dolmen') found in County Cork, Ireland. Constructed of a half dozen(??) or so standing stones with one large capstone resting atop those at a shallow angle. A long exposure technique to capture the movement of clouds across the sky and symbolize the passing of time for which these structures have endured. A black & white image of a 'portal tomb' (otherwise known as 'dolmen') found in County Carlow, Ireland. Constructed of a half dozen(??) or so standing stones with one large capstone resting atop those at a shallow angle. A long exposure technique to capture the movement of clouds across the sky and symbolize the passing of time for which these structures have endured. Such structures are fairly numerous in Ireland and believed to have been constructed between ~ 3800BC and 3000BC.
January 24, 2025 at 4:50 PM
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Out seeking autumn color palooza images at the local city park on this morning. Typically, I try to avoid the hand of man. But in this case, the all glass facade of the concession stand allowed me to capture more color than otherwise would have been the case.

#Photography #Missouri #Nature #Autumn
Depicted is the all glass facade of a concession stand for the skating rink at the local city park. The image looks down along that facade and beyond to the wooded area behind that is in full autumn color palooza yellows and oranges. Some of that color palette is also reflected in the glass windows of the structure.
January 23, 2025 at 9:13 PM
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A couple more from the same land of experimentation as the previous post. I'm beginning to think this may grow into a project...

#Photography #Missouri #Nature #grasses #bokeh
An image of the seed head of a blade of 'prairie grass' that runs vertically through the image against a largely dark blue-green background. That seed head is offset by a perfectly circular 'bokeh bubble very bright in tonality. Overall, that bubble has something of a lunar vibe to it. An image of a blade of prairie grass running the entire vertical length of the frame in mostly subdued yellow-greens with hints of orange as well. The background is yellow-tan colored with maybe a hint of green in round bokeh bubble shapes. The blade of grass also has a couple bright bits of morning dew with one toward the upper 3rd of the image and the second towards the lower 3rd. Nothing in the image is 'tack sharp'
January 22, 2025 at 2:54 PM
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Last year was a year of much experimentation involving grasses, very narrow depth of field, and breaking as many 'rules' of photography as possible. :)

#Photography #Missouri #Nature #grasses #blur
A color image of a clump of grasses and much morning dew. Captured using a very narrow depth of field to turn the dew into perfectly circular 'dew bubbles'. A dark blue-green defines most of the background while somewhat of nature yellow green covers the blades of grass and the 'dew bubbles' have muted magenta/yellow coloration.
January 18, 2025 at 5:49 PM
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I've been experimenting with the processing of an ongoing series involving ferns. A few decent results from the land of experimentation.

(Please check out the ALT text)
#Photography #BlackAndWhite #Monochrome #Nature #Ferns
A black & white image of layered maidenhair ferns.This species frequently displays something of a child's 'pinwheel' toy that parents may hang over an infant's crib. Another b&w image of a maidenhair fern. This time, a single plant stretches from one frame edge to another with the somewhat circular opening of the 'common ground' between the numerous frond. A b&w image of a couple 'sensitive ferns' commposed with a larger one on the left and a somewhat smaller one on the right..
January 17, 2025 at 7:41 PM
rjwilner.bsky.social
Nothing like a walk through the woodlands to clear the brain's cobwebs...
(Do you like the 'ALT' text?)

#Photography #Nature #Woodlands #Treescape #Landscape
An image of woodlands captured early morning when the edge of the forest is brightly lit, but the light falls off quickly looking into the forest. Captured in May, it depicts the rich vibrancy of spring greens. A morning woodlands image captured in February. A few of the trees have held on to at least some of their leaves over the winter that creates an interesting warm color palette in the dead of winter. A very early April woodlands capture of some of the first greens to strut their spring greens stuff. The light peeks through the forest canopy and lights up individual leaves as though the entire collection of Mother Nature having tossed a handful of green graffiti into the forest. Another early February woodlands capture with a warm color palette. When thinking of winter, I would typically associate it with a very cool color palette, but it's surprising how often the winter woodlands can appear very warm visually....even as I'm viewing it with my down-filled parka. :)
January 14, 2025 at 2:40 PM
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I've become a big proponent of shooting locally over the last few years. Traveling is great, but finding local nuggets is also a big treat. These 3 are from Don Robinson State Park in Missouri (USA)...just a 20 minute drive from my front door.

#Photography #BlackAndWhite #Monochrome #Nature #Fog
A black & white image captured in the woodlands in Don Robinson State Park in Missouri (MIdwestern USA) on a foggy morning. One tree in the foreground has its crown hanging downward giving an upside-down vibe. I assume the tree must have been struck by lightning in the upper reaches but not completely severed from the trunk. But that is just a guess. A black & white image of a rather scoliotic looking tree on a snowy morning with its 'crown' overhanging a paved path for accessibility through a portion of the park. Additional woodlands visible through the fog as is the paved path winding its way through the distance. A black & white image in the woodlands of Don Robinson State Park (Missouri, USA) on a foggy morning. A single tree sits in the center of image visible through the fog. That tree is framed on either side by a number of silhouetted trees in the foreground. That framing makes the centered, more distant tree the 'leading actor in a starring role' of the shot.
January 7, 2025 at 4:53 PM
rjwilner.bsky.social
A handful of images from an ongoing series looking at ferns. A plant type with one of the oldest fossil records on earth...though current varieties probably 'only' extend back 70 million years.

#Photography #BlackAndWhite #Monochrome #Nature #Ferns
A black and white image of a fern whose uppermost segments have yet to unfurl for the year. A black and white image of a couple ferns leaning against each other...looking almost as if they're a couple. A black and white image of the uppermost portion of a fern with the 2 topmost fronds in the process of unfurling and looking as though they are a couple of crossed fingers. A black and white image of a couple of side-by-side ferns. One could be excused for thinking they are identical twins.
January 3, 2025 at 12:21 PM
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Loads of 'Layers'...

If you've not visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the southeastern portion of the USA, you're missing a treat...

#Photography #Nature #Landscapes #Mountains #Layers
An early morning mountain image captured from Clingmans Dome in Great Smoky Mountains National Park that 'layers' out into the distance. A sunset mountain image from Morton Overlook in Great Smoky Mountains National Park with the sun barely peeking out above a cloud layer. A sunrise mountain image captured from Clingmans Dome in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The sun has just peeked above the horizon on a very hazy morning...creating layers of mountain ridges in the distance.
December 20, 2024 at 8:17 PM
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Avalon Pier, Outer Banks, North Carolina
Three from a trip to the OBX during the summer of 2015. Hard to believe it's going on 10 years since that trip.

#Photography #Seaside #Travel #Sunrise
A sunrise image of Avalon Pier on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The sun has yet to break the horizon and a few incandescent lights shine along the pier. A sunrise image of Avalon Pier on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Captured from a low angle to include the sea as it rushes into the shore. A sunrise image of Avalon Pier on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The sun has broken the horizon and leaves a trail of light across the sea's surface.
December 19, 2024 at 12:46 PM
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Forest Park 007, 01/13/2019

'All she wants to do is dance! is how I originally captioned this one. Always has been one of my favorite lone tree images.

#Photography #BlackAndWhite #Monochrome #Nature #Trees
A black and white image of a lone pine tree on a snowy hill. The tree is a young one with a twisted trunk that creates a dancing vibe.
December 18, 2024 at 12:07 PM
rjwilner.bsky.social
'Beginnings' is a project I've undertaken that looks at the dogwood bloom as it occurs in this part of the world. Though there are earlier bloomers, the dogwoods strutting their stuff in early spring is the true marker of the beginning of spring.
A black & white image of a single dogwood tree blooming in spring. A black & white image of a single dogwood tree blooming in spring. This one conveys the appearance of a sea of white pointillism. A black & white image of the blooming flowers from a branch of a dogwood tree in spring.
December 16, 2024 at 8:13 PM
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A few from my 'Silent Stories' project. Silent Stories because... theirs are. See the alt text for captions originally assigned to each.

#photography #nature #landscapes #Trees #BlackandWhite #Monochrome
A long exposure image of a lone tree rooted in Reelfoot Lake on a totally overcast day. Captioned... 'His life had been marred by significant tragedy, and only recently had he begun to show signs of being made whole again." A long exposure image of a single lone tree highlighted in the distance framed by several other trees much closer to the camera. Captioned... 'The townsfolk were known to be a little protective of their young celebrity with the big personality.' A long exposure image of a small lone tree rooted in the vast expanse of Reelfoot Lake. Presented in something of a minimalist fashion. And captioned... 'Many thought him a loner. But he never felt lonely and thoroughly enjoyed the company of others...in small doses.'
December 13, 2024 at 4:06 PM
rjwilner.bsky.social
A few images from an ongoing series on ferns.

#blackandwhite #photography #nature #monochrome #ferns
A black and white image of a fern A black and white image of a fern A black and white image of a fern
December 11, 2024 at 9:40 PM
rjwilner.bsky.social
A state park. Inbound road on the left. Outbound on the right. Kinda creates a woodlands island in between. I don't deliberately make political statements with my photography. But this one seems rather symbolic of mankind's encroachment on and squeezing of natural resources.
Trees in a state park with a bit of fog surrounding them.
December 6, 2024 at 3:03 PM
rjwilner.bsky.social
We experienced our first snowfall of the season this past weekend. I visited the nearest state park *early* Sunday morning and had an absolutely wonderful couple hours snapping the shutter...

#photography #nature #Trees #woodlands #landscape
An image at Don Robinson State Park of snow covered trees. An image of snow covered trees along a trail at Don Robinson State Park. An image of snow covered trees at sunrise while visiting Don Robinson State Park in Missouri, USA
December 5, 2024 at 1:55 PM
rjwilner.bsky.social
I think this one is likely to be included in my 'Visual Chaos' series.

#photography #nature #Trees #winter #snow
An image of a smallish tree with its branches covered in snow.
December 3, 2024 at 11:46 PM
rjwilner.bsky.social
The Shrivel

Sometimes it's about the gesture.

#photography #nature #naturephotography
A wildflower decaying at the end of the growing season. A wildflower decaying at the end of the growing season. A wildflower decaying at the end of the growing season.
December 3, 2024 at 2:38 PM
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If I were to declare one tree species as THE all-star of the autumn color palooza year after year, it would have to be the ginko...at least in this part of the world. Its leaves always turn a bright canary yellow, they fall with that color and have a very unique shape.
#tree #landscape #photography
November 28, 2024 at 1:01 PM
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One of my fave 2024 autumn color change season images...thus far. Though much of the *vivid* oranges & yellows had already passed their peak color and started dropping leaves, I love the more subtle color of this one. Toss in the 2 scoliotic supporting actors for background and here ya go.
Don Robinson State Park autumn color
November 18, 2024 at 4:41 PM