Tag Archives: wildflowers

Blogging, D.B. Jackson, David B. Coe

Professional Wednesday: A New Venture In a Different Medium

The title for today’s post actually should be “Semi-Professional Wednesday…”

Spring Beauty, by David B. CoeAs many of you know, I am a fairly serious photographer and have been for some time. I have shown in local galleries, sold photos out of those galleries, and had a few photographs published in magazines. The walls of our house are sprinkled generously with enlargements of my images.

Winter Light Lake Cheston, by David B. CoeAnd now I have a new side hustle I’m working on, to go along with my book sales at conventions and such.

I am having sets of notecards made from some of my photographs to sell in collections. There will be eight cards per set, two copies of a total of four different images. They will, of course, come with envelopes. And my plan is to have the first sets available for sale at JordanCon in April.

Southern Red Trillium, by David B. CoeThe sets are themed. There are two sets of macro (close-up) images of wildflowers and other flora from the area where I live, on the Cumberland Plateau. Another set features images of butterflies, also from around my home. (Actually, thinking about it now, I think every butterfly image was taken in Nancy’s flower garden.) And finally, a set I call “Reflections” features images of the various lakes around our little town.

I don’t know yet exactly what I will charge for each set of eight cards. I have been checking prices in local shops around our town, where people charge as much as $5.00 per card! (More often $2.50-3.00 per card.) My rates will be lower than that, although the exact price will depend on exactly how much my cost per set is for printing, envelopes, packaging, etc. Eventually — sooner rather than later — I hope to offer sets for sale in the online bookstore on my websites.

Great Spangled Fritillary, by David B. CoeFor some of you, I know, this venture will be of little or no interest. I totally understand. But I also know that for others among you, you might think these sets are pretty cool. I hope you enjoy them.

Keep creating!!

David B. Coe, Not at all Writing Related

Photo Friday: The Little Things

Good morning. I am welcoming the end of what has been a difficult week. I am distancing from some news, though certainly not all. I am avoiding some social media, but again, not all. And I am trying to find my own personal equilibrium, an emotional place from which I can function and observe and comment without tipping over into obsessing and panicking. Not easy in today’s world.

Fortunately, I still live in a beautiful place and I still have my morning walks. Recently, on a cool, wet, foggy morning, I found this droplet-covered bloom of what I believe is Grassleaf Golden Aster. Wonders, large and small, are all around us, if only we pause long enough to see and appreciate them. I try each day to remind myself of this.

I wish you all a lovely weekend. Stay safe, be kind, keep the faith. See you next week.

Fall Aster and Dew, by David B. Coe

Blogging, David B. Coe

Photo Friday: Thinleaf Coneflower

Happy Friday, all. Another week has drawn to a close — another spate of news, some of it maddening, some of it tragic, some of it uplifting. And another set of work tasks — editing, writing, revising, online convention panels. Even stuck at home, with the pandemic continuing to tightly circumscribe my life, I feel that from week to week I’m doing different things and struggling with new emotions.

The one constant in my routine is my morning walk. A bit over three miles on the rails-to-trails path not too far from our home. This week, I found a bloom I hadn’t noticed before. Superficially, it resembles the Black-eyed Susans blooming in Nancy’s garden, but it’s substantially smaller — the plant itself and the blossoms. A bit of research leads me to believe this is Thinleaf Coneflower, but I could be wrong.

Whatever it is, it’s beautiful.

I wish you a wonderful weekend. Stay safe, be good to one another.

Thinleaf Coneflower, by David B. Coe

Blogging, David B. Coe

Photo Friday: More Macro of Spring Flowers

Another week gone, and another Photo Friday post. I’m not sure how the days can fly so when all I’m doing is working at home, living at home, keeping entertained and busy at home, but there it is.

I hope you all aren’t tired of macro photography, because once again that’s what I have for you. These are two photos I took last week down in Shakerag Hollow. One is of water droplets on Dutchman’s Breeches greens. The other is another Rue Anemone. I hope you enjoy them.

Stay safe, stay healthy, be thoughtful of others, and have a wonderful weekend.

Rue Anenome II, by David B. Coe Dutchman's Breeches Greens and Raindrops, by David B. Coe

Blogging, David B. Coe, Not at all Writing Related

Photo Friday: More Spring Wildflowers

With the university gym closed, I have made several hikes down into Shakerag Hollow again this week. One of the days was windy, and unless you’ve tried it you have no idea how frustrating it can be trying to take close-up photos of flowers in the wind. It’s a little like trying to balance a marble on a bowling ball: hopeless.

But yesterday’s weather was perfect, and I got several more photos, including the two below. The yellow flower is called Celandine Poppy, and the white and yellow one is called Dutchman’s Breeches – one of my favorite names for any flower.

These are trying times, and I hope that these photos bring you a little joy and peace. We will get through this. Hang in there. Be safe, be good to each other, and try to enjoy your weekend.

Dutchman's Breeches I, by David B. Coe Celandine Poppy After Rain, by David B. Coe

Blogging, David B. Coe

Photo Friday: Spring Flowers

Happy Friday the 13th. May it bring you good luck and usher in a peaceful weekend.

The weather here has been kind of crappy, but on Wednesday morning I managed to catch a window of sunshine. I went down into what’s known around here as Shakerag Hollow, so named because once upon a time, when the moon was shining, you could go down into the hollow, shake a white rag, and the moonshiners would come out to sell their wares.

Today, Shakerag is known more for its spectacular spring wildflowers, which are just now starting to emerge. I do a lot of landscape photography, but I also love macro (close-up) work, especially this time of year. As you can see from my photo (of Rue Anemone and Dutchman’s Breeches greens) the rain and fog had left droplets of water on… well, everything, so that the floor of the forest appeared to shimmer, as if strewn with gemstones. It was nice to escape from the madness of our world for an hour or two, and lose myself in photography. I got several good shots – I may share more with you in the weeks to come. But for now, enjoy this one.

Have a restful, sane weekend.

Raindrops on Rue Anenome and Dutchman's Breeches, by David B. Coe