Happy New Year

Happy New Year!!

Just a quick note to wish you a happy, safe and joyous New Year. 

The attached is my sisters dog enjoying the fireplace during the holidays.   The tongue is her way of saying Happy New Year!!!

Happy Holidays

Jerry Jelinek - photographed by Norm Jelinek

Happy Holidays!!!!

Hope your holidays are going well and you are enjoying the warmth of family and friends during this special time of year.

Speaking of special, check out the cute little guy above.  That is me around 1968 or so.  My dad was the enthusiastic photographer for the family.   I have inherited literally thousands of slides, negatives and prints from the family photography collection.   The above has always been one of my personal favorites.   Captures the innocence of youth along with my trusty companion (St. Nicholas).   Come to think of it, I still have that same feeling of wonder this time of year.

That sense of wonder leads me to capture some of the holiday spirit around the area of northern Ohio.   One of the best places to see holiday lights is the charming town of Chagrin Falls near me.

Chagrin Falls Holiday LIghts

They have one of the most scenic areas for capturing the spirit of the town in holiday lights.  As I walk around the town, I am always drawn to the large beautiful evergreen tree the town decorates in lights.

It is a lot of fun to play with 'light painting'   This is the photographic technique of having a longer exposure (maybe a second or longer) and then moving the camera while the shutter is open.   With practice you can get some beautiful abstract interpretations of the lights.

Abstract Holiday Lights

You can view more of my holiday lights ideas at my smugmug web site:

Chagrin Falls Holiday Lights - Dec. 16, 2011

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I'll leave you during this holiday time with a special note from one of my favorite authors:

Rachel Carson - excerpt from a letter written to Dorothy Freeman - 12/11/1953

"Christmas brings most of all a sense of rather starry wonder - from the wonder of the first one that still shines through the years, to the miracle of friendship and of the warmth and joy that fill the human hearts when it experiences that rare and beautiful thing, a sense of perfect communication with another. And so tonight I want to say thank you for those precious gifts of friendship and love and understanding, that cannot be bought and could never be replaced."


Love,


Jerry

Ice Abstractions

The early parts of the winter, we can get some impressive ice formations caused by low lying creeks, fields and edges of water freezing rapidly.    The ice formations can vary from organic shapes to dramatic lines and patterns.

It is a good way to get yourself up and out of bed to find these fleeting patterns in the frozen water.

You can view my abstracts from today at my smugmug photo site:

Chiipewa Creek Abstractions - December 11

Glendale Cemetery - Continued

Revisiting the historic Glendale Cemetery over the last few weeks has really sparked my interest in these beautiful sculptures, textures, patterns and history of the cemetery.    Besides the beautiful monuments, the cemetery offers a beautiful chapel, mausoleums and grounds.

My camera has taken me to look deeper into the grounds and allowed me to find ideas that extend past the function of a cemetery and move into the mood and feeling of the deeper emotions of the individuals interned there.




Click on the link below to view more of my thoughts captured at Glendale.

Glendale Cemetery

Cat Holiday Thoughts

My cat Pepper is enjoying her first Christmas Tree.   I put up the tree a week ago and she enjoys pawing at the ornaments and 'hiding' under the tree when we are playing.

She evens sleeps next to the tree during her late morning nap.   I have been trying to catch an intimate thought while she enjoys sharing time with the tree.  

I wonder what she is thinking about in her 'cat thoughts' while she enjoys the holiday lights. 

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a very special day in the year. We gather with those we love and find happiness with. Friends visit, we share food, drink, laughter and love.  
 
With that spirit, all of us gain a bit more humanity. We learn to love all those people who enrich our lives.  
   
No truer feelings can come from my heart this year. This time of year helps remind me of the friends and family that I hold so dear who help give me the truest reason to be thankful.  
   
During this time of year, make sure to extend your love to everyone who touches your life. Extend compassion to everyone who graces your presence. Extend kindness to those in need. Give love and you will get love back.  
   
Have a wonderful holiday. Love Jerry

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The Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving by Edgar Guest

It may be I am getting old and like too much to dwell Upon the days of bygone years, the days I loved so well; But thinking of them now I wish somehow that I could know A simple old Thanksgiving Day, like those of long ago, When all the family gathered round a table richly spread, With little Jamie at the foot and grandpa at the head, The youngest of us all to greet the oldest with a smile, With mother running in and out and laughing all the while.

   

It may be I'm old-fashioned, but it seems to me to-day We're too much bent on having fun to take the time to pray; Each little family grows up with fashions of its own; It lives within a world itself and wants to be alone. It has its special pleasures, its circle, too, of friends; There are no get-together days; each one his journey wends, Pursuing what he likes the best in his particular way, Letting the others do the same upon Thanksgiving Day.

   

I like the olden way the best, when relatives were glad To meet the way they used to do when I was but a lad; The old home was a rendezvous for all our kith and kin, And whether living far or near they all came trooping in With shouts of "Hello, daddy!" as they fairly stormed the place And made a rush for mother, who would stop to wipe her face Upon her gingham apron before she kissed them all, Hugging them proudly to her breast, the grownups and the small.

   

Then laughter rang throughout the home, and, Oh, the jokes they told; From Boston, Frank brought new ones, but father sprang the old; All afternoon we chatted, telling what we hoped to do, The struggles we were making and the hardships we'd gone through; We gathered round the fireside. How fast the hours would fly-- It seemed before we'd settled down 'twas time to say good-bye. Those were the glad Thanksgivings, the old-time families knew When relatives couLd still be friends and every heart was true.

White Tailed Bucks

The deer mating season or 'rut' is just about over.  The male bucks are getting less aggressive and staying further away from the photographers they encounter.    The female does are far less concerned about what is going on around them.

So the prime opportunities to photograph the white tailed deer during the rut is over.  Luckily I had a few nice days to take advantage of the deer and capture more nice white tailed deer buck photographs.

This guy was resting along the road..  He had several female does in his harem, but was resting while trying to keep track of all of them.  

This buck was one of the medium sized deer. He was keeping track of the larger bucks across the way.   He seemed as interested in the large bucks as he was in the female does of his harem.

Glendale Cemetery

As the famous British comedy team Monty Python used to say "and now for something completely different".

Trying new and creative expressions with the camera is something that gives me new challenges.  For example  I have shared a few videos I have completed in an earlier blog.   Now we depart the natural subjects that so captivates me, and move toward the beautiful sculptured forms in the famous Akron Ohio Glendale Cemetery.

In 1839, the Glendale cemetery became the first chartered cemetery in Ohio and only the third in the young united states.   Its beautiful monuments, chapel, architecture and monuments are deeply inspiring.

I visited the cemetery for the first time a few weeks ago and was immediately drawn to the beautiful monuments.    Here are a few thoughts I have from that beautiful morning:

As I walked the grounds, the chasing patterns of the bright fall day sun continued to change the shape, texture and feel of different areas in the cemetery.

The monuments would take form against the fading fall trees and grounds.  It was magical to see the transformation as the sun moved through the sky.

My exploration of these beautiful grounds is just beginning.  I have a lot of plans to visit under different light and weather to capture more emotions from this beautiful cemetery.

You can view my first set of images on my web site:

Glendale Cemetery Images

Award Winning Shot

Foggy Morning Sun Rays

(click on the title to view a larger version)

The above image was recently selected as 'Best of Show' in the annual Cuyahoga Valley National Park Photography Contest.  It is an honor to be recognized among the best nature photographers in the area.   It was also selected as a 1st place image in the Cleveland Photography Society projection competition in October. 

For those in the Northern Ohio area, you can view the entire exhibit at the Akron Main Library in downtown Akron.    The show is on display through the month of November. 

Deer Rut

The white tailed deer are in PEAK mating form. Was out this morning for a few hours and the bucks were very active. I saw 2 large bucks fighting for territory, but was not able to capture the action. The following is my best from this morning and probably my best image for the deer this season.

This is a female and she was watching a large buck off in the distance.

Deer in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park

During November, the white tailed deer are in the mating season.   The 'rut' brings out a lot of deer activity which offers the photographer an opportunity to see and photograph the deer.  Here are a few samples from the past few days.


The technique to capture these images is probably the easiest nature photography you can imagine. The deer themselves are fairly approachable in a slow moving car. So photographers will drive around the park, find some deer and just stop and photograph the deer from the car.

The key being to stay in your car.    The deer are much more skiddish of movement - especially if you get out of your car.   So grab your camera, hop in the car (with your warm cup of coffee) and take a nice leisurely drive to find some deer.

You can view my current deer images along with images from 2010 at my smugmug web site:

2011 Cuyahoga Valley National Park Deer Images

2010 Cuyahoga Valley National Park Deer Images

My new photography blog

Welcome to my new photography blog.

In the past, I have created an email newsletter for keeping people in touch with my photography.  Moving forward, and joining the 21st century, it is time to create this new blog to help share what and where my camera and thoughts continue to take me.

You can 'subscribe' to new blog postings by adding your email address at the bottom of this blog - just hit the "Follow my photography blog by email"  to the right.      Then as I post comments (short or long), you'll be on the email list for new updates.

One neat feature of blogging is the ability for readers to add comments.   You can do that below under the 'Post a Comment' box

I still have my web site with images (both old and new).    You can find my web site under the 'Web Links' section on the right hand side of this new blog.

Now that you have the basic idea of the layout, you are probably wondering what I've been doing.

Well the photography continues in earnest.   The fall season brings about the most beautiful time of year in northern Ohio with fall colors and crisp air all around you.

Before I show you some new images, I'm very excited to share my newest 'photography' hobby - video!!!!

In August I bought a used camera that can photograph both still images and videos.   It is a lot of fun to explore nature and people with the newest 'toy'.      I have a few videos I've created that I hope you will enjoy.

The first is a video featuring late summer and insects that live near me.   Being fascinated by insects, the video gave me a great opportunity to share some time with them along with learning more about video.

Note about viewing the video - If your web browser shows a picture, you can hit the play button within the picture to play the video, or if you click on the title for the video, that will take you to web hosting site Vimeo to watch the videos via there web site.

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This first video I call 'Intimate Summer Morning'.   Music by Chet Atkins.

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The second video is called ' Water: Lifeblood in the Valley'. Music by Natalie MacMaster.

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Last are a few new fall images.

First is from an exploration I did on a small waterfall that was shared with my by National Park Ranger Rebecca Jones during the spring.    I revisited the location late one fall afternoon and was delighted to find fresh fall leaves floating in the 'bowl' below the falls.   I love leaf swirls and this was a perfect opportunity to play with long (10" - 15") exposures to create the abstract colors at the base of the waterfall.

Last is the beautiful Bridal Veil Falls in the Bedford Reservation of the Cleveland Metro Parks:

You can always view my latest photography work at my website:

Jerry Jelinek Photography Web Site

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So there you have it - my first blog on the web.   Let me know what you think.   Let me know ways to improve the content or layout.   Being new to this, there will be growing pains - so be patient with me!!!

Enjoy your fall!!!