Niedzwiecki in Nature

Greetings from Lake Bluff!

2008-05-15T00:51:00.005-04:00

This evening I had an opportunity to meet the very accommodating folks at the Lake Bluff Audubon Center in Manistee, Michigan. The manor sits high on top of a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. The building and grounds all have a very interesting history.

I gave a digital presentation in the early evening, so I didn't have a chance to explore the grounds but for a mere few minutes at sunset. During my brief stroll, I couldn't help but notice the yard is just absolutely filled with birds. The resident manager, Rich Krieger, assured me that at sunrise - the yard will be a symphony of loud chirps and calls from the many birds who call this sanctuary home.

I'm looking forward to catching a few with my camera! There's a large, unidentified nest in a large tree in front of my bedroom window. We're hoping that its builder makes an appearance while I have my zoom lens out and ready!

I'd like to thank my hosts for the use of the guest room, and another thank you to all the nice members and visitors who attended my show. I enjoyed chatting with you all!

Lake Bluff Bird Sanctuary
2890 Lakeshore Road
Manistee, MI 49660-9226
231-723-4042

I'm off north again in the early afternoon to Glen Arbor - it should be a good day for a ride up to one of my favorite Michigan locations!

New Website Launched

2008-05-09T15:54:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, the website I created for Gaines Charter Township went live! The site is a quite an improvement from their previous pages. There is better access to forms, tax information, maps and a directory. Check out their interactive event calendar, news blog and more! www.gainestownship.org

Michigan's Natural Beauty Presentation

2008-05-07T21:40:00.001-04:00

On Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - I will present a multi-media slide show presentation set to music at the Lake Bluff Manistee County Audubon Society. The slide show will feature lower Western Michigan, the Sleeping Bear area, the many beautiful birds, animal and flowers of the region.

There will be plenty of time for questions and answers, and prints and greeting cards will be offered for sale. The public is very welcome to this FREE event.

Lake Bluff Audubon is located on 76 acres in Manistee Township, two miles north of Manistee. The grounds occupy 1/3 mile of bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. From Manistee travel north on US-31 to M-110. Turn left onto M-110 and continue north for about 1 mile. The Center is located on the left (west) side of the road at 2890 Lakeshore Road.

For more information, visit: Lake Bluff Audubon website
Contact Person: Rich Krieger at Krieger@charter.net
For more information, call 231-723-4042 or 231-723-2625.

Three Pieces Represented in festival 2008!

2008-05-06T12:00:00.000-04:00

I am pleased to announce three pieces have been accepted into the festival 2008 Regional Art Exhibit!

The ratio of works selected to the overall volume of entries was close to 1:2. There were 841 submissions of artwork, with 377 pieces chosen to be in the festival 2008 regional arts exhibit. There are 210 artists represented (as some artist, like myself, had multiple entries accepted). See PDF list of accepted artists.

Please mark your calendar for the opening reception! It will be held on Friday, May 30th from 5:00 to 9:00 pm. Family and friends are welcome (and encouraged!). The reception and exhibit are held in will be held in the Old Federal Building (formerly the Grand Rapids Art Museum) at 155 N. Division. This is the same location it has been in since 1992.

Twenty-four awards will be given out to the artists worth in total value of over $4000. Additionally, seven sponsors have agreed thus far to at least an additional $4000 in Purchase Awards (meaning artwork will purchased by these sponsors for their own enjoyment). Keep your fingers crossed until reception time for me! In 2006, I received a Kent County Purchase Award.

The galleries will be open for public viewing following the opening on:

Saturday, May 31 from noon until 6:00
Sunday, June 1 from noon until 6:00

and during festival 2008

Friday, June 6, from 10:00 am until 9:00 pm
Saturday, June 7, from 10:00 am until 9:00 pm
Sunday, June 8, from 10:00 am until 6:00 pm

Middle Falls

2008-05-03T08:16:00.004-04:00

Here's another photo from Hocking Hills - this is the area known as Middle Falls in the Old Man's Cave park area. It was such a lovely spot I could have just stayed there all day.

Go ahead and click on the image below to enjoy this in a larger size:

Big Gulp

2008-05-01T22:01:00.005-04:00

Go ahead and click on the image above to see it in a larger size...

I sat down on the banks of Lake Logan in Ohio and watched this Great Blue Heron for about half an hour. The bird was intent on getting supper, wading in shallow water, staring down beneath the still water.

Suddenly, the heron dove just its head under, and came up with a much larger fish than I anticipated. I also didn't anticipate that it would just gulp the whole thing down in practically one swallow! You can see half of the fish down the bird's throat - and the tail still moving around - splashing drops of water all around the heron's head.

The Healing Journey Book Now Available

2008-04-24T17:08:00.007-04:00

My first coffee-table book, which exclusively uses the photos chosen for the Lemmen-Holten project, has been completed. You can see a PDF 15-page sneak peek - or even purchase your own copy in advance, if you'd like. I have versions both in hard and soft-cover.

I'm waiting to give a copy to the hospital board for review. Hopefully the book will be produced in larger quantities by June, if the concept of offering them to patients or for retail in the hospital gift store comes to fruition.

For now, the books are individual printed on-demand through an online fulfilment center. They do an excellent job, and the books ship promptly in protective packaging. A great gift idea!

Have a Couple Hours to Spare?

2008-04-23T11:58:00.008-04:00

It's that time of year again! Time to look ahead to Festival of the Arts 2008 and request assistance from you wonderful folks out there to help run my art sales booth!

Festival is the largest all-volunteer arts event in the nation! It's a three-day arts celebration, held the first full weekend in June in downtown Grand Rapids. The event encompasses almost all of downtown Grand Rapids with six performance stages; lots and lots of food booths offering ethnic delights of all kinds; singers, dancers, thespians, visual artists, and performers from all over West Michigan; more than 20,000 hard-working volunteers; and over half a million people in attendance. Visit the Festival website for more information

Booth staff assist in packaging up products such as cards, prints and framed pieces, inventory management, writing receipts, answering simple questions or making those all-important delicious Festival food runs (not a bad gig!).

If you think you can offer two to three hours of your time, I need help on the following dates and times:

Art Tents on Calder Plaza - June 6, 7 & 8

- Friday	Noon - 9 pm
- Saturday	10 am - 9 pm
- Sunday	10 am - 5 pm

I also need help on Thursday, June 5th with our two boys so that my husband Russ can help me set up the booth area.

Help with the boys is also needed after-hours on Sunday, June 8th so Russ can help me take down the booth and pack up.

If you think you can offer a hand - you will have your parking paid for (if necessary) and a new hat to wear sporting a fresh new logo design!

Please contact me via email or call 616.863.9139 if you think you can lend a hand. You'll have a fun afternoon of art, snacks and people-watching!

She Does Exist!

2008-04-22T21:49:00.005-04:00

A rare sighting of the actual photographer... who normally is behind the lens... not in front of it! This is the Upper Falls area of Old Man's Cave. What a perfectly wonderful place - I could have stayed there all day.

I purchased a new Bogen tripod and I'm very happy with it. My other one was a piece of junk. You HAVE to have a good tripod (not only for taking self-portraits!) but really - for every shot you take when possible.

Shoot the Hills 2008 Category Win!

2008-04-21T15:22:00.010-04:00

I'd like to announce that I landed a First Place category win in an event called Shoot the Hills this past weekend at Hocking Hills State Park near Logan, Ohio!

Shoot the Hills is an annual photography weekend and competition in the Hocking Hills State Park. The highlight is a 24-hour photo contest. Photographers in three divisions (film, digital point and shoot, and digital SLR camera) compete in five categories in each division: abstract, flora, human interest, landscape and wildlife. Competitors can enter up to six images total in their choice of categories.

My image of a large magnolia tree in full blossom took first place in the digital SLR landscape category. There were approximately 185 photographers in the competition, and collectively we submitted over 1000 images across the categories. The level of skill and knowledge was very high, and seriously raised the bar to produce the best images possible. I'm so thrilled to have the image chosen from so many outstanding entries. Take a look at the winners!

The event was extremely fun (and yes - admittedly - a bit stressful!). Each morning I headed out about an hour and a half before sunrise, and stayed out until well past sunset. I also spent quite a few hours studying maps, contacting the Ohio DNR and chatting with local residents to find the best scenery. There was simply no time to rest! I was constantly on the lookout for great scenery and wildlife.

As it turned out, my winning image was "discovered" only an hour and a half before the end of the time period on Saturday! This beautiful scene caught my eye as I drove past a field someplace between Nelsonville and Zaleski, Ohio. I didn't know magnolia trees could be so large?

Click on the image below to see its detail:

Going... Going...

2008-04-16T00:36:00.008-04:00

... Almost gone! This will most likely be my last blog post before taking off for the Shoot the Hills event in Hocking Hills, Ohio. I am packing up the camera bags and heading out with much excitement.

The weather is supposed to be quite good and much warmer than here in Michigan - on Friday - about 75 degrees! I wasn't planning on packing shorts, but it looks as if I should. Oh, those white winter legs...eeek!

In addition to the much-anticipated 24-hour photo shoot event, there will be an 8x10 print competition for images taken at any point while visiting the area. The image below is one of my entries - a view from the end of Conkle's Hollow in the early morning, taken in 2006. There was an extreme amount of humidity in the August air and I caught a sunbeam between the cliff walls.

The winner of the print competition takes 1/2 of all the entry fees. I think I will be submitting 3 images. They are voted on by the public. Keep tabs here at the blog - I have one hour of wi-fi from my little cabin each night and I might be able to sneak in a post or two!

April Showers...

2008-04-11T14:47:00.006-04:00

The spring storm season has arrived! Last night, much to our dismay - the high winds pushed water right through our venilation system for our stove/microwave. There was a steady stream of water coming down along the wall behind the microwave, then down to the floor under the stove, through the propane connect and all the way down into the basement. There were also a few other spots (we've been here 10 years and haven't ever really experienced leaks before). The wind was roaring from the northeast - which is not very common. I could hardly sleep wondering what we were going to wake up to!

It was actually fairly dry come morning, considering how hard it rained. Now - this afternoon - we're having severe thunderstorms. I just took this photo 10 minutes ago (the photo above is is looking northeast towards Greenville from my own driveway at about 2:45 pm).

Ending World Hunger One Word At a Time!

2008-04-08T21:26:00.005-04:00

This evening, I came across a very interesting and fun site. Helping end world hunger can be as easy as expanding your vocabulary. Don't believe it? Check out freerice.com.

For every word you correctly define, 20 grains of rice are donated through the UN World Food Program. So take this opportunity to improve your vocabulary and the lives of others in need.

I found the game very simplistic, but very entertaining (and addictive!):

Click on the answer that best defines the word.
If you get it right, you get a harder word. If wrong, you get an easier word.
For each word you get right, they donate 20 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program.

Wish Me a Lot of Luck!

2008-03-31T14:58:00.003-04:00

I'm headed out in mid-April for an event called Shoot the Hills held on April 18, 19 & 20, 2008 at Hocking Hills State Park near Logan, Ohio.

What is Shoot the Hills ? It's an annual photography weekend and competition in the Hocking Hills State Park. Organized by Friends of the Hocking Hills State Park, this exciting three-day thriller features a 24-hour photo contest (for film and digital photographers), photography exhibits, and a variety of outdoor and photography-related vendors. A line-up of photography and/or nature programs, and various demonstrations, are open to the public with no admission fee.

Photographers in three divisions (film, digital and junior) compete in five categories in each division: abstract, flora, human interest, landscape and wildlife. Competitors can enter up to six images total in their choice of categories. All photographers have from 1:00pm Friday, April 18 to 1:00pm Saturday, April 19 to shoot their images.

This is the ultimate scavenger hunt - using a camera - to collect the most wonderful images! Shoot the Hills awards over $5,000 in cash and prizes to more than fifty winners. Monies raised from the event are used to build and maintain permanent wildlife viewing and photo blinds in designated areas of the Park. For more information, visit www.ShootTheHills.com.

This is my first time trying this type of event, and I'm very much looking forward to the challenges of coming up with a fantastic shot in only a 24-hour time period. There are so many factors involved - the weather, the lighting conditions, navigating through the enormous park (that I've only visited once before), and a bit of sheer luck if a photographer is seeking wildlife images.

Stay tuned for the outcome of this adventure!

Would you like to help support my trip? Gift certificates for the Hocking Hills region are available online through the Tourism Association.

Photography in the Digital Age - Is it Fair?

2008-03-30T17:08:00.004-04:00

Glen Haven General Store
Originally uploaded by SNiedzwiecki

I just read such an interesting comment posted online at PC World Digital Focus. It was a response to complaints received when digitally manipulated photos are allowed in photo competitions, and whether they are "honest," "fair," or "real."

A reader commented:

"I'm one of those people who have complained about how unfair it is to accept photo entries [that have been] manipulated by editing programs. Folks with money and computer skills will win every time."
--Mark Kline, Fort Worth, Texas

Another photographer's response was:

"Perhaps these folks folks should have been around in the good old days, when photography was more than just pushing a button and then going to the drug store to have your photos printed. I wonder what these critics would think of an old photographer like me who used filters, "souped" the negative, retouched the negative, put the negative into a photo enlarger, focused and cropped the image, exposed the paper, and then, finally, saw the results of the exposure. Not to mention the arts of dodging, burning, hand rubbing, and more."
--Stan Silvers, Shelton, Washington

Just to give some discussion on the subject - what do you think, dear blog readers?

What are your thoughts on skillful use of photo editing tools? Please - no flames or bad mouthing in your responses... (I will not publish them if they are derogatory in any way) - but I'd like to hear your genuine, honest thoughts on this much-debated topic.

Sleeping Bear Posters

2008-03-26T09:58:00.015-04:00

I'm just now working on a new series of 11x17 poster prints (at least I think this will be the final size...). The images were all captured during my artist residency with the Glen Arbor Art Assocation.

If you are interested in a print, please contact me, as I'm working on the details of how these will be printed shortly. Click on the thumbnails below to see the images in my Flickr account.

www.flickr.com

Inspired by a Friend...

2008-03-24T23:30:00.007-04:00

I have been going back the last few nights and working through more images captured during my artist-in-residence experience with the Glen Arbor Art Association last October. This print is now available in several sizes - please feel free to contact me if you are interested in one. You can click on the image above to see it in greater detail.

The night before I took this shot, I had an email conversation with a friend who knew he had terminal cancer. He told me fond memories and stories of fishing with his father in Glen Lake, fun summers of swimming and hiking around on the Sleeping Bear Dunes under the full moon. That next morning, I drove up the Pierce Stocking Drive which was shrouded in heavy, thick fog. As I drove up towards the Lake Michigan overlook - I wondered why I was even bothering to do so , knowing full well the fog was too thick to burn off. I figured my trip would be probably be nothing more than a pleasant morning drive.

I stopped at one of the first overlooks that allows visitors to see Little Glen Lake and what the locals call "The Narrows" - the bridge on popular M-22 road dividing Little Glen and Big Glen lakes. When I stepped out of the car (without my camera in hand), suddenly the rising sun made an appearance from between the thick clouds. The sky and water became an amazing swirl of gold and purple hues. I quickly ran back to car, grabbed my camera and started shooting. The sun was only there for less than a minute - tops.

And just like that - it was gone. It never came out again the rest of the day.

I emailed back to my friend that night and told him God wanted me to take a picture of his beloved lake for him. This one's for you, Wayne...

Holy Cow Again!

2008-03-22T13:09:00.004-04:00

Holy Cow does it again! My little cow in front of the St. Patrick's Church in Parnell was just accepted into the Newaygo County Council of the Arts 2008 Statewide Photography Competition!

The show runs from March 22 through April 26, 2008 with a Reception & Award Ceremony on Saturday, April 12, from 10:00 am - noon.

This year, I will not be attending the Reception - but if you feel like a little road trip - go on over to Fremont to check out their show. Their facility and gallery are top-rate. Click HERE for a map to the Artsplace.

Click on the image at left to see the detail...

In honor of another award for Holy Cow! - I'm offering prints at a reduced rate through the end of March 2008.

Save $10.00 on the purchase of an 8x10 print
(normally $35.00 - now $25.00)
Save $15.00 on 11x14 prints
(normally $55.00 - now $40.00).

8x10 Holy Cow! Print - $25.0011x14 Holy Cow! Print - $45.00

US Airborne Gymnastics Event

2008-03-18T19:59:00.007-04:00

Two weeks ago, I had my first opportunity to photography a sports event - the U.S. Airborne Gymnastics Invitational at Cornerstone University's Bernice Hansen Athletic Center on March 1-2.

It was certainly interesting and in fact - downright amazing to watch these young girls work so hard on their routines!

And very challenging as far as photography is concerned, because flash photography is not allowed for the safety's sake. I discovered I needed to apply some of the same techniques I use for flying birds to capture these images!

If you'd like to see or purchase images from this event, please visit my sales and proofing gallery at Photoreflect.com.

Here are the two events I covered:

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2008-03-17T16:49:00.001-04:00

Hit the "Play" button below!

Festival 2008 - I'm In!

2008-03-10T21:01:00.005-04:00

I just received word on Friday that I was accepted to have a sales booth again in the Art Sales Tent at Festival of the Arts 2008.

Festival is the largest all-volunteer arts event in the nation! It's a three-day arts celebration, held the first full weekend in June in downtown Grand Rapids.

It encompasses almost all of downtown Grand Rapids with six performance stages; lots and lots of food booths offering ethnic delights of all kinds; singers, dancers, thespians, visual artists, and performers from all over West Michigan; more than 20,000 hard-working volunteers; and over half a million people in attendance.

Visit the Festival website for more information

Art Tents on Calder Plaza - June 6, 7 & 8

- Friday	Noon - 9 pm
- Saturday	10 am - 9 pm
- Sunday	10 am - 5 pm

West Michigan's finest artists and craftspeople sell their wares, including pottery, jewelry, folk art, photography, handmade paper, metal sculpture, wood sculpture, fiber art, glass sculpture, watercolors, acrylics, and oils.

I will be offering greeting cards, boxed gift card sets, matted prints in a variety of sizes and new framed pieces. Check back - I will make a few more posts related to this event as the date draws near.

Be sure to stop by and say hello - and be sure you bring an extra shish-ka-bob with you...

A Budding Photographer!

2008-03-04T13:24:00.004-05:00

A proud Mom needs to brag a bit...

My 8-year old son came on a photo outing with me last February (so he was actually seven when he took this photo). It was a snow day from school, so we took a ride in the country in search of photo opportunities with his new digital camera he received for Christmas. He captured this image of St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Parnell (near Cannonsburg), Michigan.

Our own church (Our Lady of Consolation) had a children's photo contest last month, and Alex won first prize! He earned a $50.00 gift certificate (which he promptly purchased an iPod Shuffle with). Congratulations, Alex!

Click on the image below to see it in detail:

Bird Watching...

2008-02-28T08:29:00.006-05:00

If you like to see bird images - take a look at my larger collection of bird images at Amvona.com, photo sharing service where I occasionally post some of my work.

Here's a sample of an image you will find there. This is a little reddish-colored Eastern Screech Owl.

Beautiful Birds Collection

Barred Owl

2008-02-25T22:10:00.004-05:00

I sent this image to a friend, who quickly pointed out the resemblance between the fine feathers around the eyes of this barred owl - to the frost images I captured recently (see the post below).

Click on the image above to see the amazing details of the feathers. This owl in particular just has a wonderful face and I had a great opportunity to photograph it during a workshop three weeks ago.

Frost Ferns

2008-02-24T10:23:00.000-05:00

There's another whole world right beyond our normal line of vision, and most of us would not slow down long enough to appreciate it. Although I still consider myself a student of macro photography, I'm enjoying trying new subject matter and looking at nature in a whole new way.

On a sub-zero day as I went to call my son in from sledding with his friends, I noticed some amazing ice patterns on our front storm door. It's amazing how these ice crystal resemble plant life! I'm imagining they probably "grew" into those wonderful feathery shapes?