Monthly Archives: March 2012

Spring Visitor

March 28, 2012 by Tricia Booker Photography

I wasn’t sure if the Bradford Pear tree that suffered so much damage during last winter’s freak October snow storm would rebound from its injuries. It turns out, I needn’t have worried. This spring the tree had abundant flowers, even the one huge limb that’s barely still attached and needs to be trimmed off at some point this year. With the setting sun giving the blooms a beautiful soft glow, I enjoyed shooting some macro images one evening. Just as […]

Categories: Nature • Tags: artistic, Bradford pear, insect, macro, Nikon D3s, photography, spring, tree

A-Z Archive: M

March 27, 2012 by Tricia Booker Photography

So, my parents have lived in Charleston, South Carolina for 25 years now, but for some reason I’d never visited Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, one of the area’s most popular scenic destinations, until this spring. But I think it was worth the wait. I convinced my mom and Cameron to arrive at the 8 a.m. opening so we could still have some early morning sunlight to play with. A light fog had enveloped the area, though, and it actually provided […]

Categories: Scenic • Tags: A-Z Archive, artistic, bridge, flowers, Nikon D3s, photography, South Carolina, swamp

Weekly Photo Challenge: Through

March 26, 2012 by Tricia Booker Photography

Two years ago, a Brown-Headed Cowbird fell in love with his reflection in our sliding glass door. He would sit on our deck furniture for hours, preening and cooing to himself as he tried, with no avail, to secure himself as his mate. Last year we had our old deck torn down and enlarged, and through the commotion he never materialized. But this spring he’s back. He discovered our new French door and has claimed the door handle as his […]

Categories: Birds • Tags: bird, cowbird, Nikon D3s, photography, through, Weekly Photo Challenge

Share Your World

March 23, 2012 by Tricia Booker Photography

I had some fun with this week’s Share Your World Challenge, hosted by Cee’s Life Photography Blog. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why? Although I love my home in Virginia, if I did relocate I’d move to Charleston, South Carolina where my parents live. The climate is perfect (I love hot summers), there are plenty of outdoor activities to do year round and […]

Categories: Scenic • Tags: artistic, azealas, garden, Nikon D3s, photography, South Carolina, Spanish moss, trees

Weekly Photo Challenge: Unusual

March 23, 2012 by Tricia Booker Photography

When I saw the theme for the Weekly Photo Challenge was the word “Unusual,” I instantly thought of the leopard gecko shoot I had this week. Maybe photographing ground-dwelling lizards native to Pakistan isn’t unusual in itself, but how about two leopard geckos kissing? I’m pretty sure not many photographers have these keywords in their collection! Cameron’s friend Lila is the proud parent to these cute little guys, who often ride around on her shoulder to visit the neighbors. They […]

Categories: Weekly Photo Challenge • Tags: kiss, leopard gecko, lizard, Nikon D3s, photography, postaday

A-Z Archive: L

March 22, 2012 by Tricia Booker Photography

As I stood on a hill overlooking a schooling ring on the Winter Equestrian Festival circuit, I observed a young rider and her horse interacting. She was trying to put on her spurs, but her adorable horse kept leaning over to nuzzle her face. She would laugh, pet him and lean down again, and he would give her another kiss. When looking at the resulting photos, what came to mind immediately was the word “Love.” The two obviously have a […]

Categories: Horse Shows • Tags: A-Z Archive, horse, horse show, kiss, love, Nikon D3s, photography

Owl Evening

March 20, 2012 by Tricia Booker Photography

We were fortunate to have Cameron’s spring break coincide with The Center For Birds of Prey’s special Owl Evening. We traveled to South Carolina on Wednesday so we could be there for Thursday’s festivities. It was a rare opportunity to see a variety of owls and to view some of their newest arrivals, including a pair of Barn Owl owlets just a few weeks old and so fluffy and fragile. Usually, the center’s flight demonstrations include an owl, but it’s […]

Categories: Birds • Tags: barn owl, bird, Center for Birds of Prey, eastern screech owl, Nikon D3s, owl, owlet, photography, South Carolina

A-Z Archive: K

March 13, 2012 by Tricia Booker Photography

This week’s A-Z Archive is the letter “K,” and it was more challenging than past letters. I had a number of thoughts as I roamed through my 2011 images where soccer “kicks” were plentiful, “kids” played games and “kisses” were caught on occasion. Then, I recalled my evening spent last summer on the Mall, when for the first time I visited the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. As the sun set, I photographed the monument and observed the many people […]

Categories: Travel • Tags: A-Z Archive, artistic, Martin Luther King Jr. Monument, Nikon D3s, photography, postaday, Washington D.C.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Contrast

March 11, 2012 by Tricia Booker Photography

When Peppermint first met Riptide, I wasn’t sure if she would get along with him. In addition to outweighing her by at least four times, Riptide is still a young guy, full of energy and maybe a bit extreme for her recent more conservative tastes in playmates. But from their initial meeting, the two were great pals, and they chased one another around The Hill School fields, romping and playing. Since then, Peppermint has fondly greeted Riptide whenever she sees […]

Categories: Weekly Photo Challenge • Tags: artistic, contrast, dog, Jack Russell, Nikon D3s, photography, postaday

A-Z Archive: J

March 9, 2012 by Tricia Booker Photography

For this week’s A-Z Archive the featured letter is “J”. Since the sport of show jumping is my focus, I thought I’d post one of my all-time favorite jumping shots. I took this image of British show jumper Robert Smith aboard Marius Claudius during the Bank of Montreal Nations Cup at the 2010 Spruce Meadows Masters in Calgary, Alberta. The stallion is jumping in perfect form, and the horse and rider share the same focused and intent expression that reveals […]

Categories: Horse Shows • Tags: A-Z Archive, artistic, horse, horse show, jump, Marius Claudius, photography, Robert Smith, show jumper, Spruce Meadows

A Happy Anniversary

March 8, 2012 by Tricia Booker Photography

On March 5, 2011, I unpacked my new camera, walked outside and took a photograph of Peppermint. Now, 366 days later, I’ve clicked that shutter more than 20,000 times, taken various photography courses and seminars, found great satisfaction in iPhone photography, met terrific people with a passion for photography and writing, learned about faraway lands that I can now visually imagine, and found inspiration in others after discovering a community that’s incredibly rich with talent, energy and creativity. It’s been […]

Categories: Dogs • Tags: cute, dog, Jack Russell, Nikon D3s, photography, postaday

March 4, 2012

March 7, 2012 by Tricia Booker Photography

A fellow blogger, who publishes her Cee’s Life Photography Blog, posts weekly “Share Your World” questions as a way for bloggers to get to know each other a bit better. If you post regularly as I do, the questions are a nice jumping off point to write about something you might not have otherwise considered, but this week, just for fun, I decided to formally answer her questions. What is your favorite month of the year? What is something you learned in […]

Categories: Birds • Tags: artistic, bald eagle, bird, Nikon D3s, photography, postaday, share your world

March 3, 2012

March 5, 2012 by Tricia Booker Photography

One of the first lessons a fledgling equine photographer learns is to avoid using lenses that distort the horse’s image. You never want the horse’s beauty to be compromised through unflattering angles or a lens that emphasizes the wrong aspects of his conformation. You learn to stand in certain places, shoot at certain heights and only deviate from the norm to camouflage conformational faults or emphasize what’s truly exceptional. I followed that mantra religiously for decades, rarely, if ever, straying […]

Categories: Horses • Tags: Arabian, artistic, distorted, Nikon D3s, nose, photography, postaday, stallion

March 2, 2012

March 4, 2012 by Tricia Booker Photography

I didn’t have a lot of time to walk Peppermint. In fact, I was going to skip our outing today since looming deadlines were on my mind. But when she jumped out of the Tahoe and took off toward our favorite field while I was loading equipment, I relented. She was so happy to be out and galloped off, chasing wind-blown leaves and “hunting” for creatures in the grass. It was just 10 minutes, but it meant the world to […]

Categories: Dogs • Tags: artistic, cute, dog, Jack Russell, Nikon D3s, photography, postaday

March 1, 2012

March 4, 2012 by Tricia Booker Photography

“Cam has no fear.” It was touching to hear one of his sports coaches stop me to tell me how well he’s doing in gymnastics. At the end of our conversation, he mentioned that Cam’s lack of fear is one of his most endearing traits but also a source of concern for his coaches. How the memories came flooding back! He could have been describing me at Cam’s age. I was fearless on the diving board, the trampoline and in […]

Categories: Family • Tags: gymnastics, Middleburg, Nikon D3s, photography, postaday, The Hill School, vault, Virginia

February 29, 2012

March 3, 2012 by Tricia Booker Photography

Leap day. It arrives most years that are divisible by four and provides us with one extra day to do something special. Today, I balanced work with a few hours at the barn with my horse, riding and caring for him. The unseasonably warm afternoon provided a wonderful glimpse of spring in Virginia. The daffodils are already blooming, and the early spring crops are emerging and will eventually nudge the dull browns of winter out of the way. No, I […]

Categories: Scenic • Tags: artistic, Camera+, farm, iPhone, photography, postaday, spring, trees, Virginia