Christopher Kijowski Photography

Football season is over. Wedding season is pretty much done although I have a wedding scheduled for 12/26/2009 and my first of the year is a Winter wedding on 1/9/2010. In the meantime I return to exploring my surroundings with camera in hand. It’s funny how I can enjoy something so much more when I have my camera with me. I notice that my eye examines things I might not normally see or in a way I see it when looking through the lens.

Winter is here and the bright colors of Fall have faded.  I’m a sucker for Mother Nature’s patterns and Winter contrasts I see during the cold, dark Winter months. What is left is best expressed in black and white.

I sat and looked at these photos again and stared for several minutes at the ones I enjoy the most. As I looked at them I find my memory being drawn back to numerous winter trips to the Adirondack’s. The thought of hiking, skiing and kayaking, enjoying the great outdoors, the wide open spaces and all that the area has to offer.  John Muir said it best, ”As long as I live, I’ll hear waterfalls and birds and winds sing. I’ll interpret the rocks, learn the language of flood, storm and the avalanche. I’ll acquaint myself with the glaciers and wild gardens, and get as near the heart of the world as I can.” -John Muir.

I hope everyone enjoys. Thanks for reading. Please leave a comment in the comment section at the end of my blog.

Chris

The forces of nature get together to produce interesting sculptures. Wind, water and freezing temperatures combine to form some of the nost beautiful sculptures on Earth. They cannot be duplicated and as they are made of organic compounds and continue to be exposed to the same forces which developed them, they will change daily. As they grow and change they remind us of the frailty of life. Soon these sculptures will be gone and remain only in our memory. It is my desire to capture these memories for all to see as I have seen them.I love trees. They have two very distinct personalities; the one we see when in full bloom during the warm, inviting summer months and the one we see during the cold, dark months of winter. The trees have shed their leaves, their personality and stand dormant as once great features of our landscape waiting to bloom once again. We often take these same trees for granted and pass by them without notice. We cut them down arbitrarily when they are in our way and lament their absence when gone and unable to provide us with comforting shade.Three trees stand a silent vigil on the Western shore of the Niagara River.Mother Nature’s sculpture as crafted by the wind and water.More ice sculpture. i can get lost for minutes trying to figure out the exact combination of elements which helped to form such interesting sculptures.I watched the seagulls from my perch at a nearby picnic table. The wind had picked up and began to ruffle the bird’s feathers; their heads tucked into their breasts to avoid the cold, windy assault.

More ice sculpture.Additional trees guarding the shoreline of the Niagara River standing silently against the cold breezes blowing across the water.This is my favorite. As a child I remember listening to Neil Diamond’s “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” over and over. If memory serves me, I needed to replace at least one vinyl LP it was played so frequently. I saw this seagull effortlessly coasting on the wind and I was transported back to the 1970′s and the song “Be” from the Jonathan Livingston Seagull soundtrack. it was very peaceful sitting and watching the birds take flight on such a cold afternoon.A picnic table absent of people who, when the weather is warmer would be enjoying a meal, a cup of coffee or just the company of another.It’s not often I see pigeons by the river. This group took flight as I approached. They are beautiful and graceful in their flight.