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John Hadden Photography

Photography of the Natural World

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nature

Camel’s Hump Black & White

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Camel’s Hump in black & white

A friend challenged me to black & white photo thingy on the facebooks, so I obliged. Interestingly, this time of year (November…) it’s kind of hard to find much color in the world, so black and white landscapes work!

Panasonic GX8, Lumix 14-140mm lens @ 115mm, ISO 800, f/11, 1/1300″ exposure.

Frosted Rugosa

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Rugosa rose leaves bedecked with frost

Intricate frost crystals grow on rugosa rose leaves in the chilly morning air.

Nikon D600, Sigma 105mm macro lens, ISO 800, f/16, 1/400″ exposure

Rusted

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Red oak leaves “rusting” on the branch

Many years ago, Robin pulled a red oak sapling out of the woods and planted it at the edge of our front yard. It’s now about 25′ tall and one of the showcase trees on our property (despite being decapitated in 2014…) This time of year it’s leaves look like they’re rusting. They cling to the branches well into the winter with some not dropping until new leaves push out in the spring. There are quite a few dried leaves from last season still on the branches…

Panasonic GX8, Lumix 14-140mm lens @ 46mm, ISO 800, f/5.2, 1/640″ exposure

Four in the meadow

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Two pair of Jersey heifers in a fall meadow

Four of the Taft’s Jersey heifers don’t seem to be paying too much attention to the view along Shaker Mountain Road.

Panasonic GX8, Lumix 14-140mm lens @ 46mm, ISO 800, f/13, 1/100″ exposure

Frosted

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Chicory frosted

Late season chicory sports a fringe of frost.

Nikon D600, Sigma 105mm macro lens, ISO 1250, f/13, 1/60″ exposure.

Forest Battle

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The garter snake pounces

While descending Hurricane Mountain a week or so ago, I spooked a large garter snake (probably 28-30″ long with a inch-and-a-half diameter). I stopped stock still and watched as he was obviously hunting—his tongue darting as he poked under a fallen tree and in the leaf litter. Without warning, he struck at something I didn’t see—a toad hidden under a layer of leaves. The battle ensued. Robin and I watched for a good 10 minutes as the struggle between snake and rather large toad played out…

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The snake gets the toad out of the leaf litter
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The toad holds on to a stick
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The toad manages to get its head out of the snake’s mouth
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The toad struggles to pull away
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The snake manages to grap the toad’s head again…

Moments after this last shot, the snake righted itself, lifted the toad a good 6″ off the forest floor, and sped out of sight into cover to finish the job. We could only stand in awe at the power, strength, and persistence of the snake—and yes, we had some remorse for the toad. Such is life in the forest.

Photos taken with a Panasonic GM5 and Lumix 12-32mm lens.

Down the line

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Looking down the line in Jonesville, VT

Morning sunshine kicks up heat waves causing some interesting distortion in this vanishing-point view of railroad tracks in Jonesville, VT.

Panasonic GX8, Lumix 100-300mm lens @ 218mm, ISO 800, f/20, 1/250″ exposure

Elderberry

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Elderberry berries ripening along Taft Road

The bright purple stems of elderberry fruit heads certainly catch the eye this time of year. The nutritious berries are sought out by many critters including birds, bears, and homo sapiens.

Nikon D600, Sigma 105mm macro lens, ISO 800, f/3.2, 1/1600″ exposure.

Dogwood berries

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Dogwood berries against the sky

There’s a clutch of pagoda dogwood along Taft Road that have been beckoning my to take some photos. The dark purple-black berries on their bright red stems contrast so well with the green foliage. A shallow depth of field allows for some ethereal bokeh of the blue sky beyond.

Nikon D600, Sigma 105mm macro lens, ISO 800, f/5, 1/640″ exposure.

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