I still believe that this part of Southeastern Indiana with it’s many waterfalls and unique geographic features is the most under utilized area for tourism in the Midwest, I have traveled and hiked some of the other destinations in the East and this area is definitely right near the top for natural beauty.

With the beautiful hardwood gorges and 25 waterfalls 30 feet or bigger, the day hiker could go afield for many days just to witness the natural geographic wonders that lie in our own backyard.

And every spring these tree lined canyons explode with a display of wildflowers that rivals even the beautiful blooms of the Great Smoky and Appalachian Mountains, the only problem is I may be the only person singing the praises of this hidden gem we live in, for me personally that might be a good thing but in terms of economic and tourism dollars it’s not so good.

Clifty Falls State Park puts on a few nice walks thru the park in the spring but the area around the park is definitely being underutilized  and some sort of  leadership from city and state government needs to step up and promote the beauty that surrounds us here in Madison.

But if local government can’t get the job rolling maybe it’s time for the people in the private sector to take it into their hands and get the ball rolling and then maybe it would get noticed by someone higher up in the food chain and then we could give an already beautiful and Historic Madison another piece in the economic game of tourism dollars !!

Thanks for listening to my rant and here are just a couple of the beautiful examples of the area we call home !

This is the part of photography I miss, I love my portrait business here in Madison Indiana but hopefully after I retire from my job I will be able to make more time for this part of my work.  As for the coaching part Lord only knows how long I can take that part of my life, great kids and extremely talented but they can really be frustrating at times lol !!

Been hoping for a little snow this year, lots of rain and storms but no snow, of course when we get closer to the wildflower season I am sure it will get a lot colder with a ton of snow…never fails !!

Hope you enjoy the image and thanks again for stopping by and taking a look, and make sure you click on the image for best result.

Portrait photography has actually been wonderful to do so far, I haven’t ran into that so called Bridezilla or meddling mother yet so I can’t complain too much on that front it’s just being able to spend all the quality time I used to get outside has all but dried up. It doesn’t help that I am still working at the store or that I am still coaching basketball either, but the good thing is I get a little closer everyday to giving up my job I have been at for 33 years and when that happens things should really up time wise for me in a big way !!

I really miss my time in the Smoky mountains, haven’t been on a shooting trip down there for over a year now, maybe if I get caught up this spring I  might get down there for a shoot.

But like I said earlier the portrait part of my photography is doing great and all my clients have been great to work with, I went from 8 weddings last year to already booking 11 for this year and waiting to hear from three more and it’s only January. I would like to be able to do more Senior Pics and it’s getting better this year, and the family and kid sessions are booking up quite well.

So I am very thankful for all my clients and I hope my business keeps growing I just hope to be able to spend a little more time in all the beautiful canyons and gorges that surround my hometown here in Madison Indiana and trip or two down to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park would be pretty nice as well.

Thanks for stopping by and here is a recent example of the work I am doing now, hope you like the image and click on it for a better view !

Peter Ellis is the owner operator and in his short stint as the gallery curator he has brought a diverse  mix of mediums to the people of Madison and the surrounding area that might not have had a venue  within our community.

The lists of Artists that he has hosted in his gallery is as fine as any gallery in Indiana and the Region from Lawrence Rudolech, Robert Saueressig and Richard James to Leticia Bajuyo  all  of these wonderful artists have shown their work at the West Street Art Center.

I had a great night not to long ago shooting Richard James show, Richards work is unique and thought provoking and made for wonderful subjects to photograph, hopefully I was able to capture the beauty of his work and convey it here for you to enjoy.

The West Street Art Center will be holding many more events in the coming months and I will try to keep you up to date on the times and Artists that will be profiled and maybe if you live in the region you can make your way to this unique gallery for an event.

The images I have showcased here came from Richard James show, thanks for stopping by and taking a look.

The Madison Chautauqua features artwork that is handmade and individually designed by the artist. Come and see the beautiful paintings, drawings, photography, sculpture, weaving, folk art, jewelry,  wood, baskets, clay, glass, paper, leather and wearable art!

You will also find a wonderful array of ethnic foods that line the waterfront along with music and other performance artists.

You can also stroll the tree lines streets to visit and view the beautiful Architecture that makes Madison one of the most celebrated National Historic sites.

And while you are in town you can also stop by my studio and view some of my work at 201 West Main Street, is that a plug or what !!

Seriously the weather looks to be great and the town definitely puts on a show it is really worth the drive if you are close..Hope to see you here !!

This was a perfect opportunity for a b&w conversion, I love the stark contrast between the beautiful bride and the rusted deteriorating look of the train cars and track. I still like the posed family and wedding party pics, but you just can’t beat the fun pics you can have on your wedding….it really helps to let off a little steam on your special day !!

So if you are planning your wedding don’t forget the fun pics you will be glad you took the time to get them done, thanks for stopping by and taking a look and click on the image for best viewing.

Blue Eyed Mary’s are one of my favorite wildflowers to shoot because of the beautiful blue color and also the small delicate structure of the plant make it a great subject as well. These wonderful wildflowers can usually be found in early spring along rocky creek bottoms and along gently sloping hillsides, they are very easy to miss as you hike the woodlots and canyon floors because of the very small size of this plant but once you find them their color alone makes up for their size.

This particular subject’s bloom was a bit larger then a pea  and not an easy subject to photograph but after a little work I finally was able to bring out all the structure and color in this beautiful subject.

So if you ever get up to Clifty falls in the spring take the time to hunt for this little gem you will be glad you did, thanks for stopping by and taking a look, and as always click on the image for best viewing !!

I always say I am going to to spend more time here but it never happens so I won’t say it lol. But at least today I am going to post something new, the bad thing everything I have that is new is portrait oriented, so I guess I will just post something from one of my recent sessions here in Madison Indiana just to show you what I have been up too !!

These are a few from a recent Wedding that I shot ,  it was one of those great outside Weddings where the light and all the colors worked so well together that the images came out absolutely beautiful and made for a great Wedding shoot,  these are my favorite setups !!

I can’t express how thankful I have been for all the clients and work they have given me but I really miss the other side of my photography and hopefully someday soon I can quit my job and then have the time to venture out into the woods and canyons that surround my home and capture some of the beautiful nature scenes that I love so much.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look and for best viewing just click on the image.

Zantedeschia aethiopica (common names Lily of the Nile, Calla lily, Easter lily, Arum lily, Varkoor, an Afrikaans name meaning pig’s ear); syn. Calla aethiopica L., Richardia africana Kunth, Richardia aethiopica (L.) Spreng., Colocasia aethiopica (L.) Spreng. ex Link) is a species in the family Araceae, native to southern Africa in Lesotho, South Africa, and Swaziland.^[1]

It is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant, evergreen where rainfall and temperatures are adequate, deciduous where there is a dry season. Its preferred habitat is in streams and ponds or on the banks. It grows to 0.6–1 m (2–3 ft) tall, with large clumps of broad, arrow shaped dark green leaves up to 45 cm (18 in) long. The Inflorescences are large, produced in spring, summer and autumn, with a pure white spathe up to 25 cm (10 in) and a yellow spadix up to 90 mm (3½ in) long.^[2]

Zantedeschia contains calcium oxalate, and ingestion of the raw plant may cause a severe burning sensation and swelling of lips, tongue, and throat; stomach pain and diarrhea is possible.^[3][4]

Zantedeschia aethiopica is native to southern Africa in Lesotho, South Africa, and Swaziland. It has become naturalised in Australia, particularly in Western Australia where it occurs in areas with high periodical water tables and sandy soils and has been classified as a toxic weed and pest.^[5][6]

A number of cultivars have been selected for use as ornamental plants. ‘Crowborough’ is a more cold tolerant cultivar growing to 90 cm (36 in) tall, suited to cool climates such as the British Isles and north-western United States. ‘Green Goddess’ has green stripes on the spathes. ‘White Sail’, growing to 90 cm tall, has a very broad spathe.^[2] ‘Red Desire’ has a red instead of yellow spadix and appears to be rare. ‘Pink Mist’ has a pinkish base to the spathe.

In order to introduce colours to the large white Calla Lilies just like the many colour varieties available with the dwarf summer Calla Lilies, attempts to hybridise Zantedeschia aeithiopica x Zantedeschia elliotiana have resulted in albino progenies, which are non-viable.

It has been cultivated for the Easter floral trade since the early 20th century; hence the (ambiguous) name ‘Easter lily’, common in Britain and Ireland. It has become an important symbol of Irish Republicanism since the Easter uprising of 1916.

It is the National Flower of St. Helena[1], where it grows widely.

Sorry for the long description but I don’t have the patience to write that much !!

But I do have the patience to photograph these beautiful flowers and I was especially happy with this specimen, I shot this in my portrait studio here in Madison Indiana, and used a light box and floor lamp to achieve this wonderful light. I think the warm yellow light that rose up thru the flower added a great touch to the image, I usually like all my Calla Lilies shot in B&W but this one had to be left in color because of that golden light.

Hope you enjoyed the image as much as I did ans thanks for stopping by and taking a look, as always for best viewing click on the image !!

Clifty Falls has an enormous amount of Columbines in the park due to the large boulders that dot the landscape there, if you ever need a good place to shoot them definitely give Clifty Falls a shot, you won’t be disappointed.

Columbines are truly hard to photograph due to how the bloom hangs out and away from the main plant, making even the slightest breeze seem like a Tornado, you need to find  a still day or a protected  environment to get a quality shot, they tend to grow in and around rock crevices, so finding these areas would make for  a great place to find and start shooting them.

Here is some more info from Wikipedia ….

Aquilegia canadensis (Canadian or Canada Columbine, Eastern Red Columbine, wild columbine, honeysuckle) is a herbaceous perennial native to woodland and rocky slopes in eastern North America, prized for its red and yellow flowers. It readily hybridizes with other species in the genus.

Height is 15–90 cm (6–35 in). Leaves are lobed and grouped in 3s, growing from the base and off the flowering stems.

Flowers are 1-2 inches long and have yellow petals with a red spur and red sepals. They appear in late spring, nodding on stems above the leaves. The round end of the spur contains nectar, which is sought by butterflies and hummingbirds.

The caterpillars of Columbine Duskywing (Erynnis lucilius) feed on the leaves.

The plant is easily propagated from seed and blooms the second year. It is relatively long lived in the garden. It grows well in shade, and in sun with proper moisture.

The cultivar ‘Little Lanterns’ is half the height of the species.

Native American tribes used various parts red columbine in herbal remedies.

I hope you liked the photo and info, thanks for stopping by and taking a look, click on the image for best viewing !!