Archives

by Tom Dills

March Wallpaper

Spring dogwood in Salisbury, North Carolina

Spring dogwood in Salisbury, North Carolina

Spring is a great time of year here in the Carolinas.  While we have seen the occasional snow storm, March is usually when spring comes roaring in, splashing with both feet to put an end to winter.

This photo, taken last March just down the road in Salisbury, NC exemplifies spring for me.  Crystal clear blue sky, te beautiful dogwood blooms and the joy that spring has not forgotten us.

I’ve been laying a little low lately.  Kathy & I have a few irons in the fire, so to speak, that have kept me away from the computer more than usual.  It’s all good though, not to worry.  But stay tuned, I haven’t gone far.

by Tom Dills

December Wallpaper Calendar

Joy of Christmas light show at Firestone Park, Columbiana, OH

Our Thanksgiving visit to Ohio and Pennsylvania, despite not being a “photography trip” per se, resulted in a number of decent photographs, one of which I liked well enough to use for this month’s calendar.  I like to keep with the holiday theme for December whenever possible, and I’m usually able to come up with something.

Firestone Park, named for Harvey Firestone (the tire guy), is located in Columbiana, OH.  Kathy & I lived here before migrating south to North Carolina.  And a late November visit reminded us why we moved!

Firestone Park has an annual “Joy of Christmas” light festival, and we had a chance to pay a visit one evening while we were there.  I didn’t take a tripod with me, figuring I wouldn’t do a lot of photography, but who can resist Christmas lights?  And with ISO 6400 or higher, who needs a tripod, even at night? :)

I hope everyone has an exceptional December and a warm and joyous Christmas holiday season!

by Tom Dills

September Wallpaper

The Whalehead Club at Currituck Heritage Park near Corolla, North Carolina

I set this up to auto-post on 9/1 and hopefully it will work!

This is one of my favorite photographs from a visit to the northern Outer Banks back in 2009, and I thought it might make a nice intro to fall.  The nice clear sky hints at the return of autumn while retaining just a hint of summer’s warmth.  I had walked around this building earlier in the day and loved the windows.  The possibility of a reflection of the sunset in those windows at dusk were what brought me back.

The building is known as The Whalehead Club and is located at Currituck Heritage Park near Corolla, North Carolina.  It is the restored private residence of northern industrialist and conservationist, Edward C. Knight Jr. and now houses the Whalehead Club Historic House Museum.

by Tom Dills

June Wallpaper

Large and In Charge

Sorry, but I’m having so much fun going through my Alaska photos that I’m going to stick with that theme for this month’s wallpaper calendar.  I got a number of good shots in Glacier Bay, so stay tuned to an upcoming post with more photos.  This one sort of best fits my criteria for wallpaper, so hopefully it’s a photo you don’t mind looking at for a month or so while summer here gets geared up!

It’s hard to imagine as I sit here with the temperature outside hovering around 90 that I was standing on the deck of a cruise ship in boots, wool socks, long underwear, a hat and gloves!  I tried to bring some of that cold home with me but I think it slipped out of my bag in San Francisco. :)

I hope everyone has a splendid June.  We’ve got a few birthdays in the family in June, so special wishes to those-who-know-who-they-are!

by Tom Dills

May 2012 Wallpaper

 

South Beach Marina, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

Here’s something a little different this month.  A simpler and more graphic photograph, the kind of photography I’ve been doing more of lately…seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary.

While this photograph was taken on Hilton Head Island, SC the location isn’t really important.  The photo isn’t about Hilton Head.  What it is about is the combination of red, white and blue in a simple, graphic design that to me represents that feeling I get on a sunny summer day with a great clear blue sky.  That feeling of being on vacation!

Lots going on these days, so while I hope to send off a few more posts before the Big Adventure, it may be a too little hectic.  But you’ll hear from me, don’t worry!

by Tom Dills

March Wallpaper

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska

I’m on an Alaska kick lately, and looking over some of my old photos has me thinking about going back.  March is a month of transition here in the Southeast, while winter (or what winter has been this year) lingers elsewhere.  While this photo was taken in August (believe it or not) it shows lingering snow above soaring mountains and deep blue water.

I hope you enjoy this journey into the archives, and I hope you have a wonderful March!

by Tom Dills

February Wallpaper

Sunset along the Pantego Creek in Belhaven North Carolina

This has been a strange winter so far.  And not just here in North Carolina, but people I talk to all over the country are wondering what’s going on.  Well, it’s February, so we’re not out of the woods yet, winter-wise.  But at least here in the South we can look forward to spring being right around the corner.

by Tom Dills

December Wallpaper

Views from the 5300’ summit of Sugar Mountain, Sugar Mountain Resort near Banner Elk, North Carolina

I had a special request this month for a “snowy mountain scene” and I just happen to have a few.  Taken a couple of years ago, I had the privilege of shooting an assignment at Sugar Mountain in Banner Elk, NC.  As luck would have it a very nice snowstorm blew through a couple of days before my scheduled visit, and the folks at the ski resort were kind enough to let me ride the chairlifts without skis.  You wouldn’t want to see me on skis!

This is a view from the 5300’ summit of Sugar Mountain at Sugar Mountain Resort near Banner Elk, North Carolina.

by Tom Dills

November Wallpaper

Sunrise over Swans Cove Pool, Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Assateague Island, Virginia

November is a time of transition.  Here in the Southeast fall hangs on for another few weeks, sometimes until Thanksgiving.  We’ve already seen our first snowfall in the mountains, and I know a lot of my friends Up North have had a lot more.  Like October, November can be a month of color, but as the color recedes from the landscape it is often found in the sky.  Clear days and nights lead to an often monochrome but very colorful sky.  Enjoy it while it lasts, because soon Winter will be here, in whatever form it takes where you are.

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On a somewhat related note, a plea for feedback.  Kirk Tuck recently posted a great article on The Online Photographer about “What I learned when I stopped writing a photo blog.”  In it he discusses, among other things, the value of comments from the “silent majority.”  I get a number of comments from a few regular visitors, but I know from my stats that a lot more people follow my work.  A few of you may even like my work!  So feel free to comment, to tell me you like something, ask me a question or suggest I keep my Day Job.  I don’t write for comments or for money, I do it because I enjoy it.  But it’s nice to hear from people now and again.  So don’t be shy!  And I promise to do my part as well, to keep writing what I write.  If something moves you, feel free to let me know in the comments.  Thanks!