In late October, we had a hard frost in Southeastern
Massachusetts. Living in the heart of
cranberry country, I knew that cranberry growers who had not yet harvested
their crops would be scrambling to freeze their berries. They would turn on their sprinkler systems
overnight to coat the berries in ice. According
to the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association, this actually creates heat,
protecting the cranberries from damaging frost.
Armed with this knowledge, I played a hunch and went to my
favorite bog. I like it, because the
owners do not take care of it. This bog
is perhaps the worst cared for of all the working bogs in my region. This bog has many kinds of weeds which add
interest to my images. Rather than
making images of pristine red cranberries floating on top of a bog, I try to
show a beautiful flower or tall golden grasses growing among the cranberries.
Perhaps my favorite weeds are sapling maple trees. They grow approximately eighteen inches tall
and their leaves turn red, orange or yellow in the fall. The turning maple leaves look fantastic when
they are surrounded by hundreds of floating crimson cranberries.
When I arrived at the bog, the scene was even more beautiful
than I had imagined. The sprinklers had
covered the entire bog in ice. The tall
grasses and maple trees looked like giant, colorful crystals. I selected my long 200-500mm lens to isolate
each weed and began to photograph.
Perhaps the most challenging part of the morning was dodging
the sprinklers. At one point I even
timed a sprinkler to be able to safely photograph a particularly colorful maple
leaf. I had approximately 30 seconds to
make an image before I would get soaked.
Considering the air temperature was 33 degrees, I made sure to work
quickly!
As the morning sun rose higher, the scene became more
beautiful. Four other people stopped
and commented on the lovely scene. Even
a police officer paused during his patrol to take in the breathtaking view. Soon, the sun warmed the air and the ice
began to melt bringing a close to a beautiful morning.
This Month’s Tip:
Most people assume that it is easy to make a great photograph. The reality is that it takes a lot of
planning, practice and patience. While
it may seem that I simply drove right up to a great scene, I had years of knowledge
and scouting working in my favor. Nothing
can replace experience and persistence, so get out there and photograph!
Greg Lessard is a professional photographer. You may view his latest portfolio, “The
Glory of Massachusetts” at the Bridgewater Public Library throughout the month
of December.
