In Review - November 2023
Well, here we are! The last month of 2023 is already upon us. Where has the time gone?
If you’re like me, you’re probably in awe of how quickly the year has flown by. Some how it doesn’t feel like eleven months have come and gone already, despite all the excitement and adventures the year has brought.
November was no different either. It had its fair share of fun and adventures around the Delmarva Peninsula, so let’s take a second to look back at them together!
The month started with some amazing sunrises at Cape Henlopen State Park and Delaware Seashore State Park. Being so close to these beautiful places, I am incredibly fortunate to be able to experience sunrises like the ones from early November almost whenever I want. Plus, Fisher is becoming more of a beach dog, so he enjoys tagging along too.
As the month wore on, there was even a trip to Assateague Island this month. This trip was unlike any other, as some bald eagles treated me to a special appearance on the OSV! I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to see that! It was the first time I’ve seen eagles on the beach, and that I was able to get some good shots of them was even more amazing to me.
November nearly became the first month without any new birds added to the Birds of Delmarva project, though, much to my surprise. If not for three new entries captured on Monday the 27th, there would have been no new birds added to the list last month.
It worked out that I had more free time between some real estate shoots than I originally planned, so I used that to my advantage to get in a walk along the Gordon’s Pond Trail. Thankfully, that was all it took to add some new birds to the project, like the pied-billed grebe in the photo to the right.
The most exciting part of November, though, has to be the release of my first photo book - Assateague Island’s Wild Horses.
I hadn’t intended to make that my first book - that was originally going to be the final part of the Birds of Delmarva Project - but when looking back at the photos I’d done, decided I’d use that as an opportunity to practice creating a book. It was so much fun, and I’m already looking forward to working on the next one.
Finally, we move into what my favorite photo from the month of November was.
There were some amazing sunrises, as I’ve touched on already in this post, but my favorite has to be this one to the right, taken around noon on the path to the oceanside of Cape Henlopen.
Beach paths and dune crossings are one of my favorite things to photograph, no matter the time of day. Sunrises are typically a great time to do so, because the light isn’t as harsh and the color adds alot of dimension to the image.
That said, this one came out exactly as I hoped in the moment, which isn’t something I typically think about in the moment when taking a photo.
My goal with this shot was to create something that felt light, airy, and welcoming - almost dreamy. A lot of that is a result of the edits, but it all started with the composition of the shot, and I couldn’t be happier.
December has gotten off to a flying start already as well, and I’m excited to see what else it has in store! Just this morning, before writing this post, I explored a trail for the first time that I’m planning on sharing a little blog post about later. I’d been eyeing this trail for some time, but finally getting a chance to check it out was even more exciting.
We’re also into the holiday shopping season, so I’d be remiss if I didn’t include a brief little sales plug - tomorrow is the last day I recommend ordering print-to-order items (printed and shipped by a third-party printer when you order) and about a week away from the last recommended day for ready-to-ship products - these are all the prints, calendars, etc. I have on-hand and can ship next or same day. There are also digital gift cards available now in the shop for the first time!
Remember - all your purchases of prints, calendars, etc. will see DOUBLE their normal donations made through the end of the year via the Photographer’s Promise program in a push to hit the $1,000 goal for annual donations :)
And that’s that for this month’s edition of In Review! Thank you so much for taking the time to read over November’s excitement, and here’s to the adventures ahead in December!
- Tyler
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