Figure 1 – Early spring along the marsh, Saint Patrick’s Day 2016, Assabet River Wildlife Refuge, Maynard, MA. (c) DE Wolf 2016.

I went walking again yesterday at the Assabet River Wildlife Refuge. I got there early, and it was a weekday; so for a change I actually saw more wildlife than the occasional goose. But what was most striking to me was the impending sense of spring. Spring is tenuous in New England. March is famous for spring snow storms, and we are all warily watching the weather predictions for next Monday. But the good thing is that if it comes it will melt quickly – and of course it represents a photo-op in its own right.

Anyway, I took the photograph of Figure 1 along what is known as the Otter Trail. I was struck by the brightly illuminated verdant tufts of grass and the clear water. Soon it will all be overgrown.I was able to get exactly what I was looking for in the image. You may argue that the color is a bit over saturated and intense. But it is, in fact, the way my eye saw it – which is the whole point of photography.

Canon T2i with EF70-200mm f/4L USM lens at 154 mm, ISO 1600, Aperture Priority AE Mode 1/4000th sec at f/7.1 with no exposure compensation.