Home | Breath of Fresh Air Photography | Joanne Hihn

Photo Galleries

Sun, 15 May 2011 10:10:33 -0400

Biography

Wed, 04 May 2011 20:14:31 -0400

The images in these photo galleries are the result of a journey I began in 2002 when I received a Nikon Coolpix 4300 point-and-shoot digital camera for my birthday. I have always been fascinated by the ability of photographers to capture a moment in time. I am also passionate about hiking, backpacking and camping in my little corner of the world, the Adirondacks and Catkills of upstate New York, and travels to other places. The marriage of my two passions was inevitable.

I continue to learn all I can about the artistic and technical challenges of photography, from analyzing light options and composing an image to utilizing all of the features of my camera and enhancing my photos with editing software. The Coolpix camera was eventually replaced by a Canon Rebel XTi and recently by a Canon 7D which has opened up a whole new world of photographic possibilities.

I continue to refine my eye and my art as my husband and I travel to distant places, including New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Europe and Patagonia. We recently returned from an extended trip to several national parks in California including Yosemite, Sequoia, King's Canyon and Lassen Volcanic NP. I left my heart in the High Sierras - what extraordinary beauty! New photos are coming!

Hiking Journal

Wed, 04 May 2011 14:38:22 -0400

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I plan to add to this Hiking Journal regularly. It is my intention to record in greater detail some of the hiking adventures my husband and I enjoy. We are fortunate to have found friends who frequently join us. We are indebted to them for sharing their expertise, humor and boundless love of the wilderness. Placing my photos in the context of a story, it seems to me, brings added appreciation for the special places we visit.

Stop by often. I have many stories to tell.

12-2-11 New Gallery Display

This morning I hung 19 framed photos in the Helderberg Room of the Guilderland Public Library, Guilderland, NY. The gallery exhibit will run through the end of December. Many thanks to Margaret Garrett and her staff for their assistance and warm welcome. I organized the images in four groupings: Catskills, Adirondacks, Local and Other Places. Please stop by during the month of December for a look!

December 2, 2011 5:20 PM

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7-8/11 CALIFORNIA HIKING ADVENTURE

At long last I am going through the photos I took on our fantastic hiking trip to California. We spent a month exploring the National Parks of Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Lassen with other side trips to national forests and towns (including a ghost town) along the eastern High Sierras. The following is a link to a slideshow of some of the places we visited. I will add images to this slideshow as they are edited in Photoshop.

November 9, 2011 4:36 PM

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6-15-11: WEST CAVE/CAVE MTNS. (CATSKILLS)

As we get older (what a way to start a blog), we have gotten a little more picky about the conditions under which we hike. Retirement has afforded us this luxury. Yesterday, the temperatures were moderate, a light breeze kept the pesky bugs away, and the skies were sunny: in a word, a perfect hiking day. Our good friend Alan suggested climbing two mountains which are part of Windham Ski Center. His dog Bookah was recovering from some kind of an intestinal bug, so this hike was chosen with Bookah's recovery in mind. Not to worry - Bookah did just fine. She even posed for us amongst some lush ferns.

Signs showing the various ski trails were a bit confusing as we started up to West Cave Mt.

We chose a muddy, rutted route which eventually took us into some trees and then up a steep section to the top of West Cave Mt. The views looking back towards the Ski Center were hazy but I'll take it!

On top of West Cave we took a short break.

We continued along the ridge, down to the col, and then up again to Cave Mt. Workers were moving large wooden spools in a two-wheeled trailer.

The "space ship" building where skiers get off the lift was the perfect place for a lunch break.

Wildflowers were in abundance. I took some shots of daisies.

We enjoyed views of distant Highest Hundred and Highest Two-Hundred peaks.

Solutions to erosion of the banks along the ski trails (to the left in the photo below) involved draping nets (maybe impregnated with seeds) to bind the soil.

I can't say we enjoyed "a beautiful day in the woods," but I can say "a beautiful day on two mountaintops."

June 16, 2011 6:22 AM

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6-4-11 SIAMESE PONDS OVERNIGHT

Our John Muir Trail backpack is a little more than a month away so we decided to test some of our new gear on an overnight backpack into the Siamese Ponds Wilderness, Adirondack Mountains. This is one of several "shake-downs" we plan before the BIG EVENT. With the exception of some pesky mosquitoes and black flies we enjoyed fine hiking conditions and perfect weather. The 6+ mile hike to the pond involved crossing several bridges, one of which was fairly new. The builders took the time to fashion barriers under the rustic railing posts using traditional Adirondack twig construction. Very impressive!

We ate lunch shortly before arriving at the lean-to (junction of the blue and yellow trails). We found a tranquil spot along the shore of the East Branch of the Sacandaga River.

The yellow trail continues across a suspension bridge beyond the lean-to. Thor had no difficulty walking across the bridge. In fact, he led the way, looking back impatiently to see if we were following.

We didn't spend much time as we reached a vly along the yellow trail - too many bugs - but I did manage a photo of Diamond Mt.

We camped on a hill above a larger campsite where the previous campers had left a large bag of food, a bowl, grates, a large piece of plastic, and remnants of aluminum foil in the bushes. We cleaned up the site and carted away most of the trash. The question of course is why would people do this?

I headed down to the pond in the early evening, but the sun was still too high in the sky to allow for photos of any interest.

Thor's owner has provided for his canine companion in every way possible. When it was time to sleep, Thor climbed into his very own sleeping bag. What a contented, pampered pooch!

The bugs were more plentiful next morning when we headed by to the car. I snapped a quick photo of the river as we crossed the suspension bridge near the lean-to - much better light.

A particularly robust field of nettles reminded Dick of a bushwhack he hiked several days earlier. These plants are called "stinging nettles" for a reason!

If the weather holds we will try for another overnight backpack this coming weekend.

June 9, 2011 2:28 PM

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5-29-11 TUMULT ON THE AUSABLE RIVER

Communities in northern New York State have endured major flooding over the past several months with extensive damage to homes, businesses and, sadly, loss of life. We got to see the flooding first hand when we visited friends recently who live in the small town of Keeseville, about thirty minutes south of Plattsburgh. We had planned to hike but persistant rain convinced us that climbing the mountains would have to wait until the weather was more cooperative. Instead, we visited a park along the Ausable River and, later that afternoon, walked the rim trail in Ausable Chasm. The river which passes an historic nail factory in Keeseville had subsided somewhat but was still a mighty torrent of waterfalls and undulating currents.

Debris had accumulated along the shore. We spotted a "Wilson" volley ball bobbing up and down in the erratic swells.

Someone suggested that this might be the perfect day to visit Ausable Chasm, a deep canyon which has been sculpted over millennia by the Ausable River and is a popular tourist attraction. The river and views didn't disappoint beginning with Rainbow Falls. I took this photo from an auto/pedestrian bridge which spans the Ausable River.

As we walked the rim trail we were again overwhelmed by the shear force of the water as it rushed beneath our feet.

Near the parking area I couldn't resist taking one last photo of the falls at close range. The over-used word "awesome" was appropriate in this setting.

June 6, 2011 9:31 PM

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5-27-11 MORNING WALK

The temperatures will climb later today so I decided to take a walk on a "trail" which accesses power lines for our local utility company. Early morning is the best time to walk this 2-mile out-and-back path. Wildlife abounds - many varieties of birds, wild turkey, rabbits, rodents, coyotes, and even a juvenile bear a few years ago. Today the scent of honeysuckle blossoms was overwhelming.

As I bent down to take a macro photo of some of the blooms, a bee managed to duck under my shirt. I quickly scooped him out but he managed to sting me as he exited. I'm not allergic to bees so am none the worse (and the hurried shot of the bee didn't work out).

On the way back from the walk, I passed a local farm with horses grazing in a field. A black and white horse approached the fence for a closer look and I was able to take a few photos.

May 27, 2011 12:03 PM

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5-21-11 THOMAS AND CAT MOUNTAINS

We should have known. Mid-May in the Adirondacks presupposes black flies. There are swarming black flies and there are swarming and biting black flies. We encountered the latter. A few squirts of high test Deet on my hat and a quick application of oil of citronella on face and arms seemed to work well until the carbon dioxide we produced while huffing and puffing in earnest attracted hoards of the annoying "beasts." We decided on a loop hike, first ascending to a cabin with great mountain views, and then walking .5 miles to the summit of Thomas Mt.

It rained for a short time while we walked the undulating ridge to Cat Mt..

I put on a "Dri-Duck" light-weight rain jacket. Weight is negligible at the expense of ruggedness, so, at the first contact with a pricker, the jacket received its first tear. After lunch, the rain left and we were treated to sunshine, but the black flies continued to annoy so we kept on moving. Even at the summit, we enjoyed the views for only a short time. One member of our party thought he would take a nap on a flat rock complete with bug net, long-sleeved shirt and pants, but the rest of our party wanted to keep moving so his nap was cut short.

The loop trail took us down a rocky road. We weren't surprised to pass a high-water beaver pond.

The well-established beaver lodge was easily recognized on the other side of the pond.

Some of the trail along the pond was flooded but we found some good hopping rocks to avoid wet feet.

The GPS said that our walk was 7.5 miles with about 2300' of elevation change due to lots of ups and downs along the ridges. A pleasant workout, despite the challenges of those black devils!

May 22, 2011 8:49 AM

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5-11-11 HUDSON HIGHLANDS

The Hudson Highlands is a range of mountains on either side of the Hudson River, south of the Catskill and Shawangunk mountain ranges. We hiked part of Breakneck Ridge in Hudson Highlands State Park. There are a myriad of trails to explore. We found several beautiful views from high points on the ridge.

New leaves were sprouting on trees and shrubs, and we found a few wild flowers.

We were attracted to an unusual sight in the middle of the trail: a tiny seedling covered in a feather cape.

We ended our day with a hotdog roast over an open campfire at our friends' campsite. Thanks Cheryl and Mike for a great day!

May 14, 2011 12:09 PM

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5-7-11 BROWN COUNTY SP, INDIANA HIKE

We joined several members of a local Indianapolis hiking club for this 11-mile hike in southern Indiana. The day was overcast with sprinkles of rain interspersed with specks of sunshine, but the light-hearted quips and stories more than made up for the changing weather conditions. We hiked around Ogle Lake and I stopped briefly to capture some images of geese near the shore and a beaver dam.

We stopped next to a dam for a short break.

I managed to get a shot of some dogwood blossoms.

Our leader took us on a series of trails which climbed up and down several ridges, the last "up" being aptly named "Cardiac Ridge." Many thanks to our friend Chuck for sponsoring us as his guest. We hope to be able to hike with you all again.

May 4, 2011 3:56 PM

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5-1-11 CONNECTICUT APPALACHIAN TRAIL (HOUSATONIC)

We met our friends Jeff and Varda at the trailhead to Broadman Mt. at the intersection of routes 4 and 7. Our friend Roleigh and his terrier Thor rode with us on the 1.5 hour trip. Cell phone calls alerted us to the fact that we were parked at the wrong trailhead, but a quick three minute drive united us with our friends. While waiting, I took a photo of fiddlehead ferns rearing their delicate heads. The trail from the parking area was soft underfoot with dappled sunlight. We passed a beautiful stone fence and a series of small waterfalls.

The hike up to the Broadman Mt. summit was steep but short. We ate lunch at the viewpoint, enjoying a gentle breeze and blossoming shad bushes, and then moved on to a second mountain for another break before descending to the Housatonic River. We spent some time trying to rock-hop across a fast-moving stream. We all managed to get to the other bank with more or less dry feet. We walked along the shore and, from time to time, left the river for short forays into the woods. Once we walked along a beautiful open meadow. In the distance we saw a man on horseback and several people and their canine companions. Thor seemed disinterested and kept up Roleigh's pace and attention to the trail in front of him. Back to the river once more, we spent some time sitting on the shore. Thor immediately went into sleep mode

while Jeff and I took off our boots and waded into the cold water. We used our hiking poles to keep from being sucked into the sandy river bottom. At some point we decided to turn around and head back along the path and then onto a road which took us back to route 4. We were UNDER the route 4 bridge so we scrambled up a steep hill to access the road and our cars. I couldn't resist one last photo of a perfect purple trillium along the roadside.

May 4, 2011 3:36 PM

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Links

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:34:19 -0500

NYS DEC 2011 "Celebrating New York's Forests" Photo Contest Winner
Two of my photos were awarded prizes in this recent photo contest. "Fiddleheads in the Forest"
was a Nature Category winner and "Lone Tree on the Golf Course" was a semi-finalist in the
Trees Where We Live Category.

Bethlehem Public Library online newsletter "Footnotes"
One of my photos accompanied an article in this newsletter entitled "Climbing the Catskills with Bookah."

Photo Contest Winners 2011
Two of my photos have been awarded prizes in a local photo contest sponsored by the Albany Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club: SECOND PLACE (People Outdoors Category) and THIRD PLACE (Wildflower Category)
Adirondac Magazine Article
In the latest issue of "Adirondac Magazine" published by the Adirondack Mountain Club, two of my photos are included in an article called "More Than Peaks to Bag, Excerpts from Catskill Hundred Highest" by Alan Via. The link takes you to an album on my FACEBOOK page which displays the photos. The title of Alan's new book which is scheduled to be published in the spring of 2011, is CATSKILL HUNDRED HIGHEST: A HIKER'S GUIDE TO THE 67 PEAKS UNDER 3500 FEET. Congrats Alan!
ADKHighPeaksFoundation Calendar
Each year, an online community called Adirondack High Peaks Forum sponsors a contest to choose photos for a calendar. The proceeds from the sale of these calendars helps to fund projects in the Adirondacks and Catskills. This year, my photo called ANOTHER WORLD ON BLUE MOUNTAIN was chosen for the month of March.
Photo Featured in "Spotlight" Newspaper
My friend Alan and his hiking dog Bookah were featured in a newspaper article entitled "Mountain Man's Best Friend." The photo, called "Alan and Bookah On Beaver Kill Ridge," in my "Hiker-Dogs" Photo Gallery, was the featured image.
Published Photo
I'm very excited and honored that Heather Rolland has chosen one of my photos to be included in her new book, "Honey Melon Fudge." (Check out her website at http://www.heatherrolland.com/honey_melon_fudge)
Backpacker Magazine"s Online Photography School
I was recently notified that one of my photos ("Gleaming Spiderweb") was chosen by photographer Genny Fullerton for use in her blog entry entitled "Shot Lists."
Photo Contest Winner 2010
One of my photos has been awarded FIRST PRIZE (Wildflower Category) in a local photo contest sponsored by the Albany Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club.
Photo Contest Winners 2009
Two of my photos have been awarded prizes in a local photo contest sponsored by the Albany Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club: SECOND PLACE (Wildlife Category) and THIRD PLACE (Wildflower Category)
Featured Picasa Gallery Photo
One of my photos from our 1/2009 trip to Patagonia was featured in Picasa's international photo gallery. I was very honored by the recognition and comments of other Picasa Website Gallery community members. Thanks so much for your support!
Nature Pic of the Day
Three of my photos were chosen to be featured on this photo website. Check out "Landscape Arch" (February 8, 2010), "Morning Migration" (March 20), 2010, and "Ice Etchings" (March 24). Don't forget to VOTE!
Digital Photography School
This site offers great tips for improving photographic skills and artistic understanding. Every day brings new topics by professional photographers from around the world. There are also several Forums which address a variety of issues.
Photo Naturalist
I recently found this wonderful website. It gives some great tips for taking landscape, wildlife, flower, and macro photography in the form of short articles. There is also specific information for using Photoshop to enhance photos in your digital darkroom. I have signed up for an RSS feed to access daily tips.
Canon Digital Photography Forums
This online forum addresses topics of interest to Canon digital camera users from equipment to "sharing knowhow" to sharing photos. There is also a classified section for buying and selling equipment.
Adirondack High Peaks Forum
This is a valuable online forum which brings together like-minded hikers and backpackers who share their expertise and love for the Adirondack and Catskill Mountains.

Please contact me if you have any questions or comments about my Breathoffreshairphotography.com website or if you require more information about purchasing prints and/or other items.

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:36:58 -0500

Items For Sale

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:41:05 -0500

I have set up a photo gallery for purchasing fine art prints of my photos on American Frame. In addition to offering high quality prints reproduced on archival paper, custom matting and framing packages are also available. Please visit my American Frame Artist Gallery for more details.

If you are interested in purchasing a print from this Breathoffreshairphotography.com website which you don't see in the American Frame Artist Gallery, please contact me.

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I like to create and give travel calendars to family and friends as gifts. Several years ago I began offering calendars for sale on an online store I created through Zazzle.com. A 2012 Calendar is now available: "Eternal Summer in Yosemite National Park. " Photos were taken on an extended hiking trip in California.

In addition to calendars, my BofFAP store offers for sale "Patagonia Series," "Adirondack Series," and "Catskill Series" general-use notecards, mousepads and posters, created from some of my favorite photographic images.

Home | Breath of Fresh Air Photography | Joanne Hihn

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Biography

Hiking Journal

12-2-11 New Gallery Display

7-8/11 CALIFORNIA HIKING ADVENTURE

6-15-11: WEST CAVE/CAVE MTNS. (CATSKILLS)

6-4-11 SIAMESE PONDS OVERNIGHT

5-29-11 TUMULT ON THE AUSABLE RIVER

5-27-11 MORNING WALK

5-21-11 THOMAS AND CAT MOUNTAINS

5-11-11 HUDSON HIGHLANDS

5-7-11 BROWN COUNTY SP, INDIANA HIKE

5-1-11 CONNECTICUT APPALACHIAN TRAIL (HOUSATONIC)

Links

Please contact me if you have any questions or comments about my Breathoffreshairphotography.com website or if you require more information about purchasing prints and/or other items.

Items For Sale