Franklin, located in Massachusetts, is a place close to many lakes, forests and incredible wildlife. This allows me to occasionally take my camera and go for a walk in search of something great, unexpected and photogenic. On one of my most recent strolls through the neighboring forests late one afternoon in May I became aware that I was leaving the world of regulated and coordinated life to join a different rhythm.

There are many lakes around Franklin, MA

Wildlife emerges as the day comes to an end

Swamps look like mirrors reflecting the fading light

Forests and lakes become darker as wildlife wakes up

Dragonflies still dance in the sun

Flowers along the trails are beautiful

This Ladies Slipper and endangered and protected flower made it through the day without being picked.

Somebody must have lost this fishing bobber

An occasional rain adds to the beauty of nightfall.

When the day slowly comes to an end and gives way to night colors change by the minute, animals and insects, some invisible during the entire day, show up to grab a bite and disappear again into the foggy twilight of the lake. Every minute something else grabs my attention.

Silence, splashing, silence, frogs, peaceful night

Just a couple of minutes. Complete peace and balance

Franklin T commuter line cutting through the forest reflecting the setting sun in its windows

Franklin T line on its way to Boston

A turtle, fairly large, swims passed my location.

This water snake quickly attempts to escape my photography efforts

Dragonflies are everywhere

Watching dragonflies dance is a great experience

Dragonflies move very quickly never standing (flying) still for a long time

Another dragonfly decides to pose for this portrait shot, at least for a tiny fraction of a second.

The beauty of listening to all the animals now even more invisible is a memorable experience

Daylight says good night

The world around the lakes becomes even more beautiful

Everything is still full of life

The glass like surface of the lake is broken frequently by creatures at home there

What is moving there? Is it really moving? At the same time clinging to my camera mounted on a tripod thoughts arise. Right lens? ISO settings OK? Shutter speed long or short? I really hope to become better in adjusting camera settings quickly to capture something which might be gone seconds later.

Just a couple of minutes. Complete peace and balance

Is there anything moving?

Fish jumping barely visible in the twilight

A beaver swims from one side to the other

On my way home, when the world turned dark, at the sounds of bullfrogs and occasionally something plunging into the lake escaping my steps, I feel completely overwhelmed by this performance. The beaver who swam close to me to check out why I was sitting there, fish jumping, water snakes swimming through the black pollen covered lake, turtles sticking their heads out of the water, small, and, of sizes I never experienced before. Not one minute passes without something interesting happening, something unpredictable, fast and amazing.

Day leaves in pink and blue.

Night blankets nature in safety

Night appears, while I still watch the show, forgetting time

Just a couple more minutes…

Sitting and watching I usually forget that it grew dark. There is still something left to be seen, something to be extracted out of the last remnant of daylight and preserved inside my camera. One more minute and then I will go home for sure. One more minute,,, One more minute is never enough.

What a show…

Need to watch again

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