Customer Reviews

Morning Light 2009 Wall Calendar (Calendar)

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William Neill is a master photographer, and though there is only one of his books available now this calendar for 2010 MORNING LIGHT reminds us of just who unique is his conversation with nature. Though limited in pages by the fact that this is a calendar, these photographs are so beautiful that they deserve a special place in anyone's home who respects and loves nature in all her guises. To quote the artist 'I have lived in the Sierra for 33 years, and I have always been thrilled when seeing the first buckeyes popping out in early spring. The leaves come out so fast that I have never caught that moment I have enjoyed for so many years. The bare branches of these small trees often have wonderful patterns that I have photographed during the winter months. I have been wanting to capture that sense of early spring that I have seen and felt every spring for so long. The timing is critical - early enough in the budding process to still see the branch patterns and also see the full, radiating shapes of the leaves. On Tuesday morning, on my Morning Light run, I think I captured the moment.'

What makes these images so special is the almost indistinct edges of the trees and clouds so softly illuminated by that gentle morning light. 'For the first month or so, I found no good light. Indian summer conditions gave us clear blue skies and few interesting clouds. Finally, when our first winter rain arrived, I found great conditions for my "Morning Light" series! One Sunday night, we had a rip-roaring thunderstorm in our area. When I drove my daughter to school on Monday morning, there was a thick fog in the area. On my way home, I spotted these beautiful oaks across from the school. I spent the next 45 minutes reveling in the fog, photographing every variation I could think of, changing camera positions and lenses. I tried a few vertical panoramas and shuffled along the fence line of this field as I worked on various spacing between the trees. The fog simplified the background, isolating the graphic shapes of these Valley oaks.'

William Neill is a creature of the earth but also a seer. We can only hope he will publish more monographs of his visions soon. Grady Harp, June 11

Simply gorgeous images to put on your wall through the year. I never get tired of it.