Don Sutherland's most appreciated articles

2015 has been a dark year for humanity. In January, we mourned the brave cartoonists of Charlie Hebdo who lost their lives simply for exercising their inherent right of free speech, along with others who died in related incidents. Now, as the year nears an end and the joyous Hanukkah and Christmas holidays approach, Islamist terrorists have again inflicted their deadly and barbaric savagery on the people of France. In doing so, they trampled human dignity and the most basic and inaliena…

My first full month at Ipernity has been a rewarding one. The people—welcoming longtime members of Ipernity and contacts who migrated from Flickr—have been wonderful. They have made it a special community. The Ipernity team has been highly responsive during the extraordinary period of transition that has been underway, always helpful and informative. The photos give Ipernity a distinctive feel. From magical abstracts to colorful butterflies, from delicate floral detail to soaring mountains,…

On the evening of July 23, I lost my beloved dad. During the closing weeks of his life, he demonstrated the kind of dignity, courage, and love that only made him even dearer to us, his children. Even into his final days, he would not let the advancing cancer temper his joy of seeing his children and grandchildren. Although his very youngest grandchildren could not comprehend the situation and behaved as toddlers and infants typically conduct themselves, they still brought a smile to his face.…

I was badly shocked and saddened by the vicious terrorist attack that took place in Paris yesterday. I mourn its victims, those from Charlie Hebdo and the police officers who were murdered. I also mourn the policewoman who lost her life today, whether or not that incident was related to yesterday’s terrorist attack. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their families, and to the French people. At the same time, I join the growing chorus of sentiment in proclaiming, “Je suis Charl…

In his A History of the English-Speaking Peoples , Winston Churchill wrote: Every nation or group of nations has its own tale to tell. Knowledge of the trials and struggles is necessary to all who would comprehend the problems, perils, challenges, and opportunities which confront us today... It is in the hope that contemplation of the trials and tribulations of our forefathers may not only fortify the English-speaking peoples of today, but also play some small part in uniting the whole wor…

As I head out to China, a few quick thoughts on my first year at Ipernity. Yes, it has been a year since I joined the Ipernity Club. Time seems to have passed so quickly that it is difficult to believe that it actually has been a year. Overall, my experience has been a rewarding one. The combination of an evolving and dynamic community of photographers and a responsive Ipernity team have created an environment that is conducive to personal growth as a photographer, building and sustaining rel…

I typically refrain from writing political commentary here. But these are no ordinary times, at least in the United States. The January 29, 2017 edition of The Washington Post reported : Sharef once worked for a U.S. government subcontractor in post-invasion Iraq as a translator and a program manager. He got his visas, after two years of vetting, through a special U.S. resettlement program for Iraqi employees of the American government. Working for Americans was filled with perils, he…

At one of the Ipernity groups, a somewhat lively debate has developed. How it will evolve remains to be seen. On one side of the discussion is the notion that people’s commenting on others’ photos is excessive and essentially not very constructive. There is also the complaint that some of the photos receiving comments are “far-from-perfect.” Of course, if perfection is truly the standard required for one to express appreciation for another’s works, there is probably no danger that people wi…

In 1878, Carl Sandburg wrote: The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on. Nearly 140 years later on April 3, 2015, Sandburg’s descriptive poem transcended the paper on which it was written. The words leapt off the pages and a thick blanket of fog rolled across the Long Island Sound on “little cat feet.” For a time, it sat over the water, shrouding Long Island and also the landscape across Larchmont Harbor in…

One moment in early March, the ground was covered by snow. Despite lengthening days, the late-starting winter of 2015-16 struggled to hang on. But seemingly the next moment, all the snow was gone. Where snow and ice had once hugged the earth, the landscape blushed in the growing colors of spring. Each passing day, the mild breezes of a rising spring kissed new life into the once-barren landscape. Soon, the ground was covered in an extraordinary explosion of daffodils. Everywhere one looke…

In his Chronicles of England , Richard Grafton wrote, “Thirty days hath November…” Yet, thirty days is sufficient time for this transitional month to bring one from one season into another. November is the elegant bridge that leads from autumn to winter. As one walks across that bridge, autumn’s brilliant colors fade. The sun’s golden rays offer memories of fall’s disappearing warmth, but the days grow ever shorter. Delicate ice crystals from morning frost sometimes glazes the way ahead.…

Each year, the New York Botanical Garden (Bronx, New York) transforms its Children’s Garden into a Haunted Pumpkin Garden toward the end of September. The children’s emotions—ranging from joy to fright—are about as varied as the number of children who pass through the Haunted Garden each fall. Haunted Pumpkin Garden Haunted Pumpkin Garden “Mine!” (Haunted Pumpkin Garden) Haunted Pumpkin Garden In mid-to-late October, just as the last Monarchs are departing, giant pump…

In his “Autumn Hymn,” Richard Newell observed: Soon shall all the songless wood Shiver in the deepening snow… Instead, December 2015 unveiled an entirely different scenario. Large parts of North America, Europe, and Asia basked in unseasonable warmth. In North America, as wave after wave of warmth washed over the Continent, the “deepening snow” did not come and the “songless wood” did not “shiver.” Rather, the verse of Alice Lord’s “Indian Summer’s Aftermath” much better describ…

One of the places I often visit to take photos is Manor Park (Larchmont, New York). Among other things, with its location on the Long Island Sound, it offers a great place to photograph the rising sun in all its glory. Its twin gazebos and Umbrella Point also provide a photogenic setting for capturing and preserving memories ranging from wedding portraits to snowy landscapes. Rumor has it that wedding portraits captured at Manor Park mean that the marriage will truly last till “death d…

Even as parts of Europe remain locked in abnormal warmth in spite of the calendar’s having been turned to a fresh new year—Muscovites might be forgiven for wondering if the calendar forgot winter—parts of North America have experienced cold that has not been witnessed for almost 20 years in some places. An anonymous 16th Century writer once observed: This winter’s weather it waxeth cold, And frost it freezeth on every hill, And Boreas blows his blast so bold That all our cattle are li…

The persistent and frequently severe cold that covered the New York Metropolitan Area produced average temperatures more reminiscent of the spread of the television in the 1930s than the era of smartphones, tablets, and WiFi. In New York City, the mean February temperature came to just 23.9°F (-4.5°C). That monthly average was a record 11.4°F (6.3°C) below normal. No month since regular recordkeeping began in 1869 had ever had a larger cold anomaly. Moreover, only 1885 (22.7°F/-5.2°C) and 1934 (…

Summer’s heat lingered well into September this year. The mercury soared to 97°F (36.1°C) on the 8th day of the month and 87°F (30.6°C) on the 18th. Yet, despite the sometimes furnace-like breath of stubborn summer, the days were growing steadily shorter. Each morning, the sun seemed to sleep a little longer. Each evening, the sun departed a little earlier. Each minute of daylight became a little more precious. Each hour of darkness seemed to stretch beyond what should have been allotted. Th…

The Monarchs and hummingbirds have now departed for warmer climes leaving a kind of sad emptiness in their wake. Despite beauty worthy of a seat in First Class on any of the world’s leading airlines, these elegant insects and remarkable birds must instead undertake their lengthy and perilous journey all on their own. Along the way, they will battle storms, predators, fatigue, and many other challenges. Nevertheless, through heroic persistence and iron-clad determination that would make any triat…

The long winter [seemingly endless autumn in much of Europe] of 2013-14 has yielded to spring. As if to shatter any lingering doubts about the seasonal regime change that has now taken place, the booming cannon of a thunderstorm reverberated across the now colorful landscape earlier today. Spring comes bearing two powerful messages. Through its remarkable transition, sometimes in the face of fierce Arctic counterattacks from retreating winter, it speaks eloquently of renewal and resilience.…

Near the end of August, my family and I went to the New York Hall of Science in Corona (Queens). This museum features some 450 exhibits and displays related to science, technology, engineering and math. Outside the museum, is a nine-hole miniature golf course with a range of holes designed to teach basic principles of space science. For example, the first hole features a rotating circle with an opening. The goal is time one’s shot so that the ball passes through the opening when it is availa…