Happy New Year, Cloud Spotters!

Photo of a silvery Puffer's Pond taken by Joshua Wolfsun one year ago to the day, 12/31/2019

Astonishing. Getting older and older, I still stand here at this window, watching as if never having watched anything like it before – the wrens, juncos, and purple finches picking the seeds strewn on the pile of frozen snow. Through my breath condensing into fog on cold window pane, I still see bare branches chasing their shadows in the icy wind, black threads of water crinkling through fissures in the frozen river. I am aware that what I am seeing is no more, no less than the great Mystery, that of being here at all, that of seeing it - as if from the other side of a mirror - snow, birds, my breath still condensing, that breath that started so long ago as my first cry.

                   ~ Frederick Franck (1909-2006), painter, sculptor, artist

Happy New Year, cloud spotters - here's to continuing to look up in 2021, come what may!

Blue Heron in Fall Color

Blue Heron in Fall Color at Cranberry Pond (Leverett/Sunderland)
Photo by Eric M. Berlin

Next year at this time, you could be looking at this extraordinary photo all month long. You only need the 2021 Head in the Clouds Amherst wall calendar. Shop for it now through Etsy: https://etsy.me/2RHv20L

Making Calendar Sense of #2020

Kevin Flood Accessiblbe Trail, Amherst MA
Featured Photo for February - 2015 Head in the Clouds Amherst Calendar
Photo by Sharon Vardatira

Back in February 2015, when the snowstorms kept rolling through New England in quick succession, a co-worker came to me one afternoon, his Head in the Clouds Amherst Calendar in hand. “You’re the reason we’re having all this snow,” he proclaimed. “Look at this photo. Just look at it!” He tapped on February for emphasis, and softened the accusation with a smile. The photo happened to be one of my own. I had taken it a few years before, after an overnight storm turned the Kevin Flood Accessible Trail (adjacent to Puffer’s Pond) into a winter tableau, every tree branch bending under the weight of several feet of new snow.

Although I know it’s absolutely ridiculous to imagine that a calendar photo could have any effect whatsoever on the weather, I nodded in agreement. And although there’s nothing particularly unusual about having a photo depicting snow featured in a month that is typically snowy, I apologized to my co-worker and accepted full responsibility for unleashing such awesome power. Winter 2015 went on to break snowfall records across New England – Amherst recorded 63.4 inches of snow through March 2015, and Boston was buried under nine feet of the stuff. Naturally, most of that snow fell in February.

The human tendency towards “apophenia” – the drive to seek patterns in random information – is what may have led my co-worker to make a connection between the February 2015 calendar photo and the weather outside. Of course, it doesn’t take a great leap to connect photos of different seasons with weather typical for that season. Anyone looking at our calendar will immediately grasp that each photo depicts winter, spring, summer, or fall – and has been placed in a month that aligns with that season.

And still, even when we know the science, or logic, or sheer randomness of certain occurrences, many of us still seek out the deeper meaning and hidden connections. How many of us get a new calendar and immediately flip to our birthday or an anniversary to see what insight can be gleaned from a photo or quote? Or maybe you’re one of those people who refuses to look ahead so as not to jinx your special day. As objects that both look into the future and speak to our past, calendars have fascinated people for thousands of years. From inspiring supposed ancient Mayan doomsday prophesies to YouTube videos on “how to predict the future using any calendar at all,” calendars of all shapes and sizes can take on a life of their own. Even, apparently, our own Head in the Clouds Amherst calendar.

Statue of Robert Frost with Mask
Amherst College, May 2020
Photo by Sharon Vardatira

Which brings me to March 2020. Locally (as if anyone needs reminding), that’s the month when “global pandemic” entered our everyday lexicon. Starting on March 10th, when our governor declared a state of emergency, almost overnight workplaces across Massachusetts shut down or became virtual, schools closed, and every one of us was forced to grapple with a wholly new, frightening, and unknown reality – a reality that is still with us at the time of this writing.

The March photo in our 2020 calendar, by Annie Tvetenstrand, will go down in Head in the Clouds Amherst yore as eerily prophetic. The scene, familiar to anyone who visits Puffer’s Pond in the winter, showed a frozen pond under an overcast sky, with a large branch half submerged beneath the ice and frozen on the surface. Annie’s comment below the photo beautifully captured that singular demarcation between winter and spring:

While walking around Puffer’s, I noticed a twisted branch suspended on top of the pond’s thin surface of ice. It was waiting for spring, awkwardly trapped by the rigidity of winter, just like me.

The Edge of Spring ~ Puffer's Pond, North Amherst
Featured photo for March, by Annie Tvetenstrand
2020 Head in the Clouds Amherst Calendar

March 2020 seemed to last forever. And every single time I looked at the calendar, that branch trapped in the ice hauntingly mirrored the physical reality we were all collectively experiencing, with the overcast sky making sure no sun would penetrate the surface. 

I remarked on the parallels to no one until I learned, a few months later, that Annie herself not only shared my perception, but she actually harbored some small worry that her photo was somehow responsible for everything that had befallen our world in March. Okay, I am probably overstating her feelings (Annie is, after all, a sane, smart individual, firmly rooted in science). But sometimes the connections between random occurrences, objects, or pictures are just too strong to deny, even when we know better.

A calendar is that place where images and events we project into the future intersect with time. So it’s really no wonder that calendars have long been associated with prophesy and a touch of magic. And while I don’t for a second believe our photographers have the power to bring down the snow or set off a pandemic, could we unknowingly tap into some vast prophetic force?

Featured Photo for June
2021 Heads in the Clouds Amherst Calendar
Photo by Mindy Domb

It’s all pure coincidence. Most likely. But just in case, we are taking no chances with our 2021 calendar. This year we are featuring an unprecedented number of photos that include people in nature, happy pets (including one extremely happy dog), and several meditative birds. Annie’s work reappears in a more friendly month, no overcast sky in sight. And we have also traveled beyond the borders of Amherst for the first time – one of the dependable joys of 2020 was being able to explore our local area, from the farmlands, rivers, and hills, to the trails all around us.

Thank you for traveling with our Head in the Clouds Amherst community. We look forward to opening the calendar for 2021, and finding new ways for all of us to share our love of the sky and clouds, nature and weather, and all those places, locally and more distant, that take our breath away.

You can view and purchase our Head in the Clouds calendar at Hastings (across from the Amherst Common) and online though Etsy for delivery by mail: https://etsy.me/2GSujYK .

Give the Gift of #2021

Calendar Cover ~ Photo by James Patten

GIVE THE GIFT OF A NEW YEAR 

and turn the page on #2020 with the all new

2021 Head in the Clouds Amherst Wall Calendar

Order online for delivery by mail

BLACK FRIDAY 15% OFF SALE PRICE: 

$18.00 $15.30 per calendar through 11/30

(*shipping is free with a purchase of 2 calendars or more)

Proceeds* to benefit the

There has never been a more essential time to reassure the people in your life that #2020 won't last forever. And this gift will keep giving all year round. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and open the calendar on 2021, and treat yourself and your loved ones to the changing seasons of one of the most beautiful corners of the world, from the farmlands, rivers, lakes, and hills, to the trails all around us. 

• 12 beautiful, seasonal photos of Amherst and the Pioneer Valley by residents and visitors (scroll below to view all pages)
• Over 200 daily entries highlighting astronomical, historical, weather, and meteorological events in Amherst and New England from 1620-2020
• 17" X 11" (full size when open)
• Saddle stitch binding
• Coated gloss, heavyweight paper
• Shrink wrapped

Purchase HERE on ETSY: https://etsy.me/2RHv20L

This is the perfect gift for locals, nature lovers, photographers, writers and poets, students here and aboad, and ex-residents longing for a taste of home. This calendar will have them (and you) falling in love with Amherst and Western Massachusetts month after month.

Also available for in-person purchase at: 

- Hastings, located in downtown Amherst at 45 South Pleasant Street on the Common. (Calendars available after 10/5 at Hastings.) Phone: (413) 253-2840. Call before you go over just to make sure they have calendars in stock. We do our best to keep Hastings supplied, but it's not unusual for them to run out several times during a season - if they don't have any, let us know.

For questions or special requests (including arranging for pick up in North Amherst), please email Sharon at CloudsAmherst[@]gmail[.]com. 

(Actual calendar text and photos appear high resolution/sharp)

Cover Photo by James Patten

Winter Wonderlust ~ Lawrence Swamp, Amherst
Photo by David Sharken

Between the Woods and Frozen Lake
Puffer's Pond, Amherst
Photo by Joshua Wolfsun

Solace in the Time of a Pandemic 
Mill River Conservation Area, North Amherst
Photo by Madiha Noor

Chilled Goose Ahead of Spring Storm
Cherry Hill Golf Course, North Amherst
Photo by Anna-Beth Winograd

Gathering Cumulus ~ Maple Street, Hadley
Photo by Sharon Vardatira

Summer Hike with Louie ~ Somewhere in the Pioneer Valley
Photo by Mindy Domb

The Road Home ~ Pynchon Meadow Road, Northampton
Photo by Richard Getler

Biker Above a Sea of Mountains ~ Hawley
Photo by Brittany Wolcott

Tobacco Barn ~ Sunderland
Photo by Annie Tvetenstrand

A Hint of the Beauty Ahead
Upper Highland Lake, DAR Forest, Goshen
Photo by Paula Hartman Behnken

Blue Heron in Fall Color at Cranberry Pond
Leverett/Sunderland, Photo by Eric M. Berlin

Spring Can Wait, It's Just a Date
Enfield Mods, Hampshire College, Amherst
Photo by James Patten

*"Proceeds" is defined as all income after printing and mailing costs are covered.

Proceeds will be donated to:

Stonehenge, meet NEOWISE

Comet NEOWISE, which is passing through Earth's orbit right now, comes this way once every 6,800 years. Which means NEOWISE is passing over Stonehenge for the first time. (Stonehenge has only been around for about 5,000 years.) This one incredible photo conveys everything about the scope of time and space in our vast universe.

No Swimming at Puffer's Pond this Weekend

Puffer's Pond Spring
Photo by S. Vardatira

I noticed a number of cars arriving (and then almost immediately leaving) Puffer's Pond yesterday, as folks realized the beaches are closed. So, if you were hoping to swim at Puffer's this weekend, let me save you the trip - Puffer's Pond beaches are closed for swimming and congregating this Memorial Day weekend. However, the area can still be used for fishing, walking, and hiking while following current public health protocols for COVID-19.

Stopping by Robert Frost's Statue during a Global Pandemic

Tips on Submitting Winning Photos for the Head in the Clouds Amherst Wall Calendar

2018 Calendar Cover Photo (by Joshua Wolfsun)

The response to our call for photos has been growing each year, and it's a thrill to open each email and be treated to such a wealth of beautiful local scenes. We've been told more than once that each year's calendar is even more exquisite than the last!

Although we receive plenty of really imaginative and beautiful submissions, for a variety of reasons many are not quite right for this calendar. So as you are considering what photos to submit, please keep these pointers in mind: 

1. Photos must show Western Massachusetts, with special consideration given to photos of Amherst and the Pioneer Valley. Before 2020, we limited photos to Amherst, but we have expanded the geographic range - in 2023, half of our photos were of Amherst locations, with the rest capturing other scenes in Western Mass. So your odds of getting selected will probably be better if you submit a photo taken in Amherst or "of" Amherst. After that, strong preference will be given this year for photos of Kestral Trust land, as well as photos taken of Pioneer Valley locations. But we will go outside of the Pioneer Valley - as long as you stay in Western Massachusetts - for a really extraordinary photo.  
2. Featured photos capture the progression of the seasons. Our April and May calendar photos will be more springlike, while October will be a fall scene. Thus, among all the fall foliage photos we receive each year, we will pick two or three for the calendar. We tend to receive fewer quality winter and spring shots than any other season. So feel free to submit multiple photos, but your odds of being selected increase if you submit a variety of seasons. 
3. Diversity of scenes. We have no idea why, but in one year we received more Mount Pollux photos than anything else. We did pick one for the calendar, but about a dozen excellent shots were rejected. We like to show different aspects of the local area, and we won't include a Mount Pollux photo every year. Check out our calendars from past years, and consider ways to vary the subject.             2023 Calendar   2021 Calendar    2020 Calendar     2019 Calendar                 2018 Calendar      2017 Calendar       2016 Calendar     2015 Calendar      2014 Calendar 
4. Landscape orientation. Due to the layout of the calendar, your photo submissions should be in landscape orientation (photo is wider than it is tall). Photos in portrait orientation (photo is taller than it is wide) will not be considered. 
5. Main subject should be the place. People and pets in the photo are fine as long as the photo isn't all about the people or pets (we're not looking for portraits or close ups of groups of people, in other words) - the main subject needs to be the setting around the people or pets. Crowd shots - where groups of people are the focus of the shot - are also not appropriate.
6. Avoid extreme close-ups. While close-ups can be beautiful, they don't necessarily convey a sense of place. For example, a photo of a lilac branch taken at Lilacland doesn't say "Amherst" (it could have been taken anywhere). Better to pull back on that shot to show, for example, lilac bushes blooming against the hill and art gallery beyond. And that said, we've been known to break this rule for an extraordinary photo!
7. Weather, clouds, and iconic landmarks are a plus. Even though we are "in the clouds," we do not require all the featured photos to have clouds - and, ideally the photo won't just be clouds. But we do like good cloud shots, as well as pictures showing weather. We also love local landmarks captured in a unique way. Our cover photo in 2018 (shown above) featured all three - in addition to being a beautiful photo, it showed a local landmark (the Amherst Common), along with clouds and snow on the ground. This photo fit just about every criteria. It also evoked a true winter feel and captured a familiar location in a way people rarely see unless they are up early in the morning.
8. Go easy on Photoshop. As you will see when you look through past featured photos, we strongly prefer realistic renderings of nature. By all means, use photo-editing to get the best out of your shot, but please stop before you turn an otherwise good photo into a super-saturated, surreal, color-soaked extra-terrestrial planet. In general, less is more when it comes to color adjusting, exposure, contrast, and saturation. We do know that some phone cameras colorize photos automatically - if that's the case, we can help you undo what's been done. An example of what we mean here can be seen in the three shots, below. For the 2017 calendar, several people submitted their photo of the evening sky taken on July 4, 2016. Although we generally prefer photos of recognizable places and not just the sky, in this case we made an exception because so many people had seen and photographed that particular evening sky over Amherst while waiting for the fireworks show - and also because it was simply an extraordinary sky. Several people on our selection committee, having also photographed that same sky, remembered it well. Among the many submitted photos of that scene, we ultimately selected the photo that showed the sky closest to the real thing - that would be the first photo below. As the sun set, the sky did shade more towards pink/orange (as shown in the second photo, which I took that evening), but the sky never reached the extreme colors shown in the third photo, which was ultimately rejected for the calendar. That last over-saturated photo, while colorful, delivered a sky that was too obviously doctored.

Featured photo in the July 2017 HITCA Wall Calendar, taken 7/4/2016

Right before nightfall, the same sky shaded a deeper pink/orange
by Sharon Vardatira (unedited), taken 7/4/2016

Same night sky (over-saturated)

In general, every featured photo will have viewers seeing and feeling our local area in the photos. It's not necessary that the places featured be recognizable, but the photos should convey a feel for Amherst and Western Massachusetts, the nature around us, the sky, and, yes, sometimes those locations anyone passing through might recognize or feel drawn to visit. One of the greatest compliments we get is when former residents tell us this calendar makes them feel like they are home again. 

Can't wait to see what you have. Full instructions on submitting photos can be found here.

Seeking Photos for the 2021 Head in the Clouds Amherst Calendar!

Your photo could be featured (kind of like this) in our 2021 calendar!

CALLING ALL AMHERST and PIONEER VALLEY PHOTOGRAPHERS

These are uncertain times. We are all wondering what life will be like in six months, next winter, even next year. And yet, despite that uncertainty, there are still some deep truths to hang onto - time still moves forward, spring follows winter (and winter is, nevertheless, still coming), nature is all around us, the clouds form an ever-changing canopy overhead, and we live in a beautiful valley, with endless trails and side roads, wide open spaces, quiet ponds, and woods (lovely, dark and deep). Eventually 2021 will come, and this particularly challenging year will be a thing of the past.

We here at Head in the Clouds Amherst believe there is no better time than right now to celebrate our corner of the world and look forward to 2021, all at the same time. In other words, we are seeking photo submissions for our 2021 community calendar!

As in past years, our 2021 calendar will once again feature monthly photos taken by 12 different photographers. But in a major departure from the past, we are not limiting photos to Amherst locations. Even as the world closes in these days, we are opting to expand the boundaries by inviting photos taken across the Pioneer Valley and Western Massachusetts. Over the years, many of you have chafed at the Amherst-only limit, and we've had to reject some stunning photos taken elsewhere. 

So now is your chance to break free! Start flipping through your photo collection – or grab your camera, take to our scenic highways, byways and trails (keeping a safe social distance, of course), and make some new memories. We can’t wait to see what you’ve got!

Submission Guidelines

The deadline to submit is Sunday, May 31, 2020. Submissions can be emailed or uploaded via your Google Drive to CloudsAmherst@gmail.com. Please enter "HITC 2021 Calendar Photo Submission" in the subject line and submit your highest resolution version.

Along with your photo(s), please include: a caption or title; where the photo was taken and what scenic feature is depicted; who is in the photo (unless it's a crowd scene or taken from a distance); the photographer's name; and your contact information. If your photo is selected, you will be asked to provide additional information, including a written comment about your photo to be included in the 2021 calendar.

All submissions must be taken in Western Massachusetts. Priority will be given to photos showing locations in Amherst or other sites across the Pioneer Valley. The photo should evoke the seasons and the intersection of life and weather. In addition to those qualities, if your photo also captures one or more of these themes it will get special consideration:

• Unique renderings of iconic local landmarks (natural attractions, university/colleges, museums, popular scenic destinations, etc.)
• Local festivals, annual events and happenings
• Clouds formations and weather phenomena (over or around the Pioneer Valley)

Click HERE for additional tips on submitting winning Head in the Clouds Amherst photos. Keep in mind that we cannot consider photos that are low resolution, low quality, or that contain inappropriate material. You can see our 2019 calendar, here and our 2020 calendar, here. 

We welcome photos by professionals and amateurs, in color or black and white. And we’re also counting on friends of Head in the Clouds re-submitting photos you’ve already sent to us over the year - don't assume your photo is being considered just because you sent it to us at some other point in the past or we posted it to Facebook or the blog. You can submit as many photos as you like.

If your photo is selected for the 2021 calendar, you will receive a free calendar and reduced rates on any additional calendars you opt to purchase. All net proceeds from sales will be donated to an Amherst-area charity, which will be selected by the calendar production volunteers and that year's featured photographers.