Lula Show & Tell - April: Spring & Seasons

Spring and seasons — and the weather that marks their passage. This month’s Show & Tell brought out some of the most emotionally charged submissions we’ve seen in a long time. Storms building on the horizon, extraordinary light breaking through clouds, and landscapes visited again and again as the seasons turn. These are photographs made with patience, presence, and a real love of the natural world. We’re grateful for every one of them.

Erik Brammer

Darmstadt, Germany

“My submission is actually a series of 4 images, each of them showing the dynamics of a storm on a summer evening in my hometown of Darmstadt in Germany, but the series really depicting the whole show that unfolded over a period of about one hour.”

Why We Love It:

Erik gave us a full hour of summer drama — a storm building over Darmstadt, frame by frame. Each image marks a new chapter in the same unfolding story. Dramatic changes, beautifully documented.

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Robert G. Smith

“For the season challenge, here is my ebook, Bartram’s Garden: The Seasons. Proceeds go to Bartram’s Garden.”

Why We Love It:

Rob’s dedication to Bartram’s Garden — one of America’s oldest botanical gardens — runs deep enough to publish an entire ebook about it. A look at the same beloved space across the full arc of the seasons, and all proceeds go directly to support the garden.
Photography as stewardship. → Pick up a copy on Amazon

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Ian Porter

Karratha, North-West Western Australia

“I took this photo on my iPhone at sunset while cycling near Karratha, in North-West Western Australia.”

Why We Love It:

Shot on an iPhone mid-ride, this image reminds us that extraordinary light doesn’t wait for your best gear. The colors are spectacular, and the way the light catches those clouds is absolutely wonderful.

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Gan Barber

Why We Love It:

That light breaking through. There’s only one word for it: heavenly.

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Matt Kaarma

South Coast of Australia

“Here is my submission for the above challenge. It was taken on the South Coast of Australia.”

Why We Love It:

The drama and emotion in this sky are something else. You feel the weight of it pressing down from above. Powerful work from Australia’s South Coast.

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Matt Kaarma

South Coast of Australia

Why We Love It:

A completely different mood from Matt’s first submission — something quieter, almost meditative. The storm is still in frame, but there’s a feeling of peace in how it’s been seen.

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Danny Bailey

Rural Paris, Ontario, Canada

“Rural Paris Ontario Canada as a mighty storm brings along wanted showers to farmer’s fields.”

Why We Love It:

The sky is already making its promises. You feel the presence of that storm building — the anticipation in the air, those farmer’s fields below waiting for what’s coming. It’s coming.

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Chuck Derus

“We stand transfixed by the approaching storm. In the distance, a fire rages, sparked by lightning that shows no sign of abating. Overhead, twilight is giving way to nighttime and the cover of a thunderstorm.”

Why We Love It:

Three forces converging at once — a lightning-sparked fire in the distance, a thunderstorm rolling overhead, twilight losing to the night. We stand transfixed right alongside the photographer. Incredible.

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Michael Stimola

Lobsterville Beach, Aquinnah, Martha’s Vineyard, MA

“This photograph was taken from Lobsterville Beach on Martha’s Vineyard in June 2019. I was watching this storm develop over the Elizabeth Islands across Vineyard Sound when a catamaran approached from the Southwest under massive clouds. The strong winds and rain had not yet reached the nearby water as the sailboat made for the safety of nearby Menemsha harbor.”

Why We Love It:

The colors of this moment — bruised sky, churning green water, white sails — work together like something painted. A catamaran making for harbor ahead of the storm. What a photograph.

michaelstimolaphotography.com

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John Freud

Why We Love It:

Two images, two very different moods. Scary Wilderness brings the foreboding; A Drink Awaits carries something quieter, almost expectant. That emotional range is exactly what this challenge asked for.

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Hans Schmitt

Plover River, Marathon Co., WI

“An autumn Aurora and late spring snow on the Plover River, Marathon Co., WI. Camera angles and focal lengths are not a match but the same scene.”

Why We Love It:

The same bend in the Plover River — once under an autumn aurora, once beneath a late spring snowfall. Same place, entirely different worlds. Should we all have a spot like this to return to.

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Hans Schmitt

Fruita, CO & Boundary Waters Canoe Area, MN

Why We Love It:

Headroom from the red rock country of Fruita, Colorado, and The Front from the wilderness of Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Two locations, one sensibility. Timeless.

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Francois Berton

Why We Love It:

No statement needed — the umbrellas say it all. The expressions on the faces, the rhythm of people caught in the rain, the whole scene telling its own story. A wonderful street capture.

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Thomas Labash

Templeton, California

“Same place different season. 46 Days apart Templeton California. In another 46 days the grass will be golden.”

Why We Love It:

The same Templeton hillside, 46 days apart. And in another 46 days, Thomas tells us, it will be golden. Like visiting an old friend who always has something new to show you.

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Thomas Labash

Cuyama, California

“Same place different time. This is Cuyama California. Photos made 46 days apart. February to April 2026.”

Why We Love It:

Another 46-day pair from Thomas, this time from Cuyama. The transformation is quiet but unmistakable. Wonderful.