Went to the lavender festival with friends last weekend. I was experimenting with a wide angle zoom I’ve had for awhile and never liked because it is too heavy. I didn’t change my mind about it even though this shot turned out OK.
Category: Fauna
Pollinator
I was busy trying to photograph my neighbor’s grape hyacinths when this bee happened along. First pollinator I have seen this year.
Sea Lions
I could have posted another sunset but I thought it was time for a change. After several weeks of nasty weather the sea lions were enjoying a chance to bask in the sun in Brookings last week.
Day 72 – Ladybug
I had an idea to shoot again in the studio this morning but while walking the dog I noticed the ladybugs on my neighbor’s flowers. She buys them special to keep down the pests. So I grabbed the 180mm macro lens and went at it.
Today from Matthew Fox:
Built within every creature is this yearning, this drive to communicate itself to others. Creativity will not be denied. It lurks deep within.
Day 48 – Cody
Cody was following me around when I was out with the Lensbaby yesterday so I thought it might be fun to do a painterly portrait of the handsome devil. I think it turned out pretty well.
Here’s another nugget of wisdom from Julia Cameron:
The courage to create is the courage to make something out of what we are feeling.
Day 34 – Mallard
There were also some ducks and geese about on the greenway yesterday. Perhaps the only good thing to come out of the Almeda Fires is that now you can see Bear Creek and the wildlife that depend on it.
Today Matthew Fox quotes Hildegard of Bingham:
There is wisdom in all creative works.
Day 33 – Red-tailed Hawk
Well, look at that, I’m nearly a third of the way done already. This morning I decided to take another crack at birds on the Greenway. When Cody and I take our early morning walk there are birds everywhere jumping and flitting around. But, once again I was too late and everyone but the Starlings were elsewhere by the time I got back with the camera. So, I was very lucky to find this Red-tailed Hawk hanging out on a tree limb. The sad part of the story is that I was just repositioning the camera but hadn’t gotten it focused when she flew away. Those two flight pictures would have been great if they had only been in focus. Sigh.
Today, from Matthew Fox again:
There is a river of creativity running through all things, all relationships, all beings, all corners and centers of the universe.
Day 31 – Bee on Dandelion
I’m feeling kind of lazy today. Let’s just blame in on the COVID vaccine. Anyway, here’s another one from my adventures with the Dandelion’s yesterday.
And from Matthew Fox:
‘Creativity’ may be the nearest one-word definition we possess for the essence of our humanity, for the true meaning of ‘soul.’
Day 24 – Bee on Blossom
It was another one of those days when I was going “Oh crap, I have to go out and find something to photograph.” So, I took the M3 for a quick walk around the neighborhood. The light was harsh, the wind was blowing and I wasn’t having much success. I had it in mind to do a close up of these blossoms when the bee just happened along. I had to futz with the exposure quite a bit due to the white blossoms and backlighting but I think I finally got there. Added a vignette to darken the corners and help the bee stand out.
Our quote today is from Henri Matisse:
Merely copying an object is not art. What counts is to express the emotion called forth in you, the feeling awakened…
Day 17 – Wooly Mama
After being woken up at 3am by the roar of frost protection equipment I thought I would drive out into the orchards and see how the blooms are coming along. I had to stop and take a close look to see that the buds were barely beginning to break and not very photogenic so I kept looking for something to photograph until I came upon this field of sheep and lambs. Some had been sheared and some not. This mama called out to her lamb and he came running. Hope he was able to find the milk under all that wool.
Today’s quote is from Clarissa Pinkola Estes who wrote Women Who Run with the Wolves:
Some say the creative life is in ideas, some say it is in doing. It seems in most instance to be in simply being.