I was testing out my new 600mm lens at the coast last week. I was mostly shooting pelicans but the Cormorants were much more photogenic.
Category: Wildlife
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 36 – Canada Goose
I was able to get close enough to this goose down on the greenway for a headshot with the big lens. I like the way the wildflower sort of mimics the neck of the goose. I cropped it from horizontal to vertical but otherwise didn’t change it much. That about exhaust my material from the last bird adventure. But there has been a Great Horned Owl hanging out down there so I will definitely have to try one more time a little earlier and see if I can catch him/her in residence.
This week I am turning to The Tao of Photography for my creative inspiration quotes. Today’s is from Photographer Elliott Erwitt:
To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with how you see them.
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 35 – Lady Bug on Lupine
I was photographing my neighbor’s Lupine and happened upon this lady bug so of course she had to become the star of the show.
I’ve moved on to John O’Donohue’s chapter on the Color of Beauty and today’s quote is very appropriate for today’s photograph:
In a world without color, it would be impossible to imagine beauty; for color and beauty are sisters.
Day 4 – White Breasted Nuthatch
Today’s quest for beauty took me to the bird feeders at North Mountain Park where I found the Nuthatches putting on quite a show.
From Rumi:
Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
Acorn Woodpecker
I’m running way behind with last week’s image of the week. I didn’t have any new images in the first place so I had to go back to the previous week’s visit to the cemetery where the Acorn Woodpeckers were abundant. Then I had to find time to do the art piece which finally happened in fits and starts between all the other activities on my calendar. But here it is at last and now I can go out and do this week’s photography with a clear conscience.
Varied Thrush
I went to the Ashland Cemetery looking for Stellar’s Jays but they were not in residence. However there were lots of robins so I brought out the big lens to see what I could do with them and found this guy hanging out with them. On consulting my bird books I learned that the Varied Thrush is more likely to be found in the mountains. This one apparently came down to the valley to get warm or find food not covered with snow. For me a great subject and new one to check off my life list. Here is what I did with him in the digital darkroom:
Baby Whale
I’ve been slacking again on the image of the week. But in my own defense wi-fi in Baja California is sketchy at best and since returning I have been hard at work sifting through the images I made there. This one of a baby whale coming to the surface is one of my favorites. This baby and his mama hung out with our boats for quite awhile, and no, I didn’t use a telephoto lens.
Bumblebee
I knew this was going to be the image of the week after I took it a week ago but I never got around to publishing it. I seem to be very undisciplined about my photography lately so I’m thinking about taking myself in hand to do another 100 days project. The theme for this one will be 100 days of flowers. I have to get started right away as this will take me into October as it is. I should have started 15 or 20 days ago! But this is spontaneous so what the heck. I’ll just see where it leads me. The good news is I have a garden tour coming up at the end of July so that should play right into my theme. This Bumblebee, by the way, was captured at North Mountain Park in Ashland.