These poppies were on the island of Corsica, which is off the coast of Italy. They could have been anywhere, since they seem to grow wild along roads and in pastures throughout western Europe.
Nature
12-20-09 A Mysterious Place
in Nature
This was the last tree I photographed when I went outside yesterday morning to get some photos of frost on trees. What captivated me was the fact that this tree was more white than green because the tree's needles were almost completely covered with the frost.
I call the photo "A Mysterious Place" because it was somewhat surreal when I stood under the canopy of the tree to get the effect of the soft light illuminating the thin, frost-covered needles.
Look For the Light
in Black Hills, Nature
By Scott Shephard
The one thing I have gotten better at in my photography is looking for the sometimes subtle play of light in a scene. And sometimes the camera sees this much better than I do. I believe that the reason for this is that cameras record contrast better. Contrast is the difference between bright and dark and the human eye's remarkable range helps us ignore these differences.
When I saw this grove of aspen trees near our cabin, I found it interesting. But the camera saw much more than I. These days, I take more photos of things that may at first seem un-photogenic because I know that the camera will help me look more closely.
12-14-09 He's Not Handicapped
in Nature
One day I looked out our patio door and saw this squirrel eating the bird seed we had put out. I looked more closely and noticed that he was missing one of his front paws. I turned to Deb and said, "Look - there's a handicapped squirrel on our deck!" She said, "It looks like he's doing quite well with only one paw. I would say he's not really all that handicapped."
In a flash, Deb had rearranged my whole concept of what it means to have personal limits. Is it really possible that a one-footed rodent can change my thinking? Well, it was actually Deb (who has few limits) who did this. The squirrel was simply a metaphor. Our name for this squirrel, by the way, was Lefty. He showed up a few more times over the next few days and then he must have moved on.
12-12-09 The Curious Cat
Can you handle the inquisitive, yet trusting look of a cat. This isn't just any cat - it's Brian's cat, Lucy. This isn't the only post about curiosity. Do you see any similarities in this photo (click)?
11-22-09 Parallel Universe
in Nature
These furry objects are part of the reproductive system of a tropical flower. I call this photo "Parallel Universe" because the casual observer often misses the minute and often fascinating details of things like the not-so-private parts of flowers.
11-20-09 Something Hawaiians Can't See
in Nature
This is early morning frost and I'm sure most Hawaiians don't complain about not seeing this in their back yards.
A few years ago we were visiting our son, Jon, in Kona, and as I was waiting in line at the grocery store one morning, I heard two locals complain about how cold it was on that particular morning. They both said that they needed to find their jackets before venturing out. I could only smile. How cold did it get? The temperature had dipped to 62 degrees. OMG!
11-19-09 Decadence 05
in Nature
Here's one last photo in this series. Sorry if "Decadence" wasn't your thing. . . .
11-17-09 Decadence 03
in Nature
I think this may be a weed or maybe poppy leaves. I was struck by the bright green against a background of brown. But I also like how the green is bleaching to yellow. Even the weed is letting go. . . .
11-16-09 Decadence 02
in Nature
Against a background of brown aspen and thin day lily leaves lies one leaf from a tree two yards away. Call him (her?) a nonconformist. . .
11-15-09 Decadence 01
in Nature
Given the nice weather, my wife was eager to work on getting her flower garden ready for the winter. But before she could destroy the strange, natural beauty of withered and bug eaten leaves, I took a few photos. Thus begins a series that I call "Decadence." The morning light was excellent in that it was filtered through thin fog.
You may not like this photo - I don't think it is particularly pretty. But I do like the sheen on the wet leaves and the way the light defines the surfaces of these coneflower leaves. I promise some color in tomorrow's post!
11-13-09 Lines In the Sand
Do you see an optical illusion in this photo. When I look at the wind-sculpted ridges of sand in the bottom left part of the photo, it looks like the light is coming from the left side of the picture. But in fact the light was coming from the right and the proof of that is the shadow of the wirey bush on the right side.
Anyway, I thought that I'd balance the cold and snow photos that I've been posting with something from Mexico. This is about 3 miles south of Playa del Carmen.