Nature
This is from one of my favorite spots in the Black Hills - Lakota Lake. I have taken other photos of backlit leaves here and I have found that getting to this spot just after the sun comes up gives me the best photo opportunities. In fall, oak leaves are not particularly striking. But with the right light they are much more interesting. Maybe that's true of anything we photograph.
There were at least two dozen flowers in the bouquet my wife put out in our dining room, including the noble red rose. But I was attracted to the soft pastels of this orange relative of the common daisy. The light was diffused window light and, as you can see, I focused on the green "button" in the center.This flower is another simple thing that might have been ignored if not for the great macro lens I own.
I found these superficial tree roots somewhere in Japan a few years ago. I have passed over this photo many times when looking for interesting captures. But today I like it. . . .
Here is another green thing, this time from Mexico a few years ago. I think it is some kind of succulent decorative plant that grew at the resort we were staying at. The curved edge of the convex leaf caught my attention. Is there an evolutionary purpose for this design? Or is it eye candy for indolent tourists like me?
I don't do much wild life photography, mainly because it seems to take too much patience. It also helps if you have a really big lens, and I don't.But sometimes I get lucky as in this photo. We were visiting our son Jon in Sitka, Alaska and he had taken us in the company boat to see the flora and fauna of a few nearby islands. We don't have puffins in South Dakota so I felt lucky to be close enough to a few to get some photos. I took 10 or so photos but this is my favorite because it does a good job of showing the flared wing tips and the excellent aerodynamics of neatly tucked legs and feet.
Just to make it clear, I am not employed by any organization that represents Hvar tourism. Or Croatian tourism. But I am a fan of Hvar, Croatia. So here's yet another shot of venerable gray stone walls and fragrant lavender.If you noticed yesterday's post, I had said that I didn't know where the city portrayed was on the island. Thanks to someone familiar with the island, I am able to put it more firmly on my mental map. This photo is typical of many locales on the island, though I can say that it was taken fairly close to yesterday's photo.
When I looked at this photo (which I had taken, processed and then abandoned), I was struck by how much these flowers look like newly hatched birds in nest waiting to be fed. Thus, today's title.
After seeing yesterday's post, my wife told me not to post any more winter photos for a while. I guess I saw that as a bit of a challenge and so today I am defying her request.This one was taken last Christmas. But I'm not in our backyard here; we're in Mexico on the Yucatan peninsula. A blanket of white snow might be nice to see in photos but I would take palm fronds tinted by tropical sunlight any day.
This is offered to provide a little balance for yesterday's post. There is beauty in winter. But generally it's not green.
You may not know this but it isn't the cool weather that causes the first leaves to turn color and fall. It's the diminishing hours of sunlight. Photosynthesis - literally making something out of light - needs the fuel that sunlight offers and at some point in our part of the world, the leaves say, "I'm out of here!" and give up.It also part of the cycle of life. But because I am leaf-like in my need for sun, I'm not all that excited about fall and the winter that will soon follow. What do I get from the sun? Warmth. Melatonin. No need to wear socks.And daisies.
When we stopped along the road on the west edge of Henry, SD, our mission was to change drivers, not take photos. But, as often happens, something caught my eye. In this case, it was the pale green serpentine vine. Both the shape and the contrasting tones made this subject worthy. And, everything is the color green. And I apparently have a thing for green.
If you think I did something beyond point and shoot on this photo, you'd be wrong. I credit Mother Nature. But my 70-200mm 2.8 lens played an important role.The circular green swirls that seem to frame these lilies are actually out-of-focus lilly leaves. And, like so many shots I take, I didn't see this until I opened the photo on my computer.These lilies are long gone now, I'm sad to say. In fact many of the flowers in my wife's garden are waning. Fall is just around the corner and, of course, it offers many opportunities for photographers.It's the four or five months of winter that I find challenging. . . .Canon 5DII 1/200s f/2.8 ISO400 130mm