Tuesday, September 19, 2017

More


Crossing the kitchen and looking out the porch window i was the sun just inching above the horizon. Fortunately my camera was sitting on a tripod at the window. Clicking the shoot button and a bit of play with NIK gave me a morning image that i like. I've struggled with all the electrical lines in the photo when shooting sunrises and decided they work fine in this stylized image.


Lately, as a result of having joined a on-line macro club, i've been shooting more bugs/insects then i usually do. This small, about 1 1/2"- caterpillar was crawling around my the porch chair. He was moving way too fast for me to get a photo of his head which was what i wanted to do. I moved the chair, got everything set (the camera was on a tripod and using a 60mm Macro lens) for the arrival and still - no head shot! And, i haven't been able to id the caterpillar yet. If you know its name, type or anything about it would you please leave word in the comments section below - thanks.

On the other hand -other lens?- i got a couple of really good shoots a weekend ago on a local garden walk in the West Asheville area:

Gulf Fritillary Butterfly

Asian Lady Bug

I try to regularity return to macro work; ie, at least 1:1 if not larger. When i was at a friends house a week ago she had some glass balls filled with colors and shapes - an idea subject to play with macro photographically. So far i've only come up one with one that i like which is this:


 This is the one that i working with currently. The ball is not green glass, that is the color casted by the green rubber that the ball is sitting on (a Lazy Susan which i bought at a kitchen supply store - i allows me to move the subject easily) ... i put white paper under the ball when shooting.


This is what i've come up with so far. For a first effort its not so bad and it is just a beginning.


 This will be my next color to work with.




Thursday, August 31, 2017

Birds

I've been doing a bit more bird photographing lately looking to improve both the clarity and sharpness of the images.



Eastern Bluebird with grub
From a park about 80 miles from here. I think the top image was one of the young ones as there seemed to be a whole family out pic-nic just as we were.

Father Cardinal (kinda hiding)

Mother Cardinal (i believe) with worm

Mother with two children.



Berwick's Wren





Saturday, August 26, 2017

Crab Spider

The other day when i went to open the porch door i found a very small, little finger-nail size, spider on the dead-bolt latch:


I thought it very much looked like a crab from the front and when i went looking for its id: lo, it is a Crab Spider!


Somewhat cute in its own way.


Monday, August 21, 2017

Rabbits, again.

I have always been fascinated by and with rabbits and now they live at the edge of our backyard.


I know there are at least three that live around here. The one above is the one i believe that i see most often.

This one:



was taken in June and his/her ears clearly have tears in both. And he/she looks somewhat old or a bit battered.

The rabbit i have been taking photos of lately has no ear markings, and

appears to be watching the bumble bee that's just in front of her/him


This is the way i most often see her/him. Appearing to sit quietly for long periods of time with almost no movements.

Until it is time to clean him/herself.

Occasionally there are two of them in the yard at the same time and then they do this rather funny thing where they face each other about 3-5 feet apart and then just sit there looking at the other. Then one runs towards the other and the other jumps straight up in the air -as though levitating because it stays level during the jump- and lands facing the other. So far i've not had a camera when that happens so i've no photos of their antics. They often do that a bunch of times ... its very funny to watch.

I have not seen the torn ear rabbit since June.

Saturday, August 19, 2017

Subscribing ??

I know little about this blog's possibilities other then it is a freebie owned by Google/Yahoo. Someone asked how they could follow this blog and i don't know the answer to that other then checking in every so often. If you reading this and know how someone can subscribe or i can invite people to view (other then sending a link) i'd appreciate hearing from you.

Chimney Rock Overlook

Morning

This morning at sunup the far southeastern mountain had clouds around it giving it a look of a Japanese Landscape. Sadly, by the time i got the camera/lens out, it had changed - still, i liked it:

Mountain name unknown

This was shot with a 70-300 lens and while sitting on the porch watching the sun rise, i notice that a Pentatomidae, better known as a Stink Bug, sitting on the top of one of the poles that the tomatoes are supported by.


Sitting very still, a perfect portrait of a stink bug.


 And the tomatoes continue to bloom.

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Arboretum

Yesterday, i spent sometime at the NC Arboretum which turned out to be a rainy overcast day - my favorite. Still, that didn't deter the butterflies:



I did not read the name of this display but liked it ... seems a good introduction to the variety of plants and art works spread over the arboretum.

And the range of mushrooms was amazing:







And butterflies:



I believe this one and the one below are the same kinda of butterfly but one is female and the other male



There is an exhibit of photographs  there: "A Year in the Life of a Mountain Bog" by Michael Oppenheim. I liked the exhibit and the only criticism, which isn't really a criticism, is that i'd like to have seen less very large images and more images of the mundaneness of the bog. I recommend viewing if you are in the area.


  A week ago we drove to Bryson City where the Great Smoky Mountain Rail Road is located.  I heard about this mountain train ride some years...