Photography – Page 72 – Wandering Dawgs

Lens-Artists #97: Pastimes

May 23, 2020Posted in PhotographyTagged beach, blogging, Lens-Artists, Memorial Day, Pastimes, Photo Challenge28 Comments

This week’s challenge comes from guest host Sue (Mac’s Girl) at The Nature of Things. She has asked us to feature hobbies or interests we have enjoyed over the years or something new we have discovered during this time of staying at home.

During this time of staying at home each day consists of a few of these activities: Reading, cooking, walking and photography. A major outing is an occasional grocery store run.

Reading

I’ve always loved to read and I have really enjoyed having the time to read more than usual. These days I get most of my books digitally from the local library and I often have four or five books on hold. My favorite recently read book is Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate. As you can see from the next photo, I’ve just about worn out the cover for my IPad and my two favorite books have been read and reread many times.

20200414-chrysalis-day-5-(2) — My favorite place to read

Cooking

I’ve had a lot of time to spend cooking and baking during the shutdown. I’ve enjoyed using fresh produce from my favorite produce stand whenever I can.

20200414-chrysalis-day-5-(10) — Fresh produce from my favorite produce stand

Walking

Before the shut down I walked on the days I wasn’t going to water aerobics or going to the gym at the local YMCA. During the shut down my main exercise is walking. For a while the beach was closed and most walks were in my neighborhood. Now that the beach is open, I walk on the beach at least once a week.

20200521-north-beach-walk-(10) — Early morning surfer

20200521-north-beach-walk-(12) — Horseshoe Crab

Photography

I’m always looking for things to photograph. Recently my garden has been full of birds, butterflies, and blooms.

20200512-Hummingbirds-and-Female-Bunting-(40) — Ruby Female Throated Hummingbird

The Tybee Island Lighthouse is across the street from the parking lot for the beach. I was excited when I saw the flag flying Friday morning in honor of Memorial Day Weekend.

20200521-north-beach-walk-(21) — Honoring America’s fallen heroes for Memorial Day weekend

Please take a moment this Memorial Day Weekend to remember all of our fallen military heroes who gave their lives for our country.

Many thanks to guest host Sue (Mac’s Girl) for this weeks Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Pastimes

Lens-Artists #96: Cropping the Shot

May 14, 2020Posted in Photography, WildlifeTagged Cropping the Shot, Female Painted Bunting, Lens-Artists, Photo Challenge, ruby throated hummingbird18 Comments

This week, Patti has asked us “show how cropping helped to improve an image and create a desired effect.”

I enjoy wildlife photography and even though I usually use a zoom lens the animal or bird I am photographing is often too far away to get a good close up. I crop many of my wildlife photos in order to make the animal the focal point of the image.

Here is the before image of a Ruby Throated Hummingbird at a feeder. The hummingbird is the focal point of the shot but he is too far away to see his face clearly and there are too many distractions around him.

20200512-Original Hummingbirds-and-Female-Bunting-(1) — Original Ruby Throated Hummingbird

After cropping the photo, I was able to get the desired effect of a closeup of the bird without all of a extra space around him.

20200512-Hummingbirds-and-Female-Bunting-(1) — Cropped Ruby Throated Hummingbird Male

All this spring I’ve been watching a pair of Painted Buntings who come by my feeder almost daily. This week was the first time I was able to get some photos of the female. In the original image she’s too far away and I didn’t like having the bird bath in the shot.

20200512-Original-Hummingbirds-and-Female-Bunting-(3) — Original Female Painted Bunting

After the crop, the female Bunting is the star of the show.

20200512-Hummingbirds-and-Female-Bunting-(3) — Cropped Female Painted Bunting

The before picture of a Blanket Flower in my garden is ok, but the bricks and mulch take away from the vibrant colors of the flower.

20200512-Original-Hummingbirds-and-Female-Bunting-(44) — Original Blanket Flower

When I cropped the photo into a square, the colorful flower takes center stage.

20200512-Hummingbirds-and-Female-Bunting-(44) — Cropped Blanked flower

Many thanks to Patti for this weeks Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Cropping the Shot

Lens-Artists #95: All Wet

May 7, 2020May 7, 2020Posted in Alaska, PhotographyTagged All Wet, Labrador Retriever, Lens-Artists, Photo Challenge, Yellow Lab24 Comments

This week, Tina has asked us to show things that are All Wet.

As we traveled through Alaska in 2013 we saw wildlife almost every day and some the animals were all wet.

Two Sea Otters Valdez — Sea Otters on Columbia Glacier tour from Valdez

Puffins on the Columbia Glacier Cruise from Valdez

Moose in pond — Moose in a pond in Denali National Park

Black Bear fishing for salmon in Hyder, Alaska

I can’t end this post without including our beloved yellow Labrador Retriever, Blondie. She was happiest when she was all wet. No matter where we were, if there was water around, she wanted to swim in it. She’s been in doggie heaven for over two years now and I still miss her every day.

20120519Doggie-Ladder-(28) — Our Labrador Retriever loved to share her wetness with us

Many thanks to Tina for this weeks Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – All Wet

Lens-Artists #94: At Home

April 30, 2020Posted in Birds, Nature, PhotographyTagged At Home, Discover Prompts, Lens-Artists, Paiinted Bunting, Photo Challenge28 Comments

This week, Amy has challenged us to show photos we have taken at home.

During this almost six weeks of sheltering in place I find myself spending more and more time outside appreciating the natural beauty all around me.

20200426-garden-chrysalis-day-17-(17) — Hibiscus

20200425-chrysalis-(3) — First day lily of the season

20200426-garden-chrysalis-day-17-(11) — Second day lily of the season

We’ve had many birds at our feeder this spring – chickadees, house finches, cardinals, hummingbirds and others. My favorite is a pair of painted buntings that come by every day. So far I’ve only been able to get photos of the male.

20200426-garden-chrysalis-day-17-(25) — Male Painted Bunting

The cardinals hang around under the feeder in hopes of finding fallen seeds.

20200426-garden-chrysalis-day-17-(2) — Male cardinal searching for seeds under the bird feeder

Monarch butterflies are continuing to come through the garden. I haven’t found any more caterpillars and the milkweed they stripped is coming back strong with new growth.

I first spotted a Monarch Chrysalis in my garden about three weeks ago. I’ve been checking on it several times a day and after 14 days I realized this one was not going to make it.

20200425-chrysalis-(1) — Monarch chrysalis day 16

Being at home for six weeks has made me realize how much I have to be grateful for. I am so grateful to live in a home where I can go outside into my yard to enjoy the natural world. I’m grateful I can keep in touch with friends and family who are far away. I’m grateful for my health and the health of my family and friends. I’m grateful I am physically able to get out and exercise in the fresh air.

Many thanks to Amy for this weeks Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – At Home

Inspired by Discover Prompt Grateful.

Lens-Artists #93: Morning

April 23, 2020Posted in Nature, PhotographyTagged Lens-Artists, Morning, Photo Challenge40 Comments

This week’s challenge from Ann-Christine is morning.

I’ve always been a morning person and for many years I’ve been the first one up in our house. I start each day by going downstairs to the kitchen to put the kettle on for my morning tea. Next comes quiet time, either in my living room where I can look out the windows, or out in my backyard butterfly garden under the arbor.