Lens-Artists – Page 51 – Wandering Dawgs

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.

20200422-chrysalis-day-13-(1) — Tea in the garden

20200419-monarch-and-chrysalis-day-10-(2) — Nature surrounds me in my garden

Hisbiscus

Mexican Sunflower

Sunflower

After my tea I often go for a walk in the neighborhood.

20200422-chrysalis-day-13-(6) — Beautiful morning for a walk

20200418-chrysalis-day-9-and-morning-walk-(2) — It’s nice to see some feathered friends in the morning

Some mornings I’ll do some baking.

20200419-monarch-and-chrysalis-day-10-(11) — Homemade buttermilk biscuits for Sunday breakfast

Wishing you a very good morning!

Many thanks to Ann-Christine for this weeks Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Morning

Lens-Artists #92: Going Back – The Second Time Around

April 16, 2020Posted in PhotographyTagged Lens-Artists, Photo Challenge, Second time around30 Comments

This week the challenge comes from Guest Host John Steiner at Journeys With JohnBo. He asked us “If you visited a favorite place more than once, how did you approach the second trip photographically? If you’ve only been somewhere once, what would you do differently the second time around?”

I fell in love with Rocky Mountain National Park when we first visited there in late May, 2011. We spent several days enjoying the wildlife and natural beauty of the park. Snow in the higher elevations added to the adventure.

One day our goal was to drive the Trail Ridge Road all the way to the top to visit the Alpine Visitor’s Center. The road was clear most of the way with deep snow beside the road. I took the above photo when we arrived at Rainbow Curve, at an elevation of about 11,000 feet. Our drive to the Alpine Visitor’s Center would have to wait.

20110528Rocky-Mountain-NP-(57) — Deep snow along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park in May, 2011

Two years later, in August, 2013, we decided to return to Rocky Mountain National Park on our way home from Alaska. With only one day to explore the park our goal was to see the Alpine Visitor’s Center. We stopped at the Many Curves Overlook on our way to the Trail Ridge Road. The next two photos were taken two years apart at the same overlook. The first is from spring, 2011, the second one from summer, 2013. There was quite a difference the second time around.