Posts tagged ‘Nature’

Mar 10

Spring cleaning…

Not sure what all this was about. A couple of morning ago, we watched as this busy critter worked furiously to dig out a burrow underneath a shrub next to our back patio. Having previously watched this little guy (girl?) around our home…she is a permanent fixture scurrying around nearly every day, nibbling on grass, napping under the shrubs, hopping gaily to and fro, I was fascinated to watch her work on this burrow for nearly three hours. Dig, dig, dig, rest, dig, dig, dig, rest. Two hours passed and I thought she’d found a new route to China. Then, she changed her tactic, and began collecting nearby leaves, twigs, and dry grass to fill in the hole. As she busied herself with this industrious task, I set up the tripod within about 10 feet of the action. She worked; I waited, exposing a dozen or so shots as she struck various resting poses. I tried out several apertures, playing with variations on stop action and bokeh. Finally this moment arrived. Click. About an hour later, the hole was filled and she never returned. We’ll see what she does with her new real estate as spring progresses. More later…

f/5.6, 1/1500 sec., ISO 400, 150 mm

Mar 5

Still life…

Sometimes things take on a whole new beauty when you get up close and personal. On a recent bike ride, I stopped and noticed these fascinating seed pods laying on the ground. Even to the naked eye, they appeared quite intricate, and I visualized an otherworldly still life if I could manage to bring it home, undamaged. Once home, I worked with it in the backyard, arranging it along with a few other items for perspective and added interest, and my still life was born. Could have magnified much more, but this seemed the most pleasing angle for a still life, giving just enough detail, along with size relationships, to make the arrangement work.
f/11 at 1/6 sec; ISO 100, 100 mm with a 12 mm extension

Feb 26

As the crow flies…

I stepped outside to try to capture some of the flocking birds that had captivated me on an earlier outing. As I looked up, a large crow was perched high atop a tree. I focused and just waited a few minutes for something to happen. When he fluttered his wings preparing to take flight, I was ready to capture all that grace and power. Those are the moments that make it worthwhile.
f/5.6, 1/1000 sec, ISO 400, 300 mm

Feb 24