For the Birds... again...

Bird Pictures

Still trying to process through pictures from my vacation. Here are some sea gulls that I saw at Lake Erie. I think the first one is my favorite, but I like the contrast of some of the others. What do you think?

Down by the river... again

I went down to work on a flowing water sunset. But the water was too high, so there wasn't enough motion to make the effect that I was wanting. However, I was not going to be put off, so I just worked with what I had. The herons were vary accepting of people. There are quite a few fisherman who frequent this spot, so the birds are used to people passing by. Most of them would let me get within about 20 feet before they moved off. I even got to see a couple of males strut and spar. Got to love the spring...

Anyway, here are the others. Hope you like them!

Making do with what you have

My goal was to get a beautiful shot of flowing water in a dreamy state. I was hoping to have something low to the water. Maybe on the water's edge with a good view. That would have been great! But...

I didn't get those things. It was raining. I didn't have access to a good view on the water's edge without sliding down a mud bank. I managed to get some flowing water, but not like I was wanting. It was on an ugly bank. Lots of scrubby growth in the water. Overlooking a highway and golf course. Taken from about 20 feet above the water level from a bank. Not exactly what I was looking for...

I decided to go ahead and work with it.  I was not prepared for the angle or the distance. All I had was my 17-55 mm lens. I wished I would have had my 28-135 or 70-300 mm. Either would been preferable to what I had.

For me, this was a bad start to a concept I will pursue in the future. Definitely put it in the learning category. I learned that I need to always carry back up lenses. Probably should do better scouting or location planning. However, I did get a pretty shibby picture of a bird in water, if I do say so myself...

Life and Death

With the grip of Winter fading and Spring forcing it's way into existence, I have been struck by the contrast of life and death. It seems like even though they are very close together, one always takes the attention over the other. One of the things that has caught my eye is the trees with new growth along side the remnants of last year's glory.

I visited a local history site. It is a cemetary dedicated to 155 unknown Confederate soldiers who died in Chattanooga in 1862. Today, there is no sign of them except for the placard on the gate. It looks very much like any other park. Nothing there except trees, a couple of benches, and the birds.

Another contrast that I have seen is the contrast in people. One of my neighbors really stands out in my mind. He is friendly, easy going, and looks harmless. He is always in the common area grilling food and telling stories. He seems like any other older gentleman. Except for the fact that he is a Vietnam era special forces soldier. The stories that he tells chill you to the bone. He lives with the ghosts of his past on a daily basis.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

 ¹ For everything there is a season,
      a time for every activity under heaven.
 ² A time to be born and a time to die.
      A time to plant and a time to harvest.
 ³ A time to kill and a time to heal.
      A time to tear down and a time to build up.
 ⁴ A time to cry and a time to laugh.
      A time to grieve and a time to dance.
 ⁵ A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
      A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
 ⁶ A time to search and a time to quit searching.
      A time to keep and a time to throw away.
 ⁷ A time to tear and a time to mend.
      A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
 ⁸ A time to love and a time to hate.
      A time for war and a time for peace.

For the birds... (aka "Must..Take..Pictures)

So not liking the winter season. Apart from the GLORIOUS opportunities to see snow, winter really doesn't work for me. I like spring for the pastel colors, summer for the action shots, and fall for the deep rich tones. Winter in the south just lacks the only inspiring part of the season. So sometimes I must force myself to go practice my chosen craft.

Some might recognize the background from last week's "Clean up after yourself" post. It was the same day just posting these today. Please by all means comment, pass the link along, critique, or anything else that tickles your fancy. Who knows. It may even spark some inspiration for me or someone else...

                                                        And the coup de grâce...

I guess the duck figured since I wasn't using it...

Down by the river...

Went on a walk the other day. Totally nothing impressive, but I guess that is what I like about taking pictures. Gives me a chance to see from another perspective. You can focus on a different point of view.  You can crop out the distractions to leave the beauty. Take a look. Let me know what you think...