Month: July 2012

A Tiny Bit of Recognition

Why do I blog? Why do I post Photos? Because just like many of you who write, or draw, or paint or are photographers, you want someone to read or look at your art. What would be the point of doing it if no one saw it or read it right? It is discouraging to create in a vacuum and not have any feedback of any kind. Maybe there are people who don’t need any interaction with others but I think they are few. My husband is kind enough to look at my photos and make nice comments but it is encouraging to have more neutral opinions and critiques of our work. You wonder, am I wasting my time at this? Do I have any talent or any ability when it comes to your chosen creative outlet? I would keep  working on my photography even if I was told I was wasting my time because I absolutely love it and the connection I get to the natural world while taking pictures. I was a little excited to learn that one of my photos was chosen to be the photo of the day for the Nature Conservancy Web site for Friday, July 27. The photo posted with this entry is the one that was selected. It was a tiny hint that maybe I am not entirely wasting my time with my camera.   Cheers!

More Weed Lovers

I had another bust day with my friend the Kingfisher. I positioned myself opposite the branches he had been diving off the day before and of course he switched it up on me and dove off a dead tree where I had been sitting yesterday. Oh well. On the walk out I stopped by the patch of Milkweed thistle again as they were seeing quite a bit of activity. Two butterflies a house finch and much to my surprise and delight a couple of hummingbirds.  The orange winged insect is a Tarantula Hawk. You have to love that name. Any insect that hunts big spiders has me as a fan.  I stayed around and got photos of everyone who was taking advantage of the bounty that the purple flowers had to offer. No day outside is wasted!

Dreamy Dragonflies

One of the reasons I like photography is that as an A type personality it teaches me patience. I have always loved the outdoors and growing up I went hunting and fishing with a single minded purpose of bagging game or catching fish. With my camera I can still have a goal, because yes I need one, and get outside and explore the natural world. I used to get frustrated when I went out to take pictures of something specific with a specific target in mind and failed to accomplish what I set out to do. I have learned that nature and wildlife photography does not work that way of course.  It has taught me to expect, and more importantly to enjoy, the unexpected, the unforseen and this has been a revelation for me a planner and goal oriented person who does not like surprises.

Today I sat in the sagebrush for hours by the edge of a small pond with the goal of trying to take an action photo of a Kingfisher taking a fish from the water. I blew the shot. I sat in the wrong spot and did not have a good angle. The shots were blurry and I threw them out. I had a wonderful time though. Dragonflies kept me company and I had fun trying to take photos of these fast moving insects. After sitting still for several hours a mule deer doe walked right by me and bedded down about 25 feet from where I was sitting. She never saw me until I finally got up to leave misson unaccomplished but I had a wonderful time.

Summer Velvet

The deer have been hanging out in the hay fields enjoying the first cutting. The Mule deer bucks are growing their new sets of horns in preparation for autumn contests. Now they are all in velvet without the hard, sharp edges and points that will be present in a few months. It is nice seeing them with this more relaxed and laid back attitude.