Bath Buddies

I still have a lot to learn about capturing motion, but had fun with these two silly birds...

Watered Roses

We got lucky that the miniature roses had just been watered...
Don't love the blown out highlights in this one (overexposed), but included it because the petal curves are so perfect. God's handiwork....

Spider-watching Sidekicks

I don't think looking at flowers is Jon's favorite thing, but he was so good to entertain himself with little things along the way. I got a kick out of him spider watching with his Grandpa Dale. (Don't you love grandpas who'll crawl around on the ground?) In hindsight, I wish I'd caught their hands in the frame so you'd have a better idea what they were doing. After all, you can crop a little in editing, but it's kinda impossible to add more. Kim is liable to post her version of this little scene later and (not to be self-effacing) her shots will be better. (I know my focus is soft .) I cropped this several different ways and couldn't pick a favorite...Any opinions?

Fooling with Focus

I thought Kim's shots with the macro lens and its very specific point of focus were interesting http://picsbykim.blogspot.com/2010/04/macro-fun.html. Thought I'd try a slightly different experiment of my own:

Focusing on the center of the lower tulip...
Focusing on the center of the upper tulip...
Still never got the whole center of either one in full focus. What's that about???? (Most likely the inexperience of the person behind the lens)...

Calendar Confusion

I'm amused to be reminded of two very different holidays with these plantings:

Christmas lights... and Easter eggs....
Funny!

Black-Eyed Susans

Love the texture of the bark in this shot and the general happy nature of these sunny flowers! Makes me want to smile!

Sporty Guys

I had an opportunity to meet Kim at the Arboretum again a couple weeks ago. It was fun because we had a big group with Jon, Wanda (Bob's sister), Dale, Kim's parents, and even Kim's grandmother. I was surprised at how much the park had changed since our last visit just 2 weeks earlier. (Be thankful...it means you won't get a repeat of the same shots.) At any rate, when everyone left to get Jon home for lunch/nap, I walked down to the lake and watched the cyclists. I still have trouble capturing action, but was happy to get this one shot....It's pure luck that it happened to be the two really FIT guys who are nice to look at....but wouldn't you know, the only shot in clear focus was the one taken through the chain link fence (hence the shadowy X's across the frame). I'm disappointed it doesn't really convey their speed (they whizzed by, but this looks leisurely). Should have tried panning...next time!

Spit Bubbles and Drool

And now for some of those pics that will someday embarrass Hannah...

Ocassionally, her fingers are not in her mouth, her tongue is not sticking out, and she engages in some serious thinkin'...Bubbles help!
And how's this for an "action" shot?

Columbine

Our neighbor, an avid gardener, frequently gives us cuttings/seedlings. A few years ago, she gave us some flowering columbine. It's perennial and we enjoy watching it return every spring, tho' each year we seem to have less. At any rate, this year, a new patch popped up in a completely different bed (by my kitchen window)....guess the seeds blew in there on their own. Cool when that happens...I dislike all the distraction in the background, but still think this is a pretty little wildflower.
A slightly larger view of the plant itself...(best I could do in the small bed...very little room to maneuver for a wider angle).
But look what happened when its petals fell...Love it!

Curly Top

It's time for my ferns to sprout again...oh happy day! Reminds me of the scroll on Kara's cello...Cool....

Robin

I headed back to Duck Creek near sunset the other day, intending to try again on those pesky dandelions. I was hoping to try some of the things that made Kim's shot so good. But, when I arrived, the city had mowed down the dandelions AND there was a police barricade! (I have no idea what was going on). At any rate, I turned around to head home and found this little robin perched on the school fence. LOVE IT!

Shutter Speed Fun

One old pic and then I'll get on to newer stuff again....On this day, I thought it might be interesting to see if I could imply motion with a slow shutter speed. I don't own a tripod yet, but a stool worked pretty well....and I was alone, so this was all with self timer. Tried a BUNCH of shots and this was my favorite. Lighting's not perfect and there's some noise, but I think it's kinda fun. Don't I look like a virtuoso?!!

Grammy Day!

Posting pics from our latest Grammy Day today....Hooray for days with Hannah! She's becoming so much more expressive...What a face! Hilarious! And that's quite the "milk gut" hangin' over her blue jeans (even tho' they're still too big and are safety pinned in the back)!
Don't you love the drool in this one?
Hannah loves to "talk" (to us or to herself), but is also a quiet observer. It's sweet that at only 4 mo. she'll already sit and look at books while we read to her. This was my first naptime story...priceless!

Stone Textures

Today I'm posting things that simply caught my eye. I set out to shoot one thing and got distracted by another (ADD). A few weeks ago, after several rainy days, the clouds were breaking and the sky was beautiful. I went out to see if I could capture it and found this along the way. (In case you're wondering, nothing was posed here....this is exactly how I found things...love the angles and textures...just wish there had been a puddle there too...shoulda made my own!).
Later, at the Arboretum, I noticed these cool pots lining the walkway into one of the lower level gardens and thought it was interesting the way the light came around the curve.

Purple Pair

Aunt Kara LOVES to buy clothes for sweet Hannah...hopin' to teach her early to love purple like she does! I love this shot of them...(Hate that it's indoors with flash, but what are ya gonna do?) Hannah just recently started standing up like this with help to do her little "wobbly, bobbly" dance. Love her little blue jeans with the ruffles on the hem...and her silly expression... She's workin' the double chin too!
On this particular day, we actually got her to giggle. Had to stop tho', because it kept giving her hiccups. Think it's funny that she usually has her tongue out when she smiles! And I'm still hopin' to catch a shot of her cute dimple....It's not as deep as her daddy's...but it's there!
Love those big blue eyes!!! (Jenny's workin' the squeeky toy like crazy, right by my ear....but it sure helps to get Hannah's attention!)

Final 3 from Duck Creek

Again, I was so amazed at the variety of wildlife at this residential area park. I don't know that this is a great shot. I don't like the shadow, but still think this bird is pretty cool. He's a double crested cormorant. Did not get to see him in action as he was busy sunning himself, a necessity since his feathers aren't waterproof like a duck's. He dives for his food, then spends time drying out.
This is a nesting Greylag Goose (listed as an exotic bird in Texas)...wonder when her babies will hatch... Hope I can see them later. . .

And finally, the last Duck Creek shot....another swan goose, but a different variety. This one was much more comical as he spends most of his time on land in someone's front yard. He got right in my face, honking his head off...not afraid of anyone! Silly goose!!

Airborne

Still working on "things that move"....felt lucky to see a couple of gulls. Did not have too much success, but here was my best shot with a massive crop to cut out the neighborhood back fences/alleys. I can make believe I was in the country, right? (Kinda makes me want to sing, "The Hills are alive with the sound of music"....)

Weird Dude

I was amazed at the variety of birds I saw at Duck Creek. One of the most unique was the Muscovy Duck. (Be impressed that a bird-watching friend helped me identify him). Check out his tail feathers...Stunning! I love this pic!
And below is proof of God's sense of humor...putting a head this ugly on such a beautiful body. (...keeping him humble?)
He's a little cuter when he's dry...
Still....this guy is one WEIRD DUDE!

Dandelion Challenge

Besides all the critters at Duck Creek, I was VERY happy to find a field of dandelions! I've been wanting to shoot some since Kim posted her dandelion pic more than a year ago on her blog. She said it was harder than she thought and she wasn't kidding!!! I hope she won't mind me posting her pic here, since it was my inspiration. You would not believe how many dandelion shots I took and I STILL never achieved quite the same clarity she did with hers. Kudos to Kim!!!! GREAT SHOT!
There was an elementary school across from the creek and I'm sure the children wondered why the old lady was laying down in the grass with her camera! At any rate, here's what I was thinking. I knew I wanted to isolate with an f/5.6 and was assuming I would want to zoom in as far as possible. So that first day, my focal length was 200mm for all attempts. I felt pretty sure I had some good pics, but when I saw them on the computer was frustrated! Part of each dandelion was sharply in focus, but in every shot there was another part that was not. Grrrrr! I thought about that all day and finally realized I could download Kim's pic, import it into my editing software and read her settings. Ahhh.....Kim's f stop was the same as mine, but her focal length was only 50 mm. I'm guessing that the further you zoom in, the more specific the point of focus becomes....and since dandelions are spherical, the center will be in focus but the edges, which are farther away from the lens, will not. (Is that right, Kim?)

SO.....I headed back to Duck Creek a second time, mainly to try again on those pesky dandelions! I experimented with 4 different focal lengths and found that the shorter length really did give greater overall focus. I still didn't quite match Kim's crispness, but I'm learning. This is my sharpest shot....I like the seeds on the bottom and the still yellow dandelion in the background.
This next shot isn't quite as sharp, but I'm including it because I like the way the colors turned out. This one happened to be hanging out over the creek. (Picture me lying face down, balanced over a big rock, hoping not to fall in the creek with my camera!)...I love the watery background, the hairy stem, and those 2 loose seeds. It was a perfect sphere when I started shooting, then wind stirred up those seeds. Much more interesting! I've decided that dandelions are like snowflakes....each one unique in it's own way.
(Judy, I tried reducing the file size on my pics today since you've had trouble getting them to load sometimes. Let me know if this works better. And thanks for taking time to read!)

Swan Goose

I was awed by the beauty of a swan goose at Duck Creek. She was completely graceful in the water...so much so, that I thought she was a swan. But I did a little research and learned the truth. She did a little fishing that day and I had to include this shot just because it tickled me (even tho' it's not as sharp as I would like)...Guess NO ONE looks graceful in a booty shot!
Every time she came up, she'd spit out water. (If you click to enlarge, you'll see the stream) ...love the water droplets on her head.
I thought she got lucky once, but this was probably just a hunk of wood she caught...
Everything above was taken my first day at the creek (without the polarizing filter). The shot below was on the second day (with filter). I still can't decide which I like better. With the glare on the water above, she looks more graceful....like she's effortlessly floating along. But below, sans glare, you can see how furiously she's working (which is also pretty cool). Love the water bubbles in this pic and her position with her wings up. What a beauty!

Hannah's First Easter

I have more Duck Creek photos to post later, but have to break for the cuteness of Miss Hannah. A few weeks ago, I was digging in a closet and came across a box of baby clothes from Jenny and Kara. I had hardly saved anything, but found 2 adorable sweaters, including the lavender sweater Kara was dedicated in. Jenny immediately went in search of an Easter dress for Hannah that might match. We had fun trying to get some pics on Easter weekend. These aren't perfect. I'm still experimenting with what settings capture the best skin tones indoors. It's HARD....That said, the first pic is terribly grainy, but I love Hannah's adorable expression. The little bunny was a gift from Grammy and G-Pa.
I'm not in love with the white background below either, but this was the only pic we took with the heirloom sweater. I'm pretty sure this was a gift from Aunt Carolyn in 1981.
Which background do you like best? I think my favorite is green, even if Hannah does look a little worried. . .

Web-footed friends. . .

I just learned about a little treasure in the heart of Richardson, not far from where we live. Duck Creek Linear Park was once nothing more than a glorified drainage ditch, but has been converted into a beautiful walking/bike trail. I enjoyed going there during my lunch break yesterday and today to see what I could shoot. I was amazed at how many varieties of birds I saw...various ducks, geese, swan geese, an egret, and even a couple of exotic birds. It was a great place to practice on things that MOVE. (I was happy to capture anything since the last time I tried this, EVERY shot was out of focus). It was fun to see how social these ducks were, particularly the two below who seemed to be good buddies. Love the way the current looks here with the angle shot...Gotta try that more often! Don't you love the markings on the little guy out front?
Finally caught a little action. . .
I took the above shots yesterday, when it was partly cloudy, without my polarizing filter. The image below was taken today in full sun with the filter. Interesting to see the difference... kinda fun to see beneath the water, but I also like the way you can see currents and water movement above with more glare. (Decisions, decisions. . .)