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!