Monthly Archives: September 2011

Coming to the End of a Long, Long Road

Tuesday, September 27, 2011 Posted in The Extraordinary Color of Happiness, Travel

For the last several weeks, I’ve been been going through 70,000 images–dumping many and organizing the keepers.  Now this is something I should have started YEARS–not weeks ago.  I’m coming to the end–just a few more to go and I’m done and done-in.  I’ve become a snarly creature while tied to my computer and watching butterflies flit by.  Snarly because I’d prefer to be outside trying to digitally capture the butterflies.    While I love photography, the business side of it is another story.  So, imagine my delight when I came upon some images that I’d forgotten I’d taken during a trip to Arches National Park in beautiful Utah last June.  Delicate Arch is the most famous of the thousands of naturally formed arches in that park–in fact it’s on  Utah’s license plates.  While we didn’t have time to climb up for close-ups, nor did I get the side with the gorgeous La Sal mountains as a backdrop, I still wanted to have a souvenir of Delicate Arch for myself in memory of the most wonderful days I had this summer.  So, here it is and another example of TECH (The extraordinary color of happiness):

So, now that I’ve (almost) come to the end of a long, long road would you like to share another road with me?  Here’s The Long & Winding Road.  Enjoy :D

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The Extraordinary Color of Happiness

Monday, September 12, 2011 Posted in The Extraordinary Color of Happiness, Wildlife

I’ve  been doing much-needed editing of my photo files and while I’m bleary-eyed and can barely move my fingers, I’ve come to a sublime notion.  Let me explain:  It is no secret that vitriol is becoming more prevalent in our communications and daily life.   Added to that  there’s the  escalation of  anguish in the world from the toll of wars and shrinking resources.  I mention all this because I’m not a Pollyanna even though I feel that the world could do with a major infusion of optimism. I find that whining is tiresome–especially coming from the very fortunate.     And yes, I’m guilty of slinging vitriol and whining–even though I feel justified since it’s against and about those bubble heads who want to pollute the environment, etc. etc. and care only about looking good, etc. etc–WINK, WINK–see where I’m going with this?   AAAAAGGGGHHHH!!  I AM THEM –ONLY WORSE.

So, what was my insight??  It has to do with a facet of  the pursuit of happiness.  This concept has been observed, studied, declared, dissected, analyzed,  sought after, exploited, derided and on and on.    Just Google  “pursuit of happiness” and you’ll come up with : 9,220,000 results.  I’m not trying to add anything fresh or undiscovered here about this entity–just adding my two cents.  I want to look at THE EXTRAORDINARY COLOR of HAPPINESS–keeping in mind that color can be a mood, a shade, a hue, a feeling, etc.  So, I’m creating a new category for my blog–with images, of course.  To save my poor fingers–from now on, THE EXTRAORDINARY COLOR of HAPPINESS = TECH.

Is TECH for this sweet Roseate Spoonbill…:

…the red dragonfly she spied to the left?

Is TECH a tender nuzzle from a loving parent?

 For me, TECH is rendering a Black & White version of one of the most gorgeous vistas on earth–Bryce Canyon:

And, at the close of day, it is reveling in the sight of a cloud-filled sky:

I would love to know what the THE EXTRAORDINARY COLOR of HAPPINESS is for you.  Let me know on Twitter, Facebook or here in the comments.  Meanwhile, here’s a favorite singer of mine–Bryan Ferry.

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The Joy of Shooting in Raw

Saturday, September 3, 2011 Posted in Wildlife

Last year, I spent many early morning hours on Sanibel Island taking pictures of two newly-hatched Ospreys.  I spied the fledglings shortly after the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  This event spurred me on to produce a book on the chicks and their evolution from shrieking hungry chicks to graceful fledglings.  If you would like to see more images of Cassandra and Conall, click HERE.
When I took these images, I had my camera on a “cloudy” white balance setting.  I’m drawn to warm tones and, while I still like a warm setting for evening landscapes and portraits, I find that I prefer avian and seascapes to have cool tones for daytime.  Thankfully I shot in raw, so I can now change the white balance and if my preferences change–no harm done!!

[caption id="attachment_2344" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption="Cassandra with her Mom"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_2345" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption="Cassandra with Mom and Dad"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2346" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption="Teaching Conall to fly"][/caption]

This last one of Conall was taken about 45 minutes after sun-up, so the light still had a warm cast to it.

Even the Terns look better with the ‘daylight” setting. So, if you can, shoot in raw and you can always change your mind later on.  Have a lovely weekend everyone.  Here’s Starlet sending you a special wish (read the caption) from her beloved barrier island:

[caption id="attachment_2348" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption="May your days always be as carefree as dragging seaweed in the surf :D "][/caption]

 

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