Wetlands

This is the edited version, where I blurred around him to try to bring his image out more, but it didn't help by much.

This is the unedited version.

Anyway ... :) I went to the wetlands this morning to go shooting. It’s about 35 miles northeast of where I live. It’s a cool place, not only because it attracts a variety of animals, but because it’s free.

Whatever I could find of interest through my viewfinder was open “game,” including dragonflies … what I saw mostly were water birds and reptiles.

I only saw one bird of prey, the Red-Shouldered Hawk (see above). Unfortunately, the only shot I got of him was his backside, as he flew away with brunch. Worse yet, the shot is blurry. He came out of nowhere, so I had little time to focus. As I stated above, I tried to blur around him, so his image would stand out more, but it didn’t help by much. I posted both versions for comparison.

Each time I stopped for dragonfly shots, I drew the attention of passers-by, as they’d ask what caught my eye. Evidently, most only want spoon-fed sights. Seeing the obtuse is just as gratifying.

Anyway, I love that place. I love how there are places we preserve just for wildlife. As Thoreau says, “We can never have enough of nature.” So true. At one time I had Henry Thoreau’s book, Walden (a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings), but never got around to reading it … and now I no longer have it. … If the library has it, I’ll check it out.

I did a cursory glance of some of the pics I took today, and I’m happy with a lot of them. I notice that in some of the shots, there are cool reflections, like in the alligator shot. Unless the alligator is doing something exciting, I normally find shots of them boring since they don’t have contrasting colors, but it’s reflection makes the picture richer.

I also got a couple of butt shots that I was thinking of turning into a graphic for fun by adding a “kiss my bum,” or the like. :)

Another picture I looked at briefly was of a momma Anhinga feeding her fledgling, and she is literally putting the entire babe’s head into her mouth and partially down her throat.

I’m learning so much, not only about photography, but of the ecosystem … and am becoming better versed on the local butterflies, dragonflies, birds and reptiles. Such fun!

I have many pictures that were taken last weekend that are ready to be uploaded to Flickr, so I may upload them tonight … or not, depending on whether I get sidetracked by my other pictures. Since I *still* have pics left from last weekend to go through, I’m torn between which ones I should work on first, cuz’ I really wanna’ play with today’s pictures too … but so little time. It’s great to feel inundated by such treasures.

Zesty photography =o)

I feel like a mad scientist obsessed with her work. I don’t want to do anything else but work on my photos … or at least that’s how my life has proved this week after work. I’ve been ingesting shakes for dinner this week to maximize my time spent experimenting with PaintShopPro and my pics, my babies. Heck, I don’t even have to take time out to chew, LOL. It’s all good. I’m having fun. This is what it’s like to feel alive. It is. Doing something I love. I love to take pictures. I love coming home with a full memory card, sifting for pearls. I love how pictures color our world.

I also love to see through others’ eyes via their captures. It’s so intimate in a way -- inviting each other into our respective lives via the pictures we take.

I was speaking to a girl from the west coast about the steep price of macro lenses and she said in lieu of those, she uses “macro” filters … 1 set contains 3 of various strengths. I asked the others what they thought about them and they said it could distort things. Makes sense since it mimics a magnifying glass. I don’t care … $50 as opposed to several hundred dollars … if anything, it’s just more tools at my disposal. Macros do rock … transforming the ordinary into the jaw-dropping extraordinary. :)

I want to get a tripod; but $200 for a tripod versus other stuff I could get … I’m just so indecisive. Will I “pay the price” for trying to go the cheap route on everything? I dunno’ … I don’t want to pine for something I should’ve gotten instead, and then end up investing more than I would have had I just made the wiser purchase. I guess “wise” is subjective. It’s the way of things in the electronic age, I suppose.

I noticed that my blog is not even a blog about accountability anymore … it’s become more a blog on photography. Probably geeky-boring for some, but that’s ok; it's my thing. I’m so inspired … I am.

Sometimes I liken our viewpoint of life to a picture. Crop out the superfluous and zoom in on the beautiful. That’s why my flickr account is “lookforbeauty.”

My photo frenzy should end soon, as I’m toward the end of my pictures … and then I’ll go back to addressing my other goals.

It’s late again … so the photos I intended to upload today will just have to wait until tomorrow …

… back to the “laboratory” I go.

p.s. Stairway to Heaven is playing now ... a great laboratory tune :)

Nature's Allure

I took lots of pictures today, including the scarlet skimmer dragonfly above. My camera has become like a best friend ... like an appendage. Photography, especially nature photography, is an addiction, one that I can’t seem to get enough of …

I was feeling out of sorts today … neurotic. Toxic thoughts seem to seep in on occasion -- like today, and I feel so assaulted. I forget to breathe and forget that I have the power to change my thoughts. It’s paramount that I surround myself with beauty, as it plays a role toward a healthy mindset and has a pleasant domino effect. Beautiful surroundings, sounds, textures … everything that’s genuine. I think that’s why nature calls to me so. I was outside for awhile taking photos, and I experienced a sense of oneness and peace that I can get no other way.

I'm not a fan of small talk and superficial conversations. I prefer discussions of dreams and passions. Everything else feels like fluff. Having to endure small talk is still a challenge for me. I guess it can be foreplay toward deeper conversations. I prefer intimate conversations … soul bearing conversations. After that, companionable silence is just as golden.

I guess there’s so much fluff that already goes on in my head internally …

I just did a one hour work out. Getting physical also helps me achieve a serene mind. I think part of it is because I’ve earned the chance to relax. Sometimes I make myself crazy with the drive to always want to accomplish something. I feel like I’m cheating myself out of something crucial when a day goes by that I didn’t accomplishing at least one thing.

I discovered Youtube last night and “wow;” it has become my new evening companion.

Today, my intake was pretty simple:

2 fruit smoothies
3 raw organic fruit bars
1 shake

I'm going to spend the rest of the night cropping and editing some of today's shots and Youtube-ing it.

Here's Styx's Renegade --- there's something seductive about the badness of this song ... it's the yang of the yin/yang balance, I guess. May the legacy of Styx live on!