Playing with the new camera on a day when it is grey and rainy seems like it should result in some excellent learning experiences. But I don’t think it did. For right now, the Nikon D3300 and I are getting to know each other. Here are several familiar scenes/activities reproduced today with this device. Starting at the boring end and crescendoing near the pinnacle (of an almost flat day!). Aperture:…
31 days. What I have learned, for a start, is that I like documenting events. I have a poor long term memory, but also one easily triggered by a smell or a particular photograph. Words allow me that too. So I appreciate that I am cementing the memories with this process. And, too, I now feel confident to record the summer trip. But we’ll get to that in a minute….
Because I’m quite tired. Blue and I talked about what distinguishes the snowy egret from the great white. It occurs to me that it would be helpful to set that down. So this is a short post in which I avoid talking about the excitement of the day [otters!] so that I can go to bed and awaken in the morning refreshed and clever and therefore able to render a…
The sound did not pull my attention. Too often had I been frustrated by turning just in time to see only the spreading waves. I never managed to see the fish themselves break the surface, but only the water’s concentric rings dispersing. I never quite have my eyes in the right place. So I didn’t turn around. Straightening my back in mild irritation, I pulled my elbows in and grasped…
Nothing. And all things. I’m surprised that after almost six months of daily observation and photographing the backyard wild, it remains so new, and I still enjoy it to such a degree. Actually, this moon, this is pretty new and exciting. It was late afternoon, the temperature falling as the sun set bathed the tree tops in light, the moon sat high on the other side. I am inordinately pleased…
It is more than halfway through my 30 day challenge. I’m not entirely pleased with the quality of my writing, and will be rather relieved not to have to do this everyday. Yet, I feel like the obligation is useful since practicing a skill means improving that skill – usually. So, it turns out that what I enjoy most about this challenge is being able to take note of both…
This afternoon, the backyard journey extended several miles to the north end of Tampa – Lettuce Lake Park. It is a 240 acre park with a tremendous boardwalk over a swamp that feels almost primitive. The sight of alligators lounging on fallen logs, and snakes curled around themselves next to pond lilies do nothing but enhance that feeling. It is a wonderful place, a half an hour away, that I…
Overnight the world broke into a million tiny shards and fell upon the water. Well, it looked like that this morning, at any rate. As the day dawned the rain fell in large flll droplets and the wind created a grey sheet around the backyard. It is remarkable how the quality of the mornings changes with the gusting winds. As the winds slowed and the curtain of shadows slowly lifted,…
Nature is conspiring to delight me. The person above is the Eastern Bluebird. This morning, a little brown bird which I believe to be the Eastern Phoebe, darted across the lawn. He took up residence in a tree outside the screen and stayed there. His coloring is such that I have difficulty photographing him well. These birds are really about an inch or two high, and of course are usually…