The Pasque Flowers arrived before another forecasted snowstorm. I took advantage of the perfect conditions, overcast skies and use of my macro ring lite, to get these! Some of the pasques are literally just coming up.
Behind the Scenes
There are, often times, some very cool cloud combinations that form over the Rockies.
I could not help myself. I had to take a few pictures of these Cirrus Clouds. There are also some Altocumulous/Cirrocumulous, and a little bit of a Circumzenithal Arc [or what looks like a rainbow]. It is a very faint Circumzenithal Arc, and I got lucky that is showed up while I had my camera out!
I am really enjoying my macro ring lite! I did a photo session using an African Violet as the subject.
My objective was to try different settings to see what the results looked like.
I am happy with the results, and am looking forward to refining my technical ability with flash photography. The expanded capabilities made the flash well worth purchasing.
Oh wow! I just had a flash back worth sharing!
I don’t remember exactly how old I was, probably 10 or so. I was out hiking with my mom and one of our family friends in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a beautiful, blue sky day. Our destination was Lake Haiyaha via the Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, and Emerald Lake trail. We made it a loop trip by heading back down an unimproved trail to the Glacier Gorge trailhead.
We made it to the lake, and the tradition was to spend some time enjoying the destination with some lunch or snacks. I had a point and shoot film camera along with me. I took it out while we were enjoying the scenery and started taking some pictures. There was no rush to head back. I thought it would be nice to take a photo of my mom and our friend.
I should add in, “Haiyaha is said to be an Indian word meaning ‘big rocks.'” (Hiking Rocky Mountain National Park – Ninth Edition by Kent and Donna Dannen) The name says it all! The lake is surrounded by some huge boulders and requires some scrambling over them.
Back to the photo session. I was standing on top of one of these “big rocks” and the other two were standing on top of another with the lake and the mountains behind them. I had the shot framed up perfectly and was just about to snap the photo when a voice called out from behind me – “would you like to be in the photo, also?”
Well, I don’t think we ever did get that photo. I spun around and fell backwards right off that rock! I was dazed for a second or two, and could hear the others scrambling toward me as I lay between the rocks gasping for air. Luckily, I landed on an old log that cushioned my fall only knocking the wind out of me.
The others reached me, and I must have looked terrible. My mom said she was terrified, because all she could see after I fell were my feet sticking straight up in the air. I was a pale ghost with tears pouring out of my eyes. One of the gentlemen from the other group had some training as an EMT, I think. He came over and checked to see if I had a concussion with a negative diagnoses, which I knew was the case. I never did hit my head because of that log.
After a little recovery time and getting my breath back, we started packing up. This takes me back to the camera. Well, I had the strap around my wrist which kept it from flying. It got a little banged up during the fall, too. The battery cover flew off after the camera smashed into one of the rocks or the log, and is probably still up there somewhere between the rocks. I don’t know where the batteries went either. So, the camera went back in the pack not knowing if it was useable ever again.
It lasted quite a few more years with a piece of duct tape and a small piece of metal acting as the battery cover. I’m not sure when that camera was retired, but that memory will stick with me!
This post is dedicated to our family friend. She passed away in June of 2013. I could tell more stories about the hikes we went on. Maybe some will come up in later posts.
3 years ago, today, I had the privilege to attend the Gardener’s World “Poinsettia Festival” in Phoenix, Arizona. This event no longer occurs, because Gary the Gardener, who lovingly grew the poinsettias passed away early this year. These photos of the beautiful poinsettias are now a happy memory of a time spent with loved ones and remind me of how a simple plant can hold so much Christmas spirit.
Some of my favorite days are the ones right after a snow storm. The sun starts peeking in and out as the snow tappers off and blue skies return. There is a magical beauty about them – “a winter wonderland” as the “snow is glistening.”
A few links to my winter galleries:
Hummingbirds are difficult to photograph. It took a lot of prep time and patience to get these photos on August 27th. What I was attempting to get was a shot of the hummingbirds that filled the frame as much as possible. In order to do this, I went with a slightly unconventional approach. I used my 100mm macro lens.
Apparently, today is “national pasta day.” I enjoy cooking. That means I decided to make some macaroni and cheese with homemade cheese sauce.
One of the reasons I selected the Canon EOS 5D mark III is the video recording capability that the camera provides. The video specifications and reviews are impressive for this camera.
I am just beginning to explore DSLR video, which is exciting. There are numerous opportunities to add another dimension to my capabilities as a photographer.
I recently purchased the Zoom H4n digital audio recorder as an added accessory for enhanced audio recording capabilities. This will compliment any video shooting that I do with the 5D III. I have been using the H4n for a couple of weeks now, and am impressed with the results!
Once I have some video worth posting, I will uploaded it to share! Right now, I am still in the practice mode.
It was fun to get my camera out this afternoon. Even though I have taken pictures of a badger before, these ones are by far my best ones yet. My neighbor and I got closer than I have gone by myself. We were still far enough away that a 400mm focal length was not enough! I took two cameras out, one with film and the other one my DSLR.
Another reason why I felt somewhat okay getting closer to the badger was seeing how much confidence the deer fawn had. It walked right up to the badger with out giving any thought to danger. The encounter was more entertaining than tragic. Having witnessed the deer fawn approach with confidence gave me more confidence.
Of course, I respect any wild animal’s space and realize that it is my responsibility to set limits and then not cross them. Knowing limits comes from observing the animals and then responding accordingly. It is never a good idea to cross the boundaries and end up with a conflict – injuries to persons or animals.
It is getting closer to migration time for the hummingbirds. They are still active, but will probably start heading south in September. I figured that since they were particularly active at our feeder tonight, I should try some photos of them. I ended up getting a few decent shots. Next time, I will change some of the auto-focus settings in an attempt to get even more photos.
JUST PhotographIN' 