A Quiet Morning!

I saw hubby off to work early this morning.  I was standing on our porch enjoying the peacefulness of the morning.  The sky was overcast and the temperature was warm with a little humidity in the air.  I took a stroll around our garden and realized it was a perfect opportunity to take some pictures.  I grabbed my camera and my 60mm micro lens and headed back out for a quick photo adventure.

I took a few steps off our porch and noticed a few spider webs tucked in between the shrubs.  I got down really low to the ground and captured the morning dew on the webs:

I also found a spider resting in it's web:

I saw our colorful daylilies blooming.  Too bad the flowers don't last a long time:

I'm so thankful for a long weekend.  Time to unwind, rest, and enjoy my hobbies....

10,000 Pictures Later...

And I'm still going strong with my D600.  Yes, I rolled over my camera.  Only 9 months young!  I broke my own record.  My D7000 took a little over 12 months.  My D40 took almost two years.  What does that tell me?  I'm taking more pictures than ever.  I'm pushing my skills, expanding my knowledge, and well...I just enjoy taking pictures.  I take pictures of everything that peak's my interest or creativity.

I naturally see lots of leading lines, colors, textures, contrast, and mood.  I take pictures of things or objects that pop out at me.  I take pictures to document what I'm doing.  It could be a hobby like knitting.  I take pictures of my yarn, my garment, or work in progress to share with my fellow knitters.

I take pictures to document events.  They could be baptisms, baby dedications, plays, musicals, civil war weekends, wine tastings, or sports.

I take pictures of people.  Weddings, senior portraits and class photos.  I'll also include street photography.

I take pictures of buildings.  Old, new, contemporary, traditional, wood, brick, and/or stone.

I take pictures of flowers and plants.  Mostly flowers.  Bright colors stand out.

I take pictures of food.  I'm a foodie!  I take pictures of what I bake and what I like to eat.  I take pictures when hubby and I are dining out on our date night.  He's well aware of the 10 second "photo pause" after our food server delivers our food at our table.  Snap! Snap!  And yes, we do pray before we eat.

I take vacation pictures.  Reminders of "fun in the sun".

So, here's the 10,000 picture taken with my D600:

Can you see the spider?

I was following a bumble bee in our garden.  He got caught in a web and was trying to break free of the web.  Something caught my eye.  A black widow spider came out!  Unfortunately, I didn't have my zoom on my camera.  I did have my 60mm micro lens, but there was no way I was getting too close to spidey.  I'm sure it would have been a Kodak moment to get closer...like within an inch.  I just couldn't do it....

Oh and I guess I do take pictures of bugs and critters.  Just not too close.

My Nikon...Another Milestone!

I did it again.  I rolled over my Nikon D7000 DSLR for the second time.  This year.  Another 10,000 pictures taken.  I've taken over 20,000 pictures.

The 20,000 picture...blooming hybrid tea rose

Our Anemones are still blooming like crazy

I found a bee in our daylily patch

I have a lot more pictures to take this month.  I get to do a photo shoot at a local private school.  They want me to take pictures of individuals as well as group shots.   I am so looking forward to this.

Swallowtail Butterfly in Our Garden

I followed several Swallowtail butterflies in our garden.  They flittered to and fro and around several buddleia flowers.  The common name for this flowering plant is Butterfly Bush.  How appropriate.

The background in this picture reminds me of a watercolor painting.  I just might have to add this picture to my portfolio for a future painting.

Anemones in Bloom

My hubby spotted these Anemones in bloom.  I'm looking forward to the next few days as more and more of them open up.  I took this picture using my 85mm lens and compact speed light.  I was waiting for the rain showers to stop and by then it became evening.  Still not a bad time to take pictures.  

Using My 50mm Lens: A Picture for Photo Challenge #3

When I came home from work I noticed a Swallow Tail butterfly was flittering around in our front garden.  I grabbed my camera and whatever lens was attached and ran out the door.  This was one of a dozen pictures I snapped.

Check out the lovely bokeh this lens produces:

50mm, f2.8, 1/500, ISO 100

Here are a few more shots of the Swallow Tail:

50mm, f2.8, 1/800, ISO 100

50mm, f2.8, 1/1000, ISO 100

Daylilies in Full Bloom

This week is definitely Daylily week for us.  Our gardens are in full bloom with these beauties.  My 85mm is the current lens of choice.  I'm still trying to get the feel for this lens.  I hope to get some portraits done this weekend for my remaining test shots.  In the mean time, I'm enjoying this lens and the beautiful results I'm getting.

Up Close and Personal

I am surprised the spider didn't jump onto my lens!  I was that close!

Miniatures! Examples in the Garden

I always enjoy visiting the local garden center.  I enjoy it more now that I have a awesome point and shoot camera with me all the time.  I'll never miss a photo opportunity like these wonderful miniature gardens.  Check out the clever planters they use.  How many tiny garden props can you spot?

How cute!

The BBQ grill is the planter

What a great way to reuse an old wagon!

Now that's creativity in the works!

What a Difference a Flash Makes

I was going through my photos from the last few days and I came across a pair that shows what a difference a flash can make.  This blue hydrangea shrub is located on the edge of our shade garden.  I took these two pictures with my D7000 and 40mm micro lens.  For the flash picture, I used my compact SB-400 speed light.

Which picture appeals to you?

While I'm taking my pictures, I can actually visualize "painting" the images I take.  The left picture without flash looks quite dark, it's actually quite "art-sy".  If I painted this picture in oil or watercolor, my painting would show the different values of color.  Light and dark colors.  My flower would appear to pop-out of my canvas or paper.

If I painted the right photo with flash, my flowers would look a bit flat because there are less values in the color.

When I see a striking subject as in a flower, I tend to take lots of pictures.  A straight on shot and then a different angle.  In natural light and then with a flash.  Zoomed in and then zoomed out.

I have plans to take my favorite floral shots from this Spring and re-create them on my canvas.  To paint the above hydrangeas, I would actually use both pictures as references for my creation.

In my mind, there really isn't a bad picture.

One Shrub...Many Colors

As the Spring flowers are winding down in our gardens, the final and magnificent blooms of the season is our colorful hydrangea flowers.  Yes, all the flowers seen in the photos below are from one single shrub.

Makes me think of God's palette of colors.

Latin name:  Hydrangea Macrophylla

Buzzing Around the Garden

No, not me.  Just the bumble bees in our garden.  My 40mm micro lens has been a joy to use.  I can get up close and personal.  Sometimes a bit too close for my liking when I'm looking through the viewfinder.  Bumble bees are pretty friendly.

I've learned to be patient and just wait for the bees to come within picture taking range.  Especially with my 40mm lens.  Sometimes, I wished I had a longer lens.  Maybe an 85mm?

Hydrangeas and My Point & Shoot

I thought I would take a break from my technical posts and show some pictures of hydrangeas that are blooming in our garden right now.  These were taken with my Coolpix point and shoot camera in aperture mode.  Unfortunately, I don't have the names of these beauties.  I have to wait for hubby to give me clues....

I'll be back to with a post about this nifty point and shoot camera!  Stay tuned!

A Bit of Patience With a Bumble Bee

I hung out in the garden this evening taking more pictures.  Our beautiful Stewartia tree was in full bloom.  I noticed a few bumble bees were hovering at the top of the tree.  I waited.  A lone bumble bee ventured down and buzzed around my ear.  I knew it was time.  I got my camera ready and focused on one of the flowers closest to me and waited.  These critters can be fast and I knew I had to do just click away and hope for the best.

Stewartia flower (40mm micro)

There was no way I could get a clear and sharp picture without my flash.  Good thing I had my SB-400 with me.

More Blooms

More flower pictures from our garden:

Peony

Bletilla Orchid

Geranium

All pictures were taken with my 40mm micro lens and small SB-400 flash.  I'm in a flash mood.  Can you tell?

A Type of Hyacinth

Here's an interesting flower I found in our garden.  The Latin name is Camassia.  The common name is Indian Hyacinth or Wild Hyacinth.  This was hidden underneath some tall shrubs and I ended up using my small external flash to bring out the color.  

The flowers were growing at the edge of the garden.  I sometimes hesitate to go beyond that point as I might come across a snake or some other critters that are lurking around.  I prefer to avoid those kinds of surprises.  

National Photography Month

Happy May!  This month is National Photography Month.  I was trying to think of a way to celebrate all month long. Maybe take a picture a day and do a daily post on my blog.  So, here's my first picture for May:

Peony bud and a tiny friend (40mm micro)

What do you plan on doing to celebrate National Photography Month?

Two Post Wednesday: Yellow Azaleas

I'm glad I took a turn around our garden late this evening.  I came across our yellow azaleas blooming.  Tomorrow it's suppose to rain.  By Friday, I suspect the blooms will start to look tired.  

I took the following pictures using my 40mm micro lens and small SB-400 flash.  I like working with this combination:

After the Rain (with my SB-400)

We were fortunate to have a rainy day.  I noticed our clematis was looking a bit wilted.  After a day of rain, our garden perked up.  (So did all the dandelions that appeared out of no where).

The late afternoon sun was going in and out of the clouds.  I decided to try another tool from my photog arsenal.  I took out my lonely SB-400 and just snapped a couple of pictures using this small handy flash:  

Tree Peony (200mm)

Alpine Columbine (200mm)

Clematis (200mm)

Weigela (200mm)

Even when the sun came out, I left the flash on.  I like the results.  I call my SB-400...a portable flash.  It's small that I do not notice the extra weight on my camera.  There are no settings to tweak on the flash.  My smart D7k knows what to do with it.  I think I'll be taking this flash with me more often.

Clematis

Our climbing Clematis is now blooming.  It should be climbing our mailbox and since we haven't trained it, it looks more like a low growing shrub.  There's only a handful of open blooms.  I'm hoping by Sunday to have the whole shrub covered.