Posts Tagged ‘nature photography’
Autumn Walk
The ground has started to dry up after the most recent soaking and the sky slowly grew sunnier and sunnier yesterday afternoon making for a particularly picturesque leash-walk with Asher.
Warm, however, was not how the air temperature felt.
I have no confidence that Asher is able to associate being confined once again to the leash with his recent rash of unacceptable sprints across the road to disrupt things at our neighbors’ but it’s the only solution immediately available in our bag of tricks.
The challenge it creates for us is finding ways to burn off some of his big energy with games and exercises in the house. He got a little wound up in the house but he was amazingly tolerant of being tethered every time we went out.
I thought this flipped-over oak leaf with the deep puzzle-shaped recesses was particularly eye-catching. I didn’t recall ever noticing leaves with this shape on tree branches. A few minutes down the trail, boom! There’s a small oak with the same shape of leaves. Doh!
The trail in the woods offered more mystical nature specimens, especially this classically shaped toadstool.
Had me looking for a troll sneaking around in the trees nearby, especially the way Asher was sniffing the ground.
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Can’t Decide
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Help me out. I can’t decide. Which image would you pick for use on a blog post? I like them both..
Number 1
Number 2
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I like the shadows on the snow and the faint indentation of the stick from a previous position.
There are other details that I will refrain from pointing out so as to allow your eyes to pick what catches your attention.
Honestly, my preference would be to only show one image and not give viewers the opportunity to notice another version that they might like better.
Feel free to imagine your preference printed in high resolution, matted and framed in a perfectly complimentary minimalist frame and hanging on a wall in your favorite gallery.
Of course, I don’t really need to know which one to use in a blog post, because I already have.
I was just looking for an excuse to use them both because, despite my preference to not, I just couldn’t get myself to decide.
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Showing Off
Some days it feels like nature is toying with us. Sure, fog can roll in at just the right temperatures, and overnight, ice crystals will form on tree branches. We love it! The look is festive and mesmerizing. So photogenic!
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You think you’re looking at the best scenery possible, but then nature lets you know you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
Watch what happens when a little sunshine and blue sky is added to the scene.
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Now it feels like nature is just showing off.
What a gorgeous place it is that we live where the four seasons play out with such dramatic diversity.
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Two Shots
Two views of wildflowers to compare and contrast.
It happens.
I captured these two shots on the hill behind the beach up at the lake. The combination speaks to me of the impending end of the summer season.
Or, of someone pulling petals to recite, “loves me, loves me not.”
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Nature’s Fireworks
Our lillies are popping open like Independence Day fireworks, …except without all the noise pollution.
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Looks Wrong
This just looks wrong for a mid-January landscape in the Northland. When the sun came out for our afternoon walk, I was struck by how uncharacteristic the view was. I have only needed to plow the driveway once this season. It feels very strange.
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When Delilah and I were surveying the pasture for hazardous ice on Saturday, we instead found artistic ice formations.
I love these lines.
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One last thing that looks wrong this year, the white horse is missing from our herd.
In loving memory…
LEGACY
7/18/1996 – 1/14/2018
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Blue Background
The winter wonderland views of the white flocked trees took on a whole new level of spectacular yesterday morning with clear skies bringing bright sunshine against a vivid blue background.
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Unfortunately, all that sunshine brings with it an end to the beautiful crystals of ice on the branches. By the middle of the day, we had returned to bare branches and the slim bit of snow cover on the ground was starting to retreat.
There is no way to capture in words or pictures the depth of emotional energy inspired by the precious opportunity to walk amid the wonder of these scenes in person. What a gift.
We always feel blessed to live here, but there are days like yesterday that really send our wonderment over the top.
What a contrast between the look of the two days, one heavy with grays that evokes its own special reaction, and the other so brilliant blue.
I’m hard pressed to choose which I like better.
As Cyndie is inclined to profess, they both get to be, “The best!”
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Cyndie’s Shots
Cyndie has always been incredibly generous about allowing me to post photos she has taken. Lest there ever be doubt, I add her name to the bottom right corner of images of hers that I use.
On my way home from work yesterday, I received a series of images texted from Cyndie that reflect scenes she had captured during the day.
“Why, yes, I’d love to use them!”
First off, this fascinating shot reveals that a couple of deer decided to lay down in the middle of a trail, for a long enough time that they melted the snow all the way down to the ground.
That’s a first. With all the excellent cover available, these two chose a large clearing for their naps. Must be feeling plenty safe on our property.
Notice what a difference a few days makes with regard to the snow sticking to the trees. Scroll down a couple of posts and compare this shot with the two I posted a couple of days ago.
There is still plenty of snow out in the fields. Cyndie framed up this gorgeous view of snow drifting around a culvert.
Delilah looks so stoic as an accent to the shadow and shapes below her. I love the perspective of different elevation this provides.
Finally, there is this beautiful sunset.
If you can make out the chicken coop in the distance, the low sun is shining through it such that it looks like a light is on in there.
It’s fair to say that Cyndie has probably contributed more pictures to this blog in the last year than I have.
For that, I am extremely grateful. Thank you, C!
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Two Trails
Did I mention how beautiful the weekend sticky snowfall was? See for yourself.
Which trail would you choose?
Heading south?
Or heading north?
I love the extremity of contrast between scenes like these, compared to how these woods look in the summer.
We aren’t teasing when we brag about doing all four seasons of the year around these parts.
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Relative Something 