A Finch Dispersing Seeds

The other day I  received an interesting request from a publishing house in England wanting to use this photo for the cover of a children’s book.  The book will be about the dispersal of seeds.  I was delighted to share the image, The Finch Dispersing Seeds, with  the publisher.  I only requested that  she let me know when it is published, and that they would mention my name as the  photographer of this photo. 

 I am very happy that they asked my permission  as well.   Of course, she wanted a high-resolution image, not the low resolution that I publicly publish on my computer sites.    Anyway, it sure feels good to have my image appreciated and to be able to share a special moment in time with others.      Life is good.

Handicap Parking Permits

The other day we were at San Onofre Beach which is an area famous for good surfing and beautiful sunsets.  It was a joy to be there and enjoy the beauty as well as observe the surfing that was taken place.  It was a beautiful warm winter’s day in Southern California.

As we sat there, we noticed a car parked in a handicapped space with surf-racks on the top of it.    Before long two surfers , a man and woman, came with their surfboards under their arms.   Both appeared to have no difficulty walking or putting their surfboards on top of the car.   Both appeared to have just gotten out of the water.  Both appeared to have had a wonderful time .   Both appeared to be in good spirits and quite able to get a round with little difficulty…As they took their handicapped  card off the window, and drove away, I was wondering what kind of handicap they suffered….Who knows?   I’ll never know for sure, but I smell a rat…

rvision.daydreamlabs.com/

Today on Flickr I read a comment from one of my contacts (on his site) about  flickr allowing rvision.daydreamlabs access to our flickr photography.  Thus, he thought folks were stealing his work and doing their own processing on his work.  He was so upset about it  that he has decided not  to  update his pro account this year. When I read it , I was upset , too, and took about 100 of my photos off my flickr account.  

Then, I started thinking.. I really do not know what we are dealing with.  So,  I went to the site in question  and tried to download one of my photos. I was able to, but the resolution was so low that  I doubt that anyone could do much with my photo should they try to steal it….Maybe, it isn’t such a bad thing to be linked to rvision.daydreamlabs….I don’t know….Do you have any thoughts on this?   

I also wonder about the Getty Art Work connection on flickr….Should they want one of your photos, do you give up all your rights?   I have heard pros and cons about that company as well…

Anyway, that is what I’m thinking about today….I added this photo hoping we do not have alligators lurking about our photography on flickr…  (Should you want to check out this “rvision.daydreamlabs.com/”…go to the site and put in your  flickr name…and your photos will appear…)

Kodak Files for Banruptcy

I do not know about you, but I am very sad about the news that Kodak has files for bankruptcy.  This company started in 1880, I believe, and hired so many folks through the years, promoting photography and photographers.

I can remember my first “Brownie” camera that was made by Kodak.   That was one of the best Christmas presents that I ever got!   This girl was THRILLED when I got that camera.  It went with me everywhere, even to “Brownie” girl scout camp.   I’ve some old photos taken with that camera somewhere.  Finding them is another story…Ha!

Anyway, thank you to Kodak for helping me along the way.  Your company really helped me, and isn’t that what it is all about?  Helping others and providing a good product and service?

 I wish you well and hopefully, somehow you will get through this bankruptcy and continue to provide camera support and services…

Bosque del Apache NWR

This month I was fortunate enough to take a short trip out to the National Wildlife refuge,  Bosque del Apache.   What a treat that was!  Yes, it was freezing at night,

 but the day temperatures were in the 50′s which wasn’t too bad.  

Here are a few photos that represent the refuge and the wildlife that I happened upon.

The first photo shows the moon going down as dawn was appearing.    It was a beautiful sight to see for sure.  The birds in the water were just awaking.  They had spent the night in the water, so the coyotes couldn’t reach them….Both the Sandhill Cranes and the Snow Geese were present, as well as smaller water fowl that are not in the photo.

Here is a closer view of the birds sleeping in ~ waiting for the sun rise…

As the morning progressed, I saw the sandhills starting to jump around, maybe trying to attract a little attention or flirt a little.

When the dawn came,   off they flew into the sky away from their night “water bed”, and  on to breakfast in the fields.…

Great Horned Owl in the Rafters

Today while visiting Home Depot, my husband notice a Great Horned Owl in the rafters of the store in the garden area.   He called me to tell me he was looking at a Great Horned Owl at Home Depot…I asked if it was real or a plastic one, not believing what he was telling me…He said it was for real!

Later, I had to go back to see for myself…Sure enough, there the owl was sleeping in the rafters.   I didn’t have my tripod but I did have my camera, and I took a snapshot  for other non believers like me….The photography isn’t great, but you can see the Owl sitting up there in the rafters fast asleep….

It turns out that a couple of Great Horned Owls live there and have for several years.   They come and go as they please…Last year, they hatched two babies at the Home Depot Garden center.   Oddly enough, the owls are not afraid of people and sleep during the day….

It certainly makes an interesting story and sight to see! I’ll be going back to that home Depot! I wonder if they will be hatching more owlettes this Spring?

Signing off from Reno, Nevada…..

 

Blue Christmas

Yesterday, the mailman brought me a big box.   It was a Christmas present from my niece’s family, which we opened right a way even though it wasn’t Christmas yet.  You understand the temptation!

 The item came from the company, Plow and Hearth, and what a unique gift it was!  Never have we seen anything like it..  color cones that add a rainbow to your fire…Ha!  Well, we read the directions and you just toss 2 or 3 cones into a well burning fire and watch  the flames shimmer with vivid color!  

We couldn’t wait until Christmas and tossed in a few cones with our fire this morning…How fun…We couldn’t believe the flames as they glowed in blues and greens…

There is a caution about these cones…Don’t eat or cook anything over the burning cones, which was no problem for us…Our children are grown and my pet doesn’t eat pinecones…

So, we will have a beautiful blue Christmas this year and will love it!  Thank you, Buffi-san and family!

What We Do to Get a Photo

The other day while sitting in my home, I looked out the window and saw a finch at the bird feeder.  He was quite pretty and had a little color on him, so I decided to  try to take his photo.  I quietly went back to my study and got my camera and long 400 lens.  I stood behind the curtain, slowwwlllyyy opened the patio door a wee bit, just enough to get that long lens out the door.   Slowwwllly and quitely I aimed my lens, forcusssseeeddd, and vvveeerrry carefully pulled the trigger, I mean shutterrrr.   Baammmm!  Gotttcha…I did not want to disturb the bird, so slowly I pulled in my lens and shut the door.  Quite unbelievably, the little bird just stayed there eating his seed not knowing that I had captured him on my photo chip.

I could never be a hunter, but I felt like one taking this photo…Have a good day…

 

Festival of Lights

 

 

The other evening I joined a group of folks from the Redlands Camera Club that  went to the Mission Inn, Riverside, CA. to photograph the Festival of Lights. 

 

 

 

 The Mission Inn is a sight to see  in Southern California.  Not only is the Mission Inn a very historical building that Presidents (Benjamin Harrison,  William McKinley,  Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft,  Herbert Hoover, John Fitzgerald Kennedy,  Gerald Ford,  George W. Bush, and  Richard Nixon.  Pat and Richard Nixon were married there!), social leaders ( Susan  B. Anthony,  Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, John D Rockefeller, Collis and Henry Huntington, Albert Einstein, Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst, Hubert H. Bancroft, Harry Chandler, Booker T. Washington, Helen Keller, and John Muir), and other celebrities (Raquel Welsh, Barbara Streisand, Clark Gable, Cary Grant, and the list goes on and on)  have frequented the Mission over the years, but it  still  is a  well persevered National treasure that many normal regular  folks, like me, can  appreciate and enjoy today.

It is especially beautiful during the holidays when the Mission holds  the Festival of Lights.   I have tried to capture the display to share with you on this blog.  I used my trusty, Canon Rebel EOS T2i with various lens.   A tripod was necessary for the evening shoot.  I also, used a setting for white balance for tungsten lights and ISO 100 when possible.   During the shoot, I found it necessary to shoot various settings to get the desired results.  Night photography is a challenge for me at this stage of the game….

For your knowledge,  the Mission Inn is listed in the U.S. National Register of Historical Places, U.S. National Historical Landmark and as a California Historical Landmark.   The location is 3649 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside CA.  It was built-in 1902 and has multiple types of architect but mostly Mission/ Spanish.  It is now privately owned.

The last photo shows  the large clock overlooking the courtyard in the Spanish wings.  It is a grand medieval-style clock .

I could go on and on about this place,but will stop for now.  Hope you enjoy the photographs….

Otter Christmas

I am having so much fun with Photoshop these days…I learn something new everyday it seems.  It has taken me a long time to learn this program, and I still have so much more to learn.  

 Today, I was missing my wildlife photography and wanting to go out to  shoot,  but was not able to at this time for various reasons.  So, I went back to my archives.   I found an old photo of an otter that I had taken several years ago in Florida, and decided to play around with the photo…Not only did I enjoy looking at the otter photo again, but was able to make something brand new out of it.   Gee, I love photography…There is always something to do, learn, or dream about….I think photography is “good and good for you”.  I highly recommend it!  It is good for the heart and the soul…