I took my grandson to a bird banding demonstration. He got to touch and hold a little wonder. “Remember now your creator in the days of your youth.” Ecclesiastes 12:1
This Sunday’s Scene.
Another Wordless Wednesday
I participated in a year long scavenger hunt with the Nature Photo Club of the Wilderness Center, Wilmot Ohio. There were 15 captures on the list. You could submit all that you could but the idea was not to just grab record photos. Captures were to be “use the principles of good photography that capture viewers attention.” The only photo I did not have was of a night sky.
The irony of it all for me was that I was unable to attend the meeting to see everybody’s selection. So instead you get to have a peek at my collection from the natural world as a part of this weeks WordPress Photo Challenge – Peek
Photo captions reveal the scavenger hunt topic challenge. A click on any photo for a slide show.
Another Wordless Wednesday
Last October, on the last glorious day before fall gloom appeared, I captured a photo of a Chipmunk enjoying the day as much as I was. Spotting a dash and flash under the leaves, I got ready and he provided me with a charming cute wildlife portrait.
I plunged into photography as a serious hobby just over two years ago. From another photographer’s blog, I picked up the idea of entering a photo exhibition through our local photo club. There was no time to prepare so I just grabbed some photos I had and jumped in. They were horrible, but I crossed a threshold of participation that motivated me to improve a skill I thought I could achieve. Two more shows received my entries last year and I managed to bring home some ribbons.
The Wilderness Center of Wilmot, Ohio, a Northeast Ohio Nature Preserve holds an annual FotoFest as part of Earth Day. Nature Photography as I see it on the trail makes this show a perfect fit for me. I left little Chippy out of my home photo show earlier in the year, intimidated by grand landscapes, tall ships and the like, but I thought he might be a hit at FotoFest.
With 5 photos in a show with over 140 really good photos from 40 photographers, I raised my hopes to dare to think that if I came away with an honorable mention, that would be something. In the anything goes category, I put in a personal favorite, an abstract I titled “Forest On Watercolor”. My name was called for honorable mention, that was a good and surprising start.
Forest on Watercolor
Later my name was called again for a butterfly photo I titled “Slurping at the River”. I thought it was my best entry, but I also knew that I critically errored with my mounting. With two honorable mentions I passed expectations.
Slurping at the River
I’ve learned that if photo does not make an initial impact to grab attention it has no hope. Then, if the composition is right, the lighting is right and the technical aspects are right, then you are competing with the others. I titled my last entry “Hide N Seek Chippy”. It had impact. It had cuteness, a chance at being a crowd favorite. It also had light in the eyes, a perfect catch light and maybe a chance at catching a judge’s eye too.
With the last category to go, I thought that if It did not receive the third place ribbon I’d be done. Chippy wasn’t called. While the winner was being announced, I was ready to go to my grandson’s first birthday party. And then I heard, “ And the winner is, “Hide N Seek Chippy”. I was so surprised that as I moved forward I did not realize that they announced that it was also the shows Judge’s Choice Award winner.
Hide N Seek Chippy
Reflecting back, I feel pretty good that with a little persistence and practice (every shot for me is practice, some turn out better than others), I was able to produce some photos to be proud of with my mid level hobbyist equipment. In the process I meet and appreciate new photographers, people really enjoy the shows, and I’m challenged to keep trying new things to get better.
I’m getting a new set of images ready for the next exhibition.
This weeks WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge is – Reflecting
Upward Look
But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.
2 Peter 3:13-14
Another Sunday Scene
Next in order for my wildflower-fest is the Toothwort. Named for its leaves perhaps. The first flowers to poke up through the leaf litter I consider to the delicates, small in stature, tender growth and fragile light flowers.
My kind of playground!
Another Wordless Wednesday
1/160,f9, ISO 200, 210mm
Hiking with my grandson, I took a picture to show in the LCD screen that the log in the pond was not an Alligator. In that shot I notice that the clear blue sky, harsh light and stiff breeze combined to make a remarkable abstract on the pond surface. So what you see here is out of the camera, sharpened in Lr. I did take the liberty of flipping the photo vertically so that we are viewing it right side up.
The odds of such a beautiful weather in Northeast Ohio today was a good start. Trail comradery matched the day as I perused the trails with many birdwatchers sharing what they had seen and where. Coming out of the woods to cross the dam of the 10 acre pond at The Wilderness Center, I spotted an unusual sight swimming with the Canada Geese. Another birder was similarly focused. Neither of us knew what we were looking at, so a little teamwork ensued. Using my camera to freeze some detail and her birdwatching app, our discovery was a Blue Goose. Or, the dark morph of the Snow Goose. It had been adopted by this flock since, according to All About Birds, it does not migrate through Ohio. Snow geese are the color of their name. So, you get the picture; it was a day Against the Odds WPC challenge of the week. O, and the birder? turns out she’s from our neighborhood. What are those odds?
Blue Morph – Snow Goose
the Ordinary Hiker 