Radically Retired

Tag: Nature Photography

  • Friday Freestyling … A Healthy Trade Off

    Friday Freestyling … A Healthy Trade Off

    Morning golden hour is the best time for me to catch photos.

    I’m a very early riser, so heading out just after the sun comes up isn’t a difficult feat.

    I don’t go out at that time regularly, but when I do, I’m always rewarded with peace, little to no vehicle traffic when crossing streets to get to my trails, and then that glorious, energizing, early morning sunlight.

    When the sunlight gently caresses the trees, the flowers, the river, and the walking paths, I have a hard time keeping up my walking pace because I want to stop and photograph every sun-kissed scene that catches my eye.

    Yes, the light is distracting from my purpose of walking for exercise. The stops to enjoy and try to capture on my phone camera what I’m seeing with my eyes, keep me grounded in the present and appreciative of the beauties in nature.

    I see that as a healthy trade-off.

  • A Watchful Eye

    A Watchful Eye

    I recall a nature photography class where the instructor (a professional photographer) said, when photographing birds, the key is to get a good shot of the eye and to be sure that the eye is at a junction of two grid lines. He said that this would give the most impact and that if that junction wasn’t set exactly in the photo, a post-processing crop could be done to make that happen.

    I was fortunate that this pelican rested perfectly still on the pier railing, so that I could get close enough to set up the shot.

  • Great Gentleness

    Great Gentleness

    Most people with whom I have discussed pigeons hold them in low esteem. I have history with pigeons, or perhaps I would not even have noticed the small creature. The great gentleness I have found seems to have escaped most people’s notice. Of course, like most humans, I did not recognize their true worth at all until I got to know one very well.”
    ― Kathleen Knight, Sanctuary – Exploring the Magical World of Birds

  • Salty Squadron

    Salty Squadron

    After seeing a group of 15 Javelinas coming up from salt flats near here (another post coming about the flats), I learned that a group of these characters that look like wild pigs, but are another species altogether, is called a squadron.

  • Palms Unlimited

    Palms Unlimited

    Just when I thought I must have seen every type of palm tree known to man, what should appear, but a Ponytail Palm?

    I decided to check with Professor Google, and apparently, there are over 2600 species of palm trees, so no, I’ve definitely not seen them all, nor will I live long enough to do so.

  • Roses in January

    Roses in January

    While friends and family at home in southern Saskatchewan, Canada are battling strong winds, icy roads, and hazardous driving and outdoor walking conditions, I feel very blessed to be able to walk outside our front door door here in south Texas to practice my floral photography on our neighbour’s repeat blooming climbing rose.

  • Poser

    Poser

    Anacahuita, aka Mexican Olive or Texas Olive is an ornamental shrub native to this area of Texas.

    Although the fruit is inedible, the ruffled flowers are showy and the shrub needs very little moisture to survive and stay healthy.

  • A Lucky Catch

    A Lucky Catch

    A few days ago, as a part of our usual pre-Christmas activities, hubs and I headed to South Padre Island.

    One of our favourite activities while there, is to sit and watch the seagulls and pelicans as they scavenge and fish over the deep blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

    The seagulls were especially plentiful, the day was windy, and I was trying to catch a shot of even one gull soaring on the wind current above us.

    I had no luck with my plan, but was completely shocked and amazed when we arrived home and I reviewed my photos to see this.

    The direction of the wings is something I’d never seen before, so to say I’m well-pleased with this accidental shot is an understatement.

  • It’s ALL Grand

    It’s ALL Grand

    Whether man made or Mother Nature made, there are more marvels in this world than one could hope to see in a lifetime.

    After a few days on the Vegas Strip and Fremont Street, we took my cousin, Carrie out of town to Laughlin, NV.

    On the way, we showed Carrie the spectacular and historical Hoover Dam (hubs and I had been there several times before). On our second day at Laughlin, we took in the West Rim of The Grand Canyon (first time for all of us).

    There’s nothing that beats the feeling of sharing these incredible sights and experiences with family.

    Beyond imagination for the time it was built
    Hubs, me, and Carrie ready to explore
    Carrie and Me (close cousins since Carrie was a little girl)
    Carrie was impressed
    These water diversion tunnels can cause anxiety just looking down into them
    We walked from NV to AZ
    Love this story!
    So much to learn here!
    We weren’t near the edge
    This is as close as hubs could get to the edge
    You have to see it to believe it!
    Carrie is a community theatre actor in our home town. She knows how to pose for a shot
    Joshua Tree Forest between Laughlin and the West Rim
    Now this is dining ambience!
    The skywalk is on the Hualupai Reservation
    Another great pose
    Memories are made of this
    She and the Joshua Tree
    Hubs and me lapping up the scenery
    Carrie and Hubs taking one last look
    Our hilight was the skywalk over the Grand Canyon. Hubs, who suffers severe acrophobia, chose to be the photographer from afar.