Shot of the Day

Sitting in the back yard watching the day end. Nikon D200, 105 f:2.8 VR, f-11, 250th sec. handheld. No photoshop other than dust removal.

A walk to recharge

Today was a chilly (57) day and really windy and dark. It's actually warmer today up by my friend in Fairbanks. I had a pretty stress filled week and really not feeling too creative. I was out with my dog near one of my shooting places. It's a 40 acre or so conservancy area that is mostly prairie, some Oak stands and a couple small ponds. Summer colors were coming to an end, it's windy as heck and I was working so I left the camera bag at home.

Decided to let the dog run and did an hour or so hike on the trails. We had a couple days of nice rain and the prairie was alive with all new color. The Goldenrod, Aster and Chicory were in full bloom. There are also a lot of flowers I haven't figured out yet. It was actually nice to not have the camera and just look around imagining shots.

I'll be back tomorrow.

Get out and shoot

It's inevitable. Summer is coming to an end. There are still lots of colors out there to shoot but man oh man if you miss a week some of the stuff is long gone. Gone till next year. I took a long walk with the dog through one of my prairie areas and was amazed at how much changed in a week. Most of the Grey Headed Coneflowers were done, Black Eyed Susans too. It you're serious about shooting flowers there is no time to waste. During the next four weeks the Asters will be up. The Thistles are starting to flower now and the Monarchs are out fueling up. There is still lots to do. The bugs are out in force. Bees are really active and soon the late flowers like Sedum and Aster will be in bloom. Don't waste a good day. Before we know it the fall winds will kick up and the trees will be changing.

Why no photo? I'm headed out to shoot. I can edit later.

I love late light low angle shots

It's always hard for me to resist. I'm driving home after an appointment and something like this catches my eye. The sun is low and the oblique light starts shining through and over flowers. These came from some total strangers yard. I interupted dinner and asked permission to shoot the flowers. They were thrilled. I always e-mail them the best of the shoot.

Summer heat in the prairie