SNOW

Well the yucky white stuff has arrived!!
Can you tell I am not a fan of winter. Well of the cold and snow to be exact. Not a good thing as we now live where it will be both of those dreaded things.

So I need to make the best of it and look at the snow with a photographers eye.

So I bundle up in layers and take out my camera. I think my camera probably was in shock the first time in the snow too. LOL The frog pic well, it was a wee bit lost i think.

I think these pictures prove to me at least that winter and snow can be pretty after all.

our move

Well as of the second week of November we have resided in North Dakota. Yes I said cold North Dakota :)
Sadly the economy took it's t0ll on us pretty much as it has for several people in California. We were given an opportunity by a very good friend and gladly took it. We are living in his family homestead that he was fortunate to buy back earlier this year. It is out on 240 acres and has a few barns, outbuilding AND a pond. Oh yes a tractor as well. Sold me on the tractore HEHE
So we packed up our belongings and drove on thru to our new home. The scenery on the way was a mix of very boring desert and stunning mountains. I am attaching some trip pictures to show the beautiful mountains in Montana.














Also Dan decided to do a little "truck" hunting on our way. The picture says it all.!!





More to follow but for now will sign off

the dragonfly

Today we went out for our usual walk with the dogs along the pond across the way from us.
The one difference was I have a broken rib that hurts like hell. seriously hurts. Big baby I am, yes.
Well i am stubborn enough to want to go for the walk but also even more stubborn to take the camera along of course.
A third of the way along I tell Dan, sorry I am not gonna make it go ahead. He does, and i wander along the side of the pond looking for anything interesting before I head back.
Well I got lost it seems wandering and just watching the birds because next thing I know my phone is ringing. "where are you" Dan asks....
"umm still at the pond waiting for you to come by"
He proceeds to tell me he is at home, so I truly got lost day dreaming I think.
So... I head for home, and WOW, I see a beautiful dragonfly. Well it was to me, I know it is a bit tattered from the wind, but to SEE it and follow it with my camera, made it beautiful.
So needless to say I snapped away... and please enjoy my Dragonfly = RP happy day.

Been a Long while

Well wow, I have not posted for some time now. I guess life kind of got a hold on me for a while here.
Too much happening to really get in to it all right now, but lots of change going on in my life that is for sure.
We (my husband and best friend Donna) just got back from an RP social in Oregon and that was oh so wonderful. Met so many new and dear friends, as well as connecting with ones already known.
Pictures of course will follow in the usual places.
But today just posting a couple of shots that came so randomly I feel like sharing.
It is also the biggest reason i don't leave my house without my camera.
We were just on our way to walk the dogs and well.... the pictures will show, I stayed behind for a while and Dan walked the girls.
I hope you enjoy as much as I did.

I refuse to lose...

Last week was a really rough week for me, I spent several days in a foggy haze, yuck
With or without my glasses I was blurry and felt totally lost, depressed and just plain pissed off. Took me a bit to get past it, and to really get out of it I needed to write as well as take pictures. The taking pictures usually helps me to realize I can get around the funk, and sadness, well DAMMIT it rained on me! HAHA, ah well, I did get out and take a few pictures with my new macro lens, and the one i will post here reminds me of how I was seeing last week,
blurry around the edges, blurry in the middle, and a small area of focus.

I refuse to Lose...

Yesterday was a very low day
A hole I could not climb out of
Sadness wrapped its hurt
Around my aching heart
Yet tears they would not fall

A cloud covered my eyes again
Hiding the world as you see it
A fog, a blur, it was just there
Hiding the joy, the sunshine
My sight

I know it is to be expected
And I cry every time
I hide my tears from everyone
Cause hey, life goes on
As do my tears

Today I wake and still a fog
It gets hard to explain how I feel
Smile and say oh yeah I am fine
Inside I hurt, inside again
I am crying

So I will pull myself out of this hole
With words, and with a bit of hope
Hoping I take that special photo
That shows me I can do it
I just refuse to lose!

Nora K Devane

Flutterbies!!

Today we took a long walk along the trail at Lake Natomas, and I was lucky enough to catch some pictures of butterflies. Was challenging to follow them around thru my view finder, but as you can see I got them!! When I come home with pictures like this it makes me forget the RP and blindness. So happy :)

Turf Wars

The other day we were out walking the dogs around the pond. Well the weather has turned very nice and spring is definitely in the air. The following pictures were caught as these geese decided to get territorial! It was fun to watch and great that I had my camera in hand!! These guys get really aggressive!!



turf wars!


we are out of here!

a fly in my eye?

The first blossoms are opening out front, and so there was a fly in my eye? :)

Where the sidewalk ends.....

We went for a walk during a break in our rains, this caught my eye.

Photo Seminar review

Well, last weekend was the Friedman Photography Seminar and I have to say it was amazing. From the minute it started til end of the weekend we learned so much information that my brain felt like it was going to explode. Gary Friedman and his wife were very gracious hosts, and Gary himself quite a character. He made sure that we were never bored during the long days, and they were pretty long days too!!
Saturday we started at 10 am, and with me were Dan, my husband and Adam our 11 year old nephew. The first day was covering basics of digital photography and learning how to get that perfect WOW! shot. We learned about the importance of composition and lighting which included the seven rules of composition! Also learned his secrets to great travel photos.
Saturday was full of tips from, as I said lighting, composition, rule of thirds, repeating patterns etc. A lot of valuable information swirling around in my brain at the end of the class.
Sunday class started at 9:30 am and this day was just my husband joining me as it was a class for technical information. This class we were to learn more about metering modes, f/stops, shutter speeds, jpeg vs raw, as well as using Photoshop to go from "good" to "great" shots. This was the class I was really looking forward to.
Gary showed us how to use your hand for example as a light meter (spot meter off your hand, overexpose by +1 stop and shoot away) Kind of nice to know you always have a light meter on "hand" lol
During this class as I hoped the light bulb DID indeed come on for me. In the past I would play around with my f/stops, shutter speeds, aperture etc, but after this class I now know how to use them better to my advantage.
We spent a long day with everyone in class asking questions as we went, which Gary gladly stopped his discussion to answer at length. We had several times the class went off course to answer a students question but he did not mind and we did get back to point eventually. In the future I hope to attend more classes with Gary. He asked the class what type of changes could be made to better suit this seminar and the class suggested a class one day and next day more hands on in the field. This sounded like a great idea to all and I hope to see it implemented in the future.
So now when I take my walks with camera in hand, I am thinking about what I am shooting, how it will look and how the camera sees it.
Anyone interested in taking a seminar with Gary will NOT be disappointed, visit his site, check out his books, (I personally have bought 3)
https://friedmanarchivespress.com/

going to a Photography seminar!

This weekend I will be attending a photography seminar given by Gary Friedman https://friedmanarchivespress.com/seminars/index.htm
I am very excited to meet him and to learn more about my camera as well as photography of course. First day I am attending with Dan, my husband and Adam our 11 year old nephew, who i think will be an awesome photographer one day. He has already shown promise, which makes me very proud of him!!
Second day I am on my own, nervous about that because of vision, but I will get past that and enjoy the day!
So hopefully with this seminar a light bulb will come on in my head and maybe some more creative or WOW photo's will spill from my camera!!
Very excited for this class!!

Peregrine Falcon

On our walk the other day I captured this shot, did not know what it was, but a good friend told me it is a Peregrine Falcon!!

Ready to take off!!

Canada Goose in a big flap

Sitting by the pond for a while watching the interactions between a Heron and this Canada Goose, I was able to capture the posturing of this guy.

fog

The past few days or so I have had a fog or fuzziness that has just been driving me crazy. It is like when you put your glasses on and they are dirty, so you are able to take them off, clean them and all is well. Not so with my vision. I wish that were the cure, I habitually take off my glasses to do just that only to realize even with them off my vision is fuzzy.
It has been frustrating, and I have really kept it to myself, not to bother my hubby as there is enough stress going on without my damn vision.
I realize my circle is getting smaller when I am out walking and where I could see my arms swinging as I walk, now I can't. I noticed yesterday just walking to the store that the street signs once again are so out of focus I cannot read them until I am almost on top of them. Guess I will really have to take my eye meds regularly to help with the edema and possibly fix the acuity loss. I dunno anymore.
Makes me feel like I need a wide angle lens for my damn eyes just to see the area around me. See my dogs, and not trip over them as I have been doing so much of lately. Thankfully they don't seem to mind mom stumbling over them, as they can't be bothered to get out of the way. :)
Oh well, just rambling through my frustration today, getting it out of my system and hoping I feel better for doing so. Damn eyes!

Great Job!!

Hey babe! GREAT job on the site....I love it! Keep up the good work and know I am behind you 100% ----- ND

first walk of the year

Went for a walk in the misty morning, these shots were taken without me wearing my glasses, I am pleasantly pleased. Love the ducks at the park, can you tell? :)
testing the waters
subtle colours
pretty feathers
reflection

foggy misty day shots

the pond across the street in the misty morning

i just like this picture
busting out at the seams