Some years back, hubby hung up some gourds under the carport as potential nesting places. Usually only sparrows took us up on the offer. This year, however, we have a new resident: a Bewick’s Wren.
Bewick’s Wren
Nesting in the gourd
As I waited for my fellow hikers to arrive, I heard a bird chirping in a nearby tree and actually managed to photograph it.
Tufted Titmouse
One photography assignment was to photograph something during the Golden Hour. The Golden Hour is (roughly) right around sunrise and sunset, when the sun’s light isn’t so harsh. You don’t have to guess when the Golden Hour is for any location, you can look it up on a website.
At first the assignment seemed problematic as the weather forecast was for cloud covers and rain for the next week here in central Texas. But, things change, and so did the weather. I had several opportunities to take advantage of the Golden Hour. I dragged several objects outside, staging them in front of rose bushes and Italian Stone Pine trees, or on the front porch. I lugged around small tables. I turned around, noticed the blooming weeds, photographed the thistles, and got a few bug bites in the process. Not chigger bites, thank goodness, but the ones I got itch anyway.
I tipped over the tripod with my camera attached and it crashed into the concrete floor of the porch. Uh oh. I’ve used it since and it seems okay. I got lucky on that one.
Then I played with the edits some. Here’s my first edit effort.
Next I softened it up a bit.
I like this one for its ghost effect.
I went a little darker for the next one.
And I tried it in black and white, just to see.
Near Mueller Lake, Austin, Texas.
There is a one-lane bridge that crosses Onion Creek in southeast Travis County, Texas. I love the view from the bridge. Each time I cross it, I want to stop and photograph the creek but I never do. Last Sunday morning, the conditions seemed right to give it a try: a storm had just blown through and the clouds were breaking up around sunrise. The creek was low and the rocks were showing. Hubby was nice enough to drive me there. I took my boots, my camera, and my tripod.
The first thing we saw was a pair of Black-bellied whistling ducks on the far side. In two days we saw three pair of these ducks in separate locations. I think it’s nesting time.
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See the Cypress tree on the left side of the creek in this next photo? That is what I notice each time I drive by. I love that tree. What I learned in this photo session is that what my mind sees is not always what the camera sees. I look for the tree, I see the tree, I separate it out just a bit from the background. The camera looks in that direction and sees all the green stuff clumping together. The tree doesn’t stand out.
Here the Cypress tree is in the middle of the photo.
I also discovered that my rubber boots weren’t tall enough for me to get to the middle of the creek without water running into them. And these were my “tall” boots. I had to return to the south side of the creek, walk over the bridge, go down to the north side of the creek, and wade back in. The water didn’t get into my boots but it did get the hems of my pants wet even though my pant legs were scrunched up at the top of my boots.
A view from a little farther back.
It's a long story ... 