Category Archives: Photography

Photowalk in Wash Park

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The first few are from a stroll Tim and I took yesterday.  I didn’t bring a telephoto lens, but noticed that there was some amazing bird life and decided to come back today and practice some birds-in-flight shots.  As you’ll see from the photos below, I still have a lot to learn, though I think there are some fun shots.

Note:  I don’t know much about birds.  It’s entirely possible that I have completely mislabeled the birds below which (1) would be a deep disappointment to the judge for whom I clerked and (2) I encourage any of you to correct.

First:  a red-winged blackbird, reminding me of long ago days in Missouri.

Image: red-winged blackbird perched on a white column.

Lucky enough to catch it in flight, which inspired me to practice more birds-in-flight shots today.

Image: red-winged blackbird in flight.

Not tack sharp, but fun.  (A sort of refrain for my photos.)

Fuzzy gosling bottoms!

Image: a group of goslings sit and stand in the grass, eating. Two have their very fuzzy behinds to the camera.

Part of the point of returning this morning was to see pelicans, which a fellow photographer we met promised would be flocking in abundance in the morning.  When I arrived, the lone pelican was . . .  still asleep.

Image: pelican standing on a block of concrete with its head under its wing.

Rough night, Pelican?  Luckily it woke up after a short time, and I got some excellent pelican shots.

Image: pelican landing on water with wings spread wide.

Image: pelican landing on water with wings starting to furl.

 

Image: pelican floating on water.

Here are some of my birds-in-flight practice, with varying results, starting with my favorite:  a bit of avian remodeling.

Image: Gray-brown bird in flight with twigs in its beak.

Image: heron starting to take off.

Image: light brown bird in flight, seen from the underside.

 

Image: Heron starting to take off, reflected in the water below.

Image: white bird in flight above a stand of trees.

This next photo was a bust, focus-wise, but I thought the effect was sort of cool.

Image: blue black bird flying just above the water, all mildly out of focus.

This heron photo seems unremarkable or even slightly disgusting, given all the crud the heron is wading in.

Image: Heron standing close to reeds on shore, surrounded by logs and other debris.

I was going to delete it until I realized that the no small part of the debris consists of tennis balls — circled in red below.

Image: same photo as above with 7 tennis balls floating in the water circled in red.

It’s a popular park for dogs but they’re not supposed to swim in the lake.  The evidence suggests otherwise.

More birds:

Image: two white herons standing against a dark background of lake and shore.

Image: largish black bird standing on the ground starting to furl its wings.

Image: gray-brown bird perched on a branch.

Image: small black bird perched on a bare branch against the blue sky.

Something large laid its eggs by the side of the small island in the lake.

Image: low concrete wall bordering a dirt area, with 3 large eggs near the concrete edge.

It was very buggy.  I’ve decided to blame that for any excessive graininess, rather than possible photographer error.

Image: the entire frame of the photo is filled with small flying insects.

Randomness.  For example, random grapes in the middle of the path.

Image: a cluster of 3 grapes in the middle of gravel.

Random floating art (I think).

Image: sculpture floating in the lake; appears to be a stylized metal fish.

Squirrel!

Image: running squirrel that has been caught completely airborne in a leap with its legs extended forward and back.

Life imitates art

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I was supposed to be drafting a fee petition yesterday but . . . . squirrel!

Image: squirrel on tree branch.

Image: squirrel on tree branch reaching for a berry to eat.

 

Image: squirrel on tree branch eating berry.

Image: squirrel on tree branch eating a berry.

Image: squirrel in pile of snow in a tree staring at the camera.

Blizzard Photos

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Last Tuesday, March 22, it was 75 degrees in Denver.   I wore shorts to walk the dogs.

The next day:

Image: Framed in an open front door, the branch of a tall shrub is bending under heavy snow. In the foreground, a smaller branch with small yellow flowers.

My brave forsythia!  We ended up getting about two feet, making the propane heater look like Jiffy Pop.

Image: Tall propane heater on a back patio with a large pouf of snow on top.

The next day was gorgeous and sunny and made for some cool photos (if I do say so myself).  Steam rising from our back gate.

Image: four pickets of a fence with patchy snow and steam rising.

Somehow even the slush was pretty.

Image: Puddle of slush with chunks of snow photographed at a low angle with sunflares.

A couple of shots from the street by our house.

Image: Long shot along a street with snowy trees on either side and cars driving toward the photographer.

Image: Long shot along a plowed path next to the street with snowy trees on either side with the sun in the background and a dog in the foreground casting a long shadow toward the photographer.

Holly is such a petite golden that the snow came most of the way up her sides.

Image: Golden retriever dog standing in the snow up to her sides and chin.

Proving that the most mundane thing can be gorgeous against the bright blue Colorado sky.

Image: snow covered branches against a bright blue sky.

Photos of the day #potd

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Trying to stick with this this year.  My other resolution is to procrastinate less, so aaahahahahahahahahahahaaaa *snort*  we’ll see how that goes.  Anyhoo, photos for days 1, 2 & 3 of 2016.

1/1/2016:  Yeti Feet!  (Barbered soon thereafter.)

Image: golden retreiver dog's paw with much long hair sprouting through her toes.

1/2/2016:  Dumplingpalooza!

Image: close up of a pair of hands making dumplings next to a silver bowl of stuffing and a bamboo steamer of completed dumplings. Can see that the person is wearing a Wonder Woman logo shirt.

1/3/2016:  Random photo of orange piping.

Image: Close up of bright orange piping arrayed vertically in the photo.

Winter Photos

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I haven’t been very good at photo-of-the-day-ing, but here’s a winter photo dump.  Mostly dogs.  Preview:

Image: two golden retrievers wrestling in the snow.

 

 

Our officehood. #potd

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CREEC’s office is in a very hopping neighborhood, full of galleries, head shops, tattoo parlors, restaurants, etc.  I loved this sign from a door a few blocks up.  Thinking of painting it on the wall of our conference room.

Image: Store window with painted text that reads, "No lowballers; no drunks; no crybabies or crying babies; no credit; no drama; no hangin' out; no soliciting."

I loved the multi-eyed beast painted on this store window, and didn’t notice until I looked at the photo on my laptop that, with the reflection, it appears to be my own head.

Image: painting on store window of goat-like creature with multiple eyes who appears superimposed on a reflection of the photographer's body.

This one is self explanatory.

Image: a utility box with graffiti that reads, "Duh."

3 reflections of the Mayan Theater. #potd

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I had to go back to the office for a bit this evening.  As I was walking out, I noticed the reflection of the Mayan Theater sign in windows of the empty building across the street, then — below — on a car as I walked away down the street.

Train in the sunrise #potd

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Driving down I-25 to Cañon City, stopped so  . . .

Image: flat brown landscape with train in the middle distance lit up bright yellow in the sunlight.

. . .  both Laura and I could photograph the train.

Image: same scene as above framed by a car window with the rearview mirror and a person's hand holding an iphone pointed at the train.

Walking on a dewy overcast morning. #potd

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Image: wet dog footprint on slate flagstone.

 

Also this one from a few days ago.  Forgot to post.

Image: thin stalk with four small leaves casting a sharp shadow against a stucco wall.