Birds and a Beaver

Posted on April 13, 2019 by Mama Cormier

…more photos from my daily walks

Now that the weather is warming up I’m seeing more and more birds. Living next to the lake has always given me lots of opportunities to photograph the waterfowl, even in the winter but now that the weather is finally warming up (for a day or so and then it gets cold again) the number of birds is definitely increasing and their activity level is on the rise as they get ready to mate and build nests. Here are a few more birds that I’ve witnessed on my walks.

Another critter that I discovered this evening was a beaver that resides in the pond over at Col. Sam Smith Park. I knew that there were beavers there but I’d never seen one before today. At first is just looked like a rock sticking out of the water but I knew it had to be more than that based on the excitement of two other onlookers.

Fandango’s One Word Challenge – Natural

Posted on April 7, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Fandango for hosting FOWC

Since January I’ve experienced the death of 7 friends and family members. It’s only April and more people that I know have passed in the last three months than I’ve experienced in the last 10 years. Is that natural? Probably.

Is it natural to feel sorrow or surprise when you haven’t had contact with people for over 20 years and then find out that they’ve passed? Probably.

Is it natural to take pleasure from fond memories of people recently deceased? Probably.

People say that we’re at that age when this will happen more often. I suppose that is probably true but I’d rather not think about it. I still think of myself as being only in my 30s or 40s. Is that natural? Well for me it is.

As I look around I see beauty in the most unusual places, especially in nature. I love the look of dried leaves and isolated berries. For many it signifies ‘death’ but it’s just the natural part of the circle of life. I suppose it signifies that new growth or rebirth will soon happen.

Signs that new life is about to rise up:

Sunday Trees – 382

Posted on March 10, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Becca Givens for hosting Sunday Trees

I love the fungus that grows on tree bark.

Spiky Teasel

Posted on March 4, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….another spiky square for Becky B’s Month of Squares

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Texture

Posted on February 19, 2019 by Mama Cormier

…I love texture in all kinds of things – art, nature, food

Thanks to Cee for hosting the Fun Foto Challenge

A Photo a Week Challenge – Depth of Field

Posted on February 7, 2019 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Nancy Merrill for hosting the Photo a Week Challenge

Nancy describes depth of field like this:

Depth of field in photography (and light in general) is how narrow a strip of what you are looking at is in focus. In photography, the depth of field is controlled by two things: your f-stop (aperture) and the length of your lens (mm). To narrow your depth of field using aperture, use a smaller f-stop number. This will open your shutter wider and let more light in.

So if you want to shoot something up-close and personal with great bokeh (blurring) in the background, use a smaller f-stop and a longer lens.

Most of my photography is hit and miss, especially with my Panasonic Lumix camera. When I use the iPhone I’ve figured out how to get bokeh or blurring when I want it. The first two shots were with my Panasonic.

The next two were taken with my iPhone.

A Photo a Week Challenge – Contrasting Colours

Posted on January 24, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Nancy Merrill for hosting A Photo a Week Challenge

Contrasting colours or complementary colours are opposite each other on the colour wheel. They are often used in costumes and uniforms because together the colours really stand out. The following are examples of complementary colours: purple and yellow, red and green and orange and blue.