Sunday, May 31, 2015

Swamp, Geese, Flowers and Wind

I remain a little bruised and weary over recent events, but I am returning to something resembling normal. While I am still not into following blogs, I may get there soon. Meanwhile, I post a bit of an update.

It has been a long while since a walked into our local woods, such as they are. Invariably, I seem to take photos of this spot, and they are often stitches for some reason. It's a swampy and woods area shot from a boardwalk. I always like peering in there although my peering doesn't result in fantastic photos. This is a stitch of three upright shots put together in the newest version of Lightroom. You no longer have to shell out to Photoshop to do a pano stitch. The same applies to HDRs.


On the same afternoon, Sue and I took a lunch to Riverside Park where we read a bit and played a bit of music. To a large extent, we were able to do this because it was the only day without fierce winds. It's been a windy week or two to say the least — even a windy whole spring come to think of it.

The geese eventually exited the water and munched on land, getting somewhat close to us. On our right were two families (not shown); on our left were all of the singletons — those who were not lucky enough to mate or who have not yet laid eggs. This arcing branch of the willow always makes such an inviting frame.


The next day, yesterday, I went for another little saunter. I tried a number of photos, but the only one that I kind of liked was this of pink wildflowers blowing in the wind, which came back with a bit of a vengence after our one day (actually a partial day) of reprieve. I guess I caught them at the right second with a fast enough shutter speed that they actually came out pretty sharp considering the elements. Life is full of surprises; I hadn't had much hope when I snapped the shutter.


12 comments:

Country Gal said...

Lovely photos , The first one I would be right in there exploring the woods . Every time I want to take close up shots of flowers or bugs with my Micro lens the winds pick up and I have to change my speed so I can capture them and they aren't just a blur on a flower lol . I use my 55-300mm telephoto lens for everything . Thanks for sharing , Have a good day !

ADRIAN said...

A grand spot. I would enjoy myself here.

TexWisGirl said...

the purple tinted blooms (they look like fleabane, but i've never seen them purple) are lovely! really love that goose shot. glad you're getting back to 'normal' things.

Magia da Inês said...


✿ه° ·. Fotos bonitas com destaque para as flores.
Tenha um maravilhoso domingo!
Beijinhos.

˚ه❀❀ミ
✿ه° ·.

Mara said...

That flower photo is fantastic. It is sharp enough, yet fuzzy enough to convey the feeling of wind. Great catch!

Tabor said...

Lovely woods and you must be getting rain for the to be so green. Now I have to go to your prior posts and see what has happened.

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

What a nice place for a stroll! I'm anxious for our weather to clear up so I can get back outdoors.

MARY G said...

Getting outside and making a space for our lovely world is some of the best medicine for grief that I know. Good for you and the woods shots are peace personified. Sending a hug to Cuppa. You give it to her and get one back. Hugs are good too.

Mary said...

John,

Lovely photos. So quiet and serene. Would love your woods.

Thanks for commenting on my post. Brandon is doing very well for a young man with Asperger's. He's hoping to eventually go into Apprenticeship for Horticulture.

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Life is like that wind, unpredictable, but surprising at unexpected times.

EG CameraGirl said...

It truly has been a windy spring. Enough, already! The photo of the fleabane turned out very well, though.

Gail Dixon said...

Glad you are feeling better! Love the shot of the fleabane. You obviously pulled the trigger at the perfect moment. What a lovely area to explore.