Badger the Wonder Dog

Yesterday I took my Mom for an eye doctors appointment in Santa Rosa. While I was waiting for her I noticed that the lighting was really nice in the shade and that the medical building would be a nice backdrop for some portraits. I took Badger the Wonder Dog from the car and we walked around the building stopping to pose him at a variety of spots. I ended up with some really nice images and Badger got plenty of pets from people along the way. God's blessings upon your weekend, chris All images were created with a Canon Powershot G3-X. #teamcanonusa

Upcyled Bird Feeder #2

This morning when I was doing the recycling I spotted two mason jars that I felt would be just perfect for making a couple of bird feeders. Almost all of my bird feeders are made from scrap wood or left plastic containers etc. Squirrels which I like to photograph as well as birds are pretty brutal on plastic and wood so lately I've started making my feeders from glass which they don't chew up. They are very simple to create and once you have got all the materials gathered only take fifteen or twenty minutes a piece to make. First I clean the glass jars with soap and water and then thoroughly dry them with a dish cloth. Next I take a battery powered drill (Note: Never ever use a corded electric drill. You can be electrocuted!) with a half inch diamond covered hole saw. These are cheap and easy to find at your local hardware store, Harbor Freight or online. I just barely submerse the jar in water and drill a hole down at the bottom side of the jar. After that I rough up the sides of the drilled hole with sand paper so it won't cut the birds feeding from it. For the last step I drill a hole in the top center of the jar lid and affix a wire hanger to hang the feeder with. I slip the top of a wire clothes hanger through the hole in the lid and bend it over on the underside of the lid with a pair of pliers to hold it in place. I fill it with black sunflower seed and hang. The birds have been loving them. By the way you don't need to have a perch as the birds will either grab it on the wing or grasp the bottom lip of the hole to feed. God's love and blessings to all, chris This image was created with a Canon EOS Rebel T1i and a Canon EFS-60mm F 2.8 Macro lens. The camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 800, F 8.0 at 1/125th of a sec. Lighting was provided by two LED light panels. #teamcanonusa

New (Used) Travel Camera

For the past year or so I've been using a Canon EOS Rebel T1i with a 28-200mm lens as my knock around travel camera that I take with me in the car and almost everywhere I go. Sometimes it just didn't have the reach that I needed for birds and other subjects that are further away. Just recently I purchased a little bridge camera that has a zoom range of 28-600mm. I'm hoping this might fill that need for reach once I get used to using it and adapting my self to the change in controls. It's a Canon Powershot G3-X. I'm having a lot of fun and some frustration with it. I didn't buy the optional optical viewfinder so I have to use the screen for composition and focusing. I keep turning it on and trying to shove the camera up to my face before I realize I won't be able to focus that way. It's a nice little camera.I's already in need of a good cleaning with all of the abuse it has already gone through. We will see if I end up keeping it.Here is Papaya the Blasted Cat surveying her domain from the front fence this afternoon, God's blessings upon your week, chris Canon Powershot G3-X, ISO 800, F 5.6 at 1/100th of a sec, handheld at 139mm.#TeamCanon,#teamcanonusa,