Samaras or Helicopter Seeds (Last post of 2018)

I have always been fascinated with helicopter seeds. As a child we called them whirlygigs. The official botanical name of this type of seed is "Samaras". Samaras are the winged seeds produced by maple trees. They are a really cool way for a tree to disperse their seeds upon the wind. It's so much fun to toss a handful of them into the air and watch them come spinning down. Here is a macro image of one of them from our recent hike where we passed under a grove of Big Leaf Maples. I photographed it in window light with my Canon EOS 7D MkII camera and a Tamron SP 180mm F 3.5 DI Macro lens. The camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 400, F 3.5 at .5 sec. God's love and blessings to all of you during the coming year, chris

Massive Surf!

Earlier this week I read the surf report for the Mendocino coastline. They were predicting swells in the range of twenty five to forty feet. When I saw that I knew I had to drive over and do some photography. It's not often that we get to see surf of that size. The next morning I got off to a slow lazy start and then got stuck behind a really slow driver going between thirty and forty on the straight aways. They wouldn't use pull outs and I had to drive half way to the coast before I could pass them. When I arrived at the Fort Bragg harbor entrance there were already some photographers set up photographing these massive swells rolling in. I stopped and talked to them for awhile. One photographer was all the way from Maryland! Leaving them behind I headed north for more scenic terrain. I stopped for awhile and photographed Wizards rock at Kabiselleh and then drove further up towards Westport for some more images. This was a day of safety first as the surf if you were to be swept in was incredibly dangerous. Some of the sneaker waves that rolled in were hitting the tops of the bluffs!!! There would be nowhere to run if you were on the rocks or the beach. It was a great morning for photography. God's blessings upon your weekend, chris All images were created with a Canon EOS 7D MkII camera and either a Canon 100-400IS v.1 lens or a Canon EFS-10-22mm lens. A Lee 15 stop "Super Stopper" ND filter was used on some images as well. #TeamCanon

Tis the Season for Giving

Check out that cluttered hall closet, your storage cabinets or that place where all your old camera gear goes to die. You most likely have a working camera that you don't use anymore. Especially an old film or outdated digital camera. Donate that camera to an aspiring photographer! If you don't know any aspiring photographers make a few phone calls. Many middle, high school or colleges have photography classes or clubs that need cameras. Tis the season of giving! I found a local high school that is going to be taking this Minolta and a nice variety of lenses. Merry Christmas and God's blessings to all, chris This image was created with a Canon EOS 7D MkII camera. #TeamCanon

Random Images From Yesterday

One thing it's nice to have handy is a camera. Cell phones have become part of daily life. They are handy for so many things. Checking with your spouse or partner, "Is this the odd looking fruit that you wanted me to buy?" They are also great for documenting a fender bender or capturing that great recipe that you want to try.Cell phones are handy for photographing friends and family. The list is practically endless. I still haven't gotten used to using the camera on my cell phone just because I'm so used to using a regular camera. That's not to say I don't use my cell phone as a camera it's just that I still prefer to use my DSLR for the vast majority of the images I create. That being said I almost always have a camera nearby. Yesterday I looked out at the clearing fog,I ran and grabbed my camera and captured an image of one of my favorite trees a tall broken Redwood in the Little Lake Valley below. Later on in the evening I passed by a dead leaf that I've been saving for an image. I created a set up and photographed it. My bubble mix was nearby and I thought I'd try out a new idea for some bubble photography. The idea failed miserably by the way. Afterwards I photographed a few soap bubbles and I really liked this one.There you have it. Some random images from my day. All of the images were created with a Canon EOS 7D MkII camera with a variety of lenses. God's love and blessings upon your day, chris #TeamCanon