Impressionistic Rainy Day

I loved the sound of the rain when I awoke this morning. Every bit that we get now can help relieve the drought and lessen the fire danger for the upcoming summer. When I headed out the door to go work out at the gym I grabbed my camera and stuck in on a tripod in the passenger seat of the pick up. Badger dog wasn't too pleased about having the camera there because that's where he normally gets to ride! He just curled up in a ball in the back seat and looked unhappy. On the drive down town and on the way back home I clicked the shutter at various spots in the road that I thought looked good using a remote. This afternoon I when I got around to processing them I was really pleased with the results. They are very impressionistic and I love the painterly feel to them. I hope that you do too. God's blessings to you, chris Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D, Canon 28-105. Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a 3055 Ballhead. Camera Settings- AV mode, ISO 400, F22.0, Shutter speed varied. Manual focus set to infinity.

Tonight's Sunset

This afternoon I was looking forward to a wonderful sunset with all of the clouds passing overhead. Late this evening just before sunset I went outside to check it out. The clouds were building up and would make a marvelous image over Three Chop Ridge looking out towards the Mendocino Coastline. I went back in and grabbed my camera and tripod and began photographing it. About ten minutes after the sun went down the clouds turned a beautiful red. Combining that with all of the layered ridges just made it all the more beautiful. I'm glad that I checked it out. God's blessings to all, chris Equipment Used- Canon 50D, Canon 28-135 IS at 117 mm, Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod and a 3055 Ballhead. Camera settings- AV Mode, ISO 400,F16.0,shutter speed of 1/10th of a sec.

One Mountain Quail

One of the hardest birds to photograph where I live are Mountain Quail. There aren't very many of them and the ones that are here are extremely wary.I can't count the times that I have sat waiting in the photoblind for them and they never appeared. This afternoon I went out to the photoblind in the backyard just a little before three o'clock. I waited and waited. After about an hour I reached for my tripod to pack it up when I heard their feeding call coming from the forest down and to my right. About three minutes later they popped out of the woods onto the patio.For the next five minutes I succeeded in chopping off numerous topknots in my images. Those darn feathers are way too tall compared to California Valley Quail.It took awhile to get my lens adjusted to make sure it was fully included. I made about two more frames and moved my lens just a little too much and they were gone. God's light and love to all, chris

Simple Beauty of a Rose

This morning I went out to water in the backyard. Supposedly it's fall but my plants don't believe it.The weather has been rather warm and they are still thirsty for water.When I stepped onto the patio my eye was drawn to one particular blossom on Lenore's rosebush.For some reason this rose just seemed to stand out. I went back into the house and grabbed my camera and tripod. I came back out and created numerous exposures of it. This one is my favorite. I love the soft colors and the translucent petals. The dark fir trees in the background really set it off.It's a gift from God and a joy to find simple beauty in your own backyard. Enjoy and God bless, chris