Islands in the Fog

I set out this morning in hopes of photographing some deer as I finally got up early enough to catch some late browsers. God had a different plan for me as I didn't see a single buck . What I did see was some beautiful redwood islands in the fog off of the ridge top where I live. On the drive homeward I spotted a friendly doe bedded down in the shade and further on a group of friendly chipmunks.






It was a delight to see the chipmunks as I used to commonly see them up until about five years ago. That was when the population crashed and I have only seen four total over the last three years up until today when I saw a group of about seven of them. Maybe it's a sign that the population is on the rebound. It will be good for the predators like hawks and weasels and not so much for me as they tend to get into our cars and chew things.





God's light and love to all,

chris

The Waiting Game

Today I noticed butterflies landing on a dandelion plant out in the front yard as I was coming into the house. So I went into the house and got my tripod and camera with a macro lens mounted on it. I plopped myself down on the ground next to the little flower. Then it was just a matter of playing the waiting game. I prefocused the camera on the dandelion and just waited. After about five minutes the butterfly came by for a sip of nectar and I got my image. I played the game a few more times setting the camera at different angles until I created the one I like. The game had a satisfactory outcome in my opinion.

God's blessings to all,

chris

Fallen Warrior

Today it was hot. After sleeping in by the time I crawled out of bed around eight thirty or so it was already in the mid seventies. Lenore and I had great breakfast out on the patio before we went and worked out together at the gym. Then we just puttered around the house until I went out and photographed some dragonflies late in the evening out on the Burris Ranch pond.



Did you know dragonflies are fierce? If you sit and watch them they are constantly battling for territories and mates. It seems like it never ends. Today I watched two dragonflies grapple in mid air. The smaller one was beaten rather badly. It had its wing ripped off and it was tossed downward onto its back into the pond. Where it struggled to rise its wings holding it to the waters surface like a suction cup.



I stretched out my tripod legs and rescued it from the water and then I placed it on a plant beside the pond to dry off. While its wings were drying I took the opportunity to photograph it from a variety of different angles. Its wings were battered and you could see a stub of what was left from the one that was torn off.



After about five minutes or so it took off and within less than a minute it got into the thick of battle and was tossed downward onto the surface of the pond clear out near the middle of the pond. Not long after a swallow came swooping through and plucked it from the pond never missing a beat in its flight. It was a fitting death for the battered warrior.

God bless,

chris

Small town 4th of July

A selection of images from todays small town Fourth of July Parade.

God bless America!

What Can You do in Half an Hour?

We are getting ready to head off for the Fourth of July Parade. Probably one of the biggest to do's in the small town of Willits all year. I took three images this morning in the span of less than a half of an hour before we head out. So here they are.

God's blessings on our country,

chris

Death Valley

I spent a little time this week going through some of my older Medium Format film work that I photographed using my Pentax 6x7 camera. The clarity of the transparencies from this camera are just phenomenal. The images just jump right off of the light table at you.




There is a joy in looking at this work that just cannot be repeated in photographing with a digital camera.You have to work at a slower pace and have an infinite amount of patience in waiting to review your work while it is being developed. No instant gratification or chimping here.

God's love and blessings to all,

chris

Sunlit Grasses

Haven't done very much photography the past few days. There is a balance that is often needed between home life and the obsession of photography. Far too often I lean into my art and end up leaving the other parts of my life out of balance and in neglect. So it was this week when I needed to stop and take a break and catch up on some things that were out of kilter.
Tonight I just spent about a half an hour photographing some grasses and dandelion that were lit up by the late evening sun.




God's light and love to all,

chris