Goldstream Park Part 2 ~ The Sands Of Time

Time what a precious commodity...like sand in an hour glass it just slips through your fingers so fast that you can't believe that it has slipped by you. I'm finding that now that I'm working two jobs...good intentions end up being put on the shelf for later. I've started a new job at the hospital I now work 8-1600 Monday to Friday, I'm in my second week there and I'm defiantly going through brain melt...it should subside soon though as things are starting to click in my brain with working between two data bases and 8 Excel spread sheets!!! Where I input data from one system into another. Wow!!!! allot to learn...but I've always been up to the challenge...just exhausting that's for sure. So since my new job is 90% Computer work now coming home and sitting in front of another one has not been a motivator for me that's for sure. For my post today I have finished my day at Goldstream for you...with I believe some lovely pictures of song sparrows and some scenic shots I hope you enjoy them.

My Thanksgiving Walk ~ The Forest Floor..Beauty in the Smallest of Things

Well today is about the small the beautiful, it's about fungus and what it does with the decaying wood on the forest floor. Living and helping with the decomposing process. Providing nutrients to the soil for the other trees to absorb in the spring. I love the simple things in life...the things overlooked and taken for granted. Our forest are our largest resource and provider of the oxygen that we breath and the homes for our animals. Our forest and all that live there should always be something we stop and look at and not forget about. Something we should always protect.....our future depends on it.

Happy Thanksgiving ~ Rose By Candle Light N Mirrors

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! From my home to yours I hope that you are enjoying this holiday day. I wanted to try something new and interesting for my Holiday Post today. Experimented with some candles and Mirrors to get a different effect for a flower shot. I hope all of you enjoy these pictures. I'm heading out now to enjoy the day and when I get home I will be putting our Turkey in the oven....love turkey a rich meal indeed but worth it. Not only the meal but what the left overs offer in return. Turkey Soup, Sandwiches yummmm.... Have a wonderful day!!!

The Last Of The Summer Flowers

Victoria B.C has been very blessed this year...we are deep into fall yet our temp has reach highs of 19-20 degrees still even in October. So it has prolonged the life of our summer flowers by about two months. My hanging baskets are still in full bloom and my roses are now on their third set of flowers after trimming them back. We still haven't had our first frost and the temp has only gone down to 6 at night. For those of you who are getting snow now...sorry to hear that...so here are some lovely summer flowers for you to see. Don't worry our winter will come...just later than yours if your season now is winter. I know that in Africa and Australia they are currently in spring and should be seeing their spring flowers now. Have a wonderful day everyone.

The Morning Dew ~ A Spider's Dew Jewels

Well I took a day off on Friday...just because I needed one now that I'm working 7 days a week. I wanted to capture some of the things we at times don't notice or even see. I wanted to capture dew on many different forms of nature...the sure sign of fall with all the wonderful moisture in the air that naturally collects on a variety of things. Like these spider's webs. I wanted to show you what the sun can do to make these wonderful works of art just explode with excitement. The Spider's Web....stunning...so stunning.

The Forest Floor ~ The Beautiful Gastropod

Morning everyone.....A one time before I had this many followers I mentioned in one of my posts the wonders of the Natural recyclers. The animals that we miss that work so hard in our forest floors cleaning up decaying debris and helping the ecosystem take care of the break down of large materials can turn into natural compost. Compost that our forest floors rely on for nutrients to sustain all levels of life. From the growth of plants that feed our larger animals and birds to the small. The animals we don't notice like ants, bees, centipedes and other small living things we tend not to notice. This silent Gastropod or slug as some of you would call it plays and important roll in the forest...I love them. So shy, so quite they go about their business in a very determined manner. Which is to help decompose matter and help make compost. A very important animal in our forests. So the next time you go for a walk take a blook at your feet. You will me amazed at what you find.... Happy Monday everyone

Out Of The Mist ~ My Attempt At A Scenic Shot

As all of you know scenic shots are the shots I need the most practice with. Here is a shot I took at Beacon Hill Park last week. It was the same day I captured the Red Breasted Nuthatch shots. As I explained before Beacon Hill Park also butts up to the Ocean and sometimes you can see the Cruise ships either leaving or coming in. Here is a ship coming into the Harbour...but what I found so lovely is the mist or fog just hovering over the ocean. As summer merges into fall the warmer water and the cooler air meet and sometimes the images are quite mystical with the mist just above the water. I also like the images of the mountains behind not quite clear but part of the mystical scene.

Native Art ~ The Totem Pole And The Stories They Tell

Ahhhh ....another weekend come and gone. Working weekends really taps into my Photography time....so much so that I'm not sure I will be able to post everyday anymore. But I'm an optimist and we will see. Anyway I wanted to show you some of the wonderful work our Native Aboriginal People do here on the Island. Totem poles are carvings made out of wood (Cedar) that tell stories from the bottom to the top. These stories I believe come from life experiences. They then tell the stories in carvings, paintings and verbal story telling. These carvings also have a spiritual purpose with all plains of life for the Native Aboriginal People. At the University of Victoria these beautiful totem poles stand in the middle Court yard. So many people come to admire them and to sit on the grass under them to talk or do homework. Quite a popular spot.

Fabulous Fruit Fridays!!! ~ The Zestful Orange

Goodmorning and yes Happy Fabulous Fruit Friday!! Today's feature is the orange and I did three different things with this fruit to add some drama and flair to this particular shot. So under each photo I will tell all of you what I did!! In this top shot I got the boys to take a eye dropper and place it under the water to shoot air across the mirror that I have placed under the orange...this effect then made the water shimmer adding some depth and excitement in front of the orange rather than just a simple reflection.

In the middle shot again I had the boys use an eye dropper and I attempted to capture a water drop hitting the water as you see here in the middle. I should have used a higher speed shutter but I still like the effect I have here...soft and dynamic.

Then in the final shot I simply took a nice shot utilizing the mirror and water under the orange. So tell me which shot is more appealing to you? Happy Friday everyone!

Sunday And Exhausted!! ~ These Forgotten Homes

Hey everyone...sorry for not posting this weekend. I've just started a second job, so now I'm working 7 days a week. Victoria is getting more and more expensive, food cost is up from last year, Hydro went up, gas went up...you get the picture. So my plan is to work hard and see where we are at in six months time. By that time we are hopeful to be caught up and ahead for a change. I hate living from pay cheque to pay cheque, not a good way to live....stresses me out!! So this will defiantly bite into my photography time. I'm hopeful that it doesn't affect my postings but we will see. Today I posted the sea's Forgotten Homes and I did it in Black N White and Color. So tell me which one do you think is more effective? I look forward to hearing what each of you prefer...should be fun :)

Fabulous Fruit Fridays!!! ~ B.C's Native Plants The Oregon Grape

Ahhhhh another Fabulous Friday has come upon us...Wow time just flies doesn't it. I know I can't keep up. Today is about our Native plants here in B.C. This plant is called Oregon Grape and these berries are very edible and were a main source of food for our Native Indians that lined our coastal waters and interiors of BC. These wonderful berries were dried and eaten throughout the winter months and where a valuable part of the Native Indian diet. If you ever get a chance to come to Victoria B.C we have a wonderful Museum. They feature a very large section about our Native Indians and how they lived a long time ago. Not only featuring the foods they ate but the wonderful talent they have at carving. They could create a canoe out of one large cedar tree...I believe it's referred to as a long boat. Don't quote me though. These berries also make wonderful jams, jellies and are extremely tasty. As you can tell from the bottom pictures other animals find them tasty too. LOL Happy Friday everyone

Soft Light and What It Can Do For Your Photo's

Morning everyone I thought I would put a small bit of softness into your day. I have really learned allot with my photography lately and one is light. I really does make the difference on how the image looks and turns out. If you have morning or evening light for some reason it's the softest light the best light for your subject matter. Midday light is too intense and will bounce off your subjects and cause a bright exposure problem. Let's use my post from yesterday as an example. My Woodpecker shots would have been stunning in the morning light...but because I spotted him in the afternoon the exposure was too bright causing the top of the birds head to become a beacon rather than showing how beautiful he really is. To accomplish a better look I had to modify the Woodpecker. With these two shots today I didn't have to modify anything the light was perfect giving both the animal and flower the best way to enjoy it's colors and contrast. What do you think ?

Fabulous Fruit Fridays!!! ~ Papaya's N Mirrors

The Papaya!! What a beautiful fruit...not only does it taste great but look inside. The seeds are soft perfect for the tropical areas it comes from. Ready to germinate when spread by wild animals....Today I wanted to try a different way of presenting this fruit, so I took my big mirror outside and tried to get some unique shots. Anyone can put fruit on a counter and take a shot...but I wanted a little bit more. Happy Friday Everyone :)

This Morning Bright N Happy Snaps!! A This and That Kinda Day

Well now that my dreamy water series is complete, I thought some nice bright colors would be a nice post for today. From summer grasses to flowers.... a this and that kinda day! The work week is almost done and time just flies by doesn't it. Wow...but in a way I like it like that...I'm not one to sit around looking for things to do. Instead I'm a person who squeezed every minute out of my day...and even on a good day I could use just a few more minutes to finish things off. Go figure not enough minutes in a day, I never thought I would ever say that. :) Have a wonderful day everyone.

Goldstream Park ~ Part 2 Capturing Moving Water Dreamy Style

Welcome to part two!! Now this little series was the hardest part of my photography challenge. I have seen and worshiped this style of photography where your water looks smooth and dreamy. Not an easy project let me tell you. I have a tripod but it's definitely not a high end one. It's made of light aluminum and the slightest movement causes the tripod to shake. Not something you want to happen while taking these types of shots. I would like to give a big hug and thank you to Claudio, he emailed the details on how to achieve this look. My first day out was unsuccessful...every image was blurry from the slight movement when I pushed the shutter. So I came home and Googled techniques on how to decrease the wiggle problems I was having with my tripod. So the second day I went out I was very successful. Apparently if you take a large breath in then as you release your breath you push the shutter button at the same time...that movement is smooth and you get no vibrations through your tripod causing a crisp and clear shot!!! It must have looked very funny to see a tall woman with a camera and tripod doing deep breathing while taking pictures...but I must say it works very very well. Note when doing dreamy water pictures your shutter speed is extremely high thus the reason for the tripod tool.