Nature’s Serenade, a Trio

Aug14

Beauty in the woods 🙂

Nikon D5100 f/6.7 ISO 100 1/180 s 55-300@185mm – Summer 2012

Oklahoma Summer Morning

Jul27

To me, these yellow flowers in the sunshine are Oklahoma in the summertime, in the early morning.

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Nikon D5100 f/11 ISO 100 1/125s Nikkor 55-300@300mm – Summer 2012

Well, the case could be made that a photo of the ubiquitous dry, brown, crispy grass would be more representative of the last few summers in Oklahoma, but that is not what evokes my desire to run out the door with a camera in the early morning. So this photo of small yellow flowers stretching toward the sun, which was, in fact, taken in Oklahoma in the summertime, stands in my mind for the quintessential Oklahoma Summer Morning.

quintessential: representing the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class

ubiquitous: present, appearing, or found everywhere

Hang On!

Jul25

Side by side, clinging to the branch. Glowing in the early morning sun.

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Nikon D5100 f/8 ISO 200 1/125s Nikkor 55-300@185mm – Summer 2012

Tenacity, friendship, beauty, and grace at the end of life. We could all wish for the same 🙂

Seeds at Sunrise

Jul23

Yes, these are the same seeds from earlier this week, but at sunrise instead of sunset 🙂

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Nikon D5100 f/8 ISO 400 1/250 s Nikkor 55-300@300mm – Summer 2012

This time, the rising sun was so bright behind them! I thought they might come out in silhouette, but I wanted the sunlight glowing through them, the way I saw it. I think I got my settings right, so I am very pleased with this photo!

Surrender!

Jul20

Uncle! What do we trees and bushes need to say for the rain to come?

Nikon D5100 f/8.0 1/250sec 55-300@300mm – Summer 2012

Despite the pathos of a single dead leaf on bare twigs, the light through this leaf is beautiful. I am out searching for beauty to photograph. If I wanted to show desperation or decline, I guess I would need different lighting.

What do you think?

The Flag of the Underbrush

Jul15

Soft focus, blurred background, woodland colors…

Nikon D5100 f/6.7 ISO 100 1/180s Nikkor 55-300mm lens 185mm – Summer 2012

I love these leaves displayed on their twig like the flag of the underbrush!

Recently we did some mowing and weedeating along the trail to the pond and on the bank of the pond. The idea was to facilitate access to the pond for fishing. While I have to admit that in some respects it is nice to have a clear trail, I also think we went overboard. The trail is too wide, too clear. Many of the areas where I took photos of insects, flowers, and seeds last year are now brown stubble. The underbrush has been cleared back, but now there is no buffer between the woods and the path. The underbrush needs someone to stand up for it, waving a flag, proudly declaring love of the weeds, bugs, and small critters who are the underbrush and its residents! I have nothing against neat, manicured lawns and pathways, but that is not where I want to live and take my photos. I leave those areas to others.

Behind the veil

Jul14

Virginia Creeper veils many a tree. When we step out our front door on a sunny, summer morning, we are greeted by the beautiful sight of sunlight glowing through the veil of Virginia Creeper leaves, and are also able to see the shady, rough bark of the oak tree behind the veil.

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Nikon D5100 f/5.6 ISO 100 1/180sec Nikkor 55-300mm lens – Summer 2012

Yearning

Jul11

Yearning for the sunlight. Live-giving light beams down onto these beautiful leaves, and they convert it to energy they can use to create flowers and seeds. Simply perfect!