Pine Grosbeak

For more images of this bird (male, female & Juvenile) check out Pine Grosbeaks

For more images from this session Check out 2 20 2011

Western Meadowlark

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Belted Kingfisher

Common Redpoll

For more images from this session check out 02 20 2011
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Spring is coming

For more images from this session check out Caribbean. For more images like this check out urban nature walk.

Food

I love food...and photographing food is no exception. People who know me know that when I go out to a fav restaurant I'm the geek taking a picture (sans flash) of the gorgeous work of art in front of me.

When I have people over for a fancy schmancy dinner...same thing. I just wish I could learn how to plate food the way the pros do.  I even have a blog about food that I haven't really touched in a couple of years since I started a Facebook album chronicling my food experimentation.

Gotta love food!

On Deck

I don't know what it is about black and white that is drawing me in these days...well if I'm honest I think it's because I've fallen in love with Vivian Maier's recently discovered work. I've never seen anything like it before in my life, it pulls me in the way nothing has before.

Now let me clarify that in no way am i comparing myself to her...I will never be able to do what she did. However after seeing her work I find myself seeing things differently...the weathered face, the sleepy bus passenger, all a work of art and I'm left wondering.

If I were to take a picture on the bus today, in 30 years what from the picture would scream out "oh that was so 2011". She saw a scene and captured it on film...I see it it now as a glimpse back in time and I think that's part of why I fell head over heels for her stuff the instant I saw it.

I'll be honest, there are times when I look at her stuff and feel a bitter envy...why can't I do that?

The above picture was taken on a recent cruise and as you can tell, at night. I love the shot because of the desertion...not something you'd ever find around the pool during the day. There were times when I would wander up on deck, sit and stare up at the stars while listening to the waves crash against the ship...and feel oh so small. My moment in time.



For more images from this session check out caribbean

Peek-a-boo Blue

Stormy Skies

 

I don't know that there's ever been a more welcome sight than that blue sky. I should probably mention that we were camping...in an almost deserted campground

Stormy skies

I'll never forget the sound that this storm made as it approached the campground. It literally sounded like a freight train. It was the second time we'd heard that sound while camping and knew we had to throw everything into the camper that wasn't nailed down.

It went from gorgeous to this in under 2 seconds flat; we waited out the torrential rains and insane winds inside our camper, keeping a close eye on the shower building which was one site over. After it died down we ventured out towards the only other occupied site to see if the tenters had made it through in one piece.

They'd made it through the storm holding down their tent while watching the clouds swirl over head...yup swirling clouds slowly making their way down to earth...It never happened though but every time I see blue sky now I feel a burst of pure happiness.

For more images check out Landscapes

Fenced In

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A Moment in Time

Feathers

Dragon Head

Okay so she's a female ruby throated hummingbird...dragons have nothing to do with her. The thing is that the first time I looked at this picture I immediately thought of a tiny dragons armor.

Texture is something that I automatically associate with birds.  Not necessarily the hard texture I associate with rocks or flowers, but that soft texture defining every feather that make me want to pet her little head.

Complexity thy name is nature.

A Dreary Foggy Morning?

Last fall the morning of my second 1/2 marathon felt cold, damp and foggy. I wanted to try and capture the eery  feeling that was hanging around the warm up area and quickly snapped a couple of pics with my tiny point and shoot that was tucked into my running belt.

I was completely surprised how it had translated once I got home. The rising sun somehow gave it a serene feeling rather than the cold sterile one I was trying to capture. Proof that you never know what exactly is going to come out of your camera and why I always have one on me when I run.

For more images like this check out landscapes.

White Breasted Nuthatch

I think the thing that I love about nuthatches are their feet...they're gigantic in comparison to other birds their size. That size though, allows those quirky poses that we love to photograph...like they're posing just for us before they immediately fly off with their prize.

For more images from this session check out 02/22/2011 or for more photos of this bird check out nuthaches

Sneak and creep

Cedar Waxwings...they were a popular subject of mine last June. I'd just finished running my first 1/2 marathon and had the blisters and muscle strains to prove it...I should mention we'd decided to go camping. I was stuck at the campsite and not feeling too happy about it. That was until I realized that my constant presence allowed me to witness dozens of birds coming into the trees that surrounded us to feed and play.

The one thing that any birder knows is that in order to photograph any of them you have to sneak, skulk and creep inch by inch. That's how this series of photos were taken. Take a step forward. bird looks up. Freeze. Bird goes back to eating. Take a step forward. Freeze...

Eventually I managed to get close enough to get pictures of them popping the berries up and catching them again. I witnessed them feeding each other, pushing berries back and forth completely unaware they were being watched...it truly was a privilege to see.

For more photos from this session check out cedar waxwings

Hoar Frost and Fog

Play for me

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Magens Beach

Do you see the heart?

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Winter Blizzard

I think what I love about this shot is that it was taken in the middle of a howling blizzard and to me it looks like it. I use this tree a lot as a subject...there's something lonely and strong about it and it pulls me in.

In the summer I see birds singing and hunting from it daily, and in the winter it's a reminder of how a solitary figure can 'weather' through the toughest of storms.

For more winterscapes check out this gallery!

Chicago

Chicago Airport

Grey Catbird

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Blue Jay

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Yellow Bellied Sapsucker

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Cedar Waxwing

Splendid Starling

Mountain Beauty