• Avian

    Harris Hawks

    November 30, 2008

     

    Harris Hawk and Trainer
    Harris Hawk and Trainer

    The Harris’s Hawk or Harris Hawk, formerly known as the Bay-winged Hawk or Dusky Hawk, is a medium-large bird of prey which breeds from the southwestern USA south to Chile and central Argentina. It is a hawk of the arid Southwest, the Harris’s Hawk hunts cooperatively in pairs or trios. The Harris Hawk is famous for its remarkable behavior of hunting cooperatively in “packs”, consisting of family groups (most raptors are solitary hunters).

     

    A wonderful place to experience these birds in flight is at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum near Tucson, Arizona. My sister and brother-in-law took me to this facility and we enjoyed it immensely. The Desert Museum is a large facility and is more than just a museum. It is a zoo, an arboretum, a desert garden, and much more. It contains buildings where education programs are conducted for young and old a like. When your feet are tired from walking you can find benches to rest, or better yet enjoy a double-stack Byers ice cream cone under a shade tree. If you visit there make sure you plan on the whole day and have fun!

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  • Travel

    Parachutists

    November 28, 2008
    Sky Diving

    I’m afraid of heights, so jumping out of an airplane at 13,000 feet does not interest me. However, there are people with more adventure than me, have no fear of heights and will jump from an airplane, land on a grassy field with a smile on their face and then prepare to do it again. While visiting my sister and brother-in-law they took me to a place called Sky Dive Arizona where people do this on a regualr basis and chickens like me with fast cameras and long lenses will take a few photos. Some of us consider it an adventure when we try a seasonal latte, such as pumpkin or peppermint, instead of their regular mocha latte. Pretty scary!

    If you look closely you will see there are two people on this parachute, something they call tandem. It usually is an insanely adventurous individual on their first jump and are attached to the front of an experienced parachutists. Not sure if the facial expression is total fear or exhilaration. I did hear one young woman after landing shout she wanted to go back up again. They also had a wind tunnel where you could experience and practice free falling.

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  • Self-portraits,  spirituality

    Looking Inward

    November 26, 2008
    Looking Inward

    I believe a spiritual journey is a journey within ourselves, taking a look at what lies within. Somewhere within us is a bright light. While walking along my path I have found some things that help me.

    I journal as a way of discovery and a way to slow down. Prayer and meditation has become a way to commune with my Higher Power. It has taken effort and a of lot trust along this path but the journey is worth it. Each day we see a bit more about ourselves, finding peace and happiness. Each step allows us to see a brighter light illuminating everything around us.

    Light is the key to photography. It illuminates our subjects bringing out details and colors. As we look out a window our faces will be lit by the incoming light. The closer we draw to the window’s light the more details we will be able to see in the shadows. Conversely, the farther away we are from the window the less details we will see in the shadows. So, the closer we come to the light the brighter everything around us becomes. Looking inward will make our world around us brighter.

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  • National Parks,  sunrises

    Sunrise at Foothills Parkway

    November 20, 2008
    Sunrise Along Skyline Drive
    Sunrise Along Foothills Parkway

    I’ve found searching our archives to be a good learning experience to touchup a few of these images using the tools and experience we have learned over the past. In October of 2003 a friend and fellow photographer, Jeff Svoboda, and I made a week long trip to the Smoky Mountains. He had been there before and knew where to go and where to stay. If you have never visited the Smoky Mountains I suggest you put it on your list of places to visit. Taken along Foothills Parkway.

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  • landscape,  Plants

    Simplicity

    November 19, 2008
    Simplicity
    Simplicity

    Many professional photographers will agree that simplifying an image will increase the impact of an image. This shot of the blades of dead grass in the snow is an example. A cluttered photo will only confuse the viewer as we struggle to decipher the subject of interest, if we can find one. An example of can be found in this small gallery of images on a theme called Standing Alone.

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  • landscape,  Travel

    What We Learn

    November 18, 2008
    Haceda Head Lighthouse
    Haceda Head Lighthouse

    Going back to past images and working on them using the tools and knowledge we have acquired over the months and years can help us take better images in the future. When I bought my first DSLR I shot most of my images in jpg format to conserve on memory. This restricted some of my ability to work on them with any editing program. I’ve since switched to shooting in RAW format which allows for more flexibility in any post work I may want to do. The above image was taken on a flat dull lit day with a light haze and therefore had very little contrast. Even though it was shot in jpeg format I’ve learned enough about Photoshop Elements to make a simple adjustment with levels to help it along. So, it’s what we learn that helps to take better images tomorrow.

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  • landscape,  leaves

    Carpet of Leaves

    November 17, 2008
    Carpet of Leaves

    I made a trip into Blendon Woods Park this afternoon. After all the eating yesterday and then the left overs I needed a walk. The walk along one of the trails was quite invigorating when the temperature is 38 degrees, the humidity is high and the wind is blowing. Any vibrant colors are mostly gone so what we see now are dull colors on barren trees. I’ve learned to stay with the search for an image and to be open to what is in front of me. The leaves carpeting the ground provided an array of many shapes creating a variety of patterns so that is where I focused. All I did on this image was adjust the levels and saturation. I hope I’ve not gone too far and made it unpleasing to anyone. As I drove out of the park about a dozen turkeys crossed the road in front of me and scampered off before I could get any good shots. It was a good evening!

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