Gerber Daisy Abstract.....Happy Easter

This image is a result of some experimenting with light painting, which is to set up an image of whatever, and turn out the lights, and painting it with light from a small LED flashlight. It takes a few attempts, but after a while, you get the feeling for it....somewhat. Anyway, after shooting the image tethered to my laptop, I did a bit of editing in Corel Paint Shop Pro, and then transferred it over to Corel Painter software, where I was able to apply an more painterly effect to it. It was a fun experiment for a few hours, and it probably will not be the last attempt at this. Here's wishing a very Happy Easter to everyone....Cheers!
 

Female Cardinal in Winter.....

 The snow is pretty much gone now here in Windsor, Ont., and it has been a fairly long cold Winter, compared to recent years. However, is still is no comparison with the Winters in Norther Ontario, or the East Coast. 

This little image was shot from my bird feeder that I set up just off of my back deck, and it allows me to get occupied with something else, other then playing with the various remotes for the TV. There were not as many Cardinals or Blue Jays around this year....mostly Sparrows, Juncoes, and a few swarms of Starlings. We did have a nice Downy Woodpecker couple visit just about every day though, which was nice. Anyway, I thought I would post this little lady on  here tonight, since my last 2 postings were also birds from my feeder. Hope you enjoy. Cheers! 

Common Sparrow.....

This image was quite a severe crop from the original and I was quite amazed at the detail that still remained, as I enlarged the cropped portion as seen here, to 16 x 20 inches. It was shot with my SONY a7Mk4, and a SONY 70 - 300mm lens. Over the years, I was able to acquire a fair assortment of lenses that were in excellent, but used, condition from B&H and Adorama in New York, sometimes for a quarter to a third of the new price....that was before all Hell let loose lately. Even with the currency exchange, it was still a good deal. I was amazed to find that now, used lenses and bodies are often more expensive than buying new here in Canada. So it looks like my days of shopping south of the border are pretty much done. 

Anyway, this little guy visited my feeder today, in between the swarms of Starlings, and I managed to grab a very quick shot. These little guys don't hang around too long, and you have to sort of "spray and pray" to get anything worthwhile. It takes a little getting used to, as I have always been a single shot guy at ISO 100. So, it is a bit of an adjustment for me to start using Auto ISO and Shutter Mode set to High Speed. It sure burns through many frames, and I am starting to understand why so many of my friends have to buy extra hard drives for storage. Can you imagine burning through film like that, and having to wait 10 days to 2 weeks to get the film/prints from the lab? Ouch!! Well, I am rambling on again, so have a good one. Cheers! 
 

Starling.....

This image was one that I took this afternoon, while keeping my other eye on the Olympic hockey games. Starlings are not my favourite bird that visits my feeder, as they tend to be very scrappy and push the other Juncos and Sparrows out. There seems to be a shortage of Blue Jays, and Cardinals this year, but the Downy Wood Peckers visit daily, which I enjoy. Anyway, since it was a really nice day here, I decided to shoot a little from my back deck. It didn't take me long to realize that my ability to shoot bird photos is going to need a lot of work, before I feel somewhat competent. Birds and wildlife photography requires a special set of skills, and even though I am a bit long in the tooth, it is not too late to improve in that area....so, wish me luck. Cheers!
 

P.S. Camera: SONY a7Mk4

Lens: Minolta 500mm f.8 Reflex Mirror lens.

                                                        

If Ever You Were Mine.....

This little image is a result of a new song that I recently heard. It is an Irish slow waltz, and has such a lovely tune. Of course, it is a fiddle tune, and since I do not read music, I must listen to it over and over to learn the note progressions and tune. Then I have to spend many hours trying to transfer the imbedded tune from my head, to my diatonic accordion. Sometimes that process will take me days and nights on end, and I have spent many nights with a tune keeping me awake, as it just will not stop playing in my brain.....wonderful insomnia eh? Anyway, last evening I spent a couple of hours assembling the items for this arrangement, and this is a horizontal crop of a vertical image. The original had an old Black & White photo included, and I chose not to put it on this blog to preserve a peaceful atmosphere in the tent....The violin is an inheritance from my late Father-in-Law, and he and I spent many many hours in front room sessions when we would go to visit. In case it matters to some, this tune sounds wonderful on the old button box.....Cheers! 

Floral Illustration.....

Here we go again, another new year. It is cold, and at this time of the year, there is nothing like a fresh bouquet of flowers on the table to cheer up a room, and a mood. These were from a recent family celebration, and I was "multitasking" during a hockey game on TV. In another 8 - 10 weeks or so, hopefully we will be enjoying seeing new life pushing through in the garden. Winter used to be an enjoyable time, but when you put 8 decades behind you, Winters become a bit tiresome. But, I am enjoying being able to do my photography and music. Hopefully you all find something to enjoy until Springs' arrival. Cheers!  

Cheers!!!

It is New Years Eve, and it is gently snowing outside....I am somewhat happy about that, as it brings back many memories of childhood, when I would press my hand against the front window to melt the ice that had formed, and watch the snow plough clear the snow on our street. Things were different back there/then in Newfoundland. We were poor, there were lots of poor folks, but for the most part we were happy. The poor were not living in tents outside in the cold, and drugs were unheard of. This country that I grew up and worked in for 50 years has seen many changes, and having witnessed them for just over 8 decades now, it is best that I keep my personal observations to myself. It is what it is folks....go do something nice for someone, and try a little forgiveness if you want to feel better about it all. Good bye/riddance to 2025, and here's to a very HAPPY NEW YEAR ~ 2026. Cheers!!!