Shivering Sparrow.....

A couple of days ago, I found this little sparrow sitting in a Rose of Sharon bush beside our deck. It was a very cold, windy day, and the feeders were swaying in the wind, so I figured this little one was in no mood for a wild midway ride this day. This was a very quick shot taken through the kitchen window, and while I would not consider it for competition night at the photo club, it is still very enjoyable to me. Spring is here, and hopefully the temperatures will rise soon to make it enjoyable to sit outdoors again. Cheers!  

 

Bird Feeder Glitters.....

Yesterday morning, the first thing that met my eyes when I looked out the kitchen window, was this scene. We had had an ice storm during the night, and everything was encased in ice. When I was a little lad, I used to look forward to the many ice storms we had back home during the Winter, as we would put on our skates and skate all over the neighbourhood. After an ice storm, when everything was encased in ice, it was often just shimmering in the sunlight, and we would call it the "glitters"....hence the title for my posting tonight. Unfortunately, it was an overcast and dreary day, so there isn't much "shimmering" going on in this image. Regardless, I hope you enjoy it anyway....Cheers! 

Rose Fantasy.....

This image tonight is just something that I came up with, as my meanderings online lately have just about driven me around the bend, as they say. So, I spent a few minutes playing with this rose that I had photographed last Summer. It helps me make the world go away for a while. It has occurred to me that maybe the reason that I turn a lot of my images into something a bit unreal, is that nothing seems real anymore, so if I must deal with the unreal, then maybe I will call the shot on what some of the ordinary things of life might be transformed into. It helps to keep me in a positive frame of mind these days....but then again, it may suggest other things that are better left to the gods of time to sort out.  It is what it is, and I am happy with that...Cheers!
 

Autumn Colours, Outside My Window

It appears that November is about to become history in a few days from now, and tonight I thought I should make at least one posting on here before it passes, and we will be into December. Time passes so quickly anymore it seems. Anyway, this colourful little scene is just Autumn through my front window. In the transition from a straight picture to this somewhat impressionist rendition, the roadway changed appearance, and now appears to be a stream running by, an effect that I find a somewhat pleasant surprise. Yesterday, I set up my little bird feeder station, and hopefully I will be able to improve on my bird images this year. It will be fun to see what transpires over the next few months when they return.  There is just one negative for me in my setup....last Winter, while I was focusing wide open on a lovely Redheaded Woodpecker, I did not realize that the lady who lives directly behind me had been outside, and it appears that she thought I was taking photos of her, as she went inside and slammed the door. She has not spoken to me since....such are the joys of living in the city where so many folks are so "triggered" anymore. A few years ago, I got called out at a little league baseball game that my grandson was playing in, and my son was one of the coaches for his team. It seems that when an old guy shows up with his camera and telephoto lenses, that he is up to no good these days, but it is alright for everyone else to be shooting every moment with their cell phones. It makes one want to head for the deep woods, away from everyone.  But then, on the other hand, the bad guys seem to be getting away with a lot these days. So you can't really blame folks for being hyper vigilant I guess. It is for that reason that my photography is usually about things that is close by to me, and even then things can go a little sideways sometimes. Cheers! 

Minimalist Rose, Colour Version.....

This colour version is unedited except for a small black border and my copyright signature. It is pretty much straight from the camera, and I am sure my better half would have much more preferred this one to the image below that I had "messed" with. Personally, I enjoy both versions of this image about the same, and it was a fun experiment. Have a good one and I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving weekend.....Cheers!

Minimalist Rose.....

My photographic excursion took me as far as my back deck today. This lovely climbing rose was at the top of the trellis I had built for it, and was back lit by the Autumn sun, so I took a couple of shots with my 70 ~ 300 mm lens. The colours were lovely, but what really struck me was the minimalist composition, and I thought that something unusual could be made from this. After an hour or so of messing with it, this version emerged, and I quite liked the simplicity of it. Of course, this is taking the saying that sometimes colour gets in the way, to the extreme. The colour version will likely appear on here later on, but I thought a few of you might enjoy this mono version.....have a nice day. Cheers!

September's Rose Abstract.....

This is the last day of September....where did Summer go? So, I thought that since there are still a few roses blooming in our back yard, I would leave you with this little image of a rose that I recently shot. The background effects filters are of my own contrivance, and while it may not be to everyone's taste, I enjoy sharing it with anyone else who may want give it a peek. October starts tomorrow, and I am happy to be here to enjoy whatever it may bring....Cheers!