February 7, 2008

07. Tongue

20080207.jpg

Another orchid photo from my visit to the Niagara Falls Greenhouse with my father.

Posted on February 7, 2008 02:15 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 10, 2007

10. Dragonfly

20070910.jpg

Though we though bug season was over, we lucked out and found this guy not too long ago. This is the same dragonfly I posted here.

I really like this image. I think it is the background that I like the most.

Posted on September 10, 2007 10:34 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

August 8, 2007

08. Skippers

20070808.jpg

Posted on August 8, 2007 02:41 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 1, 2007

01. Hollyhock - Again

20070801.jpg

This is the last Hollyhock photo I am posting, for now anyway. John and I had been driving down the road when I saw this stand of hollyhock being back lit from the sun. My original image of how I wanted to capture them flowers was not working out, so I settled for some macro photos of the flowers with the dew on them.

Posted on August 1, 2007 04:08 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 31, 2007

31. Morning Dew On Hollyhock #2

20070731.jpg

Another photograph of a dewy hollyhock

Posted on July 31, 2007 04:02 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 30, 2007

30. Morning Dew On Hollyhock #1

20070730.jpg

Morning dew on Hollyhock

Posted on July 30, 2007 03:58 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 29, 2007

29. Hollyhock

20070729.jpg

Posted on July 29, 2007 03:56 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 7, 2007

07. Hairstreak

20070707.jpg

Posted on July 7, 2007 03:13 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 5, 2007

05. Dragonfly and Daisy

20070705.jpg

Posted on July 5, 2007 09:15 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 3, 2007

03. Geranium

20070703.jpg

Wild Geranium shot the past spring.

Posted on July 3, 2007 07:32 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

May 18, 2007

18. Whatcha Staring At?

20070518.jpg

I shot this toad in my back yard. Poor little guy almost got bisected with my shovel!

Posted on May 18, 2007 10:14 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

May 10, 2007

10. Dutchman's Breeches

20070510.jpg

Posted on May 10, 2007 03:43 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

April 27, 2007

27. Green and Purple

20070427.jpg

Early leaves growing out of moss on the side of a rock. I don't know for sure, but the purple on the end of the leaf may be frost damage.

Posted on April 27, 2007 09:07 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

April 26, 2007

26. Unfurling

20070426.jpg

According to Movable Type, today's image is my 800th posting. This is small fern by the looks of it I shot last weekend.

Posted on April 26, 2007 09:18 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

April 25, 2007

25. Hepatica #2

20070425.jpg

This is another photo of Hepatica similiar to yesterday's.

Posted on April 25, 2007 11:36 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

April 24, 2007

24. Hepatica

20070424.jpg

Out on the weekend and was able to get a few shots of some of the years first wild flowers. This is hepatica.

Posted on April 24, 2007 10:29 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

April 5, 2007

05. Crocus and Snow

20070405.jpg

We had a light snow fall last night that blanketed one of my last blooming crocus plants in the yard. I took a few minutes to document the snowfall.

Posted on April 5, 2007 04:02 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

April 3, 2007

03. New and Old

20070403.jpg

New and old growth. Spring shoots poking out of last years dead leaves.

Posted on April 3, 2007 11:26 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

March 17, 2007

17. Tulip

20070317.jpg

My last shot of my now dying tulips. I wish I had composed this photo better than I had.

Posted on March 17, 2007 11:13 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

March 9, 2007

09. Tulip

20070309.jpg

I like both the softness and texture of this photo. Again, another picture of the tulip I bought last week.

Posted on March 9, 2007 08:09 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink

March 8, 2007

08. Spring Tulip

20070308.jpg

The small flower pots I bought last week have started to bloom. I was shocked that the tulips actually bloomed, there are 3 bulbs crammed into a four inch pot. As you can see in this photo, the tulip is just starting to bloom.

Posted on March 8, 2007 09:43 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

February 20, 2007

20. Skippers

20070220.jpg

Another Out of Bounds image. The photo is of two skippers I shot last year. I entered this into competition on Monday night and received a score of 14 out of a possible 15 for the photo. That is a Diamond award in the club.

Posted on February 20, 2007 09:01 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

February 16, 2007

16. A Rose by Any Other Name

20070216.jpg

One of the most common ways to photograph a rose. Probably with good reason.

Posted on February 16, 2007 03:50 PM | Comments (3) | Permalink

January 31, 2007

31. Morning Mayfly

20070131.jpg

This photo of a mayfly was shot 18 months ago (July 31, 2005). I came across this photo while reviewing some of my older work which happened to be the subject of my latest tip.

You can read it here.

Posted on January 31, 2007 12:49 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

January 30, 2007

30. Nuts. Black and White.

20070130.jpg

Another shot similiar to yesterday. This was going to be the shot I used for the competition but ended up liking the warm tones of the yesterday's better. Well, until today. So it goes.

Posted on January 30, 2007 01:38 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

January 29, 2007

29. Aww Nuts

20070129.jpg

This is one pretty self explanatory.

Nuts

For the JorjDotOrg PhotoHunt

Posted on January 29, 2007 06:00 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

January 22, 2007

22. Do You Eat the Red Ones Last?

20070122.jpg

The chocolately goodness of a Canadian sugary treat. This is my latest entry in the Photo Hunt contest I mention a while back.

Posted on January 22, 2007 04:43 PM | Comments (4) | Permalink

January 20, 2007

20. Showy

20070120.jpg

My second competition image for this month. This is a Showy 's LadySlipper.

Posted on January 20, 2007 11:40 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

January 19, 2007

19. Yellow Slipper

20070119.jpg

Yellow lady slipper. This is one of my competition images.

Posted on January 19, 2007 01:14 AM | Comments (4) | Permalink

January 18, 2007

18. Twig

20070118.jpg

Macro photograph of a twig covered in ice.

Posted on January 18, 2007 02:03 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

January 17, 2007

17. Berries in Ice

20070117.jpg

Another shot showing the area around my home covered in ice. This one shows berries on bushes with their ice blanket. Leanne had just pulled in and I liked the way the brake lights illuminated the ice in this shot.

Posted on January 17, 2007 06:00 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

January 16, 2007

16. Budding Leaves in Ice

20070116.jpg

The weather has been so askew, my daffodils had begun to bloom and I started to get leaves on my hedges in front of my house. With the recent coating of ice on everything, I am sure that my daffodils won't survive and can only imagine the hedges won't be very strong this year.

This is one of the leaf pairs from the hedges coated in ice.

Posted on January 16, 2007 08:09 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

October 28, 2006

28. 12 Spot on Thistle

20061028.jpg

12 Spot on thistle. This is obviously not a new shot, but it was taken this summer.

Posted on October 28, 2006 11:59 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

October 11, 2006

11. Crab Spider

20061011.jpg

This is a different crab spider than the one I previously showed. They are both on the same flower, birdsfoot cingfoil though in a different location.

Posted on October 11, 2006 11:46 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

October 1, 2006

01. Dew Drops on Leaf

20061001.jpg

Posted on October 1, 2006 11:30 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 24, 2006

24. Leaf

20060924.jpg

Macro shot of a maple leaf, back lit.

Posted on September 24, 2006 12:34 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 23, 2006

23. Cell Structure

20060923.jpg

Posted on September 23, 2006 09:11 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 15, 2006

15. Crab Spider

20060915.jpg

Posted on September 15, 2006 12:24 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 11, 2006

11. Striped Coral Root

20060911.jpg

Striped Coral Root shot in the Bruce Penninsula this summer.

Posted on September 11, 2006 01:56 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

August 27, 2006

27. Cabbage White on Clover

20060827.jpg

Posted on August 27, 2006 06:08 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 23, 2006

23. Ring and Rose

20060823.jpg

This is the second shot I did for Leanne of her engagement ring and a rose.

Posted on August 23, 2006 10:49 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 22, 2006

22. For Leanne

20060822.jpg

Leanne asked me to take this photo for her. She has been watching a lot of wedding websites looking for photo ideas for our wedding and this was something she liked.

Posted on August 22, 2006 11:32 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 20, 2006

20. Eastern Tailed Blue

20060820.jpg

This is another Eastern Tailed Blue. These are very small butterflies, maybe the size of my thumbnail. They move their wings up and down a little and while they do, the tails resemble antenna so that if a predator takes a bite, the only get the wing, not the head.

Posted on August 20, 2006 11:39 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

August 19, 2006

19. Jiminy

20060819.jpg

Well, he is really a grasshopper, not a cricket. But I don't know any grasshopper names.

Posted on August 19, 2006 07:06 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 18, 2006

18. Blues

20060818.jpg

A pair of Eastern Tailed Blues mating.

Posted on August 18, 2006 08:37 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 17, 2006

17. Mating Blues

20060817.jpg

Posted on August 17, 2006 08:57 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 4, 2006

04. Black and White Butterfly

20060804.jpg

Shot at the Niagara Falls Butterfly Conservatory

Posted on August 4, 2006 06:32 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 3, 2006

03. Bee

20060803.jpg

Posted on August 3, 2006 11:56 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 1, 2006

01. Beetle on Butter and Eggs

20060801.jpg

This spotted ladybug was not my intended focal point for this photo, but once I got closer to the flowers, decided she should be in there.

Posted on August 1, 2006 08:30 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

July 22, 2006

22. Wings

20060722.jpg

Posted on July 22, 2006 09:19 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 21, 2006

21. Saddleback

20060721.jpg

I shot this saddleback last weekend. Like the Monarch, it was done later in the morning. Unlike the Monarch however, it flew to me, I did not have to chase this one.

I processed this image in the new Adobe Lightroom beta. The software looks nice, but I will need to do some more testing with it to see how the image quality is. It is a little slow though. Beta sofware...

Posted on July 21, 2006 01:38 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 17, 2006

17. Crab Spider and Fly

20060717.jpg

This shot of a crab spider and fly was taken a few weeks ago. I originally set up to shoot the bird-footed cingfoil (trefoil?) and after my first shot notice a blur in the photo. Zooming in to identify the blur I noticed the crab spider. I photographed the pair for a little while after that.

Posted on July 17, 2006 12:00 PM | Comments (3) | Permalink

July 16, 2006

16. Five

20060716.jpg

Posted on July 16, 2006 09:15 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 15, 2006

15. Monarch

20060715.jpg

Monarch Butterfly. Stalked.

Our usual method of shooting these insects involves finding them in the morning when they are still fairly dormant from the overnight cold. This monarch was shot a little later in the morning and I had to stalk it, moving slowly. It was quite co-operative though and allowed me to get closer than I needed to be.

Posted on July 15, 2006 11:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 14, 2006

14. Orange Veins

20060714.jpg

This is a close up of a 12 Spotter Skimmer dragonfly. Scott originally pointed out the orange colour in the larger veins in the wings.

I am still fairly new at photographing these insects so I rely a lot on John and Scott for names and searching the Internet when I can. I identified this based on what I found at http://www.dragonflies.org

Posted on July 14, 2006 11:42 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 13, 2006

13. Skippers

20060713.jpg

Two skippers covered in morning dew.

Posted on July 13, 2006 09:20 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 3, 2006

03. On top of a Flower

20060703.jpg

Dragonfly perched atop a purple flowering grass.

Posted on July 3, 2006 11:32 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 2, 2006

02. Resting

20060702.jpg

This Cabbage White is resting calmly on clover, basking before flying for the first time in the morning.

Posted on July 2, 2006 09:13 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

July 1, 2006

01. Smiling for the Camera

20060701.jpg

This dragonfly seems to be smiling for the camera.

Posted on July 1, 2006 11:32 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

June 30, 2006

30. Curl and Slipper

20060630.jpg

This is the final image I am posting from my recent trip (at least until I need to dip into the archives) up to the Bruce Peninsula. I have so many more, but need to move on.

Posted on June 30, 2006 10:01 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

June 29, 2006

29. Spotted Tongue

20060629.jpg

This is the second of three yellow lady slipper photographs I am posting. Tomorrow's will be the last before I move on to other subjects, even though I so many other photgraphs I could post.

Posted on June 29, 2006 09:06 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

June 28, 2006

28. Hat and Curls

20060628.jpg

This orchid seems to be wearing a hat and curly locks.

Posted on June 28, 2006 12:00 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

June 26, 2006

26. Not Your Ordinary Portrait

20060626.jpg

Ha ha, this is definately not your normal portrait! This is the same dragonfly that I posted yesterday, only this time I shot the front of him. I definately like yesterday's shot of his back better than this one though.

Posted on June 26, 2006 11:50 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

June 25, 2006

25. Wings

20060625.jpg

Posted on June 25, 2006 10:06 PM | Comments (5) | Permalink

June 24, 2006

24. Ram's Head

20060624.jpg

This was found purely by chance and was likely one of the last of the flowering Ram's Head orchids. We found it under the low lying branch of a cedar tree. It was not really accessible, and sensitivity of the area surrounding it, shot it where it was, from where we were. Really not ideal conditions, but you make do with what you have.

Posted on June 24, 2006 11:32 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

June 21, 2006

21. Yellow Lady Slipper

20060621.jpg

The yellow lady slipper is one of the orchids we took our trip to photograph. The yellow lady slipper is fairly common where we were. Last year, we found one stemless yellow lady slipper here in the Niagara Region.

Posted on June 21, 2006 08:20 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

June 15, 2006

15. Showy (Queen's) Lady Slipper

20060615.jpg

The Showy Lady's Slipper was just at the very beginning of it's blooming season and we were fortunate to find a small patch of them flowering. We did see others that had not even developed the buds yet. We photographed these on two occasions during our trip taking advantage of different lighting at different times of the day. The Showy is Canada's largest orchid and these were about 20" high.

I will post my original image I had planned for today, tomorrow, and then will post some of my shots from my trip in the days following.

Some blog stats so far:
500 Entries
514 Images (some days will post variations)
314 Comments
Visits from more than 96 countries
Most Posted in category: Nature
Least Posted in category: Dragonflies

Posted on June 15, 2006 06:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

May 31, 2006

31. Droplets

20060531.jpg

Another macro photograph of morning dew resting on geranium.

Posted on May 31, 2006 01:42 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

May 30, 2006

30. Drops of Water

20060530.jpg

Drops of dew on the petals of a wild geranium.

Posted on May 30, 2006 11:50 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

May 29, 2006

29. Dewey Purple

20060529.jpg

Early morning geranium in a coat of dew.

I posted a couple other geranium shots (from another shoot) a few weeks ago.

May 10: Geranium Bud
May 11: Morning Bud
May 12: Geranium

Posted on May 29, 2006 11:31 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

May 18, 2006

18. Columbine

20060518.jpg

Columbine shot while on a walk this past Sunday. There were several plants in the area, but they were growing on the edge of the Niagara Escarpment, and it was a 15 foot drop just on the other side. I would have liked to have been able to shoot a a few other angles. Maybe this weekend.

Posted on May 18, 2006 10:07 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

May 13, 2006

13. Jack in the Pulpit

20060513.jpg

Jack in the Pulpit.

Posted on May 13, 2006 11:53 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

May 12, 2006

12. Geranium

20060512.jpg

The geranium in flower.

Posted on May 12, 2006 08:00 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

May 11, 2006

11. Morning Bud

20060511.jpg

Another macro photo of a wild geranium bud.

I can't believe for the second day in a row, I have left my post as a draft! Here it is though.

Posted on May 11, 2006 08:53 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

May 10, 2006

10. Geranium Bud

20060510.jpg

Back to the wildflowers. This is a wild geranium bud. It was a frosty May morning, and as the frost melted created the great droplets of dew. I wish that I had photographed the frost on the leaves. There was some wild strawberry plants nearby as well that we covered in a beautiful frost.

Posted on May 10, 2006 02:00 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

May 7, 2006

07. Spring Buds

20060507.jpg

While out with Scott and John last weekend, I shot these small beauties. Under the canopy of the growing forest, the light was fantastic, allowing for this wonderful, soft photo.

Posted on May 7, 2006 09:35 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

May 6, 2006

06. Trout Lily

20060506.jpg

This is the bud of a trout lily. This wild flower will open up and resemble a day or easter lily, though I expect it would be smaller.

Posted on May 6, 2006 06:53 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

April 30, 2006

30. Tulip

20060430.jpg

The same tulip as yesterday, only in a different angle.

On a differnt note, last night I attended the Niagara Falls Camera Club annual awards banquet. I received a number of awards, including the McGarry Photo award for Slide of the Year for my shot of an Eastern Tailed Blue butterfly. I also received honour awards in the slide of the year, colour print of the year and monochrome print of the year competitions as well as top in the Gold division for both slides and monochrome prints. Finally, I was installed as the new President of the Niagara Falls Camera Club.

Posted on April 30, 2006 06:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

April 29, 2006

29. Garden Tulip

20060429.jpg

This is my first Tulip to blossom in my garden. The small joys of home ownership.

Posted on April 29, 2006 09:39 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

April 26, 2006

26. Dutchman's Breeches

20060426.jpg

I was out Sunday with Scott and John in a light rain. Once we decided that conditions were favourable for shooting some spring wildflowers, we walked back to get our equipment. That is when is started to rain harder. We shot for a little bit anyway before it got really bad. This was about the best shot I could get off before things became too wet to continue without proper rain gear.

Posted on April 26, 2006 10:14 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

March 18, 2006

18. Curl

20060318.jpg

Posted on March 18, 2006 09:02 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

March 17, 2006

17. Drop

20060317.jpg

Water drop on a wire fence

Posted on March 17, 2006 11:41 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

March 12, 2006

12. Twig and Frost

20060312.jpg

This is the last shot I am posting from last weekend. This weekend was drastically different. Winter is really over. This is hore frost on a twig poking out of a blanket of snow.

Posted on March 12, 2006 11:01 PM | Comments (4) | Permalink

January 27, 2006

27. Three

20060127.jpg

Three stone diamond engagement ring, illuminated with strobe bounced above with pin lighting from fiber optic strands. The white gold band is thrown out of focus by the shallow depth of field of the macro lens at f5.0.

Posted on January 27, 2006 06:54 PM | Comments (7) | Permalink

January 9, 2006

09. Snow Texture

20060109.jpg

The texture of snow shot with my macro lens.

Posted on January 9, 2006 11:59 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

January 2, 2006

02. Pixels

20060102.jpg

Macro image of a computer (CRT) screen.

Posted on January 2, 2006 11:24 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

September 15, 2005

15. Sulphur

20050915.jpg

I started my class last night. I am not sure why I had the impression, but I didn't expect it to be so much like school used to be. But, it is class just as I remember them being (it's only been 5 years).

Tonight I am heading out with Dave to do some shooting. It'll be the last digital shooting I do for a while as I have to take the camera in for repairs tomorrow. Canon has told me it could be up to 6 weeks, even though this is a known issue. I am very unhappy about that. So, I'll be going back to film.

Posted on September 15, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

September 14, 2005

14. A Rainbow of Colours

20050914.jpg

This is another shot of the Sulphar I posted on Monday. I find it amazing just how much colour is really in these butterflies. When I first looked at it, it was a pale yellow, almost brown, but this image shows its true colours, yellows, greens, reds, blues plus some purple and brown.

Tonight I start a 12 week portraiture course. I have to say that it is my weakest photographic technique and I have always thought people are the hardest subjects to shoot.

Posted on September 14, 2005 10:30 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink

September 13, 2005

13. Eastern Tailed Blue

20050913.jpg

This Eastern Tailed Blue was in excellent shape. Often they have nicks out of their wings from attempts from being eaten. The small tails are actually a diversion. They will move them up and down to mimic their antennae so a predator may only nip the back of the wing, rather than a more critical near the head nip!

Posted on September 13, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

September 12, 2005

12. Early Morning Sulpur

20050912.jpg

As I mentioned yesterday, the season is about over for the insects. This is one of two butterflies I shot yesterday. We were at the Wainfleet Bog on Erie Peat Road in Port Colborne where we have had some pretty good luck over the past few weeks. I have a couple different shots of this butterfly and one more of an Eastern Tailed Blue to post.

Posted on September 12, 2005 02:52 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 7, 2005

07. Dewy 12 Spot

20050907.jpg

Posted on September 7, 2005 06:46 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

September 6, 2005

06. Meadowhawk

20050906.jpg

This is one of the meadowhawk dragonflies I mentioned last week. As this is the first year I have started shooting insects, it was an exciting find. The first dragonfly I posted back in July I did not actually find, but as my eyes are becoming tuned to what to look for, these creatures that camouflage themselves so well now are appearing to me.

Posted on September 6, 2005 09:45 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 5, 2005

05. Eastern Tailed Blue

20050905.jpg

The Eastern Tailed Blue is only about the size of a nickel, so they are quite hard to find in the grasses.

Posted on September 5, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 4, 2005

04. Sulphur

20050904.jpg

This was shot later in the day. I had to hunt this one down, and then slowly move up on it to keep it from flying away.

Posted on September 4, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink

September 3, 2005

03. Pearly Crescentspot #2

20050903.jpg

This is the same butterfly as yesterday, only with it's wings closed.

Posted on September 3, 2005 08:47 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 2, 2005

02. Pearly Crescentspot

20050902.jpg

A Pearly Crescentspot warming itself before it's first flight of the day.

I was out this morning, and while I didn't shoot any butterflies, I did get some shots of a couple of dragonflies, a green darner, meadowhawk and a saddlebag. I will have photos next week.

Posted on September 2, 2005 10:08 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 24, 2005

24. Golden Cabbage White

20050824.jpg

This Cabbage White appears to be seemingly made of gold. This little guy is seemingly enjoying basking in the sun, judging by the size of his smile!

Tonight is the Picture The Cure Exhibition and Auction for Breast Cancer and the Princess Margaret Hospital. The event is being held at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto. I cannot be there tonight because of some work commitments, but I would have liked to have gone. My best to the photographers who are supporting this worth cause.

Posted on August 24, 2005 09:51 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink

August 20, 2005

20. Rose

20050820.jpg

I have not had much chance to shoot this week... pulling from the archives instead.

Yesterday marked another milestone, image 200!

Posted on August 20, 2005 08:39 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

August 18, 2005

18. Bee on Black Eyed Susan

20050818.jpg

This is a photo I shot last year (I have been busy the week or so and haven't been out with my camera) that has done very well in competitions. I received a Diamond award for it in competition at the Niagara Falls Camera Club and and honour awards at the Rainbow Competition; a yearly competition between the Niagara Falls Camera Club (Niagara Falls, Ont) and Twin Cities Camera Club (Tonawanda, NY). It also received an honourable mention at this year's Niagara Frontier Regional Camera Clubs Annual Convention.

Remarkably, for this magnification, I was able to shoot this hand held.

Posted on August 18, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

August 16, 2005

16. Stained Glass?

20050816.jpg

Butterfly Wings... like stained glass.

NOTE: The service I have been using to send out daily email updates had a problem over the past few days. It looks like the problem was resolved this morning, but I have already written most of the code to send out the emails myself. I hope to have it working in a few days. I look forward to any feedback on the change when it happens.

Posted on August 16, 2005 09:34 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink

August 6, 2005

06. Skipper

20050806.jpg

I am not as happy with this shot as I am with the Lacewing from Thursday. I would have like to have bounced a little more light back into the body to illuminate the from wing a little more.

Posted on August 6, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 5, 2005

05. Morning Mayfly

20050805.jpg

I am really happy with this shot. I went out Sunday morning though I had thought about cancelling after having had a very long day at work the day before. Conditions were perfect and John has a very keen eye for finding these small critters.

Posted on August 5, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

August 4, 2005

04. Skipperling

20050804.jpg

Posted on August 4, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink

August 1, 2005

01. Waiting to Harden

20050801.jpg

This butterfly had recently emerged from it's chrysalis. They emerge and sit for about an hour while they wings inwrap and harden before flying off. In the background you can see other chrysalis' from the hatchery at the Niagara Falls Butterfly Conservatory.

On another note, yesterday was the last day of my sixth month of posting. So far, 182 days, and 182 photos. It's been tough to keep up with at times, but I am still enjoying it so I will continue. I am putting together a selection of my favourite images from the past 6 months. I have 22 selected now, I want to whiddle it down a bit before I post the link.

Other photos from the Butterfly Conservatory:
July 30, 2005
July 31, 2005

UPDATE: I have come up with my favourite 15 images from last month.

Posted on August 1, 2005 05:12 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

July 31, 2005

31. Butterfly

20050731.jpg

Another butterfly from yesterday's shoot. With so many butterflies at the Conservatory, it is a very great experiance to be there first thing in the morning, but really lacks a lot of the thrill of the hunt of going out and finding them on your own like this shot of a Saddleback Dragonfly, or this one of damselflies mating.

Posted on July 31, 2005 11:04 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 30, 2005

30. Butterfly

20050730.jpg

One of many butterflies shot this morning at the Niagara Falls Butterfly Conservatory.

Posted on July 30, 2005 12:23 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 27, 2005

27. Time for a Snack

20050727.jpg

While Dave and I were in the Niagara Gorge the other day, these cabbage whites were very abundant. Dave was able to get some nice shots in and I was able to get this female resting on this plant having a snack.

Posted on July 27, 2005 06:47 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 21, 2005

21. Forget Me Nots

20050721.jpg

I found these forget-me-nots in my backyard earlier this spring. Leanne loves these so I know she will be happy about this posting. They are very difficult to shoot well though.

Posted on July 21, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (4) | Permalink

July 20, 2005

20. Caterpillar

20050720.jpg

I found this caterpillar last week having a snack while out with Scott and John. While not as exciting as the damselflies or dragonflies we were looking for, I still thought it might make a nice shot.

Posted on July 20, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 14, 2005

14. Shackles

20050714.jpg

This is another shot from Casino Niagara that I took with Dave the other night. I envisioned these photos as Black and White when I shot them, though I still really like the various colours in the rust.

Yesterday's shot from the same location.

Posted on July 14, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

July 12, 2005

12. Mating

20050712.jpg

This pair of Damselfies are in a mating position. National Geographic has published an article which discusses the mating of can be found here.

Posted on July 12, 2005 01:00 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 11, 2005

11. Hiding

20050711.jpg

This was shot yesterday along with my first dragonfly. I am working on my technique. Each week is a little bit better.

Posted on July 11, 2005 11:25 AM | Comments (4) | Permalink

July 10, 2005

10. Saddleback

20050710.jpg

Saddleback Dragonfly. This was posted late...busy day for me.

Posted on July 10, 2005 11:40 PM | Permalink

July 4, 2005

04. Blue Damselfly

20050704.jpg

This was the only salvageable shot from yesterday. Manual focus and a diopter adjustment our of whack do not play well together. I am very disappointed as the sunbursts coming off of the water drops on both the grass and the damselfly are amazing.

Posted on July 4, 2005 10:49 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

June 20, 2005

20. Daisy

20050620.jpg

When I was out at Mud Lake with Dave yesterday, I did not find what I was looking for, so I was left to shoot some abstractions, pattern shots and this daisy. Wildflowers are usually not pristine and as such, often have spots on them, pollen littering their petals or even broken petals. All in all, this was was fairly nice.

Posted on June 20, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

June 12, 2005

12. Goat's Beard

20050612.jpg

I went out this morning looking for some more damselflies. We found many, but the conditions were not good for shooting them. We did find a few of these flowers that we shot, and also some daisies (rather common, but nice none the less).

Posted on June 12, 2005 01:31 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

June 5, 2005

05. Viola

20050605.jpg

A Viola from my garden.

Posted on June 5, 2005 09:03 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

June 4, 2005

04. Ready To Fly

20050604.jpg

A dandelion gone to seed. i hope this is the last one for this year so I can get the rest of my yard looking nice. Shot early this morning.

Posted on June 4, 2005 02:42 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

May 29, 2005

29. Damselfly

20050529.jpg

I was out this morning with a couple of my friends bug hunting. This was my first trip out with them for this purpose though they are experienced at shooting them. The morning was pretty uneventful as this Damselfly was the only one that was found, and not by me. I really do not how they expect me to find an insect that blends in with it's environment, buried in grasses, when it is only 3/4 inch long!

We are out most Sunday's so I am sure I'll be posting more Damslefies and dragonflies, maybe some moths and butterflies as well. The detail has really been lost in the conversion to websize, but the full version is really quite remarkable.

Posted on May 29, 2005 08:55 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

May 15, 2005

15. Grossius Insectus

20050515.jpg

I believe that Grossius Insectus is the official name for this. If it is not, it should be. The insect was about 2 inches long in body and close to 5 from tip to tip of his feelers. I trapped him in a glass and tried to get a few shots of him. Hard to see in the smaller version of the image, but the individual ommatidium are visible in the compound eye.

In case anyone hasn't figured it out, I don't particulary like bugs. Another view of the insect can be found here.

Posted on May 15, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink