Backyard winter photography

This was taken this winter after a snowfall at the end of December. I was looking for leaves in frozen water, which I did not find, but I found various leaves and flowers in the snow.

Just a simple leave on top of the snow. 

I walked around it until I had the composition the way I like it with the handle turned. 

Pretty much SOOC, just Levels and sharpening

Played with solarization in Nik Color Efex, completely different effect. 

One of my perennials dried up and sticking up out of the snow

with a texture on it

Our Ivy, one leaf popping up thru the snow.

I used a bunch of Nik filters in this one to make it "pop"

Pier in VA

This was taken this November near Chincoteague in VA, we wandered around taking HDR images and I just love the contrast of the blue against the saturated planks (a little warped and a few missing from Hurrican Sandy).

Horse Fine Art

What a great time to be involved in photography, creativity abounds in camera and in post-processing.

Check out the transformation of this image, thanks to a workshop by Susan and Betty

Flowers by Tom

Birding at Chincoteague

Birding at Chincoteague

We had to walk out to the end because Hurricane Sandy destroyed the road out to Tom's Cove and the  beach. Tom got down low and some of the birds walked right up to him, so close that he could not focus at times (and there was no adding an extension tube because it was very very windy with sand blowing everywhere...

Fun with my light tent

I have been having a lot of fun with my light tent -- flowers, critters, etc. 

     

 I raised this Monarch caterpillar and photographed him along the way during his transformation.

HDR by Tom

HDR by Tom

Hummingbird

When we vacation we often stop along the way and buy some flowers. This hummingbird was appreciative of our efforts...

Canon EOS 40D

Lens: EF500mm f/4L IS USM

Shutter speed: 1/800 sec

Aperture: 6.3

ISO: 500

Subject distance: 4.4 m

Longwood Gardens by day and by Night

Longwood Gardens by day and by Night

We photographed the water lilies (and dragonflies on the water lilies) all morning and then the grounds during the afternoon and then the light installation until they closed. LOVED it all!

The dragonfly has obviously been creatively edited but the water bottles by night was a zoom blur done while taking the photograph, so it is straight out of the camera (SOOC)

Butterfly Art

Tom and I were just driving around and we came upon this field of weeds with lots of Monarchs and other butterflies and moths flying around.  This particular image just called to me to convert it into an artistic image.

Lisa's print wins NHCC Print of the Year at the New Haven Camera Club

Lisa's print wins NHCC Print of the Year at the New Haven Camera Club

Fractal Dahlia

This photograph of the Dahlia was post-processed to give it an ethereal look.

Fractalius (PC only) is an awesome program! I first heard about it from Denise Ippolito's Blog

Orchid

Flash used to darken the background.

Poppy after the morning rain

Poppy, after the morning rain...

Artistic Tulip

white background, window light, One tulip, duplicated to make 12 copies, rotated each layer...

Yale Doorway

The architecture at Yale makes for some awesome photography; it also lends itself to HDR. This image of the doorway was created from five exposures and then merged with Photomatix. I love the arches and the texture and color of the door.

Gillette Castle

HDR at Gillette Castle!

What a perfect place for high dynamic range...

DC at night

The Washington Monument from the Jefferson Memorial. Tripod, 24-105 lens.

Baby Green Herons at Anhinga Trail

I am always on the lookout for Green Herons when we go out photographing. I was in for a real treat when I saw the parent bring in fish to these two Baby Green Herons (on the Anhinga Trail in the Everglades). I spent hours watching and photographing these little guys...

Great Blue Herons, Courting, Mating, Nesting

These two great blue herons were getting ready for the breeding season. The male would bring in a stick and together they would figure out how to place it. He just kept bringing in stick after stick. Every few trips the male would mate with the female. The evening light and the pastel clouds against the blue sky really made the perfect background for this photograph.

Great Blue Heron

This Great Blue Heron was at the top of the island trying to attract a mate to his well built nest. Watching the breeding behavior was fascinating. He would clack his bill and raise his hear and neck and was trying to hard to appear "attractive" and dominant. You can see the bits of feathers in the air around him from his antics.

Great Blue Heron, Artistic rendition

I took hundreds of photographs of this Great Blue Heron at Wakodahatchee. The lighting and the blue pastel sky near sunset just urged me to process one artistically. I love the way the wind was blowing his feathers and plume.

Black Necked Stilt

There was a good variety of birds at Wakodahatchee this year, including, for the first time ever, breeding wood storks. What a contrast between those bird birds and these little delicate black necked stilts. I love the one leg up and the reflection.

Cormorant, breeding season

The colors of the birds can change so dramatically when it is breeding season. I made sure to capture the eyes and position the head against a blurred background when photographing this Cormorant on the Anhinga Trail in Florida. They are very habituated towards humans and will sit right on the railing for you to photograph them!

Reflections in Water drops

Especially fun in the winter, a flower from the grocery store, RainX, water, dollar store spray bottle...

Tulip

Tulip, window light plus one flash for fill light, black background. Tom brought me home a planter of tulips from the grocery store. This one really cried out to me to take its photo!

Backyard Birds -- Winter

Two birds that I photographed in my backyard during a snowstorm. I opened the window in the downstairs bathroom and shot out the window, putting a few towels down to absorb all the snow that was coming into the window.

Junco and Bluejay -- winter snowstorm