25-Jan-2018
A Gray Day at the Lake
Inclement weather can sometimes add an extra touch to our photography, such as more dramatic lighting. Being still limited as to how much I can get out and about, my recent photography has included more landscape scenes than usual. I like the change, but long to get to other subject matter. In the meantime, our changeable weather has given me more varied results. This gray day scene at Fern Ridge Lake is an example.
01-Apr-2019
WHAT DO YOU DO ON A RAINY DAY?
I had to go to the post office today. The weather was not so conducive to photography. I just wanted to show what kind of day it was! More of the same tomorrow! Looks like we will have April showers for several days. But that brings May flowers.
30-Mar-2019
PELICAN AT KIRK POND
Often, when I need to go to the store, I will go on to the north side of Fern Ridge Lake to see if there are any birds there. In the last couple months I have watched for a group of White Pelicans that hang out in Kirk Park. This one was posing for me on a lot in the middle of the pond, so I felt obligated to take some shots of it. I liked the light and color.
27-Mar-2019
Got Something!
This is a Great Blue Heron fishing in the Fern Ridge Wildlife Area. It looks like it caught something, even if it is small. I am not sure what it got, it looks like a small fish. Such a large bird does need to hunt often to satisfy its need for food. Herons and egrets fascinate me.
26-Mar-2019
On the Lake
It was a pretty nice day with sun and clouds. The sky worked like a giant reflector and brightened the water. The boat skimming over the water was dark in contrast. This made the boat stand out against the water. I reduced contrast slightly to show detail in the boat. It got the effect I had visualized when I made the exposure.
23-Mar-2019
The Worm Moon of March 20th
I knew we were going to have a super moon with the beginning of spring. But I learned some new things at 'space.com'. -
https://www.space.com/34515-supermoon-guide.html, such as that the moon I photographed the evening of the 21st was called a 'worm moon', don't ask me why. Below is a quote from the 'space.com' website:
("This year skywatchers will get to witness three supermoons in a row on Jan. 21, Feb. 19 and March 20."
"A supermoon occurs when a full moon coincides with the moon's perigee, or the point in its elliptical orbit at which it is closest to Earth. This makes the moon appear up to 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than usual."
"The first supermoon of 2019 was the Super Blood Wolf Moon on Jan. 20-21, which coincided with a total lunar eclipse, also known as a "blood moon." A second supermoon of 2019 will follow on Tuesday, Feb. 19, during the Snow Moon, which will be the closest full moon of the year. Then on March 20 at 9:43 p.m. EDT (0143 GMT March 21) , the Worm Moon will reach full phase about 29 hours after the moon reaches perigee. ['Supermoon' Photos: The Closest Full Moon Until 2034 in Pictures].")
23-Mar-2019
Colorful Sky Over Fern Ridge Lake
The late afternoon sun colors the sky, and beautifies the lake in this view from the north side of the lake. It makes for an enjoyable scene, one I just sat and enjoyed for a while.
21-Mar-2019
Flying Mighty Low!
It was fun stopping this low flying Great Egret in its tracks! They are so beautiful in flight and their wings have been called 'angel wings'. I was fortunate to capture it in late afternoon directional lighting, which helped a great deal to backlight the right wing.
11-Mar-2019
The Face in the Tree
Can you see it, the face in the tree? It's not quite halfway up the tree. You can see the eyes, nose and cheek. Well, yes, I have a good imagination!
17-Mar-2019
Optical Illusion?
This picture of a scene along the shore of Fern Ridge Lake seems illusionary to me. It almost seems as though one could fall off the edge, even though the rocks run right down to the shore line. Maybe it is just my eyes, but that is what appeals to me about it.
14-Mar-2019
Oregon Junco
"A hundred years ago, many birds carried the name of “Oregon,” including Oregon Jays, Oregon Chickadees, Oregon Titmice, and Oregon Towhees. One by one, those names fell into disuse or were discarded. The last bird bearing the state's name is the Oregon Junco." (
https://oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/oregon_junco/) This is a photo of an Oregon Junco that landed in front of me on our front porch. I only had time for a quick shot, not top-notch but satisfactory.
Juncos are found throughout the US, as well as other places. At first, many North American Juncos were treated as separate species> Since then, the Slate-colored Junco of the East, the Gray-headed Junco of the Southwest, the White-winged Junco of the Black Hills of South Dakota, and the Oregon Junco have been combined into a single species, the Dark-eyed Junco.
12-Mar-2019
Sticky Snow
Our recent snowstorm brought very wet snow that stuck to everything. This photo was taken during the first night of the snowfall. The only light I had was the porch light, not a really bright one either. The snow continued for a couple days, the most snow we have got here for a few years. In the Willamette Valley, we are about 500 feet above sea level, so snow is not an annual happening. The weather now seems to be changing to more spring like temperatures.