Mar 4
I spotted this Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) last week as I walked out my front door. When I see a butterfly with tattered wings like this, I know their days are probably numbered and I’m hoping they’ve laid eggs somewhere in my yard! Just wishful thinking, though, since this species prefers more riparian area trees. He was probably just resting.
Mar 2
The McDowell Sonoran Conservancy is about to start its annual Wildflower Watch. I was asked to come up with a logo for their Facebook page and here is the result. To get to the Wildflower Watch page, CLICK HERE to the Activities Calendar. Then click on the last tab on the right above the calendar (Special Event-Wildflower Event). Look to the left and click on Wildflower Watch for lots of information including photos of flowers. Poppies captured last year on the Tom’s Thumb trail. (oops…title not centered!)
Feb 28
More photos from Sunday’s snow appearance. We went out very early knowing it would melt quickly once the sun came up. Because we were trying to see all our favorite areas covered in snow, we moved quickly which meant shooting mostly handheld at a high ISO. Noise was easy to get rid of but the color balance still needs work. I’ll blame it on my monitor since it’s past time to calibrate 🙂
Feb 27
Totally unexpected but thoroughly enjoyed! Not much light but software helped. More images tomorrow.
Feb 27
Yet another rainstorm last night gave us dramatic light late yesterday. I was enjoying the navy blue skies when this Cardinal flew into my scene. He played peekaboo for about 5 minutes and then left. Out of about a dozen images, this was the only one where his head wasn’t totally obscured. Not very sharp focus but there’s a catch light in his eye so I decided it was a keeper. Besides…I needed a photo for today 🙂
Feb 26
The McDowell Sonoran Conservancy now has a Field Institute and today was the first day for many members, including me, to collect flora specimens. The goal of the Institute is to document the flora in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve during the next 3 years. Besides being fun, this Flora Survey will be a great opportunity to gain some botanical knowledge. Front and center (holding White RatanBursage) is our fearless leader; botanist Steve Jones.
Feb 25
I’m teaching a class in basic compositing next week. These days there are multiple softwares that make the process completely automatic but knowing how to create one from scratch can help you tweak the automatic ones and make them your own.
Pages from my Flora Guide gathered in a ball.
Feb 23
The addition of software filters makes this Prickly Pear heart look extra prickly. (Combination of Topaz filters and Lightroom Presets)
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