We were late, traffic had been tough and we thought we’d be later than we were. Not that it mattered because they’d start without us. And as we drove I realized that we’d be a little too early for the best sunset pictures as we zoomed down Edgewater Drive. Surely that explains why I failed to put the car window down when I started shooting, because what I was seeing out that window warranted some pictures. With a tiny bit of forethought I’d have liked them more.
She was exactly in the right place.If I had been trying to line this shot up I wouldn’t done as well.
Every time we drive down this road to meet our group I resolve to ride this path on the bike during sunset one night, instead of shooting out the dirty car window…
I never used to go to the photo club meetings on Tuesday night. I told myself that I didn’t want to spend the gas/mileage if I wasn’t going to be able to take pictures. But my husband has been a member of the group longer than I have been, the group is how we met even though we grew up in the same town in MA many years ago. He liked the Tuesday night meetings, which are mostly social and usually quite entertaining. So imagine my surprise one Tuesday evening as we a drove to meet the group and I saw this scene on Edgewater Drive with the sun setting perfectly. I picked up my phone and started shooting out the passenger window, so I got photos after all. One of the reasons I looked forward to the time change this year is that I anticipated taking this drive with the sun setting, and last night it happened.
Imagine living nearby and taking this walk every night.This gal has the right idea.I think we ought to ride the scooter and trike up this road for the sunset one night.We got to our destination a bit early so we drove to the end of the street and caught the last bit of the sunset there.I didn’t anticipate this scene as we drove back up the street to meet the group.
A 5:30 sunset is perfect timing for this scenario, so I’ll try again. Maybe another week or two might work out, but then I’ll have to go back to anticipating this opportunity for another year.
I decided that I couldn’t stand looking at all the bird poop on the baffles out back, so I mixed up some more vinegar solution to go scrub them down. But while I was out there I noticed that the plants needed watering, so I got busy with that. But when I watered the pentas I saw they were full of bees! On happy day! But as I was taking pictures of the bees I kept seeing shadows on the fence, and eventually realized that a butterfly was flitting around the bougainvillea. And then I saw another one. 75 pictures later I abandoned all hope of doing any more chores and played with my photos for the rest of my day. And that’s pretty much why I never get anything done around here…
The yellow butterflies never seem to stay still, so getting any image at all was a win in my book.The problem with chasing him around was that I was looking into the sun, and struggling against the deep shadows too.Plus you had to catch him quick or he was gone.I wasn’t intending to catch him in flight, he just took off while I was shooting.And these are the guys that got me to get the camera out.My formerly trusty 18-400mm Tamron lens is having trouble focusing so I switched to the 18-150mm kit lens that came with the camera. I think it’s my favorite lens, little and light.I don’t know why they were all over this plant and ignoring the rest of them, but that’s okay as long as they come to visit.
I didn’t take any pictures of the poop out there, and when it inadvertently winds up in one of my images I use Photoshop to edit it out. That’s my confession for the day.
When I saw this picture from Riverhills Park I thought it would make a very nice black and white image. But darn, I thought, it’s an iPhone photo and therefore a jpeg, and not able to be edited as I would prefer to do. But today I remembered that I have my iPhone set to take RAW images only, so I got busy looking at the pictures I took to see what else might look good in black and white. And I found a Lightroom lesson on editing black and white photos, so I was excited to try it. It’s a matter of bringing out all the shades of gray, with contrast and detail, but what you need to start with is a photo with lots of contrast to work with.
Lots of contrast in the scene.This is the other picture that I thought would lend itself to black and white.Then I looked at this one and said, why not?Ibis and cypress knees seemed to be good candidates also.As it got closer to sunset the birds started flying to the far side of the river to spend the night.I didn’t edit this photo in color because I didn’t think the shadows of the birds would show up, but I liked the picture so I turned this one to black and white also.
Not every photo will look good in black and white, and taking black and white photos isn’t usually on my mind when I’m out there with the camera. But these photos seemed worth while to play with, because this is all play to me. I’m so glad I set the iPhone to take the images in RAW. It preserves all the detail and color so it’s waiting for you to make your adjustments. I’ve been so lucky to find the camera club I belong to, the FCCP, out of Clearwater. I’ve found fun, and friends, and someone to enjoy these golden years with. Every day is a blessing.
Just a little rain, I was actually hoping for more. My pocketbook appreciates the lull in the activity in the backyard in the afternoon. Rainy or not, the rush to the feeders is first thing in the morning and another rush at happy hour, so it’s quiet out there at the moment. I am not much of a gardener despite my efforts to attract bees and butterflies to the yard. But I belatedly gave the plants some plant food the other day and I was rewarded with this lovely hibiscus bloom.
I can never remember the name of this plant, but it smells divine, and the bees have given it a thumbs up.Busy little bee.
I have made a note on the calendar so I can see how long the new 20 lb. sack of birdseed lasts. I briefly toyed with the idea of figuring out exactly what I’ve spent on this bird obsession of mine, starting last fall with the purchase of the Bird Buddy itself, but I’m probably better off not knowing. And besides, we’ve spent a lot of pleasant afternoons on the lanai watching the birds, and what price would I put on that? And now the rain has arrived and that’s a good thing.
On Friday I was lucky enough to be invited to tag along and take pictures, and hopefully stay out of the way, as the professionals filmed a video promoting Pasco County as the Sports Coast of Florida. It proved to be quite the adventure…
The 6 AM meet up had me hoping to see the balloons rise up into some sunrise colors in the sky. But a little ground fog delayed things somewhat.It seems there is some assembly required before takeoff.Hooking everything up, while the drone films from above.The not-so-high-tech wind test.The huge fan on the left blows air into the balloon while the cameraman films the process.It’s not easy to hold the balloon as it inflates.It will take 118,000 cubic feet of air to fully inflate the balloon. I was told that you could fit the equivalent of six 2000 square foot houses inside when it’s fully inflated.Cameras are rolling as the ‘talent’, the actors/models, are invited inside to begin the filming. They are to depict a couple enjoying one of the many pleasures available on the Sports Coast.The models take selfies while the air is heated and the balloon begins to rise.The cameraman is in the basket with the captain, Kurt Peterson of Black Diamond Balloons, while the models and the client look on. I heard later that the cameraman was terrified, but he enjoyed the ride.This powered paraglider was part of the crew and he followed the balloons on the trip. Filming maybe? The drone was following along the whole way also.And they lift off into a beautiful sky, the fog having left us. Do you see the tire tracks in the grass? That’s from the caravan of two balloon crews in trucks with trailers, the videographers van, and the Pasco County representative, all racing to follow the balloons as they float to wherever the winds take them.One of the crew follows the balloon in the air as it travels over the map on his phone. He said he hoped we would be able to capture a scene such as this, and much to my delight we did!Even this view without a reflection was wonderful.Imagine living in this quiet neighborhood and having a balloon do a ‘drop off’ right outside your door. The cameraman was dropped off to rejoin his crew in their van, and then to continue the chase.As they rose back up I was surprised that I caught the hang glider in the photo also.This turned out to be our surprise, to me at least, landing strip. Also a surprise to the drivers who slowed down to let the balloon descend.And then the crew was back in action, using the tether lines to make sure that the balloon fabric laid out straight so they could gather it up. As they rolled it up they loaded it into it’s bag, which I doubted was actually going to hold it all.Here I did my part by sitting on the bag with the crew members to help deflate the balloon further so that the bag could be closed and loaded back up. The day’s adventure was over.
Well, it wasn’t quite over until we drove back to where we had parked our cars and had a little glass of champaign to celebrate another successful flight. Thanks so much to Kurt Peterson and his crew who let me join them for a new to me adventure. I’ve added taking a balloon ride to my bucket list, and I know just who to call. Black Diamond Hot Air Balloon Rides at (813) 810-1992!
A Snowbird's Life Through the Lens 