Behind the Digital LensMusings of an Amateur Photographer

8th Aug, 2020 COVID-19

Raise your hand if you’re frustrated over “shelter-in-place” and social distancing.  Me, too, but unfortunately it’s a necessary deal if we want to get this under control and stop the countless deaths.  I fall into that at risk category, so I tend to take this seriously, dutifully wearing my mask and washing my hands with soap and water and hand sanitizer.  But, I’m also a stay at home kind of guy.  Mostly.  Like everyone else I get bored seeing the same four walls day after day, so…..grab that camera, guy, and head out to the lake!

The nice thing about photography is that it is something that can be done individually, and maintaining social distancing if others are involved.  Any way you have it, photography can be fun and inspiring, especially right now.  Kids can always find things to do whether inside or outside, and when a camera is involved those show-offs come out of the woodwork and laughter abounds!  But, I would bet most of you never even thought about picking up your camera, not just your phone, and recording a little bit of COVID history.  Myself, I don’t have anyone to do that with, but wish I did.

However, when the weather has permitted I have gone out and taken some photos around a city park and the nearby lake.  I don’t do well being outside for long periods of time in the Texas Summer heat, so I have to temper my photography outings, but when I can, I certainly do.  I hate being stuck inside in good weather with my camera sitting idle.  Mind you I don’t take award winning photos of anything, but I just love taking photos for my own pleasure.  Once in a blue moon I might get a fantastic photo, though, but I still get some really good photos.

I have a new lens that can be used for macro shooting, but for me that would be closeups of flowers.  Unfortunately I haven’t been able to use it yet because there are no flowers near me to take photos of and even if there were it’s been unusually breezy for this time of year.  So, I can’t wait until the Fall flowers bloom and the weather gets cooler.  And I am hoping sometime in the future to get yet another lens [70mm-300mm] so that I can get closer shots of birds, squirrels, and smaller little critters without disturbing them.  Slowly saving up for that one.

So, hang in there.  We can beat this pandemic and still have great photos to take and share during it.

27th Apr, 2020 Spring

Spring sprang, and in Texas that means we have a new season: Sprummer. Spring in Texas is fickle when it comes to temperature. It can be sweltering in the 90’s one day and jacket weather in the 50’s the next. Some days the weather is absolutely beautiful – somewhere in the low to mid-70’s with a light breeze, birds singing, butterflies flitting around, flowers waking from their winter slumber. Other days pollen flies out everywhere coating cars, buildings, and lungs as it races around on heavy winds, with bees chasing to keep up and hang on to the flowers. And then there are rainy days, which wash the air clear again, giving life to the grasses and flowers and grains, and trees. Ah, Spring has sprung once again!

And along comes Covid-19.

Shelter in place.

We can go for walks, and walk the dogs. We can go to parks – as long as we stay 6 feet away from each other, but basically no large groups. Like a lot of people have heeded that directive. Just when people want to get out and enjoy the Earth awakening after a long slumber during Winter. Break out the shorts and tank tops and running shoes and sandals, suntan lotion and beach towels and volleyball nets, grills and picnic tables. All for the backyard. Shelter in place. Break out the lemonade and iced tea dear, and join me as we reacquaint ourselves to each other and our yard and life before the rat race became the Indianapolis 9000. De-stress. Work from home. It’s really quiet unless you have kids that need schooling. Stress. Cabin fever. And it’s SPRING. Life just so happens.

It’s Spring.

With a twist.

20th May, 2019 Gecko

Most everyone that knows me knows that I love taking photos of animals, mostly dogs, but I do take photos of other animals, too. Since I don’t travel far these days I try to capture what I find around my apartment. This little guy was scampering around one afternoon and I got a few decent images of him but this is the one I like the best. I hope you do, too!

26th Mar, 2019 Tulip Time – Again – Finally

Anyone that knows me knows how much I really enjoy taking photos. I’m not much of a “people” photographer, but I love taking nature photos. I’m not always good at it, but I do enjoy taking those kinds of photos. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to take many photos in the last couple of years because of health issues, most notably with my knees because of arthritis; because of pain in my knees just walking has been a chore and a challenge. In the last 15 months I have had one arthroscopic surgery to repair a meniscus followed by having total knee replacement for both knees, one in November 2018 and the other as emergency surgery at the beginning of February 2019. I went from one kind of pain to another, but at least the “other” is in healing and getting me back up on my feet again. It’s a long process, but I am looking forward to being able to taking more photos and enjoy doing so.

Tulips are my favorite flower and has been since I was a toddler. I love them in all of their plain and fancy glory. Two weeks ago those beautiful flowers bloomed and I wanted so badly to get out and take a few pictures, but I’ve also been hit hard with allergies this year and had little desire to subject myself to flying pollen, but I so wanted to get out and take some before they they disappeared for another year. So, last Sunday I gathered my trusty Nikon D3000 and drove down the road a bit and sought out some tulips and other things to take pictures of. I have to say, it definitely felt good to get out and view nature from behind that digital lens.

5th May, 2017 Sometimes, It Just Happens

Just let it roll and don’t question it.

13th Nov, 2016 How to Photograph the November 2016 Supermoon

The moon.  It hovers above us, hanging out there in space, and mostly goes unnoticed by us until something spectacular happens and we just happen to be in the right place at the right time and then we’re pretty amazed at the object that helps control our tides and keeps the earth in alignment.  And there it is.  Grab your smartphone and take a photo, or two or three.

In the past I have taken photos of the moon, but not of a Supermoon.  Just plain old full moons on the rise.  Like most people, I don’t think about the moon that much.  So, this month, I thought I would make an attempt.  I finally bought a tripod because hand holding a camera while photographing the moon does not always produce a good photo; but I just needed one, anyway.  Since I have never done this before, I can’t guarantee my results will be great, but unless I try, I will never know.

One of the first things I need to do is to find out from which direction the moon will be rising.  For most people this seems simple, but since moving to Dallas 20 years ago I seem to have become directionally challenged.  Oh, I can tell if I’m driving North, South, East, and West – somewhat – but a lot of the time I rely on GPS on my phone.  And I do know about how to tell my direction depending on which side of me the sun is, but standing right outside my door if you tell me to face North, that becomes a problem.  Hence, figuring out where moon rise will be located.  Looking this up online I see that it will be rising in the East-NorthEast at 5:13 PM 11/13/2016 and East-NorthEast at 6:02 PM 11/14/2016.  That shouldn’t be too hard to find.

And then, I need to scout out the best place to take photos.  I need a place that is fairly open, somewhat dark, but with some kind of a landmark, be it buildings, trees, people….some identifiable object besides a blank horizon.  This gives perspective to the size of the moon, as well as making the photo visually appealing.  So, I’ll see what I can come up with.  Of course, the more buildings with lights, the nicer looking the photo, but I prefer open spaces.

I found a good article on photographing the Supermoon at Space.com; Bill Ingalls, a NASA photographer shares some of his tips for taking good photos of this moon.

So, good luck with your moon shots!

22nd Aug, 2016 The Long Hot Summer

I don’t “do” Summer, most especially a hot Summer, and in Texas all Summers are hot.  And dry.  For me, mostly miserable.  As I have gotten older, I now tend to take less photos during the Summer, which is somewhat sad because there are a lot of Summertime things to photograph.  So, this Summer being no different from past ones with the heat has been no different; I didn’t even take photos of my Yorkie because I wouldn’t let her “sunbathe”, which is the time I usually take photos of her.

But, recently I had the opportunity to get a few nice photos of one of the feral cats that hang around the complex.  One of my neighbors feeds about four of them and I have been keeping a dish of water out for them and the squirrels.  This Siamese hasn’t had a good Summer, either, after having lost some weight, either from the heat or from old age, but he’s a pretty cat, and why he’s feral I have no clue.  He’s skittish, though, so taking photos of him isn’t easy, however, the other day he took advantage of some shade behind some bushes and stayed long enough for me to get some photos of him.  Like with most Siamese cats, he has beautiful eyes, and that’s what I focused on the most.

17th May, 2015 Two Ducks

Sometimes, when you least expect it, opportunity knocks, and if you’re lucky, you have your camera handy.

Two ducks.  Swimming pool.  Late afternoon.