Aug
7
Early Morning Light Photography
Thursday, 2008 · Popularity: 46% · image of the day
Archive for the ‘image of the day’ Category
Jul
30
Humidity, Storms, and Lightning are Back
Wednesday, 2008 · Popularity: 58% · image of the day
We have been in a drought for about two years now. Just over the last few weeks we have finally started to get back those 90% humidity days with afternoon thunderstorms. Finally, the grass, trees, plants, and everything else that needs water is getting a small break.
Taken on Monday night as a storm blew through. It was so nice to see a few storms roll through here in the last few weeks. It has been so long since we have had rain here in the lower south, it is a very welcome sight. It also gives me a great chance to practice my lightning photography.
Tags images, lightning, storms · Comments (1)
Jul
14
Cahaba Lily in Full Summer Bloom
Monday, 2008 · Popularity: 79% · image of the day, journal
We had a nice weekend of hot weather, but it finally started raining. We have been in such a drought that any rain at all is a welcome site. After the rain cleared out our unknown bulb started blooming, rapidly. We were given this and told it was a “4th of July plant” and it started looking very star trek like before the blooms opened.
Cahaba or Shoals Spider Lily
Once the blooms opened we could see that it was indeed what is known locally in Alabama as the Cahaba Lily. Hymenocallis coronaria (Cahaba Lily or Shoals spider-lily), is known within the state of Alabama as the Cahaba Lily (outside the state it is known as the Shoals spider-lily) because it grows on the banks of the Cahaba River. It is actually an Amaryllis bulb and should multiple quite nicely in our garden.
You can see from the image that it has several more blooms to go, hopefully we can get some more rain over the next few days and it should be very happy. What is funny about this Lily is we actually got it from Texas. My father-in-law ordered it online, probably at Jackson & Perkins, but we took it from the box in Texas, back over here to Alabama and planted it in the garden back in March/April.
The image was taken very late in the afternoon. I love photography of flowers, but the conditions have to be just right to be able to get a sharp image, with a good background, and in good light. Especially when photographing a white flower, special care should be taken not to overexpose the white part of the flower.
Tags bloom, flower, images, lily · Comments (2)
Jul
10
Double Knock Out Rose in Bloom
Thursday, 2008 · Popularity: 84% · image of the day, journal
This week has gone by in a blink. Yesterday we planted 5 oak trees before breakfast trying to avoid the mid-morning heat and by about 10am it was to hot to do anything outside. I looked over at our rose bush today, a red Double Knockout Rose (or aka a Double Knock Out Rose) and it was in full bloom.
Thinking again like I was yesterday, I went out to try and capture a photo of the bloom before it got way to hot outside. As my luck would have it, the wind was blowing like crazy.
The Red Double Knock Out Rose Bloom
Normally this time of year they are covered in red double bloom flowers but this one was not planted to long ago and it sat in the hot dry drought we have going on for several weeks looking rather pitiful. Two days ago Deb put some rose food around its base, and now, blooms everywhere.
This variety of rose is a sister to the Knock Out Rose which can get to be a very large, tree, shrub sized rose bush. The Double Knockout is quite a bit smaller and well suited to our very young garden. I took this shot this morning, about 7am, before it got really hot outside.
The wind gave me fits as it decided this morning was the morning to blow, continuously, but I was still able to enjoy a small amount of time to smell the roses this morning before I went to work.
Tags double knockout, flower, images, macro, rose · Comments (0)
Jul
7
A Foggy Summer Morning in Alabama
Monday, 2008 · Popularity: 86% · image of the day, journal
What a busy weekend it was this past week. Being a holiday weekend with the 4th of July on a Friday it was just a little chaotic but all tranquility of a Monday has returned. I think I would have to qualify a Monday or Tuesday in January or February as the most tranquil, but this one will do.
For those of us in the south, the summer bring little rest from the heat but a rare foggy morning is one of those reprieves for July. We have been in a horrible drought for the last few years and this summer has proven to be more of the same, except a few mornings where fog blankets the grass and trees.
Our tree swing has quickly become one of my favorite places to eat breakfast and today, it wasn’t cool, but it wasn’t hot either. I took the photo of the tree swing about 5:30am right out my bed room window, and by the time I grabbed a bowl of cereal most of the fog had burned off, but still left a quiet misty pasture to look at while I ate.
The spider webs I just love early in the morning. They are transformed into some pearly design only nature can create. Now as I write this post, it is full blasting sun at what feels like 95* or higher. Guess if we didn’t have the heat the cool foggy mornings would get boring, but I don’t think so.
Jun
3
Low Light Fireworks Photography
Tuesday, 2008 · Popularity: 61% · image of the day, low light
Low light photography is probably one of my favorite genres of photography. It has so many possibilities and you can really get something special that the eye doesn’t always notice. One easy way to try out low light photography is with the upcoming 4th of July holiday for those here in the U.S.
The camera is going to record any light source you have, so the bright lights of a fireworks display or something like this sparkler above is good place to start. The only light source in the photo above is the sparkler, but notice it also is enough to light up the subject as well.
This week I am going to try to highlight several more low light images for the image of the day post. You can also see these on my low light gallery on flickr. What is your favorite type of image? Landscape, nature, people?
Tags fireworks, images, low light · Comments (0)
Jun
2
Bachelor Loop Road in Creede, a Must See
Monday, 2008 · Popularity: 62% · image of the day
I finally got back around to doing the photo of the day. This image is from a trail called Bachelor Loop that runs from the town center of Creede Colorado up into the mountain that overlooks the city, then back down the other side.
It is an incredible drive as far as scenery goes, but you better leave your nerves behind and make sure your have a 4-wheel drive vehicle, at least in the colder months. The road here in front of the cabin is the loop road, which narrows greatly as you go up the mountain.
This image of the cabin just calls out Colorado to me. Isolated at times, in the mountains, dirt roads, beautiful surroundings. Colorado has some incredible places to visit.
Now Available on Auburn Images Photography
I have started to add my images like this image of the day, current, and past photo shoots to my business gallery, called Auburn Images Photography. You can see additional images here as I add them to Flickr, or just click on the link at the top of this blog called gallery. Enjoy.
Tags cabin, colorado, creede, forest, images, wood · Comments (0)
May
19
Beauty of Fire in the Clouds
Monday, 2008 · Popularity: 29% · image of the day
This week I will do a shortened version of the Image of the Day, today being the only one, at least on the blog. You can follow several images I will post throughout the week via Twitpic on Twitter if you so desire.
I took this shot a few years ago and I am always amazed at what the cloud formations can turn into so quickly. This image in the clouds during a sunset lasted only a few minutes, but it was enough for me to pull out the camera and take a shot of the fire in the clouds.
The beauty of the sun in the clouds, but it is really cool when it opens up like this and displays something that none of us can reproduce ourselves.
Tags clouds, images, sunset · Comments (0)
May
16
Colorado Columbine, Always Beautiful
Friday, 2008 · Popularity: 40% · image of the day
There are a few wildflowers that really capture a state, and the top two that come to mind are the Texas Bluebonnets and the Colorado Columbine. The Colorado Columbine is actually native to Canada but has really become a symbol of Colorado since it was adopted as the official state flower on April 4, 1899 by an act of the General Assembly.
The Colorado Columbine Flower in Bloom
This flower has so many different faces and can be photographed in so many different poses that one shot does not do this flower justice. Below is the classic head on shot as I like to call it.
When trying to shoot closeup images of flowers it is great if you can get the green leaves in the background as this will make the flower pop off the page. I managed to get a little green in the bottom right corner but would have loved that all the way around the image.
What are your favorite wildflowers of the Spring and Summer months?
Tags colorado, columbine, flower, images · Comments (2)
May
14
An Empty Beach is So Peaceful
Wednesday, 2008 · Popularity: 20% · image of the day
This is just one of probably 5,000 images I have of an empty beach. People often tell me they can’t find any beaches without big crowds anymore, especially here in the continental U.S., but I beg to differ. More often than not, Deborah and I find ourselves on a beach with less than 10 people in a 5 square mile area.
They are certainly nice places still left, you just have to look. This is one of our favorites spots, and it is usually empty all year long with white sand and no trash. It is COLD in the winter winds, but still a great place to spend an afternoon, and today, it is the image of the day.
Tags beach, images · Comments (1)