Another potpourri of stuff taken in the last couple of weeks. I found wild blooms in the neighborhood common areas, the neighborhood cherry tree bloomed, and my azalea bushes began to bloom. I also found some blooms at one of the county parks where I walk, and, lastly, I tried a sunrise shoot with just my phone and a light tripod.
A group from the North Georgia Photography Club (NGPC), the Atlanta Photo Club and others went to the zoo in Atlanta for an afternoon using cameras to shoot the fauna and flora. I used primarily my 100-400 mm lens, but there were moments I was tempted to change to my short (16-80 mm ) lens due to how close the animals were to the viewers. We had a clear sky, so there were some very harsh lighting situations, and I struggled to find a decent exposure most of the time. But it was a great afternoon.
Having finally gotten vaccinated, I’m starting to go out more than for the past year. Here are a few shots from sunrises, spring flowers beginning to bloom around the neighborhood and a hike with the Sonny Day Hikers to Keown Falls and Johns Mountain.
This was a slow month for my photography, due in part to the weather and in part to a general malaise on my part. I just didn’t find much motive to get out walking or hiking or anything else.
But I did get a few decent pictures, and the daffodils did pop up and bloom at the end of the month. A couple of mornings had very good sunrise light, and the blooms were full and well lit also.
I did not get out nearly as much as I wanted due to the weather, the epidemic and general laziness. Still, I did get a few good shots.
The first are from a foggy morning at sunrise in West Bank Park with a couple others from the North Georgia Photography Club. The fog meant we were limited to black and white compositions, so that’s what I shot. The fog was clearing on the way home, so I stopped at Caney Creek to see what I might find. The sun through the fog and trees is that shot.
A bit later, we had a good frost, so I went looking for ice crystals, and some were there on the photinia bush near the garage.
And I walked some along the greenway, and, one one afternoon,I found a wood duck and a robin.
And lastly, I witnesses a terrific sunrise over the lake.
I did not do a great deal of photography this month due to both the epidemic and the weather. It has been relatively cold, there has not been a whole lot of color in the sky nor the trees, and I just wasn’t motivated.
But I did try out a Tamron 100-400 mm lens, and I got some wonderful images with it.
Only one really good sunrise, that on the 23rd.
November was an awkward month for photography. I did not have many opportunities to shoot, and I was using my older camera while the newer one was being repaired. I did get the D7500 back for the horseshow, and now all is well.
I did get out for some sunrise shots. I also rented a 100-400 mm lens, which turns out to be just what I want/need.
A variety of shots, some fall color, some flowers, some other stuff.
First is shots taken on a hike along Sopes Creek with the Sonny Day Hikers in late October. Not a great deal to photograph. I tried to get some shots of the mill ruins, but I could not find a vantage point I liked. So I shot the water and reflections.
Second is from an outing with the North Georgia Photography Club to Ana-Ruby Falls, the Richard Russell Scenic Highway and Vogel State Park. The sun was very harsh, and I did not find much inspiration for shooting.
Last is some shots around the yard over a few days. We have more late blooms than most years, so it is fun to look to see what’s going on.
A trip to three waterfalls in search of both good water and good color. The falls were very full due to recent rains, the sky was very, very bright due to no clouds (duh!), and the color was not yet as good as it will get. So good but not great overall.
The venues were Dick’s Creek Falls in Lumpkin County, DeSoto Falls and Helton Creek Falls. All places I have been multiple times before, but I had not been to any of them for a few years. So it was good to go back and see the changes, which were few.
Another hike with the Sonny Day Hikers, less Sonny, on a bright sunny day. It was a simply hikes as hikes go, being almost entirely on paved surfaces, but the spiders were what made the hike. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of webs, most with active spiders, all along the trail around the lake. It was amazing. We also say turtles, egrets, geese, snails, one deer and the occasional squirrel.