Moon on the Rise

I was reading that one of the most photographed objects in the sky was the moon. It's not too easy of a photo to take. You must have a very steady tripod and a remote shutter release. Most importantly, it has to be a very clear night to catch the details. This shot, for you photo folks out there,was taken with a Nikon D 90 w a 300mm telephoto lens, no UV filter, no vibration reduction, manual settings 1/250, F11 ISO Lo.3 and auto WB is probably the best setting.

Flower and the Fly

This is a birdseye view of a backyard bug having a sugar boost in a flower no more than the size of a dime.

Orchid

It was a long fun weekend of taking snapshots of people. In the midst if it all, the orchids in our kitchen bloomed. I thought I would share a closeup shot.

Springtime Backyard Flowers

So I am trying out a new Manfrotto tripod as to achieve a more steady platform for close-up photos. Best place to try this and not embarrass myself is in our backyard. Here are some close-up of various flowers in the yard. Next week is promising to be a bit more exciting.

Pansy

Hydrangeas

Obviously not a flower but an Iron Butterfly

We must have had this old little bird house for years. Never been used probably because of our family cat, Socks.

Now where is that Tweety-bird says Socks...Here birdy, birdy..

Just the Beginning

Greetings! This is my launch into photo blogging. I plan on posting a new photo at least twice a week. This is the first of, I hope, many postings where we will explore photographs of many different types. I am going to take my first professional photo class in June, 2012 and hopefully we will see improvement in my creativity. I shoot with a Nikon D 90 using a variety of Nikkor lenses. I also use Adobe Photoshop CS 4 for photo editing. 

I will tell you the story behind each of the shots sometimes brief, sometimes not. Please note, if you wish to use my photos, I would just ask that you e-mail me for permission. None can be used for commercial purposes without my express written permission.

Let's start with a few of my previous photos.

The pier leading out to the cement ship SS Palo Alto in Aptos, CA

 A sneaky photo of a Parisian woman at a cafe in Montemarte, France

 Mustard in the Sonoma Valley of California

 A lioness in the Masai Mara, Kenya

 A close up flower in our backyard

Mustard fields of Sonoma, CA

Our new puppy, Otis practicing his running skills!

Sunflower in our backyard...