A Visit from a Barred Owl

Barred Owl

A few years ago, we had a barred owl come to visit us. My husband was hoping he would stay around and catch some of the squirrels in our yard. He was disappointed. We didn't see him after this, but they don't usually spend their time hunting in the daytime.

The barred owl appeared to be enjoying the sun as it was going down. It stayed there quite awhile, and didn't mind me coming around to take pictures of him. We don't get to see these birds very often, which made this a special experience for me. One of those special moments for me that God gives us sometimes.

This is the week following Christmas. My family is still enjoying Christmas together. May God bless you and your family at this time of year, and in  the coming year.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, 
who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
 ~ John 1:14

The King at Christmas

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: 

The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, 

and will call him Immanuel (God with us). (Isaiah 7:14)

In the beginning was the Word, and  the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

He was with God in  the beginning.

Through Him all things were made;

without Him nothing was made that has been made.

In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.

The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. (John 1:1-5)

The true light that gives light to every man 

was coming into the world. 

He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him,

 the world did not recognize Him. 

He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. 

Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, 

He gave the right to become children of God 

— children born not of natural descent, 

nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. 

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. 

We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, 

who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:9-14)

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. 

And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, 

 Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.

 He will reign on David's throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. 

The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:6-7) 

... that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

 in heaven and on earth and under the earth, (Philippians 2:10)

Photo Opportunities at the Bird Feeder

Bluejay

Red Breasted Nuthatch

White Breasted Nuthatch

Black-capped Chickadee

A great way to practice your photography is taking pictures of the birds at the birdfeeders. We get quite a few of them in the winter. To make them look as though they aren't right at the feeder, I put out several different branches to have them land on before getting the seed - this opened it up for some good pictures. 


The chicadees and red breasted nuthatches were tame enough to land on my hand for seed. One year I was up to a 1/4 kilometre away from home, and they still flew around me looking for food.


The only picture that was not taken near our birdfeeder was the chicadee, even though it comes to our birdfeeding station the most. This chicadee was preparing a nest in the springtime - making a hole in a small dead tree. It was very interesting to watch as it kept going into the hole, and hollowing it out even more. It would squeeze into the hole, work on making the hole bigger, then turn around and squeeze its way out of the hole with its beak full. Fascinating!


May you have a blessed Christmas, remembering the true reason for the season. 

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus,

 because He will save His people from their sins.

Matthew 1:21

Ducks in our "Front Yard"

... and this is how you walk ...




Merganzer

A drippy duck

We have many mallard ducks in our area, and often see them with their small ducklings. I took the top picture several years ago, and was pleasantly surprised to see the duckling looking like it was copying its mother. I realize the duckling is not in focus, but I don't think it detracts from the picture.

The merganzer mother was difficult to catch with the camera. She had her ducklings with her and was anxious to get down the lake, and around the dock where I was sitting. At this point you see her when she's fairly calm, but later she speeds up and has her ducklings "running" on  the water behind her. You can see this picture at the top of my blog.


The third photo shows the water coming off of a duck just after it had dipped its head underwater. In looking through some of my older pictures, I can see that I've been able to get sharper pictures as I've gained experience. It's hard to focus on a bird's eye, but it makes such a difference when you do.

No matter where we are, we can look around and see the evidence of God in His creation. There are so many opportunities to take photos. One of the ways to make sure you get to capture pictures of wildlife is to have your camera with you as much as possible. You never know when an opportunity will arise. As the Christmas season is coming, remember that God is the One who made the wildlife and us ... and He loves us. He sent His Son here to this earth ... for you and me.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

The Elusive Loon

I think I had a gremlin in my computer. I was working on this page, and somehow it disappeared. I wasn't aware that it uploaded to my blog, so it went out before I was finished. Working with computers can be such a treat sometimes.

We have a couple of loons on our lake so it's common for us to see them. But it's much more difficult to take their pictures. I often get pictures of  them from a distance, but not close enough to get a clear, sharp photo. The best way for me to get pictures is to go out in the canoe in the early morning as the fog is rising. They seem much more willing to have me come around them, and will sometimes circle the canoe. When we are out in  the boat, it's too difficult. We can still go by fairly close, but if we slow down, or turn the motor off ... they move on. 


This is one challenge I enjoy. There are others in our lives that are not so enjoyable, but we can rest assured that we don't face these challenges on our own if we have put our trust in the Lord. He is always there for us.

He promises ... I will never leave you nor forsake you.

A Visit with a Great Blue Heron

For the month of December, I plan to upload some of my favourite bird pictures I've taken in previous years. I've been going back to see if some of the things I've learned about editing can be used for working with the photos. Some of these were taken with the first camera I had, which was a Fuji FinePix - 3 mp. Digital cameras have come a long way since then.

I also thought it would be good to have these on my blog so that I can look back at them in the future ... part of improving my work. 

I had quite an experience with this Great Blue Heron. It was standing on the end of our dock, and it let me get up to about 8 feet from it. It wasn't in a hurry to leave, and I was able to get into the boat beside the dock and take pictures of it. It let me stay there for quite awhile before it decided to fly away. I didn't realize until I saw the pictures later that it showed his tongue ... quite a long tongue.  


It was an amazing experience - a once in a lifetime moment. We have several great blue herons around here, but I've never had such a close up experience before or since.

God provides so many different kinds of animals and birds for us to look at and enjoy. We have so much to be thankful for. As we approach the busy-ness of Christmas, let us take time to enjoy God's creation and remember the true reason for Christmas.

... let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.

Genesis 1:21

Bubbles and Water Drops

I'm having some trouble with my blog, so this may end up getting posted twice.
The last set of pictures I thought I'd show this month is of water drops within soap bubbles, and one milk drop within a soap bubble. You would think that a water drop landing on a soap bubble would make the soap bubble break, but it very rarely does that. Normally the drop goes through the bubble with no trouble at all, and does its usual crowns and posts. You can see in the bottom picture how the post that comes up actually pushes up the bubble, but neither the bubble or the post breaks. Amazing! 

Many things happen in this world that we aren't even aware of. Before I started taking the water drop pictures, I had no idea that they have a process they go through when they drop into a liquid. I don't believe this happens by chance. God is in control of even the smallest things in life.

God's handiwork ... seen in small things

Milk Drops

Milk drops ... wow! What a difference in the look compared to water drops. I moved the light around a bit to get a different look, which is what you see when you compare the first 2 pictures with the third. I especially like the one with the two drops. They look like little pearls to me.

My husband put a cupboard and counter top into my office, so it is nice to be able to set the equipment up and leave it up for awhile. I'm still using a plastic bag to hold the liquid and have the drip come from a hole in the bottom. I'm looking for another way to do it (without costing a lot of money). One of these days, I'm hoping to manage to have the two drops collide.

I think it's wonderful that God has given us the ability to take photos of such small objects. He is interested in the little things, which reminds me that He's interested in the little things in our lives, as well as the big things. Nothing is too small for us to go to Him about. He loves us!

For by Him (God) all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him.

Colossians 1:16

Reflections

I've been enjoying taking the water drop pictures. Each time I set up for taking the photos, the set up gets easier. And the more I do, the more I realize that there is so much more to learn ... I'd really like to try getting the two drops crashing together. So far I have not used any special equipment: camera, lens, flash off of the camera, bag of water dripping into a container, and my own timing. The timing can be fun as you  try to "capture" the picture you want.

Each water drop is different, and looks different depending on the background it is reflecting or refracting. The flash is aimed at the background, which makes the surface of the water reflect the background, and the drop shows the background (upside down). If we are Christians, we should have Christ shining through us. All of us look different, but He should still be shining through us. Others should see Him in us. Do people see Him in me? Do people see Him in you?

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Galatians 2:20 



Liquid Crowns

During November, I thought I would show some of my water drop pictures again. I had a chance to do these in October, and had some fun getting pictures of crowns and water drops. I used different backdrops to make the different colours and designs. It takes awhile to catch the pictures of the crowns. Timing is not always easy. The last one was a milk drop ... interesting difference. I think it looks like a bowl.

There will be a time when we will meet our Creator and Lord. If we are Christians, we can receive crowns when we go to heaven, and we will present these to Him ... These water drop and milk crowns may be interesting to look at, but they are nothing compared to the heavenly crowns.  

 

Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, 

 will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

~  2 Timothy 4:8

Views from our "front yard"

 Across the road from our place is a lake ... so we often think of it as our front yard. We are able to do so many things there ... boating ... tubing ... canoing ... swimming ... campfires ... stargazing ... walks on the ice ... skating ... and the list goes on. The view is different each time we are out. Amazing skies!

I took these pictures a few weeks ago. The last picture is of the moon rising over the hill. The scenery and sunsets in the fall are gorgeous and are different every time we are out there.  It can be fun trying to capture the colours in a photo. It can be very rewarding and encouraging to be able to look back at the photos and remember the sunsets.

The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky proclaims his handiwork. Psalm 19:1

Algonquin's blue skies

Algonquin Park

Work has been very busy, which has affected how much photography I can do. However, I am able to take some time to look at pictures I took through the summer.

I used my polarizer filter for this picture. It really helps to bring out the blues in the picture and have the clouds "pop" out more, which is the way I wanted this picture to look. It was such a beautiful day, so clear and the sky and lake so blue. I wanted to continue to stay in the canoe a lot longer.

When I am out in nature like this, it makes me very thankful for the creation that God has provided for us. Even more amazing than His creation is the fact that He sent His only Son here to earth to die for me ... what an amazing and loving God.

For God so loved the world, that He gave his one and only Son,

 that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

~ John 3:16

Settings: 1/250, f/11, ISO 100 

Arrowhead Provincial Park

We were able to spend a weekend camping at Arrowhead Provincial Park during the last weekend of September. The scenery was beautiful, and the colours were at their peak. It was hard to capture the colours the way I wanted to, but it was fun trying. Everywhere we turned, there seemed to be more pictures that I wanted to take.  

I was shooting in Raw mode for these pictures. It gives you many more options when it comes to the post processing. I have shot in Raw before, but am trying to do more of it now.

For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth ...  ~ Colossians 1:16

Scenes in West Guilford

Grass Lake, West Guilford, Ontario

This month I'm going to highlight some of the scenery we see in our area in Ontario. Everywhere we look around us, we see gorgeous scenery, especially at this time of the year. This picture was taken within about 5 minutes by boat from our home ... we don't have to go far to enjoy God's creation. You can see His creation wherever you are.

When you're in a boat, it's hard to hold the camera still enough for the picture. The Image Stabilizer  on the camera can help with this. If you are looking for a lens, I would recommend having one with an Image Stabilizer. 

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for! 

The firmament shows His handiwork ... God's handiwork.

Family in the Sun

Family in the sun ... Taking time for family and loved ones is what God wants us to do. When we do this, He shows us the beauty in our family and around us. With Thanksgiving coming, it is good to be reminded of all that we can be thankful for.

This picture was a bit of an "oops". I realized after I took the picture that I shouldn't have taken this with automatic settings, or made sure that I got my focus from their faces. The camera picked up its focus from the building. Focusing on  their faces, and holding the shutter button half way down, then recomposing, would have made their faces sharper. However, I still like the softness of their faces. I also thought that if the background wasn't overexposed the way it is, the picture might have been too busy.

You have put gladness in my heart.  ~ Psalm 4:7

Settings: 1/40, f/4.5, ISO 100

Afternoon at the Lake

Afternoon times at the lake. One of those memories we like to have during the long winter months. This girl was fascinated with the ducks, and spent quite a bit of time watching them. Shooting in the direction of the sun made her look silhouetted for the picture.

Building memories for children is an important part of raising our children. God gives us this opportunity to raise them for Him ... we need to spend time with them.

 Grandchildren are like a crown to older people ...  ~ Proverbs 17:6

Settings: 1/320, f/11, ISO 100

Little boys

Little boys ... shy ... not sure about having his picture taken? He just didn't want it to take too long to have his picture taken and wondered when he could get down.  Little boys are given to us from God. God makes each of us unique ... looks ... personality ... attention spans ...and He loves us.

I was thinking that the Lord Jesus Christ was young like this when He was here on this earth. His parents raised Him along with brothers, and other members of their families. He had cousins, ate meals with family, played, and learned to do carpentry with his earthly father.

And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. ~  Luke 2:51

Settings: 1/200, f/10, Bounced flash

Portraits of children

Now that I'm back in my "day" job, it's getting harder to find time for photography and writing in this blog. My goal is to add a new picture each week. Recently I had the chance to take some portraits of several children. This month I'll add some of these photos.

This little girl enjoyed posing for the camera, so I had more opportunity to work with the lighting for her photo. It was taken outdoors, in the shade, and I bounced the flash off of a gold reflector.
 
I'm reminded that children are a gift from God, and that He loves each one of them. We need to treat each of our children as a gift, and raise them for Him.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them,

for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14

Settings: 1/80, f/5.6, ISO 100, Flash (bounced off gold reflector)

Bubbles and little boys

Bubbles and little boys ... I don't know very many little boys who don't like water. I'm sure he would like to have actually enjoyed being in the bubble. However, he was definitely enjoying the water. I used Photoshop Elements to put the two pictures together ... still learning.
Would you like to live your life in a bubble?

Children are a gift from God ... Psalm 127:3

Bubble picture setting: 1/200, f/5.6, ISO 100, No IS, Manual focus, Flash: Manual 1/16

Breaking into a Water Bubble

This was something that fascinated me. It shows the water drop entering the water bubble. Normally we would think that the water bubble would break at this point. I think I'd like to try some more of these when I get time. I'm amazed at how God puts beauty into small things, and things that we can't see with our own eyes. When you look at this happening, you just see a splash. Stopping the action shows so many different things that we don't see. God provides beauty all around us.

The earth is the Lord's, and all that is in it ... Psalm 24:1

Settings: 1/200, f/5.6, ISO 100, Manual focus, No IS, Flash: Manual 1/16

Water Drop, Bubble and Glass

I've wanted to try this for awhile - putting a water droplet into a glass, and since I've tried a bubble in other pictures, I combined the three of them. I used the tungsten White Balance because I wanted the blue colour. It took awhile to get this as the bubble didn't always cooperate.

Settings: 1/200, f/29, ISO: 100, Manual focus, No IS, Flash: Manual 1/16, White background

Water Bubbles

Bubbles and coloured backgrounds. I like the looks of the patterns within the bubbles. It's amazing how perfect the sphere is when a bubble is sitting on water.

I will not be publishing any more pictures for a week, as we are going camping. Hope to take some pictures while we are away.

Settings: 1/200, f/5.6, ISO 100, Flash: Manual 1/16, Manual Focus





Lily with water drop

I really enjoy the lilies in our yard. This is one our daughter gave me. When it first started, there were only about 1 to 3 blooms on it. Now there are well over 30. They are almost out of season, so I thought I should try getting a water drop with the lily. I've tried taking pictures of flowers with water drops in front of them before, and had difficulty with them. One or the other would be out of focus. This time, I changed my aperture to 29 (just kept making the aperture smaller until it was the exposure I wanted). This time, the flower and the water drop were both sharper.

Settings: 1/200, f/29, Flash: manual 1/16, Manual focus, No IS, ISO 100

More Water Drops

I hadn't tried using a background of wrapping paper before ... this was one of my first attempts. I often wondered how people got the coloured variety in their picture, so was glad to learn how to do this. I found that I had to change the aperture setting depending on how bright the wrapping paper and design was. I enjoy watching the different shapes that come up when you take a picture of a water drop falling into the water. It's amazing the way God has arranged even the smallest of drops.

Settings: 1/200, f/5.6, ISO: 100, Manual focus, Flash: 1/16

Water Drops

I decided to try my hand at water drops again, as I won't have much time once I'm back at work. For this shot I stuck a flower to the white back drop and bounced my flash off of it. This is what put the reflection of the flower into the water drop. I have a Canon EOS Rebel T1i, and an 18-200 mm lens.  I found using Raw made the post production slower, but so much nicer when you can change the White Balance in the computer.

Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees ... Genesis 1:11

Settings: 1/200, F29; Manual Focus (turned off IS), Raw format, Flash: Manual 1/16.

Welcome!

I'm new at blogging, and still fairly new at photography, which is an exciting challenge and hobby for me. God has given us so much to look at and enjoy, and photography allows us to capture some of this in photos.
I thought I could use this to record some of my journey as I am learning about photography. I plan to upload some of my pictures that I am taking. There should be some changes as I go, I hope. As we learn, there should be improvement in what we do.

In the beginning, God created ... Genesis 1:1