A bird in the hand...

The weather forecast called for rain and +6 today. It was enough that there was a chance that there might be fog along the lake shore for Jane to get up at the crack of silly and meet me at Lynde Shores this morning for a couple of hours of photography. We very nearly had the entire place to ourselves. Everyone else must have stayed home - including much of the wildlife.

We saw the usual suspects, of course, with a couple of interesting exceptions.




There was this poor fellow above who was missing part of his beak. There was a female mallard who was missing a foot, but she seemed to get around just fine and there was a black squirrel with only a third of a tail, although by the girth of him, it wasn't affecting his ability to eat at all! Makes one wonder what happened to the poor creatures...


Then there was this guy - not a sob story, just a strange thing to see. I have never seen this ever before, and I've seen my fair share of chickadees.



This is a white-tailed black cap chickadee. Only one I saw there, and, the only one I've ever seen in my life. Apparently they are quite rare, but are known to happen from time to time from the brief bit of research I did online when I got home.



Here's the rest of the day's catch:

- Paula

Let them eat...steak?

Hell yes!

In appreciation of their above and beyond behaviour at Thursday night's Pet's Photography workshop, that too-cute twosome and their not-so-stationary side kick, Toby, will dine on a repast of strip steak, egg noodles and veggies for their dinner tonight.

I just hope they remember why they're getting so spoilled...

Honestly, their dinner looks, and SMELLS, better than what WE had for dinner!

- Paula

I have the most incredible dogs...ever

Last night was the "Pet Photography" workshop with our NDPA (North Durham Photographers' Association) camera club. I had volunteered Monty & Quinn as models, assuring Jon, our workshop guru, that they would be on their bestest behaviour and would stay put where and when told.

I sensed that Jon was skeptical, but since the only other models offered were turtles and snakes, he took us up on the offer.

Well, my furkids did not disappoint.

Although the photo above is not from last night's shoot - we didn't take any so that we could look after the dogs while others shot - this is a photo of Quinn (middle) and Monty (right) with Toby (left) doing just what they did last night. They were incredibly patient and SOOO well behaved!

All those years of training really paid off!

I'm so thrilled with them all.

What good dogs. :o)


- Paula

Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. Groucho Marx

This blog isn't really about reading, it's about photography, naturally!


Part of my 9-5 work day includes shooting real estate photography, which I've been doing for about 8 years now and really enjoy it (except for when I have to slog through thigh-deep snow to shoot a rural property, but that's fodder for anyother post another time).


Check out the living room of this house I shot yesterday...




Doesn't it make you just want to curl up on that couch with a good book and a hot cup of tea? All that's missing is a cat sleeping in the rocking chair. :)


- Paula

How Lucky Am I?

How lucky am I that my hubby and I share an interest in something after almost 20 years together? How extraordinarily lucky am I that we actually share TWO common interests? Now, I don't mean to insinuate that couples together many years have nothing in common, only that I think it's incredible that there are things that we can do together, that we both want to do equally as much as the other and that we enjoy doing them together.

For many years now, we have attended car shows together on summer weekends and have met a great number of wonderful people and spent a lot of time together either driving in one car to a show open to only one brand or the other (here is one area where we differ - I'm a Chrysler gal and he's a Ford boy), or, if the show was one we could enter both of our cars in, we chat on the two-way radios all the way there and back.

Now, in the past year or so, although we have both dabbled in it to varying extents for many years, we have now taken a keen interest in photography, joining a couple of local clubs and becoming immersed in them. When not busy with work, we can often be found out with cameras in hand searching for elusive shots or experimenting with new concepts and techniques. Sharing and working together.

Together. What an amazing thing. I am truly blessed.

-Paula

Architecture or Bust !

It was a wonderful day for some index finger exercise. We've been hoping for a nice sunny day to get out and concentrate on our O.C.C. assignment, which is architecture. You would think that would be easy for me, but it was trying to say the least. The day was perfect.... Sunny....Warm and we wouldn't have too far to go. I managed to accomplish getting some good shots which should make the rest of our O.C.C. team happy.



After a few hours of architecture, we decided to make it to one of our regular spots for some nature pics.


- Darryl

What a spectacular day!

Well, after trying for weeks to get out on a nice day, on a weekend, to take a few final architecture shots for an up-coming Oshawa Camara Club assignment, we finally did it today, and what a perfect day - - other than the snow! We have been hammered this year with above average snowfall and it's really showing. Today was a nice treat dispite the snow as the sun shone pretty much the whole day, and the temperature got up to a reasonably balmy +5. Snow was melting, icicles were dripping, birds were singing - it was fantastic.

I didn't get a lot of great shots. I got a lot for our theme and will make a few of them work.

We ended up at Lynde Shores eventually, as we often do.

Here is my "coulda bin" shot, if the bird hadn't pick the exact moment I get him in focus to turn the other way on the branch.

*sigh*

Here's one that on second inspection, actually isn't too bad...

-Paula