Pops Digital
The Beeline
Beeline (noun) 1. direct, straight course. 2. To move swiftly in a direct, straight course.
One of my “quests” this summer was to capture a bee in flight. They’re small, quick and errattic. Hard to catch in focus. So far, none of my efforts have come close to what I would deem, “successful.”
The image above is the best I’ve managed…so far…and it was by accident. (That happens more than I might like to admit.)
I was taking photos around a flower bed beside our house. While I was changing camera settings, I accidentally pressed the shutter button. A that exact moment, a bee happened to be zipping into the frame…and voilá.
If I were trying for it, I wouldn’t try in black and white, but looking at this, I really like the intensity it creates. The bee – with his straight antennae, trailing legs and blurred wings – looks like he is on a do-or-die mission and will not be denied.
To see a larger version of this image, just click on it.
To see more bee photos, check out the Bugs & Spiders gallery.
Where Fairies Live
These sprites were gracious to greet us and pose for pictures at the Green Bay Botanical Gardens. Though they seem pretty relaxed, they are obviously very conscientious about their public image and work hard at keeping up their home and garden landscaping.
You can enjoy a larger view of either image by simply clicking on it.
Kewaunee Lighthouse Fly By
Botanicals
Sunrise Brushstrokes
This was an image I snapped on my way to church Sunday morning, September 11, 2011. The clouds reminded me of the strokes from an artist’s paintbrush.
These are is the piers and lighthouse of the Algoma, WI harbor. The sun, rising above a calm Lake Michigan.
Early morning fishermen are starting to populate the piers as salmon begin their annual to come in to spawn up river. I took this photo around 6:30 am.
If this image appeals to you – by all means – share it with your friends. (Thanks.)
Click the image to view a larger version.
Gazing Beyond
It’s all in the eyes. This ring-tailed lemur obviously had his mind on other things. This is one picture, I think , is worth a thousand or so words.
What do you imagine he’s thinking about? Is he working calculus problems in his head? Fondly remembering a long lost love? Thinking ahead of an upcoming vacation on a secluded, tropical island? Fresh bananas?
I don’t know exactly what he was thinking about. Your guess is as good as mine.
For a better view, click the image to be taken to a larger version.
Risin’ and Shinin’
Brown-eyed Beauty
quest, (noun) 1. The act or an instance of seeking or pursuing something; a search.
I have been on a quest this summer…to find and photograph a butterfly. Seems simple enough. (Yeah, right.)
Every now and then I get a photographic target in my head. One of my targets this summer has been a butterfly image worthy of posting on this blog. Judging by the number of butterflies I’ve seen, much less snapped, butterflies have to be top candidates for some endangered species list. Of the very few I have seen, I’ve not been able to get a good, in-focus, shot of one.
In the last few days, I’ve spotted a few in a vacant field next to my work place. I trudged through the waist high weeds, trying to sneak up on them. They are skittish, flighty little buggers. When I did get one in focus, I couldn’t seem to get a good angle on it…where you can see the wings spread and colors displayed.
This image, though short of my ideal, is the best I’ve been able to come up with and the only one I’ve felt worthy of sharing. And, since it’s not my ideal, the quest will continue.
To get a better view of that brown-eyed beauty, click the image.
By a Thread
In the spider world, this is a common character. I’ve found and photographed this type in our gardens in Wisconsin. This one was photographed in the woods of Missouri.
We typically refer to this as a Garden Spider. If you want to get technical, it’s a Black and Yellow Argiope (argiope aurantia).
If it won’t creep you out, you can view a larger version of this image by simply clicking on the photo.
Anglers in the Grey
These anglers were at it early on a Saturday morning – fishing from the end of the Kewaunee, WI pier.
I’ve posted several other images taken on this same morning – in color and B&W. See Early Amber Rising, Gold Rush, Compelling Clouds over Kewaunee and Summertime Sunrise.
To get a better view of the fishermen, click the photo to see a larger image.