Here is another image in my Bird by Bird series- as yet untitled. I’ve had a lot of fun with this series!
This particular image, which started out as a multiple exposure has gone through several iterations. Once this color combination emerged, I knew I was on the right track for what I wanted to create. But I have another version too- I always am attracted to the simplicity of a square crop.
I spotted this little scene at Bodega on our trip to California last month. I’ve added it to a little bird series I’m creating for my small group as part of Find Your Voice. I am always drawn to scenes that include birds, so why not include them in my expressionist images?
The series itself is called Bird by Bird– after the wonderful book on writing by Anne Lamott. I think much of her advice applies to photographers, as well as writers!
This image is part of a series of abstracts I’ve been working on that feature birds. The blog post title is from one of the Shetland mystery series by Ann Cleeves that I love- I haven’t come up with a title for this image as yet. Ideas?
Update: The image is now called Treasure Hunter! I had to come up with a title FAST for my AAUW photography group, and I think it works. . .
A group of pelicans fishing is evidently called a FLEET. This group was not far offshore in Bodega Bay, and I was surprised to see them huddle up like this. It appeared as if one small group found their prey and the others quickly joined them to grab as many fish as they could.
These two were separated from the group for a bit and then joined them.
This might be my favorite of the three photos- because of the “bunny ears” on the right! There are at least six pelicans in the fleet. It looks like it was a good day for fishing!
We took a few hours to go over to the Sonoma Coast last week while we were in California. Since our dating days (over 50 years ago), we have headed over to Bodega Bay to walk the beach and have a bowl of clam chowder at the Tides Restaurant- and every time we come back to the Bay Area we make it a point to return. This time we were greeted by egrets walking through the shallows by the Tides. Of course I had to get my camera and take a few shots of them and also of the sea lions basking on the pier out back. We then broke with tradition and headed over to Spud Point Crab Company for clam chowder on our friend, Jack’s recommendation- and it was delicious!
I took this in-camera multiple exposure several months ago. The bird was gathering nesting materials and going back and forth to the hole in the saguaro. I wasn’t sure about it as a multiple exposure at first, but it has grown on me.
Spotted at Newport Beach
I’m looking back at old photos today, not just because I’ve hardly been out of the house to take new ones, but because I’m looking for a set of photos that I could say are in my photography niche (an assignment for my AAUW photography group). I have several “niches”, I guess, but in the last few years, my favorite place to take photos is at the beach. I like to take photos of beach people, beach birds, and the water itself. This photo is part of my intentional camera movement/slow shutter series of gulls in Alaska. I love the look of the white gull over dark water- and it required almost no editing.
My husband spotted this beautiful hawk in the backyard this evening. He was perched on a low birdhouse- and was eating prey. I took photos through a window, but he was behind branches and, was, well . . . eating. I ended up sneaking out the back door and brazenly going out on the patio with my camera. He heard the door and flew to the top of one of the shepherd’s poles we have in the back. He looked at me, but didn’t seem to recognize me as the source of the noise. He looked all around, and I slunk back into the house. He is gone now.
My bird app tells me this is an immature Cooper’s hawk. I hesitate to post this, because I have had commenters argue back and forth about Cooper’s hawks vs. Sharp Shinned hawks. I will say we have had Cooper’s/Sharp-Shinned hawks in our yard many times over the years, but this is the first immature one I’ve seen.
Just a typical day at Newport Beach…
We saw them! I’ve been reading about the two Mandarin Ducks spotted at Lynx Lake here in Prescott and went out just before Christmas (on icy trails!) to see them. No such luck. We had seen some in Alaska a few years ago, but this would be a first for us in Arizona. Today, thanks to some Phoenix photographers I met up with on the trail, we were able to find them and take photos. They are such pristinely beautiful birds!
Watching egrets on a southern California beach was new to us. We were used to seeing them in the marshes of the Bay Area, but watching them march through the waves on Newport Beach was a whole different experience. I took many more photos than I needed!
This photo taken at Newport Beach tickles my funny bone and makes me smile. It’s even in the place of honor on my iPhone lock screen. If you have an appropriate caption for it, let me know!
We took a quick, last minute trip to Southern California to visit our son’s family before Thanksgiving. We spent a couple days at Newport Beach, spending time each day at the beach and meeting up with the family for the evening. It was so relaxing to be back at one of our favorite spots! The weather was great, the beach not crowded, and we saw lots of beach birds. What was surprising to us as infrequent visitors was that the pelicans were on the beach, not just flying low over the water as we usually see them. We were closer to them than we ever can remember. One of the days we drove up to Huntington Beach, and as we walked on the pier, this fellow landed on the rooftop above us. Soon another joined him, and we had a great time pelican watching. I took so many photos that I not only had to change batteries, but ran out of room on my SD card!
Morning coffee these days means sitting on the front porch watching the monsoon rains or sitting on the back patio and watching the hummingbird show. Today it was the hummingbirds.
We have had more hummingbirds than usual this summer and often they are vying for dominance in their territory. This morning they were zooming around so fast it was difficult to focus. Although they were focused on each other (and the feeder!), I considered they might actually fly right into me as I stood taking photos. As I write this, they are back at it again after a forced respite due to heavy rain.
I was in the mood for a soft photo when I edited this image, so muted the colors and added a blur and a paint filter over all. This is a look I like in photography- but does NOT reflect the mood of these feisty hummers.
melinda anderson photography 