Vine

Virginia Creeper vine on abandoned shed

bike

I don't really do "urban" photography, mostly because we don't live in a very urban area, and rural photography is my preference anyway. I spied this bike sitting in front of the local Long John Silver's restaurant weeks ago, but was too shy trying to take a picture of it. The sign on the restaurant caught my eye, and that bike added something special to the whole thing. I pass this spot every Friday night when I go grocery shopping, and every time since I first noticed it weeks ago, the bike was either not there when I drove by, or there was a car parked in front of it, obstructing the shot.  Tonight it just happened to be there, so I thought I better take advantage of the situation. Several things could be better about this image, like the placement of the bike and the lighting, but sometimes you just have to work with what you have. It was a big deal for me just to stand there with my little point-and-shoot and take the picture, since I'm more of a "private" shooter, not really liking others to see me while I shoot (I imagine much the same as someone might feel self conscious being watched while they are painting).

Overall, the shot is not as awesome as I had hoped it would be, but I'm still glad I took it anyway.

dandelion collage

I've taken so many dandelion photos recently that I thought it might be nice to make a collage of them. I put this one together with the aid of Picasa (i.e. choose pictures and click a button), but it's not quite what I had imagined. I might have to try a different one that I put together myself.

look up

Itty-bitty baby oak leaves
Southeast Ohio, April 25, 2010

dandelion sunset

Transformation

Remember this?


Now... it looks like this

Taking chances

Sometimes I let my camera do the seeing for me, especially when my subject is close to the ground and turning my head upside down doesn't seem like the best idea. I never know what's going to happen when I take pictures in this way, but there are always some pleasant surprises, like the sunlight streaming through these Wild Phlox flowers. Taking chances is one of the best things you can do with your camera. Get out there and play!