A hearty thank you to Patti, who leads the challenge this week asking us to “explore diagonals as a way to add visual interest and depth to our photos, as well as a sense of action.” For this challenge I limited myself only to photos taken in 2022. Some I have featured before on Wordless Wednesday. Others are new. I invite you to visually jump into the scene and I hope you enjoy the views!
Standing on a point above Odell Lake, I wanted to focus on the beautiful color of the water. A deer trail, the angle of a tree trunk and tree limbs help draw our eye there.
Our sun was rising in the east as bands of clouds hovered above the intersection of beach and dune berm, creating a dramatic glow.
An almost full moon lingers at almost sunrise on Odell Lake, Oregon. The lines of the dock (left) and the breakwater (right) point our attention toward the little bit of moonlight reflecting on the water.
It’s no secret, I love the natural intersection of light, critter prints, and sand motion that I call “Dune Runes.” This one has so many different diagonals criss-crossing one another, it demanded I snap a photo!
I’ll close with this shot of Max and Daisy taking me for a walk on a cloudy afternoon at Long Beach, WA. Once again the striking flow of the clouds creates a diagonal pull, leading us toward the end of the road.
Whether you go horizontal, vertical or diagonal, please honor our earth, be kind and stay safe.🐾
No matter the season of year, in our usually damp Pacific Northwest region, moss of many varieties thrives. I have always loved the feel of moss under my fingers and under my feet. It adds a soft quietness to many trails.
The sandy flatness of Long Beach, WA every day provides a clean slate for all sorts of textures to appear. From upper left dune grass whipped by the wind creates a delicate pattern of lines upon the built up sand. In the background are small tracks of a field mouse. Next is a path to the beach, well trodden by people and dogs and frozen in place on a winter night. In the upper right photo we see where a whole flock of small birds gathered to forage or rest. Bottom left is another critter I just learned about from Steve Morey, called sea gooseberries. These are smaller than the ones he features on his blog: https://theoutershores.com/2022/11/23/shoreside-textures/. On the bottom right, after a king tide swept frothy foam and debris all over the shorelines a variety of shorebirds hunt for grub.
Nature provides a panoply of textures to admire and enjoy. I’ll finish this post with some mushrooms, beautiful to see but deadly (or close to it) to eat! The textures all around the mushrooms are equally engaging.
Thanks to this week’s guest host Jude of Cornwall in Colors for this challenge. It is a true honor to be asked to host LAPC, and is a challenge in itself for the host to visit and comment on all the entries! Kudos to you, Jude.
Wherever you find yourself, take a look around to enjoy the many textures of life, and please honor our earth, be kind and stay safe.🐾
At our home on the Long Beach Peninsula, Washington State USA, the birds are my main attraction. Though there are many other wild creatures, I rarely see them close enough to photograph unless they are no longer living. Seals and whales have washed up on the shore, and in the night I have heard (but not seen) live coyotes and tree frogs. Consequently, resident Black-tailed Mule Deer are a delight to see and photograph.
I have encountered the local Black Bears in person once, and again from a distance. I prefer from a distance!
To qualify as wildlife doesn’t mean being a red-blooded mammal! Many of the creatures I encounter on my excursions are insects and critters of the sea. Here are but a few.
Still, what I love most is the abundance of bird life on this peninsula at the western edge of the continent. I have delved into observing, photographing then doing research on the birds I’ve seen so that often I can identify them when I see them again. The older I get, the more important it is to me to learn!
In the interest of time, I will leave the names of these birds for you to guess. Or, you could email me if you really want to know. For now I sign off with a thanks to this week’s host for another outdoor adventure.
Wherever wildlife finds you, please honor our earth, be kind and stay safe.🐾
Sophia takes us back to the basic elements of photography with this week’s challenge exploring the difference underexposure and overexposure make in our finished photographs. In the cloudy Pacific Northwest, quite often I find my shots are dark and moody, so a bit more light and color can add to their appeal. Below, the Red-necked Phalarope is lost in the cloudy reflection on the pond. By boosting the light and adding a touch of color, the bird pops out and the scene still keeps its drama.
Red-necked Phalarope
On the other hand, sometimes the dark skies add to the mood, as in this photo of a beach fort. Although the addition of light makes the features of the fort more visible, it detracts from the whole setting.
Sometimes I’m amazed at how different two photos (below) taken with the same exposure and only 1 minute time between and just a few feet apart end up being.
To finish off, here is a series of Max and Daisy exposing themselves to my Biolight. In addition to mood-altering light, the box emits radiant warmth. The original shots were all overexposed (no kidding?!) and reducing the light made the finished photo more clear. The one of Max is a before and after, the others are with light reduced, as Daisy moves in to share the joy!
As you find your perfect exposure, please honor our earth, be kind and stay safe.🐾
Thanks to Sophie for another plunge into the helpful techniques of photography.
Walking With Eagles is a collection of original poems and photographs by Lindy Low Le Coq. A lifelong naturalist, amateur photographer and bird enthusiast, Lindy’s verse, composition and photographs open a window into the essence of her subjects. Her poems and photography reflect the rich natural wonders of the Pacific Northwest.
Bald Eagles mature over the course of five years. Walking With Eagles invites the reader to take a poetic and visual tour of this odyssey.
view ~ Walking With Eagles ~ in top menu bar for a preview, though the folio is much nicer!
Lindy Low LeCoq 