Reflection Sunset

During the same sunset as yesterday's picture, I saw this little pool of water on the side of the road. I crouched down as low as I could, trying the get the trees in the reflection and took this shot. Focusing on the tree, we are able to see the details on the tree without actully looking at it. Then you move to the outside of the pool of water and see the fuzzy edges of the water where it meets with the grass.

Golden Sunset

As the sunset on this day, it caused the clouds to change color. They were a soft white in the light blue sky that turned to a light yellow then a dark yellow as the sunset continued. Of this picture and the Volcanic Sunset picture, I like the Volcanic Sunset picture better becuause the clouds are a deeper shade of red and the mountain adds another layer to the picture. In this picture, the silhouette is the trees, which are nice but they don't make the clouds look like volcanic ash.

Snow Chips

As temperatures dropped and some precipitation was in the air, these snow chips formed. They felt like a mixture of snow and ice. It was a hard outer shell with a softer middle. The snow chips didn't fall everywhere. There was just enough to cover this part of the leaf. If you were able to scroll out of the picture, you wouldn't see any more snow chips.

Looking Around

After finishing all of the nuts that were on this branch, the bird started to look around. He looked around, trying to find a branch with more nuts on it, then flew off. I was surprised that the bird barely noticed me. I was standing below him taking these pictures for about 10 minutes before he moved onto another tree and I couldn't get a good shot of him.

Eating

This same bird started looking down and eating. I like how I was able to get a clear shot of the fur on it and the detail on the wings. The bird is in perfect focus which allows us to see the individual feathers on the body of the bird.

Looking for Food

This bird climbed up high to search for food. Using my 300mm lens, I was able to shoot through the trees and focus on the bird. This was one of my farther shots. The posts that are coming soon, will be much closer and the bird will have much more detail on it. The next shots will also be clearer because I moved around under the bird and took different shots from different spots.

Standing Tall

The thing I like most about this picture is how much detail you can see on the bird. Since the bird is standing on the edge of the tree, you can see all the detail on the wings, some of the legs, and the head. The picture is overexposed but overwise a very good clear picture.

Bug Hunter

This woodpecker uses its sharp beak to drill holes in trees like this one. They drill like a jack-hammer to try and find the bugs inside. They also use the tree as a home. They find holes in the tree or make holes in the tree for their home.

Icy Snow

After cracking the ice, smaller chips flew out. Some flew away others went onto the other ice. The key when photographing ice, is not to let the sun ruin the picture. The sun can travel through the ice and directly into the lens of the camera. This ruins the picture because the bright spots distract the viewer's eye and make it hard to concentrate on what you were trying to photograph.

Ice Snail

After a deep freeze in Dallas, all standing water froze. I went to the side of a road and broke some of the ice, some accidentally, mostly on purpose. I positioned the ice and I found a snail on one. I focussed on it then shot this picture. You can see the bubbles on the ice and the details on the snail.

Bird Silhouette

This bird was surprisingly in a silhouette. You can see all of the feathers on the bird. The beak and head feathers are really showcased in this picture. They are clear and easy to recognize. The bird looks like a red bird but I don't know exactly what type of bird it is. The chest is red which is why I think it's a red bird but a lot of birds have red chests so I might be wrong.

City Life

Over the years, birds and other animals have adapted to the ways of the city. The birds have learned to get food from bird feeders and rest on power lines. This red bird was resting on the power line before he jumped and flew away. If you look closely, you can see that the bird is bending its knees before jumping. It bent its knees and leaned forward.

Moon Tree

Through the tree comes the moon. I have learned that using my DSLR camera, you can't take pictures of the moon at night. The moon turns out to be completely white and you can't even tell it's a moon, it just looks like a white dot. By waiting until the sun rises, you can take pictures of the moon without worrying about the quality of the picture. You get all of the cracks and holes in the moon with a nice bright blue background.

Bleeding Yellows

This is another type of bleeding flower. Unlike and like yesterdays flower, this flower also bleeds but it is not purple. The center of this flower is brown, unlike yesterdays flower. It also doesn't bleed at all, there is no brown mixing into the yellow. The edges of the brown in this flower are not as sharp but they still give the flower sharp points.

Bleeding Flowers

These flowers are bleeding. It is not a bad thing, it's just what these flowers do to show their colors. The lower flower has edges of color but it doesn't bleed. The top flower is much bigger and is bleeding. The purple is spread out in the white part and gets brighter as you move toward the center. The top flower is also the only flower that has a purple center while the other purple flowers just have a black center.

Pokey Nature

Yesterday's nature had soft but rigid edges, today's nature has sharp pokey edges. This is the pokey ball that was out of focus yesterday. I like this picture because of the colorful background that it has. The leaves give the background different colors that show off the pokey ball. The brown stands out off of the colorful background, making the ball the star focus.

Simple Nature

Nature can be as simple as this or as sophisticated as wildlife. This is just a focussed dry leaf and a blurred pokey ball that falls from this sweet gum tree. You can see the tiny details on the leaf including the specs in it and the jagged edges. You can also see the shape of the pokey ball. It's sharp edges hurt the skin but don't break it.

3-Pointer

This is a shot for three points, commonly called a 3-pointer. Ranging 22 feet in the corners up to 23.75 feet in the top, the three-point line surrounds the hoop. I say it's nearly impossible for myself to make a 3-pointer from the NBA length but I have never tried. I think I'm good if I can make a 3-pointer at a college-length 3-point line.

Drive

After you take the ball down the court to the other team's side, you try to shoot a 3-pointer or drive into the basket for 2 points. This Memphis player decided to drive to the basket and go for 2. As he drives, the Phoenix defenders try and stop him. But if you look at how tense his arms and neck are, I don't think they have a chance at stopping him from scoring.

Tip-Off

As the game starts, two players jump and try to hit the ball, onto their side. Behind them is a teammate who will get the ball and take it to the opposing team's side to try and score. From this picture, it looks like Memphis is going to get the first possession and Phoenix will get the ball to start the second half.