Communing with Nature

I'm still nursing a flare-up of an old knee injury and avoid driving as much as I can. On Saturday, my husband therefore took me out on a picnic to North Park so I could get out of the house for a while. I had barely set up our lunch in a picnic shelter when a male cardinal showed up on the next bench. My husband threw a small piece of cookie on the ground and the bird picked it up and flew away with it. I had never seen a cardinal that was so unafraid of people and begging for food. We also saw an adult flicker feeding an immature flicker on the grass surrounding the shelter. As usual in those cases when I'm not in the mood to carry heavy camera equipment around, I see great birds.
A while later, we set up chairs at a wetland area where we were greeted by a yellow warbler. It flitted around us, chattering all the while and landing just a few feet away from us. I will probably never see a warbler this close when I have a camera handy. We also saw several groups of ducks across the inlet. A group of children from a nearby party flushed out three tiny ducklings - cute as buttons - that paddled across the water to get away from them. About an hour later, an adult duck (probably a wood duck) called out frantically for her kids and the three ducklings swam across the water again. On the other bank (and out of my sight), however, they were greeted by shrieks of annoyance. They had approached the wrong mother! Then they paddled around in circles, not sure what to do next. After a short while, all turned quiet again and I sincerely hope that the little ones were united with their mother. They were much too young to make it on their own.
By mid-afternoon, everything went quiet around the wetland. Even the frog that had croaked from time to time went mute. We packed up and went home again, happy with the discoveries we made.

Happy Hummers

June is not turning out to be one of my best months this year. Besides having some unpleasant medical tests done, my right knee, which I injured years ago, is also hurting a lot for over a week now. So, instead of going to the air show with my hubby this past weekend, I could only watch the planes that flew by our backyard. Since we live in the airport area, I saw quite a few and heard even more.

To make my time at home more pleasant, I've been photographing the ruby-throated hummingbirds that visit our feeder. I could do this from the comfort of a garden chair. Life doesn't get much easier than this, but photographing hummingbirds is no easy task. First of all, they are fast--really fast. A more dedicated photographer would probably set up several flashes, but I only have one flash and so it took quite a few shots to get a decent photo. Yesterday, I finally took some shots of both a male and female hummingbird that I'm proud to show everybody (which I'm doing right here). The hummingbirds are hitting our feeders hard and are not happy when the syrup gets too old (too old meaning three days max.). So, they might as well pose for my camera to earn their keep. They are fun to watch, but they are quite territorial and don't like it at all when another bird shows up at the same time. Never mind that there's enough for everybody, and how do some people manage to photograph half a dozen hummingbirds at their feeder at the same time?

Other than that, I haven't seen any unusual birds lately, except for a possible oriole sighting, but it has been a strange year. The weather has been weird this summer and the birds and plants are surely affected by that. Oh well, that's what makes bird photography so interesting and sometimes frustrating.

Frogs and other creatures

On Wednesday, I went to the Audubon Nature Center to photograph birds. I ended up photographing a bullfrog, a green frog and tadpoles (or pollywogs) in all stages on development. The pond at Beechwood was teeming with life, if one looked closely. The bullfrog, for example, was so well camouflaged that it took me a while to discover its eyes sticking out of the scum. At first, it pointed its back at me, but later it was kind enough to show me its side view and a reflection in the pond. I took some pretty good images of it and a green frog. Most amazing, though, was when I noticed a northern cardinal near the pond. I fired away when it caught a dragonfly in its beak. I was also happy when one of the swallows that hovered over the pond to catch insects actually sat down on top of the solar panel to clean itself. All in all, I spent over two hours at the pond. Nature photographers spend a lot of time waiting, but I couldn't have picked a better day to do it. The lighting was mostly good and the temperature was cool enough to enjoy an outing. Now we're back to sticky, hot weather.

My photo exhibit at the Robinson library is already a success. I'm told that people are amazed at my bird photos. They will probably be up till the end of July.

Spring, Where Art Thou?

I have recovered from the Pennwriters Conference and am now trying to digest all the information I gathered there. The workshops were all wonderful and my only beef is that I could only attend one at a time. There were occasions when I could have joined all three that were going on at the same time. I recognized more faces than I had two years ago and enjoyed networking with everybody I had contact with. Now it is time to sit back at my desk and apply what I've learned.
The weather is clearly encouraging me to write since it is too hot to spend much time outdoors. We seem to have moved from winter to summer in about two days. Last week, I ventured out to Beechwood Farms despite the rather warm temperatures. While I did not take any great photos, I did see a Pileated Woodpecker, a Blue Heron, a Catbird, and many Canada Geese and their goslings. My goal was to photograph the Baltimore Orioles that frequent the feeder but I have not succeeded yet. There is always next time.
On Memorial Day, my husband and I ventured out to the wetland trail at Raccoon Creek Park. On several occasions, it deserved its name and we got muddy shoes. However, we did see many Catbirds, an Eastern Towhee, a Blue Heron, a Baltimore Oriole, and plenty of Red-winged Blackbirds. The sound of bullfrogs filled the air, but we never caught a glimpse of one. What we did catch were mosquito bites and I'm still suffering the consequences. Still, it was nice to get out before we had to disappear into the house like vampires. Aah, summer in Pennsylvania!

Nose Art

During this time of year, I usually photograph birds. Yesterday, however, I had an opportunity to photograph some pretty big birds.

A few months ago, I learned that the artist who paints nose art on military planes at the 171 Air Refueling Wing lives in the next town. I thought it would make a good article for Pennsylvania Magazine and queried the editor after securing approval from the military. Last week, I got the go-ahead and was informed that a plane would be in yesterday for one day only. So Donna, the artist, had to paint the motive, the Duel 'n Fueler, in one day.

I went out to the base to take some photos while she was painting. But the story doesn't end here. I was actually chauffeured to the flight line where I was able to photograph each of Donna's designs that was on the ground. Her nose art is truly awesome. There were a total of seven planes available: the Spirit of Pittsburgh, the Falcons Spirit, Freedom will Endure, the Patriot, the Allegheny Warrior (my personal favorite), the Steel Phantom, and Pittsburgh Simply the Best. It was better than an airshow and everybody was super nice to me.

All this happened because I was networking with my fellow Pennwriters. I can't wait to write the article that will accompany my photos, but I guess I'll have to postpone the writing until next week since I'm getting ready to attend the Pennwriters conference from Friday till Sunday.

My photography has taken me places I would have never dreamed of going: a day sail aboard the Flagship Niagara, a museum for automated musical instruments, Old Economy and now this. What's next?

Busy Time

This is the busiest time of year for me. As a bird photographer, I was looking forward to migration to add some new species to my ever growing stock photo list. I was not disappointed since I took some great pictures of an eastern towhee, a white-crowned sparrow, a white-throated sparrow, a cardinal and a red-bellied woodpecker. On my wish list of desirable species is a bluebird. Yes, I do have bluebird photos from last year, but none of them is very sharp. So, on Tuesday, a birder friend and I went out in search of bluebirds. We did find them, including one that sat on top of a No Parking sign, cleaning its feathers. When not grooming itself, it and its mate fed the fledglings in their birdbox. But they didn't let me come close enough to get a really sharp photo. I didn't want to interfere with the feedings of their young so I backed off. On the way back, I took some photos of a yellow warbler, but again they're no more than record shots. So the quest for a great bluebird shot continues.

I am also getting ready for the Pennwriters conference which will begin next week on Friday. This time, I not only have an agent appointment, but I also volunteered to be a time keeper for another agent. Friday promises to be very busy.

I learned yesterday that my nonfiction proposal to Pennsylvania Magazine was accepted. This photo feature will showcase an artist who paints noses on military planes. I am very excited about this and can't wait to go out to the base to photograph some very big birds.

In June, I booked a photo exhibit at the new library in Robinson Township. I am pleased to show my work for an entire month in the town I've lived in for almost 10 years. And besides, I always love to hang around libraries.

Happy spring to you all!

The Hummingbirds are back

I am in full birding mode right now. Yesterday afternoon I spotted a male ruby-throated hummingbird at our new feeder. This feeder not only has an ant moat, but it also has perches that make it more comfortable for the little fellow to drink. Yesterday was an interesting birding day anyway since I observed two male rose-breasted grosbeaks under our feeder in the early morning. Then I went to Beechwood were I was disappointed at the amount of birds I saw. There were no bluebirds at all and I only saw one warbler. Even the feeders weren't very popular. Where have all the birds gone? Apparently, they all come to our feeders. It seems indeed that all the action happens in our own backyard at the moment. The juncos are probably gone now, but I photographed both white-throated and white-crowned sparrows a few days ago.

Sometimes I wonder why I love photographing birds. They never land on the branch I want them to land on, they move with lightning speed, and when I finally focus on their eye, they turn their head and my focusing job goes out the window. Nine out of ten of my photos go right into the digital trash bin, but the tenth photo is a thrill. Like the photo of an eastern towhee I show here, it is exhilarating when everything comes together: sharpness, action, a great looking bird and a decent background. And if I can photograph a species I haven't collected yet, so much the better.

Happy spring, everybody!

Bird Photography

I've been photographing the birds in our backyard for the past couple of years, but some species are so shy that I could never get a close-up picture of them. Last fall, I purchased a collapsible hunting blind so I can get closer. I have yet to figure out the collapsing part of it. It's supposed to fit into a small bag but it took too long to fiddle with that, so I just left it out of the bag all through winter. Now that the weather is more favorable, I've set up the blind several times to get a closer view of the many birds that visit our four feeders. My objective was to catch a shot of the Eastern Towhee that has been foraging under the feeders. On Tuesday, it finally showed up once and I fired away. Although it never returned after that, I was able to grab some great photos of a White-throated Sparrow which is quite beautiful in its new spring dress. The blind really works in allowing me to fill the frame with the bird. Even shy birds such as Red-bellied Woodpeckers show up occasionally when they don't feel threatened. Now, if I could only snatch a photo of a migrant passing through...

Spring is here, I hope

A while ago, I wrote that spring is just around the corner. That was foolish, considering the recent wintry weather we endured. I'm afraid we won't see our redbud bloom this year, but I hold out some hope that our azaleas survived the frost.

On Thursday, I attended a fundraiser at a library and was very pleased with the event. The evening was sponsored by Lincoln Avenue Arts in McDonald of which I am a member. I not only sold several prints and greeting cards, but I also met the nicest people who told me about the birds in their yard. Some of them were bird-watchers who admired my photos. After such a success, I was more than ready to get back into photography mode. Yesterday's warm weather prompted me to set up my blind again in the backyard. I was not disappointed. While I didn't get to photograph any new bird species, I am pleased to report that I took not just one, but five fantastic photographs. Besides the cardinal shown here, I also shot a goldfinch singing, a red-bellied woodpecker up close and a black-capped chickadee eating a sunflower. What a great ending to an exciting week! I can't wait to make prints of these photos and show them to the world.

Planet Earth

When I was young, I could not understand why my dad loved to watch nature programs on TV. Nature was boring and something for older people, I concluded. Fast forward twenty years and I'm the one who watches nature shows on the tube. For the past three Sunday nights, we have been glued to the TV to watch the Planet Earth program on the Discovery channel. It is a fantastic, although sometimes disturbing, show and the photography is spectacular. Never before had I heard of elephants in the desert or camels in snow. The other day, my husband asked me, "Why do we hate predators so much?" I had no answer. We humans aren't really innocent creatures. Animals, after all, only kill to feed themselves and their young. Humans, on the other hand, kill animals without need and without thinking about the consequences. When I thought about the predators of humpback whales, for example, I could only come up with one: humans. So--who are we to judge when an animal who has gone hungry for days kills another animal to feed itself and its young? Survival drives all life on earth.

Personally, I was hoping that I would be photographing birds by now, but winter has made another appearance here and the temperatures are still hovering in the forties. While this would be decent weather in January, it's a bit harder to take in April. Everything that was getting ready to bloom either froze or came to a standstill. I can't wait to see blooming and green trees. It's no surprise that the juncos are still here and I'm worried whether the hummingbirds will survive their spring migration. I guess I will hang up my feeders a little later than usual.

Spring Photography

For the last few days, we have witnessed an Eastern Towhee visiting our backyard to feast on the seeds that fell from our bird feeders. Yesterday, I set up my blind in the backyard and waited for the towhee to make an appearance. Of course, it never showed up. Instead, I saw plenty of robins foraging through the grass. I also photographed the juncos that are still around. As a wildlife photographer, I have to act fast. So, when a fox squirrel showed up, standing upright at the edge of our hillside I clicked the shutter until it disappeared. Squirrels can be very annoying when they raid our feeders (and our pockets) since we have to fill the feeders three times a day when they're in high form. They also destroy (and sometimes abscond with) our feeders. One recently broke a metal perch off a feeder. But, when it comes to modeling for the camera, they are second to none. Who could possibly be mad at such a cute photo subject?

Why I photograph

I came to photography by accident. Yes, I had always loved to take vacation photos and had taken a couple of photography classes geared at amateurs. Sadly, my photos from the 1970s have faded badly. I traveled extensively during the 1980s and I now wish that I had decent photos from that time. The way I traveled, though (backpacking, bus tours, even hitchhiking), prohibited carrying around a big camera.
After my husband and I started dating, we traveled every weekend to a different town and he took a camera along. He graduated into shooting 35mm transparencies and purchased another camera for me. I took my first slides during a vacation to Norway. Unfortunately, it rained the entire week we were there, off and on. Needless to say, most of our photos are not top quality. But I was hooked. I signed up for a photography course with the New York Institute of Photography and we listened to the lessons together. We wanted to operate a homebased portrait studio photographing children and pets, but things didn't work out.
Over the years, my interest in portraits waned. After buying a house here in Pennsylvania, we began to feed the many birds in our backyard. We purchased a 35mm digital camera and I was finally able to photograph birds with a telephoto lens (the digital sensor extends the lengths of a lens). Six months later, I took a photo of an airborne Tufted Titmouse that has won me two awards so far and a feature on TV. But fame alone is not the reason why I photograph.
Photography gives me an opportunity to see the world in detail that I would otherwise overlook. There are photo opportunities everywhere you look. In the city, that could be a fire escape or an interesting shadow or colorful store front. In a state park, there are grasses, trees, water, fungi, animals and birds that beg to be photographed. By showing people the beauty of nature, I hope that they, too, will want to protect it. Children are particularly attracted to my bird photographs and I hope that they will take that enthusiasm into their adult lives. Our own future depends on it.

Spring is Around the Corner

Last Tuesday was a very warm day and, since the weather forecast was not favorable, I decided to take my camera out to the Audubon nature center. As I left my car, I was already greeted by the honks of Canada Geese from the pond area. You can always hear them before you see them. Another sign of the spring ahead was the house sparrow checking out the real estate of a bird house. The pond itself was still covered with solid ice, so there was no sign of life yet besides the geese. As I walked along the trail, I kept my ears and eyes open for birds, never knowing whether it was a slight breeze or a secretive bird that rustled in the thickets. A hawk glided overhead and a honey bee actually landed on my lens. Nature is awakening at last. It was too early yet to see migratory birds, but a red-winged blackbird screeched out his mating call (which can only be attractive to another blackbird) to the world. Too bad it was perched in the middle of a holly bush and I could not get a decent photo of it. They look pretty impressive when they flex out their wings and show off those red and yellow striped feathers.
By March, I'm tired of looking at gray trees and can't wait to go out into nature again and witness its awakening. Our crocusses are coming out now and it won't be long before our silver maple will show fresh greens and the birds are pairing off. The robins have arrived a couple of weeks ago. Another long winter is finally coming to an end.

February Be Gone

Today is the last day of February and I can only say, "Good riddance!" The weather would have been bad enough this month. Subzero temperatures and snow followed by ice rain canceled quite a few appointments and made me housebound. Add to that three malfunctioning appliances (including the furnace, which actually turned out to be a frozen pipe that backed up into it) and a watermain break next door.
Yet, things got worse when I learned that my dad had been admitted to the hospital. And then my husband's uncle died. The funeral was scheduled for yesterday, a day after my birthday. So this year, my birthday was wedged in between a viewing and a funeral.
Because our uncle had been in the Navy during World War II, two retired sailors were present at the cemetery. It was the first military funeral I attended and the taps barely left a dry eye in the small crowd. I don't want to remember our uncle as I saw him last, his mind lost to Alzheimer's disease, but rather as I saw him first, standing next to my husband when I got off the plane after passing through immigration. He was the first relative I saw here in Pittsburgh and he was very kind to us.
There are some good news, though: My dad was released from the hospital yesterday. On the writing front, I am now finalizing a long-time writing project and am also working on a nonfiction article. And--this morning I saw a groundhog and a chipmunk in our backyard. Hopefully, winter will be over soon. I can't wait.

Books I like to read

An op-ed commentary in the paper this morning spawned me to write about the novels I lke to read. Thinking back, I find that my reading has evolved over the years. In my twenties, I used to read a lot of self-help books and, occasionally, a chick-lit novel. But I also read lots of James Michener, John Jakes, John Steinbeck and Leon Uris novels. The more I learn about writing, however, the more I find flaws in almost every novel I read. Sometimes I reject a novel after reading 20 pages, sometimes it takes 80. I recently read a novel that seems to be popular for its social content. Yet, the novel was at least 90 % dialogue with no description of the characters or the town they lived in. While I usually enjoy dialogue (and reject novels that have page after page of description), 90 % is too much. I found myself getting weary. My brain needed a break. I'm currently reading a historical mystery set in Victorian England and I'm enjoying the descriptions a lot.
You may wonder now what novels I enjoyed reading all the way through. Here is a partial list of the books I've read and loved during the last few years:
Snow falling on Cedars by David Guterson
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
Wish you Well by David Baldacci
Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi
The Ballad of Frankie Silver by Sharyn McCrumb
Down to the Soundless Sea by Thomas Steinbeck
North and South by John Jakes
Out of this Furnace by Thomas Bell
The Haj by Leon Uris
Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt

My first craft show

I survived my first craft show where I sold my bird photographs and greeting cards. It was not the rousing success I had hoped for, but I am not discouraged. It was bitterly cold that day and I don't blame anybody who preferred to stay home.
I had an opportunity to talk to another photographer who gave me some valuable tips. One of my customers actually asked me, "Are you the lady who won the award?" I was amazed that people still remember that. In late summer 2005, I won first place in the Amateur category of WildBird Magazine's annual photo contest with my photo of an airborne Tufted Titmouse. After that I sent a press release to the local part of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, hoping for a one-sentence write-up. They ended up printing a half-page article about my bird photography which, in turn, led to a TV appearance on KDKA-TV.
Children were particularly intrigued by my photographs at the show. Some of them came back three times to look at them. Perhaps, one day they will ask their parents to buy one of my photos. One can always dream...
I have not taken any new bird phtos lately since I am not weather-proof for these low temperatures. In fact, I barely leave the house to feed the many birds who visit our feeders. Another trip to the Aviary is in my future.

A Winter Walk

We are currently in the midst of a cold wave and therefore don't get out much. My only exposure to winter weather is walking from the car to a store and back. When I had to attend to some business at the Audubon nature reserve this weekend, my husband tagged along and we headed to a trail. It was the first day in almost two weeks that the temperature climbed above freezing and we wanted to take advantage of it to get some fresh air.
The trails were covered with snow and we detected more animal tracks than footprints from people. We played detective and tried to figure out who the tracks belonged to. We guessed correctly which tracks were made by squirrels and which ones by deer. In fact, we even flushed out four deer on our lonely walk through the winter woods. These deer showed us that the woods aren't deserted after all. There are the usual winter birds such as red-bellied woodpecker, black-capped chickadees, and tufted titmice. Later in the thickets, we observed numerous white-throated sparrows and northern cardinals. In other words, we saw the same birds that visit our feeders every day.
My bird photography is currently on hiatus because of the low temperatures. I keep busy preparing photographs for a craft show I'll be attending on Saturday. And I cannot wait for spring to get out there again with my camera and photograph the species that have eluded me so far. Last year has been a great one for my stock photo list. I'm now offering my photos at www.photographersdirect.com.

Planning ahead

As I've stated in my last post, I have lots of goals for the new year. I am happy to report that I have not only set myself goals, but I have taken steps to achieve them. I signed up for my first craft show where I'll be selling my photographs as prints and notecards. So I am busy getting supplies, prints, and putting everything together. I didn't stop there, though. I just registered with www.photographersdirect.com, a stock photo agency/portal in England. They act as a middleman between photobuyers and sellers and send out want lists every day. I am busy uploading my photos and may even dust off my transparencies soon.
My bird photography is on hiatus right now. The weather (first rain and now cold) and the fact that I already have photos of the usual backyard birds keep me from shooting too much. I can't wait for spring now, as I have some "dream birds" that have eluded me so far. I'm using my time now to market the photos I already have.
I haven't had too much time for writing this month, but I have submitted entries to two contests and plan on attending Pennwriters Conference this coming May. Once the craft show is over, I'll have more time to write. My plan is to sell at least one article a year. Not a very lofty goal, but my photography takes up quite a bit of time, too.
So, there you have it. In good weather, I'm a bird photographer, and in bad weather, I'm a writer and marketing specialist.

Setting goals

At the beginning of the year, many people make resolutions. I am no exception, but I like to call them goals.
Setting goals and deadlines is essential when you are a freelancer. Some deadlines are determined by outside events such as a contest, a show, or conference. Others are more vague and it helps if I set myself a deadline to get that article written or to get my photographs in front of the public. Some projects are seasonal (articles have to be submitted two or three seasons in advance). In any case, I write down my goals for the month - and am lucky if I achieve half of them. Yet, that is better than not having any goals in the first place.
While the year is still young, I am happy to report that not only do I have some lofty goals for this year, I already took steps to achieve them. I have decided to sell my photographs at a craft show, so I am currently looking into suppliers and the necessary paperwork involved with such an endeavor.
I hope to add some new birds to my stock photo list this year, but because of the warm weather there aren't too many birds at our feeders or at Beechwood right now. So, yesterday I took advantage of our membership card and went to the Aviary. The lighting is not the best (naturally, the tropical rainforest is too dark to take any decent photos in it). It is a great advantage that the birds at the Aviary are completely fearless. One of them actually walked under my tripod. The photo above shows one of my best efforts. Too bad the bird didn't wear a name tag as I have no idea what it is. Whatever its name, it is a beauty.

Wrapping up the year

The year is coming to an end and it's time to take stock. It has been a busy year for me and I took many photos of new species of birds. The most exciting addition to my stock photo list was a pileated woodpecker that hacked at a tree stump in our neighbor's front yard for three days in a row. Luck is a large part of bird photography. My favorite destination was the Audubon nature reserve where I recorded the year in photographs, from the goslings of spring to the goldfinch fledglings in the fall.
I am now selling my photographs and greeting cards at three stores. Sales have not been spectacular yet, but I've decided to take the plunge next year and attend a craft show. I also won another photo award, this time from Pennsylvania Magazine. They published one of my articles this year and just accepted my fourth article.
Looking ahead, I plan on attending the Pennwriters conference next May. I also aim to improve my photography sales and to add more birds to my list of photos. The stock agencies have enough pictures of the birds I've photographed so far. It appears as if next year will be just as busy for me as the past year was.
I continue to study the craft of writing and wish that all writers, especially journalists, would delete the word "well" from their vocabulary. It has been - well - overused.