A Few for Tuesday

I missed my chance to photograph a flock of cattle egrets flying by this evening, but I did get a few other photos. Here is a mourning dove sitting up high in a tree at sunset. Settings were f/7.1, 1/640, ISO 200.

Sophie seemed to enjoy having her picture taken. Here’s happy Sophie. Settings were f/5.6, 1/100, ISO 250.

Here is Sophie’s more serious side. Settings were f/4, 1/160, ISO 200.

And here’s Sophie striking a pose for the camera. Settings were f/7.1, 1/100, ISO 500.

A cream, tan, and brown mushroom that popped up out in the back. Settings were f/7.1, 1/160, ISO 800.

And today’s little tomato. Settings were f/5.6, 1/80, ISO 200.

Monday Photos

It was a mostly sunny warm day today, and I went outside at several different times to take a few photos. Here is a bright red little tomato in the morning sun. Settings were f/16, 1/60, ISO 800.

This is a gloriosa lily bud. Settings were f/9, 1/100, ISO 320.

Sophie was outside a lot today, watching for little Richard next door through the fence and playing with him when he came out. Settings were f/5, 1/500, ISO 100.

I saw the pair of juvenile mockingbirds again, sitting together on my neighbor’s fence. Settings were f/6.3, 1/50, ISO 800.

And here’s one of the young mockingbirds posing for the camera. Settings were f/6.3, 1/60, ISO 800.

A mourning dove was walking around in the back yard this afternoon, and paused to look at me when I stepped outside with my camera. Settings were f/7.1, 1/200, ISO 100.

 

Sunday Evening

I probably should have gotten outside with the camera earlier this evening–more light would have helped–but I still got a few photos. Here are some of our ripening tomatoes. You can see the yellow color developing in the tomatoes just beginning to ripen. I picked two dozen tomatoes today so we have an abundant crop so far! Settings were f/9, 1/125, ISO 200.

There were several rosebuds on the rosebush, but not a lot of light due to the location of the bush. Here’s one of the rosebuds. Settings were f/5, 1/80, ISO 800. It’s not a really sharp picture, but considering it was hand-held with ISO at 800 it’s not too bad.

This one had a slightly lower ISO because of the light-colored wall behind it, which helped a little with the sharpness. Both pictures would have been much crisper and clearer if I’d taken them earlier when there was more light available. Settings were f/5, 1/100, ISO 500.

And here is Sophie with light from the setting sun touching her head. Settings were f/5, 1/125, ISO 200.

Some Saturday Photos

Today was a sunny bright day. I got a couple of new lantana plants today to replace some of the plants that aren’t doing well in the garden. These two are different from the one I already have and others I’ve seen–one has white flowers and one has light purple flowers. Here is the purple lantana. Settings were f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 200.

The tomato plants seem fine after the hail storm yesterday.  Here is a set of little green tomatoes. Settings were f/5, 1/320, ISO 200.

And here is a red one, ready to be picked. Settings were f/5, 1/400, ISO 200.

Sophie lying in the grass. Settings were f/9, 1/125, ISO 800.

I was watching a mockingbird in the yard next door this evening when it flew to the fence at the other side of the yard. Another mockingbird, a young one, was sitting there on the fence and promptly opened its mouth wide to be fed. A second young mockingbird flew up onto the fence too and opened its mouth. I hadn’t switched from the ISO I’d been using earlier so my shutter speed was slow, and the photos weren’t as good as they could have been. I’m getting better with checking and adjusting settings, but I still forget once in a while–have to keep working on that. But I did get a couple of photos of the two demanding young birds with their parent. Settings for both photos were f/6.3, 1/20, ISO 200.

Friday Photos

I came home from work in a thunderstorm today, and there were hailstones bouncing in our yard when I got home. Here is one of the bigger hailstones I saw, over an inch across. Settings were f/5.6, 1/160, ISO 800.

Rain pouring down in the yard. Settings were f/2/8, 1/800, ISO 800.

Here is a vine on the fence after the storm. Settings were f/3.2, 1/60, ISO 800.

And a tomato after the storm, covered with raindrops. Settings were f/4, 1/400, ISO 200.

Bonnie went out to walk around after the rain stopped. Settings were f/3.5, 1/60, ISO 800.

A Few Photos for Thursday

It was already dusk when I got outside this evening so I didn’t have long to take photos. Here are a couple of tomato photos. The tomato plants are continuing to grow, and the tomatoes are continuing to ripen. I’m picking at least a dozen of them every day now. Settings for this one were f/4, 1/100, ISO 640.

And settings for this one were f/3.5, 1/100, ISO 640.

The little reddish buds or berries on the vines on the fence have turned out to be buds, and tiny flowers are opening now. Settings were f/3.5, 1/100, ISO 800.

Here’s Lulu by the fence. Settings were f/5.6, 1/100, ISO 640.

Birds and a Flower for Wednesday

I took several bird photos that I liked this afternoon and evening. The first one is a house finch, probably a juvenile but maybe a female. Settings were f/5.6, 1/50, ISO 100.

The next one is a gull that was flying overhead, with a band of light from the setting sun across its body. The photo was darker to start with and I brightened it to see the gull more clearly. Settings were f/5.6, 1/500, ISO 100.

I’ve been catching glimpses of a blue jay around lately, but never up close and never where I could get a photo until this evening. The blue jay landed in a tall pine tree in a neighbor’s yard and I was able to take this picture. I like the wild look of the mix of leaves, vines, pine needles, and branches around the blue jay, which is perched pretty much in the center of the photo. The blue jay is hard to spot at first, and you can see why it’s been tough to get a photo before now. Settings were f/5.6, 1/250, ISO 800.

A closer look at the blue jay.

And here’s a mockingbird singing from the top of my neighbor’s grapefruit tree at sunset. Settings were f/5.6, 1/1000, ISO 100.

Gloriosa lilies are blooming out in the front yard. Here’s one of the lilies. Settings were f/11, 1/50, ISO 100.

And the last photo is a ripening tomato down in one of the bushes. Settings were f/4, 1/60, ISO 100.

Sophie, Lulu, and a Tomato

Just a few photos today. I had errands to run and got home late from work, and only took a few pictures after supper. First, Sophie posing by the back fence. Settings were f/4.5, 1/125, ISO 200.

And then Lulu lying out by the pool steps. Settings were f/5.6, 1/100, ISO 320.

And a ripe little tomato down in the depths of a tomato plant. Settings were f/2.8, 1/100, ISO 400.

Some Photos for Monday

I started off with the 90mm f/2.8 lens after supper this evening. The tomato plants are continuing to do well, and I picked a dozen ripe little tomatoes today. Here is a pair of ripening tomatoes on the plant. Settings were f/4.5, 1/100, ISO 400.

And here is today’s harvest of tomatoes. Settings were f/5.6, 1/500, ISO 200.

I switched over to the 70-300mm lens in time to catch little Richard, the puppy next door, out in his yard. Settings were f/5.6, 1/50, ISO 800.

And here’s Sophie in our yard. Settings were f/5.6, 1/180, ISO 320.

I saw another large dark bird flying over the yard this evening, not an egret or a heron this time. I took some pictures which don’t show much detail but do show the silhouette. I’m guessing it was either a Cormorant, maybe a Double-Crested Cormorant, or an Anhinga. The Anhinga is less common and I’d like to have seen an Anhinga, but chances are it’s a Cormorant. I’m waiting for some ID help from WhatBird. Settings were f/5.6, 1/500, ISO 200. (Coming back to add that the WhatBird feedback was unanimous for Anhinga.)

Sunday Assortment

Today I had the 90mm f/2.8 lens on my camera, so when a big white egret flew by this evening I couldn’t zoom in on it. But I like this photo of the egret seen from a distance through the trees. Settings were f/4.5, 1/1000, ISO 200.

And another different photo of the egret, this time silhouetted against the clouds. I decreased the brightness a little to bring up the colors in the clouds and to make the egret darker. Settings were f/4.5, 1/2000, ISO 200.

In the garden this morning I came across an orb-weaver spider, probably Araneus diadematus. You can see a little of the web around the spider. Settings were f/9, 1/100, ISO 320.

The little portulacas were blooming this morning. I only get to see them bloom when I’m home in the morning–by the time I get home from work the flowers are gone. Settings were f/9, 1/30, ISO 800.

This tomato was reflecting the setting sun. Settings were f/4.5, 1/100, ISO 250.

And here is Sophie, just as her attention was caught by a sound she heard in the distance. Settings were f/4.5, 1/100, ISO 200.