Ephemeral Green (20/52)

I love the time in spring when the first leaves appear on bushes and trees. Sun rays painting everything in various shades of bright green. This never lasts long, but the time can be extended by traveling to a higher elevation.

Here are two images taken in Pemberton in early April on one of those day when I was done with paragliding well before Pete had his fill. Making the best of this opportunity I hopped in the car and went on this afternoon photo excursion.

Yellow Fields in Germany (19/52)

An interesting example of how politics change landscapes: thanks to subsidies for alternative fuel production, Germany is yellow with (Raps) canola fields in bloom. I'm enjoying this display of colors and was hoping to get some nice images. The one below was taken near Jena where we went to see the many orchids (Frauenschuh - Ladyslipper and Knabenkraut) growing in the nearby limestone hills.

 

Strochendorf Linum (18/52)

Some catching up to do on this blog after my trip to Germany. While the trip was mostly about visiting family and friends I also got to play with some new photo equipment more precisely with the Tamron 150-600 a German friend let me use. I must say I liked the lens a lot. I'm thinking now for a long lens image stabilization is a must have for me. Guess I just don't have a steady enough hand for the Canon 400.

 Linus is a small village in Brandeburg northwest of Berlin where storks return year after year to build their nests. Very nice to have the big lens to snap pictures of these 'contrasty' birds. We also saw cranes and ponds full of frogs on our tour around the village.

White Stork. Canon 60D, Tamron 150-600, f10, 1/640, ISO500

Dandelion Black & Whites (17/52)

Was quite happy with the image I took with the little NEX6 of a dandelion seedhead. It seemed to be asking for rendering for black and white. Here it is.