So, now that I have a bit more free time since I’m not taking any classes at Liberty this summer, I decided it is high time that I get back to concentrating on photography. With the exception of last weekend and a few special events this past year, I’ve really been missing my cameras. That, and I saw a video that motivated me today. We’ll see how long that lasts. 🙂
It all started a few days ago when Karen and I noticed a rabbit in our back yard. Since we live in town and have a fence that pretty much goes all the way to the ground, it was a bit of a surprise for us. But we like little creatures, especially furry ones, so we welcomed the bunny into our yard. There’s always room for a little wildlife at the Hampton home.
As we watched, this little visitor was acting almost like she was looking for something, walking cautiously around the perimeter of the yard. Then she moved between two trees and squatted. Well, having two cats, we recognized that position and gave our new friend some space. But when she was done, she did something strange…she picked up some loose grass with her mouth and covered the hole she had just squatted over. After she hopped away, I walked over to see what she was hiding, and guess what I found!
As I peered into the hole, I was astonished to see someone looking back at me! Yes, this little bunny has made a nest in our yard and their mom had just been nursing them. I was careful not to disturb them, but I had to see what was going on here. So as I looked closer, I found that there were three tiny bunnies down this little hole.
Now, here’s the really incredible part. Judging from the look of these little fellows, and what I’ve read on the Internet, they have to be a couple of weeks old already. How in the world did they survive the mowers when the yard got mowed these past two weeks? Luck? I think not. I don’t believe in luck.
Well, taking my new duties as seriously as possible, without interfering with mom’s duties, I soon found myself setting up a make-shift shelter for them the very next night as we here in North Texas were bombarded with large hail, torrential rains, and tornadoes! The next day, I checked and everyone was still alive and kicking, and sure enough, later that evening, mom showed up to feed her babies. Not sure how this story will end, but it’s been interesting so far.
Continuing my journey around my back yard, i noticed that the bolt that holds the diving board to the decking is showing its age. Maybe I should see about replacing these someday soon. I wonder what the expected lifespan is for a steel bolt…
Over around the other side of the pool, I noticed how the evening sun was really starting to make the engraving on the skimmer cover stand out. I’ve always had trouble picking out the little things like that, so I figured that this would be a good time for a side-light photo exercise.
Passing by the “rock garden” I noticed that the side lighting is also bringing out the texture of the small pebbles. Hmm, this might make a decent background for my computer screen.
And what’s a photo-trip to the back yard without a little experimenting. Slow shutter speedand a swing to the left equals a sideways blur! Oh well. I found it interesting. Maybe another screen background, though looking at it too long may cause nausea. 🙂
I guess that if I’m ever to to get really good, I need to get off my duff and shoot more. I read a good quote from a famous photographer the other day. It went something like… You can either be the kind of photographer who sits around all day reading the photo forums on the net and critiquing other people’s shots, or you can get out and actually make some of your own pictures. I think I’ll be the latter.
Until Next Time…
<Snapping God’s Creation>