A little greenery, for a mid-week zen moment.
Breathe deeply…
Tag Archives: Photography
Tonight’s Sky
Tonight, the sky was crowded with clouds. I will let the photos speak.
Above, the view across to North Pender Island (right) and South Pender Island (left). Much cloud action.
A bit later, the ferry was on its way up Navy Channel. Ominous clouds building up.
Then, the clouds shifted.
And below, part of the final show, with a fringe of sunlight heat.
A walk in the woods: Lilliput world!
Above: one of the forests in which I wander, and its emerald carpet of mosses. A magical world…
I take a walk in the woods almost every day. These days, the air is moist, the ground is alive with mosses. And there are treasures everywhere!
A moss cushion in the afternoon sun, enjoying its position on a very wet rock.
That was a very wet spot, really. It was dripping in the late afternoon sun. I tried to capture a drop, about to fall off the moss, but not quite yet…
Above: a moss close-up. I have a new toy: a set of diopter filters (magnifier-like filters, in different strengths, and you can stack them to increase magnification). These are my first attempts are seeing how much of this mini-world I can get into focus.
Blooming club moss, above.
And then, there are the lichens… A whole new lilliputian world has opened up, through my lens.
Above: on a log, an entire miniature habitat where competitors reach for the moisture and nutrients. The tall ones are “pixie cup” Cladonia lichens, along with other lichens whose names are still a mystery to me, and some moss. (Note: I found a great lichen reference page here. Please have a look, if you are intrigued by lichens.)
Above: macro shot of Pixie cup lichen (Cladonia) and its “warts”… With the diopter filters, the depth of field is so shallow that hand-held shots are a “no breathing allowed” moment…
Once your eyes get used to the very diffuse light, you notice all kinds of details in the mosses. Above: a jelly tooth mushroom (Pseudohydnum gelatinosum), and it is a very gelatinous thing. Almost glows in the dark, that tiny one!
After the rains, there is a great deal of mushroom variety. Little ones, mostly. Like the orange guy above. Sorry, I have no idea about ID!
Above, in the darkest part of the forest, some coral mushrooms were peeking out of the forest litter. Maybe Clavulina cristata…
Delicate little “grey caps”, all lined-up for a dance.
Above: Witches’ butter mushrooms (Dacrymyces chrysospermus) on a fallen log.
And this lovely duo, basking in the afternoon light, in the clover…
To close this post, a shot of the seasonal creek that makes its way to the ocean, near my house…
Boats on the water – Photo Wednesday
This Wednesday, my post is about the water… and boats.
(Above: The header photo shows the Mayne Queen, the trusty ferry that serves the Southern Gulf Islands in BC. It is on its way through Navy Channel, with Mayne Island on the right, and North Pender island on the left. The clouds were nicely hugging the islands’ curves that day…)
Above: Looking down at the water, from the top of Warburton Pike (the highest place on Saturna Island), the waves created by boats echo off each other, in the narrow space of Plumper Sound, between Saturna and Pender islands. They create a moiré effect. A bit like the splashing in a bathtub…
And below, another shot of the Mayne Queen, our link to civilization… on its way to Saturna island…
Winter Skies
Winter is the time to take a painterly approach to photography. And by painterly, I mean playing with some filters and special effects.
Winter is the time to look at the sky… Especially in the late afternoon, when the light can be magical.
Above, an aerial view of the Southern Gulf Islands, toward the west, at sunset.
And last week, traces of snow marked the goat paths at the top of Warbuton Pike, on Saturna Island.
When it’s time to leave the island, you take one final look from the back of the ferry…
That silhouette is unmistakably Saturna Island’s double bump.
This final picture is a repeat of the header (for those who are looking at this page on a small device, which may not show the header). Clouds reflected in the sandy shallows…