It has been awhile since I posted some photos and I was just going through a folder of pictures and decided I'd better post some... I don't think I've posted any of these before (however, in case I have, I hope you will forgive the duplication).....
1927 Dodge truck - located in historic Bodie (Ghost Town) California. This is an area I keep going back to and each time I see something different and new (well, really old if you look at the age of everything)....
This next picture is of a really swinging guy. These one of the primates at the Oakland Zoo (Oakland California).... What I like about this zoo is the fact that there are so many animals you can photography without having to look through bars or into cages. They've done a good job over the past few years making this zoo very accessible.
This next shot is of the Modesto Nuts home field in Modesto, California. The title of this picture is: Bases Loaded and the Outfield is Ready"... If you look closely you will see that in fact the bases are loaded and the outfield really is ready to try to stop the Nuts from scoring. Well, the Nuts did win this game (at this point of the game the bases were loaded, there were no outs in the Nuts inning, and shortly after this picture was taken two runs came in and there was a man on first and third (still no one out)... Great game!!! Go NUTS!
(Panoramic photo)
Nature photography (in case you are new to my blog) and Landscape photography are my two most favorite types of photography. I like to travel and spend hours picking out and photographing sights not only in California but all over the United States, Europe, and now Central America. This photo is of the "Court of the Patriarchs" in Zion National Park, Southern Utah.
On a recent trip to Costa Rica I shot this Giant Forest Owl Eye Mariposa (Butterfly in Spanish). You can see why they call it "Owl Eye"... On the folded inside of the butterfly's wings you'll find a metallic-sky blue color. While fluttering around in the forest, while they are moving you will see flashes of this metallic blue reflecting off their wings. Once they land on a tree or other vegetation... this butterfly is almost impossible to see. In this photo the butterfly is feasting off some rotting local fruit. Blow the photo up and you'll see the head of the butterfly sticking into a piece of rotting fruit that is covered with tiny fruit fly's. The butterfly's proboscis is elongated into the fruit sucking up the oozing juices. Costa Rica has so many interesting insects and mammals... I hope to be sharing more soon along with some birds and flowers I shot.
Here is another interesting creature I was able to photograph... It's a Costa Rican Green Iguana (more golden than green). They are all over the place and when they want to be, they can be a fierce and aggressive as this one looks. Shortly after I took this photo it came toward me (it must have smelt the food I was trying to eat) and it's amazing how quickly they can move (and climb). Yes, it did get part of what I was eating (one bite and it was gone)....
This next charming happy go lucky fellow is a "Hamadryas Baboon"... Yes, they really are not a happy lot, and yes, they do like to look you eye to eye. When you look at their eyes it is almost as if you are looking into human eyes. This beautiful creature was another animal that the Oakland Zoo has and is easily viewed (well, easily if you're shooting with a lens 750mm at 100 feet.) I don't think I'd want to be on the other side of the barrier as they move very fast (they are Omnivores but good for us they normally eat fruits, seeds and insects). They can weigh up to 65+ pounds.... Hamadryas baboons often appear in ancient Egyptian art and they were considered by the Egyptians to be sacred to Thoth. Thoth was depicted as a Baboon... and was considered to be wisest of all the Egyptian gods. Wise? Maybe not so much... but I'd hate to have to match wits with this guy.
Back to Costa Rica - Sunset and Moonset.
Cat Stevens back in the 1970 wrote a song about moon-shadow.... that went like this: "Yes, I'm being followed by a moonshadow....Moonshadow, moonshadow. Leaping and hopping on a moonshadow...Moonshadow, moonshadow". Well, it was an interesting song and this photo kind of reminded me of that song.
The final photo is of a red Passion Flower I took in Costa Rica... The rich colors and large size of these flowers make them pop out at you as you walk by. I'm trying to grow some of these here in Modesto. If I'm successful, I'll be posting pictures of them later.
That's it for now. More soon.
