Occasional Visitor

When this red-bellied woodpecker stops by our feeder all the other birds scatter and keep their distance until he is gone.  He is a very determined eater and keeps his focus on getting the job done. 
Look at his eyes. He is very alert this surroundings and aware of his situation.

In these winter months we welcome color of any kind in our back yard and are pleased when this one stops by to visit.

Christmas in Eau Claire (3)

Christmas in Eau Claire is more than bright lights.  The nativity is found in peoples homes, on their yards, in the churches. It is the theme of worship services, musical concerts, sermons, Sunday School programs.  The nativity is on Christmas Cards, newspaper ads, bulletin boards, TV programs and more.

The nativity is a symbol of hope as we go into the future.  It gives us reason to face tomorrow with confidence.  Immanuel.  God is with us.

New Look

You might think this is a cactus on fire or the explosion of a shooting star.  Wrong.  You have seen this before.

This is the same Christmas light as yesterday only this time I turned the zoom while the shutter was open.  I had to have the camera on a tripod and use a slow shutter speed to capture the benefit of the zoom action. This picture will not ever end up hanging on somebody's wall.  But it is fun to see what is possible with a camera and zoom lens.

Sometimes  time it is helpful to look at the familiar from a different point of view.  It might add zest and insight to our life.

UFO?

 

What do you think this is? Are the Mayans arriving?  Or ar we being watched by some gigantic camera in the sky?

 

No this is a picture of a light on the official Eau Claire Christmas Tree on Barstow.  Looks better close up than from the street.

 



 

Christmas in Eau Claire (2)

I have never noticed this store before but when you put lights on the edges and inside it become a very interesting scene to shoot.  But be careful.  The drivers on the street do not always know what you are doing and can't understand why you are standing in the middle of the street with your tripod.

Learning for the day: This is underexposed.   More light would make this a better picture.  OK now I know what to do next time.

Christmas in Eau Claire

My "Picture a Day" project hit a snag in the last several weeks. Family, church and community activities have taken priory and so there have been fewer picture-taking days and no pictures added to the blog.  But I am back again and will try to learn a few things by taking and sharing pictures.

Christmas lights are all around us and provide multiple photo opportunities.  So I go downtown Eau Claire to find some picture opportunities. The first image that grabbed my attention was a sign hanging above Barstow Street.  The lights were bright and made the area feel like Christmas. I took this picture.  Then after I downloaded the picture I realized I was on the wrong side of the street.  Come on, Dave.  Pay more attention. :-)



Nature's Design

After all the green is gone there emerges this grass that stands out like never before.  I wanted to catch this picture with sun light coming from behind but when the time was right, I was not ready.  SoI took just a few strands home, put them on some black valvet and used a flashlight for lighting. I did not get much depth of field, but learned how I might do it differently next time.  Stay tuned. Not a great picture, but good enough for my Picture of the Day.