“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.” — Loren Eaiseley Having spent most of my life near the water, it’s the wildlife living in and on the water I enjoy seeing the most. Three favorite pictures show Bottlenose Dolphins, a Mute Swan and Great White Pelicans enjoying the water. Some of you have already seen this dolphin picture as they are following behind our boat. This particular pod lives in the Kiawah River in South Carolina. There are several previous posts where you might enjoy learning more about these very unusual pods of dolphins: #88 Chaos, #89 A River Run Through It and …
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #139 Special Moments
“It’s the special moments that keep you going and smiling, make you the person you are and give you a lifetime of memories.” – unknown With so many special moments over the years it was hard to limit it to a few pictures. The birth of my children and marriage to my husband is at the top of the list. ‘Aha moments’ also count as special moments; they capture my full attention, causing me to pause and savor the moment! A few of these memorable moments are shown below. Could not resist showing this special moment as one son sorted through his easter basket and the other one waited patiently for…
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #89 A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT
This week Amy suggested using the title from the book, “A River Runs Through it” by Norman Maclean as our photo challenge. What is so important about a river? It is a source of life for all of nature and also man plus it symbolizes the power of nature and fertility. I live close to the Kiawah River which runs between Kiawah Island and Johns Island and the mainland area surrounding Charleston, SC. The river is in a constant flux of change as well as the wildlife that depends on it for survival. The images below offer a glimpse into some of the life by the river. This river is…
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #88 CHAOS
Ann-Christine chose Chaos as the word challenge this week. Choas in some form seems to be most everywhere. On Kiawah Island, there is a pod of Bottlenose Dolphins who learned to feed in a chaotic manner called strand feeding. This taught behavior is only seen in a few parts of the in the world. You can see from the pictures below how chaotic strand feeding is! The first part of the feeding routine looks more organized. Working together, they locate a school of fish and begin herding them towards the shore as shown below. Once the fish are boxed in with no escape route, the dolphins attack by herding them…
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #84 NARROW
Amy picked the word “Narrow” for our photo challenge this week. I decided to begin with this photo featuring a narrow strip of beach, separating the Atlantic Ocean and Kiawah River, at Captain Sam’s Spit which only appeared at low tide. In addition to wildlife resting on this narrow area, pods of resident dolphins live and play in the Kiawah River. Notice the curious bottlenose dolphin in the foreground, quietly observing the birds on the bank. This was taken on the west end of Kiawah Island, South Carolina. Two narrow channels have been cut out as the ocean tides change twice a day, creating this tidal pool shown in…
LESS IS MORE: Lens-Artists Photo Challenge
This week Amy wants us to think about how the concept of “Less Is More” can impact our pictures. Removing as much as possible to establish the focus on only one or two elements in an image, while still conveying the overall feeling or spirit, can be challenging at times. “Simplify: say no to the good so you can say yes to the best.” Decided to experiment with two of my favorite subjects – flowers and bottle-nose dolphins. I wanted to see if it is really true that sometimes “Less Is More” can create a better picture. “There is beauty in simplicity.” – unknown This image seems to be a…
ACTION: Lens-Artists Photo Challenge
Patti selected the word Action for this week’s Photo Challenge. When thinking about what to present, wildlife images immediately came to mind. Wild animals and birds spend most of their life being active; always vigilant and searching for food to survive and raise their young. “Your way of life is determined by the actions you take.” ∼ Akiroq Brost Beautiful Maine Bobcats (Lynx rufus) like this one are fairly common in many parts of the state. It was mesmerizing watching this cat slowly saunter back into the woods when hearing someone approach in the distance. Fortunately, bobcats are reclusive animals and tend to avoid people. Their diet consists of rabbits,…