shooting ladybugs...

Endlessly fascinating as they scurry about their work - so quick, so photogenic.

on the tip of a tulip petal
on the tip of a daffodil bud

This one is my favorite, two ladybugs underneath the petals of a white cosmos.

Hoping spring has found you too!

lagging behind but a few pictures to share...

My resolution to keep up better with this blog isn't doing too well. Here are a couple of shots from today.

Gerbera daisies can make me and my camera happy for hours.


The first daffodils are blooming in the garden. The out of focus purple are pansies. Garden update coming soon.


I think this is from a Gila woodpecker but I might be wrong.


This was done for my Beyond Beyond workshop with Kim Klassen. Assignment - to shoot from overhead. I love doing that, especially with food shots. I processed it with "mary" a Kim texture. Kim is such a generous person, filled with knowledge to share.


Have a great weekend!

winter wonderland, Arizona style...

It isn't unheard of to get snow here but usually it is flurries and nothings sticks. This was different. Big, wet glorious flakes that actually stuck to the ground. I didn't need to drive to a higher elevation. The snow was here. At my home. It started around noon and we got a couple of inches.
It started melting and then began to snow again. I was making soup. It took me twice as long because with each ingredient added, I allowed myself to go back outside with the camera. It was 71° degrees yesterday when I photographed my apple blossoms. Sure looked different today.
Night fell and we hunkered down with homemade soup and bread with a cozy fire. For the first time ever, we had to remove snow from our satellite dish to be able to watch our beloved Wildcats. The next morning, it hadn't melted. It wasn't snowing any more so I headed out to explore the Sonoran desert in the snow.
There is something about seeing the desert in the snow that takes my breath away. Definitely a Frederick kind of day.

they are growing...

I mentioned these oak trees when I got them for Christmas of 2010. They have had a rough time and we were afraid they wouldn't make it. WB talked to the geniuses at Mesquite Valley Nursery and we found out what we were doing wrong. The trees are happy with the change. We actually do have autumn in the desert. I realize that January is not the typical month to welcome autumn but I'll take it any time of year. Isn't that color amazing?

Glorious...

PADD...

I think I may have PADD. For those of you not familiar with this affliction, PADD is Photographers Attention Deficit Disorder. Let me give you an example of my morning. I woke up with the best of intentions of things that must be done today. I decide I need to start my day with some breakfast, which I often skip. My go-to is a bowl of Special K with fruit on top. I grab the strawberries from the frig and take them to the sink to wash. As I am running the water over them, I look at the basil plant on the window sill (thank you, Trader Joes, you had it just when I needed it). I think about how good it smells and how happy I am that it has been protected from our week of freezing temperatures. I get a knife to cut the strawberries. I look at the basil again and see the way the light is coming through the back of the leaves. It is a gentle light but the veins of the leaves are so pretty. There is light coming from the sides and a bit from behind me too. I grab my camera to take a few quick shots. Luckily, the macro is already on and the camera is close by so I am only distracted for a few minutes.

I cut the strawberries and put them on my cereal. I start thinking about the light on the basil leaf as I pour the milk on my cereal. I decide to bring the basil into the living room to check the beautiful morning light from the east. The light changes quickly so I want to check right way. I move the plant around the room but don't see the light I am hoping to find. I look out the window and decide that I would find just what I need there. I take the plant outside, with camera in hand. It is cold. I am only in my jammies. It is really cold. I decide that I can get a quick shot. I put the plant where I think the light is best and realize that isn't the right light. I decide that I am too cold to play around any more with this so go to pick up the plant. I realize that the shadows playing through the leaves look like Tinker Bell. I know that if my daughter was here, she would completely agree. I know if my son or husband were here, they would be shaking their heads. I can't walk away from Tinker Bell, no matter how cold. I take a quick couple of shots and head back toward the door. As I am looking at my LCD screen, I realize I forgot to adjust the ISO so go back to take another quick shots. It is cold.

I am finally, inside. It is so cold out there. I have to shower and get dressed. I notice the cereal, now soggy. I figure it won't hurt to wait another minute while I get the card downloading. I put the card in the computer and start thinking that it would be fun to put a Tinker Bell quote on this photo. I google Tinker Bell. I find out that her name is not Tinkerbell, as I thought, but Tinker Bell. I start reading Tinker Bell quotes, trying to find my favorite. My card has downloaded. I have to take a peek at the photos. I know that I still don't have the shot that I was "seeing" when I first looked at the basil plant but I can try that again later. I find the Tinker Bell quote I want to use. I take a second look at the photos and decide which one I like best. I second guess myself. Does this really look like Tinkerbell? I think it does. I pull up the photo in PS and start to work the text. I play around with fonts. I have too many fonts. I really need to find a way to organize them. I decide that this one (2 Peas shenanigans) isn't exactly what I had in mind but it works. My daughter likes the word shenanigans so I figure since she may be the only one who would agree this looks like Tinker Bell, it is the right one to use. I do a quick process and add the quote. I size it for flickr.

I start wondering if other photographers are like this. I should ask. Maybe, I'll write about it on my blog. If I don't write it now, I know I never will.

That cereal looks bad.

I am still cold.

Yes, I think it's PADD.



********************hint:

mug shots...

We've been wanting to head south to see the sandhill cranes but the unusually cold temps have kept us at home. I can't complain. Cozy fire, good books to read and WB is making granola so the house smells wonderful.






Meanwhile, here are some at home "mug shots":

Whatever your weather, hope you are having a cozy weekend.

in praise of the nandina bush...

On Thanksgiving Day, the berries were a bronzy orange, perfectly paired with pumpkins and leaves from our eucalyptus tree, a last minute decoration on our outdoor table. {Excuse the quality of this hastily taken photo, taken in the middle of dinner.}

When ready to decorate for Christmas, the berries were turning a pretty red. They were in bowls filled with pine cones and in this rustic box made by my husband. When I needed a little extra greenery, I just snipped a few branches. You can see those Thanksgiving eucalyptus leaves turned a silvery, snowy color.

Now the holidays are over. We are slowly getting things put away, ready to enjoy the lovely simplicity that is January. The nandina berries continue to make me happy.