An American Tree Sparrow

Marbles 1

Marbles 1, originally uploaded by gam_photoduffer.

Dull day today so I decided to play with my marbles. Lots of people tell me " I have lost my marbles" but as you can see they are wrong!!

three projects

three projects, originally uploaded by gam_photoduffer.

I had the best intentions today to complete 3 projects, but alas that was not to be, as you can see from the above graphic all three where a bust. They disintegrated into inifnite particals of garbage pixels. I will have to come up with a different technique if I am going to succeed and I will

Mallard Drake Flapping 11

Mallard Drake Flapping 11, originally uploaded by gam_photoduffer.

This was taken at Port Hope in the mouth of the Ganaraska River. The ducks were very active that day, they were all busy cleaning themselves up. This provided for some great photo opportunities.

Birds of Prey

This juvenile Red Tail Hawk let me get in really close for this shot.
As soon as the camera clicked, he made a move that make me jump back.  Maybe he was startled by the noise of the camera. I find that birds hear the beep when the camera is in focus and that is enough for them to flee.

This Red Tail Hawk is from a Falconry in Bowmanville, Ontario.  They have hawks and falcons and they rent them to food fairs etc. to keep the seagulls away.  Pearson Int. Airport in Toronto also uses falcons to keep birds away from the flight paths of departing and arriving aircraft.

I spotted this Red Tail Hawk sitting on a wire while driving down the road.  I stopped my car and took this shot from the car (I knew if I got out of the car he would fly away).

This is one of at least 3 shots that I got before another car came the other way and the hawk left its perch.

This is a male Osprey carrying a fish in its talons.  He is actually trying to make me change directions as his nest and the female Osprey are about 20 yards away.  I didn't stay long because I was obviously causing a lot of stress for both of them.  It is very rare that the female will leave the nest when brooding.

Reflections and Waterdrops

Immediately following a rainfall, out I went with my camera and macro lens.  The intensity in the drops made it hard to resist.  So many drops and which one do you choose?

Sitting on the dock at a cottage on Lake Muskoka, camera in hand, trying to capture dragonflies as they flew by when the bubbles caught my attention.  Slight adjustments in curves in photoshop altering the colour.  Every time I look at this shot I see something different.

The fascinating thing about shots like this is that it is a moment in time never to be repeated or replicated.  Each drop looks like it contains its own little universe, changing as gravity pulls them together to create another larger droplet with a whole new set of reflections.

Every photographer  strives to  make a "selfie" this to me contains so many elements that describe my passion for cameras and cars and reflections.  Some of the droplets contain many different portions of the shot.

Odds and Sods

This squirrel was frantic trying to get to the bird seed below him.  I walked out on the deck and he froze and he was glaring at me, so I took his/her picture.

Looking inside a Kiwi and seeing the radial symmetry and the explosion of the seeds, the unrepeated forms in a tangerine and the lack of replication in the grape tomato, make one realize the complexity of nature.