Night Patrols

Monica and I started night patrols last night. It was rather last minute, but it's still fun. With two back-to-back disoriented turtles, it seemed like the best time to start trying to monitor and tag a few turtles while they were finishing their nesting visits.



Unfortunately, we didn't have a nest on the ten mile section we patrolled last night. With nearly 30 miles of beach to choose from, it's hard to pick the right area.



I did have some late morning hours to spend with my newest lens though... I'll get some better pics soon, though I really like the one below.



Every time I see these flowers in the backyard, it makes me think of sunrise. Who could ask for anything more beautiful?

Lotuses in the Rain

It's been a rainy weekend for me with severe thunderstorms and current tornado warnings. The sky is growling constantly with a thundering bass.



so I'm sticking close to home and playing with the rain drops on the lotus leaves...



If anyone has any photography pointers, I'm all ears. I'm really disappointed in the photo editing software I've been using. I think I'll try that included with the Canon 40D to see if it retains more of the vibrant coloring that the camera delivers.



I found a 17 to 85 IS lens I need to buy soon.



It's frustrating to run up against technical limits, but I'm happy to be learning so much so fast!



I'm also realizing that correcting photos is actually making them worse... The color quality from this camera is much better than that on Photoshop. How strange is that?



Photoshop makes the images look rather flat, when they really pop on my camera... Odd. Maybe it's time to upgrade software too.

Flowers Blooming Everywhere!

I don't usually post on non-work days, but I need to play with my new camera til I'm a little better with it.



The flowers in the yard are really enjoying all this rain!



The lotus flowers today were gorgeous.



The tiger lilies also light up the back yard.



There's an absolute riot of spider lilies in the front yard.



I still don't have a really good picture of them, but I'm working on it!



I think I need a 78-135mm IS lens next. It will really help my photography skills develop a little more.



It always amazes me to watch the lotus flowers open up over the course of a few short hours...



Aren't they stunning?



I think I need some macro rings too. I think I'm starting my Christmas list :)