Week 38 – #A5. S.O.T.C. (Straight Out Of The Camera)

Following a harsh winter storm, we were visiting in New York and I captured this photo from the 17th floor at 101 Warren Street. It is “S.O.T.C. (Straight Out Of The Camera)” with no post processing.

 

Week 37 – #27. Memories

Lula Lake holds special memories for me and my family.  When we were kids, Mother would prepare a picnic and after church the entire family would hike up a mountain trail for lunch and a swim in the ice cold water.  My husband has heard stories about our outings so while in Chattanooga this past October, he asked if I would take him to Lula Lake.  It had been years since I last visited but once we got there, the memories flooded my mind and it seemed like only yesterday.  My Dad would dive from the cliff and we, of course, would scream as he plunged into the water.  He used to tell us not to worry about him getting hurt because Lula Lake “has no bottom,” and we, of course, believed everything Daddy told us.  Oh, the innocence of children!  About a mile down stream from this pool is a 100′ waterfall, appropriately named Lula Falls.

Week 36 – #36. Out Of Focus

Slowing down the shutter and moving the camera while pressing the shutter release gives some interesting photos which can be used as textures or overlays. I have a folder of out of focus photos which I use just for that purpose. Give it a try. You can get some really interesting textures and overlays and they are quite easily captured. This photo, for example, was taken in my front yard in Chattanooga.

Week 35 – #47. The Eye

This past week, I went with three other photographers down to Cape Coral to photograph the burrowing owls. We had a blast photographing these adorable little owls. The one in this photo kept giving me “the eye.” It was difficult to select only one photo which best represented this week’s theme, but I chose this one for the composition and hint of spring that the wild flowers represented. Some history of the burrowing owls in Cape Coral: Cape Coral also has the distinction of having the largest population of the Florida species of the Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia floridana) in the State, with an estimated 1000 nesting pair.

At only 5-8.5 ounces and7.5-11 inches tall, the Burrowing Owl is one of the smallest of all the owls, and of the 171 species of owls worldwide, the only owl that lives underground. Unlike the Western species of the Burrowing Owl (athene cunicularia hypugaea) that lives in abandoned prairie dog burrows, here in Florida our Burrowing Owls dig their own burrows. Cape Coral has upwards of 2500 burrows within the City limits, but not all of them are actively being used by owls.

Photographers and birders alike come from all over the world to see our Burrowing Owls, and everyone is amazed at how easy it is to see and photograph these beautiful little birds. This doesn’t come without a price. Over the years, one of the main locations to see the Burrowing Owls is the Cape Coral Library. There were multiple burrows located on the streets surrounding the library, all of them very active. Today, only one burrow is still active and it is thought that there was just too much human activity for the owls, and they moved on. While the owls are quite tolerant of humans, getting too close to them too often will cause them to abandon a burrow and move on to a quieter location.

While some of the Western Burrowing Owls migrate, the Burrowing Owls here in Cape Coral do not migrate. They are here year round, but often hide in the summer to avoid the hot summer sun. The best time to see the owls is from January through June, and the best time to see the chicks is late April through June. REFhttp://www.ccfriendsofwildlife.org/burrowing-owl/