SX50 Round 2

I'm still trying to work with the Canon SX50. Most of the usable shots have been with the tripod attached. Some shots have come out okay hand-held, but image quality is obviously better with the tripod. The reason I bought the camera was to take it on the kayak, so it remains to be seen whether the image stabilization is as good as they say as I float on water. That'll be the final test. On Good Friday we are taking three of my cousins for their first time kayaking. I plan to have fun whether the camera is cooperating or not.

I'm in a Picture of the Day (POD) Group on Facebook and it amazes me to see how many people are using this camera in place of their DSLR! I don't think I could go that far. Only if I get really lazy and don't want to carry my gear, or develop arthritis in my hands or something. Nope, I don't see the SX50 as a DSLR replacement, but it'll sure do in a pinch.

Shots from yesterday and today. Still not sold; however, it's getting better and I can see potential.

I added dead limbs and spanish moss to the feeding station. The birds love to sit on the extra limbs
and I think the moss adds a bit of security for them.

Hope our CPA comes through today! Double D delivered the tax paperwork to him in Dallas on the 9th. I'm dreading the dollars that are sure to leave us for Uncle Sam. Ugh, I hate April 15th! Unless it's your birthday, then I love it! :) All will be well!!!

Miscellany and a PSA

Miscellaneous shots taken on an outing January 3rd.

Great Blue Heron

Mockingbird enjoying the peaceful setting.
I always imagine myself sitting in a place like this, but can never seem to actually do it.

Snowy egret

PSA: When I previewed this post, the photo of the snowy egret looked noticeably degraded in quality from what was appearing in Lightroom and Photoshop. The blue was more of a navy and the smooth water was filled with noise. Fiddling with the export settings did not help. I eventually discovered that the "Auto Enhance" feature in Google Plus's settings was not just for photos uploaded to G+, but it's applied to blog photos, too. That Google just takes it upon themselves to mess with photos that I have painstakingly edited makes me angry. After unchecking "Auto Enhance" under Google+...Settings...Photos, I re-uploaded the image. It's much better than it was, but I still find the quality and color off from LR and PS. Here is a better blog post explaining it if you care to read further. I just want to say to Google, "Knock it off!"

Photos from January 5th:

 Trio of canoers on the Tchefuncte River.

Lake Pontchartrain, Mandeville, LA, late afternoon
All of the photos that were shot with 200 ISO and f/8 came out looking 1/2 blue and 1/2 gray.
I wish I was technically savvy enough to know why, but I just accept and appreciate these happy accidents.
Maybe it was because dark clouds started to gather and my sensor was too low on sensitivity to record the scene properly.
The only editing applied was resizing, cloning out sensor dust in the sky, and a slight lighten.

I love the way the light hit the center of the Causeway Bridge

Water's like me. It's laaazy... Boy, it always looks for the easiest way to do things.
Bob Ross (painter and host of The Joy of Painting)

Miscellany

Miscellaneous photos taken over the last two weeks. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Mama Eagle keeping watch over her eaglets, 2/17/13

Chickadees are the boldest birds. I was probably 6-8 feet away from this little dude at Bluebonnet Swamp. Where else? :) 2/8/13

Another bold bird. This vociferous mockingbird was creating quite a scene at Capitol Lakes, 2/13/13.

My birding friends were generous enough to point out this tiny tree frog holding on to a red buckeye tree. 2/8/13

I was quite enamored with him.

Great Egret marching at Bluebonnet Swamp, 2/14/13.

American Kestrel, River Road, 2/15/13.

Brown Thrasher, Bluebonnet Swamp, 2/15/13.

I've got an abundance of photos of the Eastern Phoebe,
so you're going to be seeing it for quite some time. 2/18/13, Capitol Lakes.

Something a little different for me. Family flying a kite on top of the levee 2/3/13.

Gifts of an avian nature

For the last month I have been under the spiritual direction of my 2nd cousin, Sister Cynthia, a beloved nun for over fifty years. With her encouragement I am becoming more comfortable with who I am, how I relate to God, and how God relates to me. One of the ways God and I "talk" to each other is through creation. I continue to marvel at God's handiwork!

I realize the tufted titmouse is a common sight in many areas, but we don't often see this little cutie. Score!
Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center, 1/20/13

A bright and happy cardinal
Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center, 1/20/13

Not the clearest shot, but my first ever sighting of an American Goldfinch in this area
Hilltop Arboretum, 1/17/13

Common yes, but my first sighting of a robin this year. Spring is around the corner!
Lake Martin, 1/19/13

Anhinga drying his wings at Lake Martin, 1/19/13

Mockingbird among the berries, Lake Martin, 1/19/13

And now for my exciting encounter! All the rain that I moaned and complained about resulted in something really special. The park I used to frequent as a teenager is currently under a foot of water due to all the rain. Hundreds of White Ibis made a stop-over a few days ago and they're still there. My first time ever seeing this bird in our area. Another score! A big thanks to my bff, Michelle, for scoping this out! I love you little snowflake. :) In the next few days I hope to put up more photos since I have several shots of them flying.

French Kiss texture paper

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