Photography: Springtime at Coyote Pond

She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbor:
“Winter is dead.”
—A.A. Milne, When We Were Very Young

Yesterday, I returned to Coyote Pond to see if it might be a good place to take senior portraits (yes, yes it is). My first visit was during a rainstorm, and I took some of my favorite pictures of birds. This time, the sun was shining brightly and the entire morning felt like magic.

Sure, some of these photos are too bright and the focus isn’t technically perfect, but I’m so in love with these images. The world right now feels unsettling, and I’ve got too many things to think about, but there are still baby geese and turtles and ladybugs. I can’t stop thinking about how much Neil would have loved these photos, and maybe you will too.

Let me know if you have a favorite and have a fantastic day!


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  • Photos taken with the Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using a 14-150mm lens and edited with Lightroom Classic.

Photography: Coyote Pond Park

Despite a hard week, I rose early yesterday, faced the rain, and spent two hours in a nearby park capturing bird photos. Creeping through the grass without a sound, tucking my camera into my rain jacket for safekeeping during downpours, and focusing only on the birdsong offered unexpected joy. It’s comforting watching the world through a lens, away from anything but the sounds of nature.

Although I’m taking classes right now to photograph people, my first love will always be the outdoors. And while I’m getting better at using my camera in manual mode, I haven’t achieved the crispness I want yet. Let me know if you think these are headed in the right direction and if you have a favorite photo. I hope you have a great rest of your week!


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  • These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using a 75-300mm lens and edited with Lightroom Classic.

Photography: Sunday Drive

“All he needed was a wheel in his hand and four on the road.” -Jack Kerouac

Yesterday I took a leisurely drive with my daughter through the more undeveloped parts of our area. It was a clear, beautiful autumn day and I stopped occasionally to take photos when the roads provided enough space to pull over. My photos this week are the best of those images. I edited them all to have a similar tone. Is it my best work? No. Is it okay to simply like them and not love them? Sure. I’m learning and growing. It’s all part of the process.

These next few days are the final push to finish up NaNoWriMo. I’m behind. I’ve got to write 7,652 words by Wednesday. I’ve reached the “Brain, activate Deadline mode” phase. Here’s where being an unpublished writer gets tricky. Nobody really cares if I make this deadline except me. I have to be the one continuously digging deep to make my deadlines. There are really no consequences if I fail. Yet, I don’t want to fail. I don’t want to let myself down.

To everyone giving me support and cheering me on, thank you. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. May everyone have a wonderful week filled with the things you love best.


  • Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW

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Photography: Around the Pond

My photos this week were all taken around the pond at William Land Park in the early evening. It was warm outside and I learned the lotus flowers I wanted to capture only open early in the morning and are closed by mid-afternoon.

I had the intention of returning later in the week to try again, but my son started summer school and life got busy. Perhaps in a few weeks, when school finishes, I’ll have time to return to this beautiful spot.

Although I didn’t get the blooms, I am happy with the photos I was able to capture of the animals living around the pond, especially the dragonflies. Let me know what you think in the comments below and I hope you have a wonderful week.


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