Black Bear Scat

If you are offended by animal scat please don't read further.  A photograph is displayed later.

I have talked to people on the trail at Gorman Nature Center who say that they are knowledgeable about Black Bears.  What they say to me seems reasonable but I have limited experience in "bear country."  I once backpacked in the Adirondacks State Park in New York State.  The ranger told us they range in a 30 mile area.  You must hang your food, including toothpaste in a tree that is inaccessible to the bear.  I never saw one during my visit.  I once saw a cub raiding a dumpster in Gatlinburg, TN.  The people to whom I spoke said their dogs rousted a black bear at Gorman last fall.  They did not get pictures.

I have spoken with a naturalist at the nature center and he said that he believes we could have a black bear.  I started carrying a camera set up for instant action in case I come across one.  I have a long lens on it and it is set on ISO 1600.  I know about what I can do with it in terms of light.  I  have had success shooting birds, etc.  I did photograph a large paw print this past spring.  It turned out to be a large dog's print.  I bought a book on animal tracks.  I have looked at black bear tracks on the internet.  I believe I would recognize a track.  It has been very dry and there are no tracks at present.

I recently came across a pile of scat on the trail.  It did not appear to be dog scat.  I see a lot of that.  I almost passed it by but went back to photograph it.  What will I stoop to next?  I came home and looked it up.  I found a site which had scat of the black bear categorized as to what it has been eating.  The one showing scat where the bear had been eating berries looked just like my shot.  You be the judge.  I think it is.  Please comment if you care to.

Black Bear Scat

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Background composition and a correction

Spider Web Dew

I like the colors of this one.  Some folks are particularly interested in the colors contained in the image.  They want the colors to match their decorating scheme.  This one might appeal to them.  Technically, I wanted more of the spider web sharp.  I used f/8 to maximize sharpness but the depth-of-field was not deep enough.  I am discovering that composition of the back ground is important on one like this.  The composition of the background, though out of focus, works better on this one than some of the others I captured that day.

I find that I chose the first on over this one, even though the spider web is in better focus.  I think it is because of the composition of the out of focus background.

On another topic, my mission, as stated, is to make "artfully photographed, content specific images."  The "rainbow" at GNC turns out to have been a Sun-dog  The scientific name is "parhelion" according to Wikipedia.  Thanks to Jeff Sprang for pointing that out to me.

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Gorman Nature Center Dry Brush

GNC Rainbow dry brush

I felt that going with the "dry brush" filter would preclude the flare (different genre).  I decided that I liked the "dry brush" because it solved the problems in the foreground.  I needed to make this decision when I was rested because I would need to remove the flare and that was work.  I did so as well as enhanced the rainbow a little.  I am pleased and my print this.

Duke Ellington said, "If it sounds good, it IS good."  I think that thought applies here.  If it looks good, it is good.  Can I sell this as photography?  Not to some purist folks.  Can I sell this as art?  Absolutely, if you are willing to take it at face value.

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Not perfect!

Gorman Nature Center at sunrise

The sun is rising later and I am rising earlier to greet it.  This was the next to last of a series of shots captured as the sun rose.  I call it Gorman Nature Center Rainbow.  I think that it is a strong composition.  I particularly like the sunlight on the foreground grass.  Of course, I might have wished to avoid the lens flare.  I wanted the sun to light the foreground grass and could not move to a location where that would happen without loosing the pond and the sun.  Some of the grass in the foreground moved.  The rainbow really does not show the colors that I saw.  I really do not know what to think about the rainbow.  I tried a dry brush rendering of this but have not reconciled the lens flare with that rendering in my mind.  I am rambling.  Please feel free to comment.

http://www.larryatlarrysimages.com.blogspot.com/atom.xml is the feed.  If you are using a reader, that is what it takes to subscribe.  My blog is on blogger.com.  If you click on the previous word "blog" it should take you there.  I read Blogging for Dummies and I am trying to learn this new concept.  To subscribe, you will need a "reader".  Google has one.  You sign up.  If you have Google mail or any Google account that will work.  If you don't you must sign up.  The reader gives you the opportunity to subscribe to not only my blog but any other "publication" which has feeds.  That could be news, sports or whatever.

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