The Airport

I can't knock the convenience of air travel, but it always leaves me feeling so hollowed out. 

I'll need the rest of the day to recover...put my feet up, and then take Clover for a walk.

Crane Curtain

We reworked Anna's 1000 Paper Cranes into a room divider...just for fun :)

Past Lives

...or Time Flies.  

Egghead

Every Saturday I pick up my farm fresh eggs out off of County Road 96.  I leave the empty cartons in a cooler during the week, and on Saturday I pick up my eggs and leave my money.  Some mornings my eggs are looking back at me in surprise.

Things I Control

I went back to Sonoma early yesterday morning to try my poppy photo again.  I was hoping for less wind and better light, both of which I got.  I think there were about as many poppies as last week, but this week they hadn't arranged themselves so photogenically.  If only I could have last week's flowers with this week's low wind and softer light.  It got me thinking about how little I control in this whole nature photography equation.  It ought to be quite a bit: the decision to take the photo, of course.  The camera settings.  The angle. And yet, as a nature photographer, there are so many things out of my control!  I went to a gallery opening yesterday, and the photographer gave a talk.  He told about taking a photo of a piece of scrap metal in the desert in Nevada in high winds, and about coming back at a later date to retake the photo.  And because my early morning shoot was still fresh in my mind, I was thinking well yeah, you never know about the wind, but at least the piece of metal was looking just the same!  I'm so in love with the light here...I just wish the flowers were more open.  I might post one more photo from this shoot, but I don't think I'll head back out here again.  Time to move on.

MelissaLeady.com

I'm happy to announce that I've finally got my website going!  I have a few pages to work on still, but for the most part, it's up a running.   Please visit at MelissaLeady.com.

Poppies

Such an intense shade of red with the morning light glowing on these poppies 

at Kunde Vineyards in Sonoma Valley.

Oh the Wind

I don't know why I was surprised to find strong winds when I headed up Sonoma Valley yesterday morning.  We've been having these winds on and off for at least a week.  Hot, dry, sustained winds, and exceptionally gusty.  I had to photograph between gusts, but I decided to make the most of it, and try to photograph a windy spell too.  This was my best attempt; if it's too windy, the flowers hardly show up at all.  Thankfully we started a new weather pattern today, so things are cooling off, and maybe we will even get a little rain this week!

Sonoma Valley

I finally got back out to Sonoma Valley for a spring vineyard photo.  I was so happy to see all these poppies blooming, including so many California poppies.  We're having such a hot, dry spring that the California poppies are all drying up around here, but these flowers have the benefit of the vineyard irrigation system, so they should keep blooming for a while.  

Taking a Break

I think I'm going to need to take a break from the blog for a little while.  I've got a lot going on right now that is photography-related, and it's just keeping me from getting out with my camera.  I'm finishing up my 2014 Calendar (which I hope will be even better than the 2013 calendar!)  I'm working on prints for my first gallery show in July, and learning to cut mats for that show.  And I'm taking a web design class and working hard on my own photography website, which will hopefully be up within the month.  In the meantime, I'll enjoy following everyone's blog posts and try to put up a photo now and then when I do get out with my camera...

Over the Top Desktop

Still taking it easy, so I've pulled another photo out of my extras file.  This one is from the Alameda County shots earlier this month.  It reminded me of the desktop on our old old Windows XP computer (I'm pretty sure that photo was taken somewhere around here), partially clouded green hills with dark blue sky and high clouds.  But when I searched that desktop it was much more vibrant in color and way over the top in terms of intensity.  So I clicked auto correct in the Windows Picture Manager program, which usually gives an "over the top" version of whatever photo you have up, and this is the result.  Somehow it's still not nearly as in your face as that desktop shot, but looking at it now, I can't imagine it being any more vibrant than this. 

Calaveras Vineyard

Very tired this week; I'm lying low and not taking photos.  This one was taken last month somewhere out in Calaveras County.  By now all the grapevines are starting to leaf out. 

Outside the Fishbowl

Or inside the drinking glass...because the light is so nice near the water cooler.

Jake's Puppies

From Adventure Time on Cartoon Network.  One of my non-photography projects.  This is my second set of puppies.  These are on their way to Ben in Iowa.

All-American Barn

The last in my series of high clouds and bare hills between the Delta and the back side of Mt. Diablo.   Hope you enjoyed.  I'm thinking of using one of them in my calendar but right now I'm not sure which one.