Capturing life…

On Bribie Island where I live, I’ve come to discover that there are a lot of photographers, of varying degrees of skill. The island is well-known for its sunrises and sunsets.  But there are other photo opportunities here as well.  So I came to know of a woman, originally from Germany, but now an Aussie citizen, with an amazing vision when it comes to capturing the environment around her. Not surprisingly, Kathrin Dierich was announced as the July Artist of the month at the local arts centre.  At the launch of her exhibition, she gave a short insight of her work as a photographer and artist (she has had a great year as an artist as well).

Here she is during that talk.  Her photos held my attention for some time. Her discussion and photos have inspired me to improve my own skills.

All creatures great and small are precious

As you most likely know, I live in Australia.  Like every place on this earth, we have creatures of all shapes and sizes. There are some that are not found elsewhere, except for in zoos and wildlife parks elsewhere in the world.  I am reminded every day when I drive that there are kangaroos and koalas in the area and that I should slow down in case one has wandered onto the roadway.  This is especially so when it comes to koalas, as they are somewhat slower than a kangaroo.

When I was a kid, I had the lovely experience of raising a joey kangaroo (baby) — my dad found it’s mother along the roadway; she had been hit by a car, and dad stopped to see if there was a joey in the pouch — which there was.  So “Skippy” came to live with us for a few years, until he got too large for us to look after him any longer.  As sad as it was, we had to give him to a wildlife park which would take good care of him.  That would have been about 50 years ago, when I was 10.  I often think of those years, of bottle feeding him until he could feed himself; of going with my dad out to a dam where there was a lot of tall grass, and bringing bags and bags of it back, so that we had enough for a growing kangaroo to eat.

The video below just melts my heart every time I see it.  It is from an Australian wildlife park, and Imogen is the star of many videos.  She’s been raised there from very young times, and this video shows the loving care that she and all the other residents receive on a daily basis.

Enjoy!

Tuesday Challenge: the Path

I haven’t posted in a few weeks (life has become challenging in other areas and lack of time has made posting scarce).  But I do have some time for a post for the Tuesday challenge from Frank at Dutch goes the Photo!

This week it is: the Path.

I’d like you to photograph whichever path(s) appeal to you.  In the theme of path, I’d like you to think about where the path might lead you; is this a place that you want to get to, or is it one that you want to avoid?  Is this a path that everyone is going to take, or is it just your path?

I thought about the various meanings of the word.  The obvious meaning of a physical thing that leads you somewhere. A footpath, a road, country lane, a grassy path….and so many others in this category. I also thought of the way that certain elements in photos can draw our eyes in a certain direction –> like a path. So my photos are a mix of both ideas.  The last one is from many years ago when I was living in the USA — and whilst not such a good photo, you can clearly see me trying to dig a path out.  🙂

A favourite road…adorned with beautiful jacaranda trees.

Alpacas heading down a long grassy path to who knows where.

Country road.

A favourite path — at Picnic Point, Toowoomba — the path affords brilliant views of the valley below.

Wander along the path and under the archway to a farmhouse.

I love how this road winds through the countryside. It’s a pleasure to drive on.

A road to nowhere it seems.

A road takes you further into the outback; this one from the mining town of Mt Isa in Queensland.

The light across the water acts like a path for the eyes.

The light across the water acts like a path for the eyes.

The light across the water acts like a path for the eyes, to a point behind the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

This path skirts the foreshore of a sleepy little seaside town in Queensland.

From 2003, yours truly trying to dig down to the path, buried under feet of snow. A great memory from my years in the USA.

WPC: Frame

This week the WordPress photo challenge revolves around the idea of framing:

We frame what we see through our lens. And it tends to be a process, whether you use the golden ratio, the rule of thirds, or just aim for the right balance.

But what about how the world frames itself?

Whether it’s through an actual picture frame, a few stalks of grass, or even the spokes of a bicycle tire, find an alternative frame to the world around you and share what you see!

I was thinking about the way nature frames itself, and had a perfect example of that in mind.  Then before posting this, I read the post of a favourite blogger/photographer, Rob Paine, who has a couple of fine examples of what I was thinking — check his post out here.

So my example is one I took a while back of the view of a valley below some mountains I was driving along.  Not only was the view framed by the natural flow of the ridges, but the clouds had joined in to complete the frame.