A Word A Week Challenge: Shadow

Zazzle online shop If you enjoy my photos and would like to purchase some, I want to thank you! Simply visit my Zazzle online shop and browse the product offerings. If there’s a photo you would like to purchase but don’t see it in my shop, please contact me by using the Contact form at the bottom of my home page and let me know which photos you are interested in purchasing, and in what format / medium.

Remember that my 2014 nature photography calendars (choose between five different themes) are available for sale. Look in the left sidebar on my website for the most up-to-date discount coupon code. All calendars are made to order in the USA so you support the US economy with your purchase, and a starving artist (me!). I also appreciate any referral through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and of course your blog or website.

Today I’m participating in the A Word A Week Challenge. This week’s theme is “shadow”.  I encourage you to click on each photo to see a larger view. If you like what you see, please subscribe to this blog to receive updates of the new photos I post, usually 3 to 5 times a week.

I’m glad a shadow photo theme is suddenly popping up because I’ve had a few photos I’ve kept on file just for the occasion. I took this photo of the shadow of a few tree branches several weeks ago, when fall started in San Diego. I like the pattern formed by the dead leaves on the ground, under the shadow.

A word a week photo challenge: shadow of a tree on brown leaves
A word a week photo challenge: shadow of a tree on brown leaves

I took the next two photos this past summer in the mountains. I thought the shadows from the ferns on the rock underneath looked like mini trees.

A word a week photo challenge: shadow of fern on rock
A word a week photo challenge: shadow of fern on rock
Dark shadow of fern on rock
Dark shadow of fern on rock

I took this last photo not too far from those ferns. I love the shadows on the rocks formed by the trees right above. They make for an interesting background for the flowers.

Shadows of tree leaves on rocks behind flowers
Shadows of tree leaves on rocks behind flowers

Travel theme: Sky

Zazzle online shop If you enjoy my photos and would like to purchase some, I want to thank you! Simply visit my Zazzle online shop and browse the product offerings. If there’s a photo you would like to purchase but don’t see it in my shop, please contact me by using the Contact form at the bottom of my home page and let me know which photos you are interested in purchasing, and in what format / medium.

Remember that my 2014 nature photography calendars (choose between five different themes) are available for sale. Save 60% on my calendars by using coupon code CYBERTUESDAY at checkout (valid until 12/3/13 midnight). Look in the left sidebar on my website for the most up-to-date discount coupon code. All calendars are made to order in the USA so you support the US economy with your purchase, and a starving artist (me!). I also appreciate any referral through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and of course your blog or website.

Today I’m participating in Where’s My Backpack’s Travel Theme photo challenge. This week’s theme is “sky”. Remember you can click on each photo for a larger view.

If you like what you see, feel free to subscribe and receive nature photography updates a few times a week.

We’ve got plenty of sky in San Diego and on a good day, it looks as blue as this.

Travel theme: Blue sky in San Diego and rising moon
Travel theme: Blue sky in San Diego and rising moon

OK, let me clarify my previous statement. The sky tends to be this blue inland, while the sky by the coast is often covered by some haze, the marine layer or some thick clouds. That’s why Denver in Colorado technically gets a lot more sunny days than the city of San Diego. But you just have to drive 10 or 15 miles inland, and the weather is beautiful most of the year.

The sky is even bluer in the mountains of Southern California, where the air is cleaner.

Travel theme: Blue sky in Southern California
Travel theme: Blue sky in Southern California

Of course, we do get some clouds once in a while. I often call them “a waste of clouds” because they don’t bring any rain and just cover the sky with gray layers. Big white puffy clouds like these are rare to spot in the sky and these are my favorite days.

Travel theme: sky with puffy clouds
Travel theme: sky with puffy clouds

Our summer sunrises and sunsets are quite boring, when the sky goes through a few colors with no wow moment. Winter is a different story, as the sun rays hit the sky and the clouds that are sometimes there at a different angle.

Travel theme: sky at sunrise in San Diego
Travel theme: sky at sunrise in San Diego

I haven’t had the chance to capture a sunset this past week, but many of them have looked like this one.

Travel theme: sky at sunset in San Diego
Travel theme: sky at sunset in San Diego

What color is the sky where you are?

Macro Monday: Tasmanian devil

Zazzle online shop If you enjoy my photos and would like to purchase some, I want to thank you! Simply visit my Zazzle online shop and browse the product offerings. If there’s a photo you would like to purchase but don’t see it in my shop, please contact me by using the Contact form at the bottom of my home page and let me know which photos you are interested in purchasing, and in what format / medium.

Remember that my 2014 nature photography calendars (choose between five different themes) are available for sale. Save 60% today by using coupon code ZAZZLEMONDAY by midnight, December 2, 2013. Look in the left sidebar on my website for the most up-to-date discount coupon code available. All calendars are made to order in the USA so you support the US economy with your purchase, and a starving artist (me!). I also appreciate any referral through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and of course your blog or website.

Today I’m taking part in the Macro Monday photo challenge. You can click on each photo for a larger view. If you like what you see, I encourage you to subscribe so you can enjoy the new photos I post a few times a week.

The San Diego Zoo recently welcomed four Tasmanian devils to its Australian exhibit. They’re the only Tasmanian devils on exhibit in a zoo in America, so it’s a pretty cool experience to see them in person. They’re nocturnal animals so they sleep while the zoo is open and visitors come by, but I got lucky enough during my latest visit to see one of them move around a bit. I know these photos are technically not “macro” but this is as close as I can get to a Tasmanian devil, and that’s pretty close.

Here he is waking up from his morning nap.

Macro Monday: Tasmanian devil at the San Diego zoo
Macro Monday: Tasmanian devil at the San Diego zoo

He then got up to get a drink. Check out those claws. They’re made for digging.

Macro Monday: Tasmanian devil drinking
Macro Monday: Tasmanian devil drinking

He went back to lay down after a few minutes.

Tasmanian devil laying down
Tasmanian devil laying down

And then he looked up right at the camera. Pretty cute face if you ask me.

Close-up of a Tasmania devil
Close-up of a Tasmania devil

WordPress weekly photo challenge: Let there be light!

Zazzle online shop If you enjoy my photos and would like to purchase some, I want to thank you! Simply visit my Zazzle online shop and browse the product offerings. If there’s a photo you would like to purchase but don’t see it in my shop, please contact me by using the Contact form at the bottom of my home page and let me know which photos you are interested in purchasing, and in what format / medium.

Today is Small Business Saturday 2013, the one day of the year to encourage people like you to skip the mall and online retailers, and make your purchases at your local mom and pop shop instead. Support small businesses and your local community and make a difference one day at a time.

Remember that my 2014 nature photography calendars (choose between five different themes) are available for sale. Use coupon code BLKFRIZAZZLE to save 60%, valid on November 30, 2013 until midnight. Look in the left sidebar on my website for the most up-to-date discount coupon code. All calendars are made to order in the USA so you support the US economy with your purchase, and a starving artist (me!). I also appreciate any referral through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and of course your blog or website.

Today I’m participating in the WordPress weekly photo challenge and this week’s theme is “let there be light”. If you like what you see, feel free to subscribe and receive nature photography updates a few times a week.

Well, Thanksgiving is over and it’s now a straight line to Christmas. So how about some Christmas lights for this theme? Here are my favorite Christmas decorations from last year. Enjoy!

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: Let there be light - Christmas lights
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Let there be light – Christmas lights
Wordpress weekly photo challenge: Let there be light - Santa Christmas lights
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Let there be light – Santa Christmas lights
Wordpress weekly photo challenge: Let there be light - Christmas decorations
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Let there be light – Christmas decorations
Wordpress weekly photo challenge: Let there be light - Snowman Christmas lights
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Let there be light – Snowman Christmas lights

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Shop small: November 30 is small business Saturday

Shop small - small business Saturday 2013
Shop small – small business Saturday 2013

Zazzle online shop If you enjoy my photos and would like to purchase some, I want to thank you! Simply visit my Zazzle online shop and browse the product offerings. If there’s a photo you would like to purchase but don’t see it in my shop, please contact me by using the Contact form at the bottom of my home page and let me know which photos you are interested in purchasing, and in what format / medium.

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving with your loved ones yesterday. My turkey wasn’t stuffed but I sure was at the end of the meal.

Tomorrow is November 30, 2013 and it happens to be Small Business Saturday. This is the one day of the year (and hopefully you do it more often) to remind you that shopping small is good for your community. Make your purchases at your local mom and pop shop rather than at the mall or at a large online retailer. Support small businesses and your local community and make a difference one day at a time.

Therefore I want to remind you that my 2014 nature photography calendars (choose between five different themes) are available for sale. For Black Friday, save 60% by entering code BLKFRIZAZZLE at checkout (valid on 11/29 until midnight). If you buy them tomorrow, look in the left sidebar on my website for the most up-to-date discount coupon code.

All calendars are made to order in the USA so you support the US economy with your purchase, and a self-employed single mom (me!). I also appreciate any referral through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and of course your blog or website.

By the way, I don’t know about you but I love spotting shapes in clouds. Check out the snail I saw in the clouds a few days ago. Too bad it wasn’t a turkey!

Snail cloud
Snail cloud