WordPress weekly photo challenge: Reflections

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.

When you’re taking pictures, reflections can be a good thing or a bad thing. Sometimes you don’t realize you caught a bad reflection (often yourself) until you open the photo file on your computer. Other times you’re lucky and you end up with great pictures.

Here are a few of my photos to illustrate the WordPress weekly photo challenge theme of “reflections”. Remember you can click on each image for a larger view.

These are lilypads I photographed at Balboa Park in San Diego this past summer. You can see gorgeous close-ups of these water lilies in this post. Still water is a great medium for reflections and you can’t go wrong.

WordPress weekly photo challenge: Reflections- Water lilies at Balboa Park in San Diego
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Reflections – Water lilies at Balboa Park in San Diego

Here is a soap bubble on artificial grass. I took this picture because although it’s not the most beautiful photo out there,I think the many reflections on the bubble (the sky, the house, the grass, and me somewhere in there) and its transparent nature give it a mesmerizing effect. What do you think?

WordPress weekly photo challenge: Reflections in a soap bubble
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Reflections in a soap bubble

Here’s a photo of a little rain left over on a begonia leaf. If you look closely (you can click on the photo to see a larger image), you can see the bars of a metal fence are reflected in the water. Because of the shape of the leaf, the bars are not straight but curved, as if they were embracing the flower inside the leaf. They almost look like a flower stem too. Pretty neat!

WordPress weekly photo challenge: Reflections in rain water on a begonia leaf
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Reflections in rain water on a begonia leaf

I kept my favorite photo of reflections for last – rain drops sitting on a spiderweb over river rocks. You can view the rest of these rain drops here and here. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

WordPress weekly photo challenge: Reflections in raindrops on a spider web over river rocks
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Reflections in raindrops on a spider web over river rocks

WordPress weekly photo challenge: Thankful

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.

As a photographer, I am thankful for my two digital cameras, both Canon Powershot models. If I had plenty of money at my disposal, I’m sure I’d have a few more cameras, along with tons of accessories. But for now, I’m thankful for what I have because these two cameras allow me to capture a few glimpses of the nature around me, such as the images below. Make sure you click on each image to see a larger photo.

I’m thankful I can take dozens of photos of sea jellies and actually get a few decent pictures. If you’ve ever tried taking photos of jelly fish, you know what I’m talking about!

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: Thankful - photographing sea jellies
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Thankful – photographing sea jellies

I’m thankful I could take a photo of this beautiful blue dragonfly. Do you know that dragonflies can fly for hours without resting?

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: Thankful - photographing a blue dragonfly
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Thankful – photographing a blue dragonfly

I’m thankful I was able to take a photo of this very cute pigmy goose at the San Diego Safari Park last week. Look at its beautiful colors!

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: Thankful - photographing a pigmy goose
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Thankful – photographing a pigmy goose

Finally, I’m thankful to once in a while be able to spot nature’s life cycle, in this case a mourning dove sitting on its nest and not moving a feather.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: Thankful - photographing a mourning dove
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Thankful – photographing a mourning dove

Finally, I’d like to add that I’m thankful for WordPress allowing me to display my photos to the whole wide world for free, with just a few clicks of the mouse. That’s pretty awsome. Thank you, WordPress!

Sunday Post: Natural Resources

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’ve decided to join a few hundreds of other fellow bloggers in Jakesprinter’s Sunday Post photo challenge. This week’s theme is Natural Resources. As always, you can click on each image for a larger view.

California is full of natural resources, the main one being the sun. We get a lot of sun and don’t harvest as much as we should for energy purposes.

Sunday Post: Natural Resources - the sun
Sunday Post: Natural Resources – the sun

One very precious natural resource in California is water. Unlike the sun, we get too little of it.

Sunday Post: Natural Resources - water - Lake Hemet, California
Sunday Post: Natural Resources – water – Lake Hemet, California

And with sun and water, we get vegetation, mostly brush and small trees. But with a good amount of water, you get tall, beautiful trees.

Sunday Post: Natural Resources - trees of Idyllwild, California
Sunday Post: Natural Resources – trees of Idyllwild, California

I’m very fond of this last featured natural resource: honey, made by precious bees. Unfortunately, bees are a natural resource in danger. Besides being kind to bees, you can help their population by growing lots of flowers and flowering plants.

Sunday Post: Natural Resources - honey making bee
Sunday Post: Natural Resources – honey making bee

Enjoy Black Friday savings on my nature photography products

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.

Everyone is offering Black Friday deals and I am too! Well, technically Zazzle is, but since my products are available on their website, I can pass these Black Friday savings on to you and whoever visits my online store:

  • 60% off wrapped canvases and posters (I added new photo canvases and posters recently)
  • 50% off ornaments
  • 30% off calendars
  • $10 off cases and sleeves
  • 15% off on everything else

Use coupon code BLACKFRISALE at checkout to apply the discount. This coupon is valid today only so I hope you take advantage of it and share it with others. Whether you buy a few of my products, or products from other great designers on Zazzle, this is a good deal you won’t want to miss out. There are great products for Christmas gift ideas there for everyone.

Visit my Zazzle US online store now to start shopping. To access my Zazzle store in another country, please click on the country flag below. Happy shopping!

Happy Turkey Day!

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 want to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving holiday. I shared this turkey below on my other blog but I also wanted to include it here because it’s a very cool looking turkey. If you’re looking for ideas of Thanksgiving craft activities, this is an easy and fun one for kids and adults alike. The key is not to eat the ingredients along the way so you don’t run out…

All you need is a red apple, toothpicks, raisins, cranberries, marshmallows (1 big one, several little ones) and a gummy worm. Here’s the coolest looking turkey art you’ll ever make. And it’s edible art. Could it be any better?

Thanksgiving crafts for kids - make a turkey with an apple, cranberries, raisins, marshmallows and gummy worms
Thanksgiving crafts for kids – make a turkey with an apple, cranberries, raisins, marshmallows and gummy worms

Happy Turkey Day!