Summer is winding down, at the pond

Posted by Photonstopper on September 2, 2012
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Photo: Yellow-legged Meadowhawk dragonfly. Photo by James Guilford.

Yellow-legged Meadowhawk Dragonfly (male) Sympetrum vicinum

We had a wonderful nature photo walk at the Alderfer-Oenslager Wildlife Sanctuary of Medina Park System this afternoon and had the park nearly to ourselves! The sky was cloudy and the air was warm and heavy with humidity — it rained quite a lot last night! Unfortunately we saw no wading birds, in fact no aquatic birds at all! Still, the late-summer flowers and waterlilies made up for much. Oh yes, and then there were dragonflies! Not many, mind you, but just enough to keep this fan happily clicking away as the beautiful few went about their business. Today’s feature was the gorgeous Yellow-legged Meadowhawk. I had the good fortune to come across a dragonfly who seemed to like having his picture taken for not only did he pose prettily on some plant leaves, he hovered in flight! It appears summer is winding down at the pond.

Photo: Yellow-legged Meadowhawk dragonfly in flight. Photo by James Guilford.

Yellow-legged Meadowhawk in flight!

Dead battery: alpha/omega

Posted by Photonstopper on August 31, 2012
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Photo: Berea Falls, Berea, Ohio. Photo by James Guilford.

Berea Falls: First and Last

I had enough time on my drive this morning to pause at the Berea Falls Overlook in Berea, Ohio. I also had my “big” camera with me — thrown into the car at the last minute with no extra gear, including no extra battery. I walked from the parking area to the deck which extends out over a deep, rocky gorge. It was a breathtaking view, indeed, though Cleveland Metroparks needs to prune trees that have grown up around the deck partly blocking the view. So back to the car I went to grab the camera. I shot my usual image documenting where the following images were taken. Then I focused on the scene and shot my first image. I thought I got off one or two more but then the camera stopped responding. Yep… the battery was dead, dead, dead! Stupid mistake the result of a last-minute change. No chance to improve focus, use different exposures… Ugh! Later, accessing the camera’s memory card from a computer, I found only the documentation shot and one photo of the Falls. Still, the alpha/omega picture turned out pretty well and I now know a new place to revisit when better prepared!

Ready for my close-up!

Posted by Photonstopper on August 24, 2012
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Photo: Hawk preening while perched on a tree limb. Photo by James Guilford.

One must look one’s best when posing for photographs!

It was too beautiful a day to stay indoors and do the things I ought to be doing, my thinking being I ought really to be outdoors! So off to Hinckley Lake I went for a vigorous hike with full camera backpack — the extra gear adds to the workout. As I was arriving so, too, was a hawk. A young Red Tail? I eyed the bird, within easy walking distance, as I assembled my trusty camera and telephoto. Warily I approached, shooting a photo now and again since each might be the last before the raptor takes flight. The bird stayed put, looking at me now and again, but mostly scanning the ground and sky. Closer and closer I approached in slow steps. The hawk stayed put. I found I could move around under the dead tree perch, even walking directly under my target. How very nice of the hawk to be my wildlife model of the day! Speaking with a Metroparks groundskeeper who was running a mower I learned he had been watching the same bird. It seems this hawk has learned that after the mower cuts the grass, small rodents may appear and are easy to spot in the now-open area! The bird had made a mouse kill just moments before I spoke with the man. The same bird has been spotted following the mower in another park area. A smart bird, and ready for his close-up!

Photo: Hawk perched on a tree limb. Photo by James Guilford.

Ready for my close-up!

Maison des morts

Posted by Photonstopper on August 23, 2012
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Photo: Stone arch over the entry to a mausoleum. Photo by James Guilford.

Detail: carved stone arch over mausoleum entrance.

It is possibly the oldest structure in North Royalton, Ohio and it was built to house the dead. In my city walkaround I visited the cemetery at the top of the hill … the one across the street from Taco Bell. In the churchyard stands a little mausoleum bearing the date 1879. The stone structure is definitely in distress and could use some repair. I don’t know if any bodies are inside but window gratings are falling from their openings and some of the stones look like they could just tumble to the ground. Still the little maison des morts stands, built with attention to detail, its beauty in some ways growing as the decades pass, as testament to love for the departed.

Oddities can be interesting

Posted by Photonstopper on August 22, 2012
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Photo: Signs point the way to barber shop. Photo by James Guilford.

Signs point the way to the barber shop.

Old North Royalton, Ohio is oddly developed. There are few truly old buildings and no really old commercial buildings at all. Low commercial structures, apparently put up in the ’60s and ’70s, are uninspired and even ugly but they serve their purpose. The haphazard placement of businesses leads to odd situations where buildings sit behind other buildings; entrances to stores can be on sides or at the rear with no street exposure at all. Occupants do what they can to inform customers of their locations and how to reach them. Looking around, the oddities can be interesting.

Yellow fan, blue sky

Posted by Photonstopper on August 22, 2012
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Photo: Brightly painted carnival ride against deep blue sky. Photo by James Guilford.

Yellow Fan, Blue Sky

Photographing around the site of the 128th Annual Community Festival in North Royalton, Ohio, I had a fine time with the clear sky and beautiful morning light. Carnivals and festivals attract photographers like cotton candy attracts, well, everything; their usual photos are of rides at night but I’ve often noticed how interesting and even beautiful those same rides can be by day. I spent a good long time at the town’s square observing and shooting the scene, in the company of only a few workers. Got some nice shots around the old town as well, perhaps to be seen here later.

Beautiful cloudy skies and a green lake

Posted by Photonstopper on August 20, 2012
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Photo: Masses of clouds against a deep blue sky. Photo by James Guilford.

Stepping out the back door produced a wonderful view.

Lately the sky has often been a splendid combination of open and cloudy. Great, puffy cumulus clouds bloom all around and, with enough open sky between me and them, offer wonderful profile views as they evolve against a blue background. Today was especially interesting as thunderstorms passed to the north and south of my vantage point. I ducked outdoors to shoot portraits of the towers drenching towns to the south. At lunch I made for the Lake Erie shoreline mostly, I must confess, to see if I might glimpse waterspouts. No waterspouts but a heavy storm was away out over the lake and the water had a strong green coloration. Beautiful cloudy skies and a green lake made my day a happy one.

Photo: Intense thunderstorm over Lake Erie. Photo by James Guilford.

An intense thunderstorm passes to the north.