Charlie the Egret is an annual visitor to our local retention areas here in McHenry. I have some pics of him from a couple of years ago; he seems to like this one little spot down from my house. So, I set up the cam again, and decided to get a bit closer to see if I could get some better shots of him doing what he does best, fish! Charlie put on a great show, and I could swear he was hamming it up for me, with flipping a fish with his bill a few times.
Charlie showing his wingspan
Ok, so I have a new addiction. I find myself doodling on my phone and discover I can create some pretty cool pics with some of the free paint and sketch programs on my phone. Not only that, there are picture editors with all kinds of filters and adjustments to enhance your creations. Here is an example:
There are all sorts of ways to create these pieces. Some of the sketch paint programs remind me of the old Etch a Sketch , kind of limited on what you can do, but that makes the challenge. I can create it on one of the programs, or I can actually sketch out what I want and take a picture, paint or add a filter to it and give it some deeper value. Here is another example of a sketch photograph then ran through a filter. I like this one myself. It is my first attempt at sketching a ship, so I figured The Flying Dutchman would be a great start!
and another on Mount Fuji. I sketched the val canoe on my paper first from looking at a photo online, then took a picture of it, then did some drawing on it and some color. I added a bit of a filter to give that misty look on top.
I have a few more that I will put up in a gallery. Please, I would love to see what creations you have made from your phone! I will link them here for others to enjoy!
The beauty of having a camera on the 4th of July is being able to capture some of the colors created by controlled explosions. I was able to snap a few after my wife spotted them going off in the opposite direction of where I was looking. Totally unexpected, close and I was able to set up fast enough. My wife saved the day, because the fireworks that I was actually trying to find had already been set off the night before. Yes, once again, my total lack of attention to detail turned out to be some of the best shots of my day. Have fun!
My yard is a virtual jungle of flora and fauna. The beauty of this is that it is great for my attention deficit disorder, there is always something waving, flapping or buzzing to grab my wandering eyes. And, if I do not catch something, the kids in my neighborhood are quick to knock on the door with their latest finds, so I can grab “the big camera,” and start snapping away like a CSI or paparazzi. Nothing seems to elude them, and they love to share their new subjects, even if they are a bit on the ewwww side of the coin. Baby birds, bugs of all kinds, chipmunks and of course the occasional dead animal are all legal game for the neighborhood photographer. I enjoy watching their excitement as I explain what they have found and get some well angled shots. It usually lasts for a few fleeting minutes til they hear the ice cream truck or something else shiny catches their eye, but those are some grand moments.
I have watched one of the kids who used to come around grow into quite the shutter bug himself. His friends are always commenting on the shots he gets and he has used the Facebook pages as his galleries. After recently graduating high school, he informed me that he is looking to go to college to be a photo journalist. How cool is that? Another, is starting to take notice of things that are picture worthy, she is one of the kids I will actually use some of my cameras when she is around. Oh, some days it is like watching her drive, but the thrills are too much to pass up.
My nephew took to my first digital camera right away. He was getting some great shots as early as 10 and some years later I gave him my old camera to practice his skills.
It just shows that no matter what you get into, share it with others to inspire. Kids are always looking for something neat to check out, or somebody who is not unapproachable to share their excitement about their world. Sure, they might give you a blanks stare when you start babbling on about how a spider builds a web and why, or why they should not poke the hornets nest with a stick. But you never know which kid will learn something from you, and take that in their life travels to inspire others.
The first day of summer brought a nice summer storm. I found a spot on a hill close to my home and started my quest for my first cloud to ground lightning strike during day lit hours. Its like fishing, you keep snapping away until you catch one, and I managed to get one nice one out of the lot. I trimmed it a bit, but did not get the rain drops off of the lens. I did play with some others I will put up later, brightened them up and did a little dusting to get rid of drops. All I can say is this type of shooting is addictive.
First Summer Storm Lightning Shot
It has been a long cold winter here in Illinois, the snow was deep and the winds blew hard. Even though spring was on the calendar we have been in the grips of a nasty wet cold transitional soup. There have been a few days I was able to wander the yard with the camera and get a couple of shots of my yard zoo.
Welcome to Create the Inspiration! I am glad you checked this site out; we are still building so please come back often. The purpose of this little site is to inspire others to create, by showing what we create.
Currently, with the down turn in our economy, a lot of folks are finding themselves with a lot of extra time on their hands because of layoffs etc. This time is usually used for pursuing job possibilities, more time with family or just sitting around fretting about the next turn in the road. It is a mixed blessing that we are in this spot, because this is the time we always wanted to do the things we really would like to do in life. How many times do we say ” I would love to start (fill in activity) again, but I don’t have time.” Well, get creating! Take that time now, before you go back to what ever kept you from creating before.
I have started writing and taking pictures again, two of my favorite activities. My drawing skills are a little rusty, but I have actually sketched some things here and there lately. The creations of other folks inspire me to create, its a cycle. So, please share your creations and experiences to inspire those who now have some time to find their inner artist. You never know, something could get you started on that long lost passion again.
Bobby the inspiration duck wants you to get out and enjoy a beautiful day!
I want you to get out and get that inspiration!
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