Week 10 of 52 - Doo doo doo Lookin' out my back door

Well, it's been a while since I struck out camera in hand for a photo walk.  Not really sure why!  I guess I just haven't been inspired.  And this weeks walk didn't start out as inspiration!  More of an obligation to get back in the hang of weekly photo walks.  Even though I wasn't inspired before beginning, I think I got a few nice results.

It's Spring and the Dogwoods are in bloom and the weather has been wonderful, so this week's walk is in the backyard.  I guess I take the setting for granted, but it really is a serene place when you take the time to enjoy it.  I tried to capture the beauty of the dogwood, the peacefulness of the yard and while I was at it, shoot some of the neighbors cows.

Photographing the dogwood to capture its true beauty proved tougher than you might expect.  The only thing that worked in my eyes was to isolate a few of the flowering petals and create a strong bokeh.  I think I was able to do a decent job utilizing the available light from the late afternoon sunlight.













Next came the neighbors cows.  Now I've tried unsuccessfully to photograph them before.  Frankly, I normally find it a rather boring subject.  I'm not saying the photos here are exciting, but the results are better than I've achieved before and I'm fairly pleased with them.  It basically started with pretty much the same disappointing results.  But while I was scouting my next photo location, they walked right up to the fence.  Right up until my dog Ellie rushed at them and scared them back.  But, I calmed her down and the cows returned.  Ellie even made a friend, I think.  Either that or she was scouting a future meal.  She does love steak!

I worked a little magic with post processing to make the cows pop more in black and white.  These two are a couple of my favorites.  Others are available on Flickr. 

Finally, just a few of shots of the yard.  The shadows created a nice effect.  For some reason, I'm in a black and white mood.  So I converted these to black and white.  The color ones are nice too, but I liked these (including the one at the top) best.  I really like the tilted one.  Just because it is so disorienting! 

I'm pretty sure the next photo walk will involve the activities of the Fiddlestick Festival.  As always, thanks for looking.

Later,

MG