March 09, 2013

Spring is springing at Lily Lake


click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

What is in a name? I often wonder. Sometimes they spark the imagination. Lily of the Valley, Goldenrod, Honeysuckle, Indian Paintbrush, Nightshade, Passion-Flower, Queen's Anne's Lace, Snapdragon, Star of Bethlehem, Trumpet Flower, Venus Flytrap, and Wallflower. Oh, the list goes on...

But this (above) is "Indian Warrior". Again, the name sparks imagination. Pedicularis Densiflora, if we want to get technical. Indian Warrior was used medicinally as a muscle relaxant and is thought to be smoked by at least one Native American tribe for its narcotic effects. Don't get any ideas, kids.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

On the left is the Coast Redwood. With shallow roots they rely heavily on the drippy coastal fog to provide them with water. On the right is actually an orchid--although this delicate species, Cypripedium Montanum, or Mountain Lady's Slipper, hasn't cast its blooms quite yet. I'll keep you posted.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

Lily pads floating on the pond with the assumed name of Lily Lake. The other day I noticed a Rough-Skinned Newt swimming around. Toads and frogs will soon make a noisy appearance, although they will all quickly dive for shelter after detecting the presence of some-goofy-guy-with-his-camera.

On the right is the shaded side of a large Madrone tree covered with a fair amount of moss. The sunlit side is more likely to peel and shed a paper-thin bark in interesting patterns. CLICK for an image snapped in July of 2008.


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4 comments:

AphotoAday said...

Note for JOHN (SINBAD'S DAD) Yesterday I promised I would give the technical details of this image, so here goes...
With the Canon5D Mark2 exposure (aperture priority) was f-2.8 at 1/125sec., ISO-100. 200mm with Canon 70-200 "L" f-2.8 II I.S.
Before opening it in Photoshop and making final tweaks I did the RAW conversion using settings of; color temperature +300degrees, 23% fill, +5% blacks, and +1.60 exposure.
I almost always underexpose my images because RAW can handle underexposure beautifully and guards against blowing out my whites while preserving saturation. I used no additional saturation or vibrance on this image.
Normally I try to stay away from f-2.8 because f-4.5 is slightly sharper, but for a subject like this that didn't seem to matter--often times it does.

John @ Beans and I on the Loose said...

I took notes. Hopefully there will not be a quiz though. Thanks.

photowannabe said...

Oh, I do miss the Redwoods. I look at this photo and I can almost smell the earthy fragrance and feel the dampishness.
Love the exotic orchid and the water lily pad. The colors are magnificent.
The Madrone with moss has so much personality and texture.
I am a fan!

AphotoAday said...

Thank you, PHOTOWANNABE SUE -- Your compliment means a LOT to me. Thanks for your continued support and encouragement. I snapped a shot of a horse and a hill this morning that just about knocks my socks off... Watch for it on a blog post coming your way soon.

 
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