Posts tagged "picture"

Florida palm tree at sunset

It is a wonder how animals adopt in their surroundings.  If they do not move, we cannot even see them. Only a keen eye can spot these creatures.

Here are some photos I took throughout the years that capture creatures’ amazing camouflage:

Butterflies are great at it!

Their color usually perfectly reflect their surroundings.

Katydid turns almost into a leaf.

Grasshopper is of perfect color as Hibiscus.

Frogs and lizards are masters in disguise:

Brown Anole looks exactly like a bark on the tree.

Or it turns like a dried up leaf.

Peaking out.

Notice the leaf on the top?  A little frog is of exact color.

Frog becomes like a leaf.

Spot a frog in a moving in a wind vine.

Even larger animals can camouflage. Here you see Romeo running around.

Here you do not.  Almost camouflaged

Curious thing that even a horse can disappear out of sight.

Why fawns have spots on their backs?

So when they lay down in the grass, it looks like wildflowers.

Now can you spot a baby Sandhill?..  It is in the front of its parents.

This duck could pass of being unnoticed:

Can you see an owl?

Here is the beauty – Great Horned Owl

Squirrels are great at camouflaging, too.  I’ve seen them while hearing a hawk, lay down flat on the trunk becoming one with it.  Here is Baby squirrel in hiding:

It is a wonder how different creatures camouflage and completely blend in their surroundings.  It helps them to be protected and safe.  What can you see if you see more closely?

Running? Me? Who could ever thought?

Last week, I started something new.  When my friend Sandy and I went to Celery Fields hill, I saw 2 little kids and their mother running down the hill.  They had smiles on their faces, having a great time.  I thought for a moment, when was the last time I run?  I remembered my high school years when we used to run short-distance and long 2 km distance.  I was a pretty good runner in a long distance.  We even used to run in the snow.

So, I handed my camera to Sandy and I took off downhill.  Climbing up hill was not challenging enough, so I upped my game.  I run uphill 2 times.  My heart pounding, the wind in my hair, I felt ALIVE!  I was smiling ear to ear!  I put my arms in the air and at that moment I decided I want to get fit.  I want to be strong.  I want to feel alive!  … And I’m keeping my word.  I came back to the hill again.  I also run in my neighborhood.

In running, I became more aware of my surroundings.  Even my eyes became so much clearer, and this clear vision right now is staying for prolonged time. Before, my vision was a bit blurry, then clear, a little more blurry and then clear, and so on.  It was going from 20/40 to 20/25 most of the time.  Right now, even after finishing running, in this past week I can feel my vision stays clearer longer than usual.  And when I see 20/20, every leaf on the tree, I become ecstatic. WOW!  By running, I see beautiful front yards of neighbors.  Today, I saw a swing on a tree.  I see birds on a roof or flying by.  I hear hawk screaming.  My senses become alive.  My heart pounds, I breathe hard, then I start walking and later running again.  I become so aware of everything.  Even I pick up senses of flowers or blooming trees.  Oh, what a great fragrance!  It is so great to feel ALIVE!

Wow!  I just read some benefits of running.

6 benefits of running

I found this article helpful, too:

For Beginner Runners

Another great form of exercise and self-expression is dancing.  I danced this weekend, too.  My muscles were sore the next day, but it was so much well worth it.  My friends and I had such a great time.  Here is something I wrote awhile ago about dancing: What is your dancing style?

Photography is an incredible art that allows us to live in the present moment.  It fills us with wonder and amazement at the simplest things.  With photography, we capture that fleeting moment that otherwise would be easily forgotten or even unnoticed.  When capturing our world, we turn the ordinary into extraordinary.  We paint with light and make it a masterpiece.  Photography allows us to be curious and see and feel more.  It turns our world into canvas that we can fill with beautiful images, using our imagination.

Photography is like living with an open heart.  We open our hearts to the beauty in the world: flowers, smiles, pretty faces, beautiful fashion, nature, sunsets, loving couples.  We also capture a beauty of determination, beauty of age, beauty of standing up for something.  Each person, animal, bird, creature have a special feature, a special characteristic that is only unique to them.  A patient and aware photographer can capture that essence, that moment that usually escapes an ordinary eye.  In photography, each moment, each motion, each emotion is priceless.  A picture has to have a meaning, has to tell a story.  Words might be unsaid, but it must be felt within the heart.

Great photographer is a body language reader.  It takes lots of patience with people and as much with animals.  With elusive wildlife, there should be a trust established, honoring enough space, stillness and quietness.

Capturing that particular moment does not end there.  There is also an editing part: working with the picture like a painter.  Finishing touches are as much important to enhance the features that further tell a story.  In the past, I stayed away from editing part.  However, right now I find it exciting.  It is another creative way to love what I do.  When I edit, I feel like I am an artist creating a masterpiece on canvas.  Picture becomes like a precious painting of mine.  I still leave some photos alone.  If there are some imperfections, I let it be.  Nature is imperfect.  That’s why it is so beautiful.

Photography is a tireless teacher.  Not only it teaches us to look more closely, to examine things, to learn about our subjects and world around us.  It also teaches the techniques and tricks of the camera.  Knowing camera well can turn a darkness of the night into masterpiece full of magic.

Photography stops us in the tracks to admire what we choose to capture.  It is an outlet of living our lives fully, moment by moment, capture by capture.  It is an incredible way to feel alive, to see beauty with our eyes and to feel magic within our hearts.

Some photos resemble paintings.  The motion, the light bring a surprising outcome.  As if a painting comes out of camera.  I love to paint with the light and motion of a subject.  Here are some photos that I took for you to enjoy:

This one is one of my favorites.  The day was really cloudy, but this capture of the moment was priceless.

Sometimes the blurriness gives that special effect that looks like brush strokes of a painter.

These photos look like an abstract paintings.  That’s the capture of moving reflections in the water.

It is a wonder what photography can do.  It let us see what we normally would just dismiss or simply look and forget.  Photography is capturing the moments that can stay with us forever.  It is an amazing art that let us live in the now.

Recently I met my new friend.  We talked for hours, walked in a drizzling rain, went to the beach in the dark.  We had a great time and conversation.

In talking with her, I realized how far I came.  My attitude towards everything has changed.  Like the saying goes, “Do not look for me in the past.  I am not there anymore.”  It rings so true to me.

I realized all the struggles I been through in the past only made me stronger.  The people who treated me unfairly are no longer in my life.  Some things that I would be dead serious about before, just made me laugh.  I know what I want and nothing will stop me.

By talking to my friend, I glanced into my past and right now.  I came a LONG way. Wow!  I am not afraid of little setbacks anymore.  It only makes me stronger.  Setbacks are just a little building blocks that goes to the top of the castle of our dreams come true.

By summing up all our conversations about life and people, an enormous gratitude filled my heart.  I am grateful for:

1. My family and friends.  You are truly amazing, each one of you!

2.  My health.  Where I was and where I am now – HUGE difference!

3.  My pets who give an unconditional bundles of love and joy.

4.  A peace in my heart.  Forgiveness plays a huge part.

5.  My self-confidence.  Gosh, even my back is straight and I see clearer.

6.  My cheerfulness and positivity.  A simple smile makes the whole difference not only for me, but for others.

7.  My creativity and curiosity.  I LOVE making ordinary into extraordinary, to challenge myself to see in creative ways.

8.  Challenges.  They teach me lessons and test me how strong I’ve become.  It builds a character, so bring it on.

9.  New opportunities that unexpectedly present themselves.

10. LIFE.  I cherish every minute that I am alive!

What are you grateful in your life?

People come and go.  Some of them touch our hearts, some of them break them.  Some people come into our lives to give certain lessons.  Some people test our nerves, test how strong we become.  Yet with some people, it feels that we have known them for years.  We can talk to them for hours, and never gets boring.  It seems that they are our soul friends – people who are traveling a similar path.

If we look at our friend circle and people we meet, do we feel empowered?  Or do we feel drained?  Do we feel enthusiastic?  Or do we feel victimized?  How our friends make us feel?

This year, I decided to sort my friends out in a personal life and on social media.  Animal abusers or animal hunters for fun, people who demean women and others are not acceptable in my world.  I had to un-friend some on Facebook.  In personal life, I had to let go of some people as well.  People with chronic victim mentality only drains’ others’ energy.  They are real downers and not willing to change.  Some people just do not deserve to be in our lives.  If they put us down or belittle us, we can choose to let them go.  I did that, and my life became lighter.

Note:  if mentally we are still mad on them, they still have a control over us.  Therefore, forget, forgive and let it go. By being mad, we only hurt ourselves.

I choose to surround myself with people who are amazing, creative, inspiring and empowering.  Yes, we all go through life’s hard stuff.  We all have our stories.  However, if some people choose to complain about it and do not do anything, it is a downer not only for them, but also for us.  We do not need to get into other people’s dramas.

Life is all about going higher and achieving our dreams.  Let’s surround ourselves with people who empower us to be the best.  Let’s be the best for others, too.  Let’s inspire one another.

Happy New Year!  It is a new beginning.  Like Winfrey Oprah said, “another year to make it right.”  The thing is that we go through changes many times:  it could be at a beginning of the year.  It could be after some drastic event happening, like changing a job, losing someone, divorce, kids go to college, retirement, marriage, moving to a new place, etc., etc.  There is also a saying that major changes usually happen after 7 years.

Lately, I and my friends are going through major life changes, too.  So, how to cope with that? How to make changes fun?  First of all, I found the greatest thing to do is to get rid of crap.  Through many years, we collect so much stuff.  Some things we liked before, we do not like it anymore.  Get rid of it.  Our tastes change.  We have so many e-mails that we did not even read, subscriptions that we ignore.  Delete and throw away.   If we take pictures, some pictures seemed nice before. Right now they’re mediocre – delete them or save them on DVD.  There are clothes that we did not wear for years – donate, give away or sell them.  There might be some unfinished projects or writings that we never get to finish, or lost interest in them – throw it away.

Also, not only we got to get rid of old, worn, unfinished stuff, but also the same goes with mental stuff.  All negativity out – to open a new space for positivity.  There might be some people that hurt us in the past.  Don’t you wish that some of them would have a “delete” button?  We can do it in our mind:  we got to forgive them and let it go.  Because if we are mad or upset, we only hurt ourselves – let go of anger and hurt.

Or, here is a brilliant idea:  Use these feelings to make you go higher.  Sometimes anger or being upset gives us a motivation to succeed.  We can channel those feelings to make ourselves only better and stronger.  If somebody said, “You’ll fail,” just say, “Watch Me” and strongly believe that you can do anything you wish and do it.

Also, while we clean old or bad energy out of our lives, we open doors to new opportunities.  The thing is that in this process of getting rid of the stuff, the new ideas come.  In working on these ideas, we got to communicate with people.  That’s how we start something new and exciting.

Moreover, we shall not take on a new crap.  If people do not treat us right or be negative, we have every right to walk away or change a subject.  We do not need their negativity in our lives.  Let’s surround ourselves with friends that lift us up, inspire us, and encourage us.  No more drama and no bullshit.  Also, no more excuses.

I feel an enormous gratitude to my family and friends.  For my family, thank you for being my inspiration.  I love our deep conversations about life and what is possible, remembrance of our past moments and seeing how far we came, and where we are going next.

For my friends, thank you for cheering me on, for inspiring me to strive for the better.  You inspire me to be more creative and share the beauty of life and the world with you.  Thank you!

I wish you heart-felt moments with your family and friends.  These precious moments are more important than any gifts in the world. I wish for you lots of laughter, many surprises, heartfelt hugs and great conversations.

Love dearly, smile widely, hug wholeheartedly, laugh till tears, dance till whole room spins, and sing from your whole being!  Create something that nobody but you can create!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Thank you for being a HUGE part of my life, each one of you!  You are a True Blessing!

Do you know that when sun goes down, the water horizon becomes green for a moment?

Have you ever seen a sun halo – when a rainbow encircles the sun?

Do you know there is a bird that has a beak upside down?

Welcome to the world of photography – a fascinating world of wonder.  This is where surprises happen in the simplest moments.  It is the world filled with knowledge – through photography I see, I learn, I feel.  My camera is like a paintbrush of an artist.  With it, I compose, catch a light, create magic.  Where ordinary eye would only see a tree, my eyes catch a corner to see  a heart.

While some would see a sad fallen leaf, at certain light my camera turns it to magic.

While many would dread to be stuck in traffic in the rain at night, I see a street full of color.

How do I see all this?  How do I capture magic?  How do I see a beauty in the world?  Simply put, I capture what is in my heart.  My photography is an art form that expresses who I am, what I feel, what I see, what I carry inside of me.  Nature and animals are near and dear to my heart.  I have a special connection with them.  While capturing wildlife, first I use openness and intuition to locate animals.  Then I gain trust with them by reading their body language and using my inner knowing.  Once I gain trust, I can come near them to capture special moments.

I can even have a dragonfly land on my finger.

Pets are our best friends.  They are like our children.  They give us comfort and endless love.  They entertain us just by being them.  They give us smile even when we have a bad day.  They are our never-ending joy.  The best way to capture them is to let them be themselves.  They are the best posers and show their real personalities in their own environment doing their own thing.

Do you know that each person and each place have a certain sparkle, a glow, an essence?  What defines people are their life experiences, their lessons, their dreams, their wishes.  A passion and love for something lights up their inner fire and makes them unique like nobody else.  Using intuition, reading and listening to them, I can capture that essence.

Children are easiest to capture.  They do not have anything to hide.  Their essence shines right through them.  I let them be and capture the energy and light in them.

I also use intuition in capturing places.  I can feel the energy, love or lack of it.  Places are not only about furnishings.  It is about owner’s taste, personality, passions, history, experiences.  It is about life what it is now and dreams of what it could be.

I bring “a feel” into my photography.  I touch my heartstrings to play a music of life.  I use my imagination to capture things easily missed.  There is so much beauty in this world.  I wish people would just stop and see it.  If we all would see this beauty, there would be no violence and no hurting each other.  Because when our hearts are filled with beauty, love and care, we would only help and love each other.  There would be no war, abuse, and so much pain.  Through my photos, I wish to inspire people to be their full potential, to live their lives to the fullest, to stop and admire the beauty right in front of them, to feel, to live, to love.  Through my photos, I wish to bring people back to nature.  When they feel sand under their feet, feel sunshine on the skin, smell  beautiful flower, see a stunning sunset, touch or see a beautiful creature, they will stop poisoning the earth and destroy what is part of them.  Why to destroy our own home? Why to destroy ourselves?