Nature Photography – Page 4 – Different Isn't Wrong, It's Just Different

Waiting to hear if any of my photos were chosen for the Photography Salon for the 2022 Iowa State Fair can be trying. So on this holiday weekend, I thought it would be fun to take a look back from the last few years of images that haven’t been shared, at least on this site.

Interestingly, another photographer submitted a very similar image to my bleeding hearts image to the 2019 Iowa State Fair and was chosen for display and I believe received an award. Am I sorry this image wasn’t submitted, a little. But it also makes me feel good that another photographer chose to “steal like an artist” as this is a huge compliment and was chosen for the Photography Salon.

Next up are two images of wildflowers native to Iowa. These two images were made the same day as my image Spring at Lacey that was submitted this year to the Iowa State Fair. It’s a few years later and I am still pleased with both images.

This crabapple tree was in full bloom. I have photographed this same tree in the fall. I like to do that, photograph the same scene during the different seasons.

This juvenile robin had recently fledged and was perched in my lilac tree. At first I was startled to see it as I wasn’t aware a nest was near by. Surprisingly, it stayed in the same spot while I went inside to grab my camera. Granted, wildlife and birds, are not subjects I photograph, so to be able to make this image was quite exciting!

One of my favorite flowers to grow are zinnias. The bees and butterflies love to feast on their pollen. Below is a monarch that would visit my flowers each and every day at about the same time.

The final image to share today was made at Geode State Park.

Over the next couple of weeks while waiting, I may look back and share more images.

Another year has almost come to an end. Hard to believe 2018 is almost over. My time for photography has been limited this year and my time for writing has been even less. (Something to work on for 2019, making more time for both.) As I was pondering whether or not to show my favorite images for 2018, I wondered if there were more than a handful as I had only wandered through the nearby parks a few times. But those few times I knew I had to work hard and really make my time count. To my surprise, while browsing through my Lightroom catalog of images for 2018, many I was quite pleased with. Each year there is a different theme to my photography and at first I thought it was all about trees, white and red this year. However, as I discovered images that I had forgotten about, two themes came to mind. One, I was looking for peace, for which I hope you see as I did when the images were made and still see today. Two, I was pushing myself to be creative. With little time in the field this year, I was usually chasing a moment, when nature’s show would be for a short time, as little as a fleeing moment, making me work hard to catch it. Whether a wet snow in early spring or an early wet snow in autumn. One week it was full autumn splendor and just a week later the trees had snow clinging to them. The morning I photographed the snow-covered red maple trees, it was before I had to be at my day job. I had about 35 minutes to make images. Three from that morning made it into this gallery.

So as we say goodbye to 2018, I hope you enjoy seeing my favorite images of 2018!