The Coastal Chapter of the Georgia Nature Photographer Association Shoot Out at Bamboo Ranch and Coastal Gardens

On Saturday following a presentation, "Lessons in the Field" at the monthly meeting of the Coastal Chapter of the GNPA this past Thursday evening , David Foster was kind enough offer some hands on instruction  for  shooting nature images at Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens. Locals remember these gardens as the Bamboo Ranch where Billy Jo Royal, a Georgia native performed in the 50's and 60's. Although many of the blooming plants in the gardens were gone, some of the fall leaves still clung stubbornly to the branches. In the banana palm grove, the leaves were wilted and browned, but the opportunities for shooting textures was abundant. For about an hour, I felt frustrated as one really had to study the plants to find a creative composition. The sky was overcast most of the morning with peeks of sun shining through-perfect for close-up photography. I gave up on my zoom lens and settled down with the 100mm macro. We were not allowed in the beds so as not to disturb bulbs and other plants that were dormant, but that made it hard to get very close to compose an image. Of the 60 some images, I felt the ones below had some merit. Maybe not wow images, but some beautiful in their state of decay. Thanks again to David Foster and to the group of photographers who sacrificed their Saturday morning sleep-in to shoot some nature images. 

I used textures from Rad Lab-Dirty Pictures which made subtle changes mainly to the background of these images. If you are new to textures, there are many free textures available on Flickr as well as tutorials. Flypaper Textures has textures for sale as well as tutorials.

Banana Flower

Banana Palm Leaf

A Decaying Banana Tree Leaf on the Ground

Banana Stalk

Orchid

A Pineapple Growing Near the Orchid House

Seed Pods

Pumpkin Abstract

A Foggy Morning at Bonaventure Cemetery

Scenes from an early morning photo shoot at Bonaventure Cemetery. Three intrepid photographers from the Coastal Chapter of the Georgia Nature Photographers Association take in the grounds of the famous Bonaventure Cemetery. Here are some images from that foggy morning.

From a bluff in Bonaventure cemetery overlooking the Wilmington river, I could barely see the trees, but the golden colors of the marsh grass intersect and create a mustard color line through the image. A bit of green draws the eye to the day marker, a structure serving as an aid to navigation on the Intracoastal Waterway around Savannah.

The moss-draped oaks are cloaked in a subtle blanket of fog and in the foreground is a uniquely carved stone for Ellen Theresa Beatty and Harry B. Beatty. A giant Sago palm lends a bright green to the scene.

In the foreground  of the Ives monument lies a tiny grave lined with a scalloped stone border. Stones from an unknown mourner top the headstone.

A lovely angel monument honoring  Aaron Wilbur and his wife.

Coming soon, digital infrared photos from Bonaventure Cemetery!

Coastal Scenes-Savannah-Using Kevin Kubota Artistic Tools-Pow Wow

Recently, I had the opportunity to try Kevin Kubota Artistic Tools-Pow Wow free for 30 days. It's been great fun tweaking my photos with the different effects offered in the Pow Wow pack. I'm very much into shooting digital infrared with my converted Canon D60, so decided to concentrate on using the Pow Wow pack to enhance the images of  coastal scenes around my area. My favorite tool was the Black and White Lensbaby Oh Baby, a perfect tool for editing the digital infrared images. The watermark tool in the Pow Wow collection made it easy to add the copyright information.  I highly recommend these tools for enhancing not only the black and white digital infrared images shown here, but also the tools are great for color images.

Tybee Island Lighthouse

Pow Wow Tools Used-

Black and White Lensbaby Oh Baby

Faded Memories

Single Glass Vitamizer

Image Transfer

Ft. Pulaski, Near Tybee Island, Georgia

Black and White Lensbaby Oh Baby

Image Transfer

Shrimp Boat, Lazzaretto Creek, Near Tybee Island, Georgia

Black and White Lensbaby Oh Baby

Gull-Wassaw Island, Georgia

Black and White Lensbaby Oh Baby

Boating on Wassaw Island, Georgia

Black and White Lensbaby Oh Baby

Sea Oats, Back River, Tybee Island, Georgia

Black and White Lensbaby Oh Baby

Beach Fences, Back River, Tybee Island

Black and White Lensbaby Oh Baby

HiDef

Early Morning Shoot at Savannah National Wildlife Refuge

Not many big birds on my early morning shoot at Savannah National Wildlife Refuge where I met with other members of the Coastal Chapter of the GNPA. Leading our group was Diana Churchill , author of A Birder's Eye View, a compilation of 53 select articles written in a twice monthly column for the Savannah Morning News. 

It was a foggy morning at the refuge, but a brilliant sunrise peeked through the moss draped oak trees casting a fiery glow on the dew drenched grass. There were hundreds of songbirds darting from tree to tree feasting on the many insects to fatten up for their fall migration. However, without a very long lens, it was impossible for me to photograph the tiny birds. 

Sunrise-Savannah National Wildlife Refuge

Red-Winged Blackbird

In our cars, we began the four mile wildlife drive through the refuge stopping when we spotted any bird activity. My first photo was of the red winged blackbird plentiful in the rice patties feeding on the seeds from the plants. The blackbirds nest in these patties as well as in cattails, rushes and grasses. 

Romalea Guttata Grasshopper

Next stop on the wildlife drive, a grasshopper resting on a tall grass. I was hoping to see some long-legged waders such as but with the exception of the Cattle Egret below, they failed to show up.

Cattle Egret

Our group stopped and walked the cobblestone path passing an old brick cistern some of the only remains from the 1700's rice plantation. On the path built by volunteers was a wooden photo blind nestled in the marsh. A perfect place to view and photograph unsuspecting birds, but my only photograph was of a green tree frog resting on a large blade of grass.

 Continuing on our wildlife drive, we stopped at a pond filled with lily pads and edged with tall grasses. I never would have seen this purple gallinule had Diana not pointed it out to us. There were several swimming and some walking on the lily pads. It is said the purple gallinule swims like a duck and walks on the lily pads like a chicken.

We were not the only ones watching the purple gallinule! Out of the tall reeds swam an alligator slowly making his way toward the gallinules. There are many alligators in the refuge and they can be seen in the fall and winter sunning on the banks of the ponds and canals in the refuge. It is illegal to harass or feed the gators, but irresponsible humans do just that and many times the illegally fed gator has to be euthanized as it is becomes a threat to humans.

We walked just a little farther and saw another gator much smaller than the one stalking the gallinules or was he stalking the gallinules? When we walked back to our vehicles, the alligator had disappeared. Maybe we were who the gator was interested in? 

A warning sign reminding all who visit the refuge to be "gator safe".

This will not be my last visit to Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. Maybe one day, I'll get to photograph many big birds there, but feel quite satisfied with what I have accomplished on this outing.

Tybee Island Lighthouse Keepers Cottage

Tybee Lighthouse-Tybee Island, Ga

Kitchen and Laundry Room
Lighthouse Keepers Cottage

Dining Area 

Lighthouse Keepers Cottage

Master Bedroom
Lighthouse Keepers Cottage

Sewing Machine
Master Bedroom
Lighthouse Keepers Cottage

 On Left- George Jackson-Last Lightkeeper at Tybee Lighthouse

Upstairs Bedroom
Lighthouse Keepers Cottage

Upstairs Bedroom 2
Lighthouse Keepers Cottage

I hope you have enjoyed these images from the renovated lighthouse keepers cottage. The Tybee Lighthouse is not  to be missed if in the Savannah Georgia area. 

Cows From My Travels

My ongoing collection of cow images from my travels.

Two Cows- Cranborne Chase Dorset, England

Grazing Cows-Bethesda, Savannah, Ga

 Curious Cow-Bethesda

One Disinterested Cow and One Curious Cow Chewing on Grass-Bethesda

Grazing Cows, Cranborne Chase Dorset England

A Blasé Cow-The Catskills, New York

Cows Worth Matravers, England

Long Exposure Photography-Savannah Area Coastal Scenes

With a new neutral density from Singh-Ray filters in my camera bag, I set out on my bike to photograph some coastal water scenes near my house which sits in a neighborhood facing the Burnside River on Skidaway Island near Savannah, Georgia. This is my first attempt at long exposure photography which requires not only a DSLR, but a tripod, a remote camera cable to avoid camera shake, a timer, the filter of choice and a ton of patience. After several days shooting on windy hot days, the four images below are the result. 

For more on long exposure photography creativity, visit Deborah Sandidge's Photoblog. Deb is a professional photographer well-known in the world of creative photography.

 South Harbor Dock

Canon 5D Mark 11

 Lens Canon 24-105 mm f/4 L IS

Exposure f/19- 16 seconds

Filter-Singh-Ray MorSlo 10 stop ND

 Incoming Tide
Moon River Landing, Savannah Ga
f/11-19 seconds

 Overlooking the Burnside River

Moon River Landing

Exposure f/11-16 seconds

Reflection

Moon River Landing

Exposure f/11-16 seconds

A Taste of Summer-Blackberries

A Taste of Summer
Canvas Textures
Fuzzimo

I am a big fan of perusing food and lifestyle magazines! Because I am a Southerner through and through, I can hardly wait for my issue of Garden and Gun to arrive! This glossy high end magazine with beautiful photographs features the latest on everything Southern-food and drink, crafts, events and travel. I was very excited when in Day 12 of Beyond Beyond Layers, Kim challenged us to recreate or give our unique spin on a favorite page in a magazine using layers, text, images in Photoshop and Lightroom or tinting a photo black and white using graduated filters. My inspiration came from a promotional ad for the Sideboard, Garden and Gun Store a featuring fine artisanal foods for sale. I hope you enjoy my take on this ad. By the way, you can find the recipes here and here on my food blog, Cafe Lynnylu.

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