Butterfly Lifestyles

Monarch Butterfly
Conservatory Of Flowers
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, California
September 4th 2013

"Alice came to a fork in the road. 'Which road do I take?' she asked. 'Where do you want to go?' responded the Cheshire Cat. 'I don't know,' Alice answered. 'Then,' said the Cat, 'it doesn't matter."

~Lewis Carroll, Alice In Wonderland

 

I learned so much about photographing butterflies from my friend Steven. I remember him telling me to "remember that Monarchs will not behave like Zebra Longwings. Some types of butterflies will sit contently sipping from a milkweed plant, while others will bounce from flower to flower." He was right. I took his advice, and I was really grateful to have it, as I said, I learned a lot from him. I miss him very much, and wish that I could still continue to share my photographs with him. I miss my friend.

 

Monarch Butterflies

Zebra Longwing

Great Southern White

Pipevine Swallowtail

Sometimes its a sad feeling to know I can't just go home and email off to him some picture of an amazing butterfly I have taken, but sometimes when I am at the Conservatory, and a butterfly is really making me work hard to take it's picture, I can almost hear Steven saying to me... "patience." And I can't help but smile a little, and just be thankful to have known Steven at all.

Mood: Quiet

~Me

A Photo A Day For 6 Months: Day 169~ Natural Black And White + Shades Of Gray

"The choice in politics isn't usually between black and white. It's between two horrible shades of gray."

~Lord Thorneycroft

Yesterday I posted my series of color photographs from my annual autumn jaunt to Pacific Grove, and today I am sharing my favorite ones from the total work. The Black & White set. I enjoy looking for lighting opportunities that allow for monochromatic or nearly monochromatic capture. B/W is my favorite, but I love natural scenes that depict a range of a single color. It's not always easy to find what I am looking for, but when the weather forecast mentioned partly cloudy conditions, I tried to get to Pacific Grove before the low fog burned off completely. It was all in the timing, and cooperation from the butterflies of course. They were kind to me yesterday! I love the silhouette of the butterflies, and the leaves. Do I see a butterfly? Or is that a hummingbird? There are some interesting shapes in Black and White.



Shades of gray wherever I go
The more I find out the less I know
Black and White is how it should be
But shades of gray are the colors I see.

~Billy Joel

 

Shades and Silhouettes capture my imagination, unless I am seeing shadiness or mere silhouettes in politics. It's not a new thing you say? Well, you are right it isn't. But I know that in my lifetime it has never been as bad as it is right now. As I type this, a major storm is baring down on the Eastern seaboard. There are folks I love and care about in it's path. Friends who blog along side me and folks I blogged with in the old AOL Journal days. It's weighing heavy on me. The weather folks are predicting unprecedented occurrences, and they are dubbing the storm... "Frankenstorm." Are the experts calling it that to ease nerves, or is that exactly what it is? But putting the frivolous question of true characterization aside, lets ask the most pertinent question...

Why wasn't the subject of Global Warming, or Climate Change for the faint of heart, mentioned during the 3 presidential and 1 vice presidential debate? It's unconscionable!

We are on our own.

Good Luck.

~Me

Note: I am off on a LONG photo jaunt today. I will be getting home very late, so I post tomorrow's entry later than usual, but stay tuned, I will be there.

Today's Link...

JR
http://jrclinephotography.blogspot.com/2012/10/apadf6-168.html