Saturday Was A Learning Experience... And A Ton Of Fun!

Last Saturday I went to Petsmart to take photos for shelters there. I thought there would be 3 shelters and it would be a great way to spend a few hours. Turned out there were 6 shelters and it was a great way to spend the day.
I arrived way early, I got there at 8:00 am and the only one there was the volunteer who cleans the kennels and gets thing ready for the cats. The first shelter on my list was a combo of Wskr and Tucson2Tails, a couple of cat rescues.  She was great though and in short order a few more volunteers came. I stayed out of the way and got some great patience practice for a couple of hours while they set up. Then it was fairly smooth sailing with the volunteers helping to coral the cats.
Now I know to come later in the day, it all worked out great in the end and I got some great shots that I hope they can use!

He had so much energy! I got this shot while they were tiring him out for his photo shoot.

A bit shy, but really liked her ears scratched.

My favorite of the day. He was the most mellow cat and super sweet!

The second shelter that was kind enough to let me bother them was In The Arms Of Angels. They have some really friendly dogs and cats that need good homes. They were super helpful and a lot of fun to work with. They were great!

Very calm for a puppy

Had to watch this one, it wanted kisses!

He wanted loving so bad!

Third up was Smiling Dog Rescue. They had all sizes and were very friendly. Their dogs were well behaved and friendly. It was fun to shoot them! I love how expressive they were!

He was a handsome fellow!

Such soulful eyes!

He would be a loyal companion!

The fourth was Saving At Risk Animals. It's a cat rescue and had some of the cutest kittens. I really enjoyed talking to the volunteers and trying to herd cats with them.

She was a winker and a cuddlier. 

She wanted her treats.

 A little wiggler. Tons of energy!

The final two were grouped together like the first two and they seem to help each other. They are Save A Chihuahua and ASAP Rescue. They both rescue small dogs and it was quite pleasant to work with their volunteers to get the animals photos taken. 

A real sweetie!

I love her ears!

He's like a little teddy bear!

All in all it was a great Saturday and I'm going to do it once a month or so. The people were friendly and I got the satisfaction of a good days work. I learned a lot doing it, (definitely need to eat first) and it was a lot of fun. I really loved taking these photos and I hope they help!

That was GREAT!!!!

An Adorable Rodent

On the night of the full moon my husband and I went out to take pictures of the bats emerging from under a bridge. Sadly I didn't get anything good from them. This is my best bat pic.

It's right in front of me and moving super fast!

However on the way back to the car my husband heard a rustling noise and we investigated. These little guys and girls were all over! 

They are tiny kangaroo rats eating mesquite seed pods! They looked and acted like mini gerbils and they were only afraid if I leaned down at them. There were tons of them all over the place, but they didn't like the flash. After getting a few shots we left them to eat in peace. I love shooting wildlife!

I Got A New Camera

I love my XP50, but I hated auto-focus and that had been my only complaint until I tried to print out a photo to hang on the wall. It's a great shot of Herman the lizard.

This is the photo, he is peeking out of his house.

It looks great on the screen and Herman is in focus. It's a good photo and I love it. My husband has one of those fancy printers that prints photos for sale so I thought I was set. I choose the 8x10 size so it wouldn't be to big and was so excited. The print came out pixelated and not very good. That was the blow that made me cry. 

For my birthday, which is coming up next month, my darling husband got me a new camera. It's an Olympus E-PL3 and I'm still learning how to use it, but I love the manual mode. I control everything! It's smaller in the body than my XP50 but the changeable lenses make it heavier. Fortunately the neck strap will be comfortable after a pad is made. He ordered it so early because of a special deal to save on a second lens so now I have two lenses. I actually like the way it feels in my hand better than my Fuji, it feels more real. The pictures it takes seem better too. I guess the camera does have something to do with it after all.

Fuji

Olympus

The down side is I'm spending even more time outside taking random photos and bothering strangers and less time writing and painting. I'm even thinking of selling some of my photos to see if people will buy them. My husband who has sold photos and been paid to take them thinks I could actually do it. I still hate messing with them in photoshop though, so that could be a problem. I think I've gone a little crazy. This is the most fun I've had in years! Now if only I could tan and not burn.

I didn't even see the mantis when I took the shot!

I've Started Using My Flickr!

After having this account for awhile I've finally started using it. In large part because you guys like the photos I post on here. Thanks for the encouragement! So far I've only uploaded from my phone, but I plan to add lots more as I get better with my Fuji. It's addicting and a little intimidating to look at all the pics on there, but I'm having fun and learning a ton!  Come check it out! B.J. Halsey's Photostream on Flickr.

A Few Close-Ups From My Porch

I get to spend the day taking shots (again) of my paintings for etsy. For  a warm up I practiced on the plants on my porch. Here are my favorites plus one of the photos I'm liking of a painting!

My love rose is done for the year. It's already too hot.

I love my shamrock, it's been with me for 15 years and keeps having babies.

This mint gives me fits. I swear it waits for the 90's before it even starts growing back.

I love this painting. Can you find the cat?

A Trip Up The Hill

My husband and I went up to Saguaro National Monument during the last new moon so he and his friend could take photos of the stars. I took my camera too and had a great time. My photos are nowhere near as good as his, but I think they came out ok. My camera takes better sunsets in my opinion.

Mine

Mine again.

Guess!

His from a different day. Only one he could find to compete.

Nice silhouette. 

I liked the shots I got of car lights.

My star shot, I can see a few stars here.

I Went For a Walk

Today I got up before the sun and because I still haven't found my bike lights I went for a walk. It was a bit chilly, but it felt good to stretch my legs. My knee hardly bothers me at all since I started riding and I was able to walk further than before.
I saw a lot of beautiful "weeds" growing that I had missed while riding and my stick was happy to get out of the house. I'll have to walk more to see what I've been missing. It was peaceful and very few people were out yet so I had the streets to myself.
I wonder how many people looked out there front windows and wondered about the woman taking pictures of the sidewalk. I probably stopped every ten or so steps. Here's my favorites from today's ramble.

The sun overslept.

Pretty yellow flowers right by the sidewalk.

The puff balls are very soft and it smells kind of like rain.

Taking a break at the bench. I'm glad the city put it in, it's a great place to pause.

I was tempted to dig this poppy up and take it home, but left it where I found it.

Someones daisies have escaped the yard!

Our Trip to Agua Caliente Park

Yesterday my darling Z took me to his new favorite place to take pictures. I was a little skeptical seeing how it was 108 outside, but I'm game for any new adventure so off we went.
It's a really beautiful park with its own pond and a mini mesquite forest. The information/museum building was closed for the weekend which was too bad. I wanted to learn more about the place.
  There were a ton of butterflies and ducks everywhere I looked. Z even saw a crane. I got a cool picture of some butterflies mating though so that even things out. I really wanted to go poking around off the paths, but Z pointed out the signs and wouldn't let me. next time I'm going when it's cooler and he has a model to keep him busy. I would go by myself, but I fell asleep on the way and have no idea where it is.
    It was to hot to stay long even with the water we were carrying, so we are going back when it's cooler and the buildings are actually open.
 

It's almost like a tropical paradise!

This turtle ignored us while its friend fled.

Butterflies doing what comes naturally.

Keep out signs are the bane of my existence. 

The pond is one of the largest I've ever seen.

Maybe it's just what I've been reading lately, but CREEPY!

It's too hot for the ducks to run from me? Nope.

I almost made it off the path!