"And the Sky Softly Came Down to Join the Earth"

I'm fascinated by how despite the full value range in this image there is a subtly, a softness in the transitions so that it feels as if all the elements are melting into one another.
This was photo was taken a few weeks ago in the Ramona Grasslands preserve looking towards Mount Woodson in the twilight of a chilly early January day.

"Winter Growth"

I'm interested in the strong rhythm of the silhouetted tree trunks on the right and the softness of most of the
 growth by comparison as it layers subtly one branch or leaf on top of another.  Then there is one area of
 bold foliage, the remnants of a sycamore tree's leaves leading my eye down to the gloriously bright
yet tiny spot of orange where the two retrievers stand.

"Maybe"

I'm so interested in how expressive this pose is, yet how soft the angles are and how loosely held the muscles are.
This is lively repose. It makes me wonder what is being considered as a next move.

"Six Ducks"

The way the light hits the water and makes my eyes almost lose focus a bit as the image
seems to oscillate and the curious almost mirrored image of the two clustered
ducks further makes my mind dream.

Not a Young Coot but a Common Gallinule

Since moving to LA my photography has tapered off. It is not that there isn't anything inspiring around me, but instead that I have been making a big adjustment. There is a peace that nature brings me that I don't know how to find any other way. Sometimes it feels like all there is around me is concrete now, which, of course, is not true. I will start to post photos of my new home. But, I found a peace the other day that I had missed while visiting family for Thanksgiving weekend.

I went to the San Diego Zoo's Safari Park (the Wild Animal Park) and spent a good while observing a busy pond of birds, mostly coots inundating the flamingo pond, but there were a few of these little guys there too. At first I thought this was just a young coot getting its' bearings off in a secluded corner, but I have since discovered it is a different bird altogether, a Common Gallinule.  I'm happy to have met this little creature. There is something settled I gathered from these moments that I have brought back with me.

Engrossed

I'm quite interested in how this photo captures how intently an infant gorilla and its mother can focus on their own separate experiences in a moment of close physical contact. 

At the End of Cedar Drive

The layers of space and color set off by the texture of this brightly
lit grass made getting up ridiculously early yesterday worth it.