Tag: birds

Thankful November 2nd: The Beauties of the Earth

  • Castle Thun, Switzerland
    Oberhofen Castle, Switzerland
  • Queen's View Scotland
    Queen’s View, Scotland
  • Fishing at Little Lyman Lake
  • Backlit leaf
  • Perfect pink dahlia
    Pink dahlia
  • Pfeiffer Bay in Big Sur
    Big Sur cove
What a wonderful world

For the beauty of the earth,
For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies,
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This our hymn of grateful praise.
Folliott S. Pierpoint, 1835-1917

I have been lucky enough to do a bit of traveling around this amazing planet on which we live (that sentence structure is a nod to all of my English professors at the University of Utah). I’ve been to Asia, Europe, Mexico, Great Britain, and most of the United States of America. Everywhere I go, I find beautiful things to photograph and wonderful people who fill my heart with happiness.

A Photo a Week Challenge: Jewel Colors

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As many of you know, my husband and I had the chance to visit the Hawaii Islands last May. If there is anywhere in the world that is alive with jewel colors, it’s Hawaii. The brilliant, bright greens, the stunning hues of the native flowers, and the deep blues of the Pacific Ocean surround you everywhere. We came across this proud fellow at the Smith’s Family Farm Luau. He seemed more than happy to strut his stuff and show off his plumage to us as we rode by.

IN A NEW POST CREATED FOR THIS CHALLENGE, SHARE A PHOTO OR TWO (OR MORE) FEATURING THE BRILLIANT JEWEL COLORS.

Everyone is welcome to participate, even if your blog isn’t about photography.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Each week, I’ll come up with a theme and post a photo that I think fits. You take photographs based on your interpretation of the theme, and post them on your blog (a new post!) anytime before the following Thursday, when the next photo theme will be announced.
  2. To make it easy for others to check out your photos, title your blog post “A Photo a Week Challenge: (theme of the week)” and be sure to use the “postaday″ tag.
  3. Come back here and post a link to your image in the comments for this challenge.
  4. Follow nancy merrill photography so that you don’t miss out on weekly challenge announcements.

A Photo a Week Challenge: Birds

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One of Utah’s most prevalent bird species is the red-throated hummingbird. You can find these light-weight beauties throughout the mountains in northern Utah and backyards across the Salt Lake Valley. Many people put up feeders, like this one, to attract the little flyers. This photo was taken at a campground 11 miles up Logan Canyon. We saw closs to 30 birds, and as we watched them, the level of the sugar water in the feeder dropped at least an inch.

IN A NEW POST CREATED FOR THIS CHALLENGE, SHARE A PHOTO OR TWO OF BIRDS.

Everyone is welcome to participate, even if your blog isn’t about photography.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Each week, I’ll come up with a theme and post a photo that I think fits. You take photographs based on your interpretation of the theme, and post them on your blog (a new post!) anytime before the following Thursday, when the next photo theme will be announced.
  2. To make it easy for others to check out your photos, title your blog post “A Photo a Week Challenge: (theme of the week)” and be sure to use the “postaday″ tag.
  3. Follow nancy merrill photography so that you don’t miss out on weekly challenge announcements.

Cee’s Black & White Challenge: Things That Fly

Swans are ubiquitous in Switzerland and southern Germany. Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau are both named for the beautiful birds. Although they can fly, swans are more well-known for their beauty and grace in the water. The first picture is at Lake Lucerne in Switzerland. The fountain is at Hohenschwangau in Germany.

For more from this challenge, visit Cee’s Black & White Challenge: Anything That Flies.

A Photo a Week Challenge: Birds

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Now that spring has arrived in Utah, we are seeing an increase in the number of birds as they begin their migration north for the summer. There is a large field close to my parents’ home that is a resting ground for Canadian geese while they are heading either north and south. Like most wildlife, birds don’t really want to you to get too close. I shot this picture with my Nikor 70-300mm lens so I wouldn’t scare them off.

IN A NEW POST CREATED FOR THIS CHALLENGE, SHARE A PHOTO OR TWO OF BIRDS.

Everyone is welcome to participate, even if your blog isn’t about photography.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Each week, I’ll come up with a theme and post a photo that I think fits. You take photographs based on your interpretation of the theme, and post them on your blog (a new post!) anytime before the following Thursday, when the next photo theme will be announced.
  2. To make it easy for others to check out your photos, title your blog post “A Photo a Week Challenge: (theme of the week)” and be sure to use the “postaday″ tag.
  3. Follow nancy merrill photography so that you don’t miss out on weekly challenge announcements.

A Photo a Week Challenge: Get Your Green On

green16_nmp

In  honor of St. Patrick’s Day, this week’s challenge is the color green. Even though it is not a primary color, green is one of the most basic colors in our world. Nature is full of green, like our friend the drake here. It is also a color that is used by so many people in buildings and design. Green is calming and soothing. I find it refreshing. As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, it is my favorite color. So, it’s time to get your green on!

IN A NEW POST CREATED FOR THIS CHALLENGE, SHARE A PHOTO OR TWO THAT INCLUDE THE COLOR GREEN.

Look around (or through your photo archives) and find images of green to share.  Then blog your experiments and post a link to your masterpieces here.

Everyone is welcome to participate, even if your blog isn’t about photography.

Here’s how it works:

1. Each week, I’ll come up with a theme and post a photo that I think fits. You take photographs based on your interpretation of the theme, and post them on your blog (a new post!) anytime before the following Thursday, when the next photo theme will be announced.

2. To make it easy for others to check out your photos, title your blog post “A Photo a Week Challenge: (theme of the week)” and be sure to use the “postaday″ tag.

3. Follow nancy merrill photography so that you don’t miss out on weekly challenge announcements.

A Photo a Week Challenge: Animals (not domestic)

animals_1_wp animals_2_wp animals_3_wp animals_4_wp animals_5_wpWild Russell

My husband and I recently went to the zoo for the afternoon. For us, this is as close as we get to some amazing animals, but I have a hard time taking pictures of caged animals. I would much rather go on a safari and take them in a more natural environment. Our local zoo has a bird show, so almost all of the pictures here are from that, where the animals seem like they are more free. The last picture is, of course, the least domesticated of all.

IN A NEW POST CREATED FOR THIS CHALLENGE, SHARE A PHOTO OR TWO OF ANIMALS THAT AREN’T PETS (NOT DOMESTICATED).

Everyone is welcome to participate, even if your blog isn’t about photography.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Each week, I’ll come up with a theme and post a photo that I think fits. You take photographs based on your interpretation of the theme, and post them on your blog (a new post!) anytime before the following Thursday, when the next photo theme will be announced.
  2. To make it easy for others to check out your photos, title your blog post “A Photo a Week Challenge: (theme of the week)” and be sure to use the “postaday″ and “Photo a Week” tags.
  3. Come back here and post a link to your image in the comments for this challenge.
  4. Follow nancy merrill photography so that you don’t miss out on weekly challenge announcements.