Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: backlit

Our Next RV Camping Trip is Reserved! A few days ago it occurred to me that I should visit the Oregon State Park website to see if there was anything new that we should be aware of. After all, last year many important changes seriously affected our trip. Just as we were about to start making reservations, Covid hit and the entire park system was completely shut down. The only nice thing about that was that we didn't waste umpteen hours making reservations only to have them all cancelled on us--something that outraged and disappointed countless campers who'd made plans already. For months we waited and simultaneously worried about this new virus quickly taking over the world. We'd fallen into a stupor of perpetual stand-by when Steve's sister shook our shoulders in June. She was camping in California and we should see if they'd green-lit camping again in Oregon. To our surprise, reservations had just opened up again and suddenly we had a "get out of jail free" card handed to us! Hooray! We ended up camping for months of wonderful trips, having countless fantastic adventures and avoiding Covid in the process. Reservation Windows...What a Pain! The reservation process started out with just being able to reserve up to two weeks in advance…what a royal bother that was! We were always unsure what the future would hold--would we be able to find a place to stay? There was a lot of stress and difficult searches. We ended up needing to stay at private RV "resorts" (glorified parking lots) a couple of times, but for the most part we got really lucky! After about a month or so, the reservation window was opened up to a full month ahead and that was a total relief! It was so much easier to find places to stay and knowing where we'd be for a month was fantastic! After we got home for the season, I vowed to keep an eye on Oregon's park site to make sure we were aware of anything important--and it's paid off! :D 2021 Camping Reservations are Open! As it turned out, when I visited a few days ago, they had--just that day--announced that the reservation window would be opened up to a SIX-MONTH window! Starting in TWO DAYS! Which was…YESTERDAY! So our day was spent figuring out when we'd start our trip and where we'd be afterwards. We hammered out our first excursion, which ends up being nearly three months of camping! What a relief to have it all planned out so far in advance! We're both so excited and looking forward to new adventures on the horizon! Today's Pictures What better than to share an image of glowing backlit vetch leaves and dreamy bokeh?! This is the sort of thing that makes my heart go BOOM! Perfect for how I'm feeling right now! :) And just to make it more clear, I've included a very wide panorama of one of our glorious sunrises! ENJOY! Please stay safe and good luck for getting your vaccine soon!! Explored on 1/16/21; highest placement #4.

(+7 insets!) (at full-size the details are super cool!) Simply Perfect There is no end to the joy I find in a leaf. One can stand at a distance and never run out of great shots brimming with colorful, leaf-filled trees. But for me, the magic is close up and personal. The minute details found in a leaf can be so amazing and astonishingly cool, don't you agree?!. With the additional effect of backlighting, a whole new level of stunning is added to the experience--nature's stained-glass windows in the shape of a leaf. As I stand staring at these incredible sights, I cannot help but feel a reverence and deep joy to see something so beautiful. Today's Pictures: the Last Medford Parking Lot Set! It took six sets to show off all of the treasures I found, but here we are! Believe it or not, there are lots of other pictures I could process too…bark textures, a wonderfully decorated bench I found, some interesting pictures of pvc pipe and other stuff. What an amazing day it was for photography!! Today's main picture is a close-up of a maple leaf, adding shadow-play to the incredible "stained-glass" appearance that backlighting can reveal. It is such fun viewing these images on my computer. Even though I can stare at a leaf "nose-close" and see every facet, that level of detail isn't immediately visible when I have my camera in front of me. I can tell the image is crisp but unless I take the time to review the image in-camera I just have to hope I captured the detail I saw "nose-close" with my lens. When I get it right, the whole room is illuminated with my smile! Today's Insets The first inset shows the main picture's entire leaf and its setting. The following three pictures show the gorgeous, shining bark from a lovely tree I found. Then I've got another picture of the crows that flew by. And finally, a pair of images that show two species of ornamental grass in their golden magnificence. :) I hope you all enjoyed this show…I had such a great time processing these pictures! Thanks for all of the marvelous comments and favorites you've left for me. I appreciate the time you take to look at my images! :) Please be careful out there and enjoy your day! Explored on 11/19/20; highest placement #8.

(+6 insets!) (view large for better detail!) :D Merely the Messenger! Can you believe all of the "winner" pictures I managed to capture on my day to town with Steve a few weeks ago?! How wonderful it is to see so many interesting and beautiful sights and be able to share them with you! I truly do feel like a mere messenger, trained over the years to record things I see to the best of my ability. I've often worried that remarking with such unbridled excitement about my pictures may make some think I am boasting or have a superior opinion about my photography. Nothing could be further from the truth! It is just my pure delight that I've learned to present these beautiful things for all of us to revere and enjoy! I only hope that my abilities continue to improve as time goes by--isn't it marvelous that photography (and processing) is a never-ending skill which one can never become "best" at? I Love This Talented, Humble Community! I personally feel that in all things, there is no excuse for grandstanding or putting on airs and taking on a superior attitude. Some of the people I most admire in the world are the massively talented, special folk who are completely humble about who they are and the amazing things they can do. That's one of the things I adore about the ipernity community…you guys are so darned talented and yet, nobody (that I am aware of, anyway!) is snobby about the jaw-dropping photography you create and share. Instead of being "holier than thou", you are happy to point out the positive, give encouragement, and help with technique--instead of burning down those around you who may be a bit further behind on this photography journey. Today's Pictures: More Fall Leaves in Medford Parking Lots! Walking around and staring up into the trees, I got many remarks from folks passing by…"Looks like you're having fun!" "What a wonderful day for photography!" and even a keen-eyed "Wow, nice camera!" which produced a blush and happy laugh from me--it's always fun to take my Canon 5D and macro lens out for a romp! Have you ever noticed how difficult it can be to get proper separation between leaves and the rest of the tree? Sheesh! I spent a lot of time creeping this way and that, looking for proper opportunities. It's a lot of fun though, especially when you find a picture to take! :) My main image was one of those happy successes…a backlit maple leaf with a cool shadow and some really wonderful bokeh in the background…woot! Many pictures were just blobs of leaves without distinction. Looking at them made me wonder, "What the heck were you thinking? There's nothing here!" :D However, every picture can teach us something so I always try to glean a helpful tidbit from my many failures, though I don't always learn anything more than, "Nothing about that picture works!" Today's Insets My other pictures today include a wide variety of interesting finds! A lovely trio of droplet-sprayed leaves beginning to deteriorate, a twig of Mimosa leaves embarking on a journey of fall colors before they die, and then a picture which gave me all kinds of trouble! I'd found this wonderful group of maple leaves with cool spotty light coming through the leaves behind. I saw potential but the image straight out of the camera was busy and the separation between the subject leaves and the background wasn't distinct. I experimented with lots of ideas to draw the leaves out but nothing worked. Too boring, too dark, too contrived…It took several sessions on different days before finally I used a textured idea which hit a home run for me! In the end, this picture is exactly what I'd hoped for but it took a long time before I found a proper solution! :) The next inset isn't a fall subject except that it's a dependable beauty if you're looking for flowers in autumn! I found some rose bushes while strolling around and though the blossoms were sad and droopy, the buds were fantastic and this picture turned out really nicely, showing both the bud and some surprising bokeh behind. In the large Safeway parking lot--or was it Costco?! I don't remember!--I heard a raucous noise and looked up to see a large flock of crows flying by. I can't resist trying to take pictures of birds in flight and I was so happy to find that I'd gotten several "winners"!! I'll share my other picture in the last set--don't you feel wonderful when you capture wing detail?! WOOT! Finally, the breeze fluttered something on the ground and I found this disheveled feather, all twisted and bedraggled but still fascinating to look at. Can you believe that feathers are modified scales?! It's amazing. Anyway, it took a bit of work to coax a nice outcome--like the other picture I had trouble with, this one fought me all the way but in the end I'm happy with the result! :) Stay Safe! I know you are all doing your best to keep out of harm's way, but I cannot help but add my plea to the mix. The number of new cases these days are totally unprecedented and it's more risky than ever to be out and about. I'm glad that I'm able to manage the worry I feel for all of you and can visit ipernity without freaking out, but I am feeling a lot more anxiety lately. Take care and stay away from anyone that you can!! And finally, thanks so much for your visits, favorites and comments--you guys are the very best! I love visiting your streams too, what a great delight! *virtual hugs to all* :D Explored on 11/17/20; highest placement #1.

(+2 insets!) Steve and I are heading out in a few minutes and I have just enough time to get my pictures posted. Excuse my extremely short write-up, I will be leaving in just a few minutes! *SQUEEEEE*!!! :) We are so excited! Our campground is only about 45 minutes away but it's on a lake that we know and love. It will be such fun to stay there for three days instead of just driving home like usual. We'll be bringing our bikes this time--there's a trail around the lake!! There is hiking to be had as well so we've packed our hiking boots, yay! We can hardly wait to get out of here…the check-in time is 4pm so we've had plenty of time to get our last-minute things packed and ready to go. What's really nice too is that we're so much more relaxed this time around because we've done this once already. :) Today I'm posting several macros of especially eye-catching California Poppies in orange and cream and an unusual seed pod that attracts visitors with it's incredibly colorful seed pods! I hope you like them! Pam, I loved your comments about my rusty pictures, I'm so glad you enjoyed them and also, that you love rusty subjects too. :) Thanks for letting me know what your lizard was sitting on! I hope that your day goes well my dear! You'll be in my thoughts as we head out for another adventure! :) *BIG HUGS* Explored on 5/7/19, highest placement, #3.

(+4 insets) ACK! Double ACK! I was finishing up a special post for today when I remembered that it was SATURDAY! ACK-ACK!! It's Saturday Self-Challenge and I totally forgot!! *shakes head* I read about the topic a few days ago, "backlit", and because that's a common type of picture I take, I promptly forgot all about it until now. (I'll post my intended picture tomorrow!) :) The only pictures that might have worked that I'd taken this week were from last Saturday and well, that's kind of too old. So I needed to rush out and take some pictures now…and it was 3:30 when I stepped outside…and now it's 4:30! (I finished this post and made it public at 5:40!) Did I mention that there is an actual wind-storm going on outside? It's whistling through the roof and shaking the windows. In other words, it's not a good time to be outside. By the way, have you ever tried to take pictures of flowers when there's a breeze, let alone strong wind? I began cackling like a mad woman and pulling my hair out. But I had to try. Fact is, if I was unsuccessful, I'd be able to get something inside but well…a challenge…gotta do my best, right?! I only looked at my pictures after I typed the text above, so I'm adding this after I've processed the pictures I'm posting today. Can you say AMAZED? I simply do not know how I was able to get a single passable picture…but somehow I managed! I did try to go to spots where the wind wasn't blowing so much but there was nowhere to escape the gusts! I was literally laughing at the ludicrous impossibility of it all. I thought I'd have to cheat and use an older picture. I guess not. :) The main picture today has turned out to be one of the best images I've ever taken of a Mariposa Lily. These treasures grow all over our property and I adore their alien-like hairy petals and soft pink colors. What I love about this picture is that you can see the hairs shadowed on the petal! It's really neat. (you'll also find an archive inset which shows this lovely flower from above so you can see how amazing it looks from that angle!) The first of the two insets is a picture of a lovely little flower called a Goldfield. Well named, they grow in massive carpets and are found where it's very soggy. They are in full bloom now, but what a challenge to find one tall enough that I could get a picture from down low! Can't believe this picture turned out!! The second inset is a Common Brodiaea, and it also grows in profusion around our property. They are just starting to bloom now and I figured they would be a super choice for a backlit subject. Except. They grow on tall, flexible stems and you would have cackled right along with me to see them whipping back and forth in the wind. "YEAH, RIGHT!" was my mumbled comment as I tried to get a picture when the wind wasn't blowing. How I got this picture…I do not know!! My last inset is just to show you the sort of result that I was getting with that crazy wind! :D It's howling now…and I'm giggling back at it! I WIN, you confounded windstorm! :D Pam, I searched for "wind" and discovered the perfect picture! I landed on your Windflower collage and what do you know? They are incredibly beautiful in stunning back lighting!! HOORAY!! Really stunning flowers, Pam, it's obvious that you revere these gorgeous blossoms…as you should. They are amazing. Thank you for sharing them with us so perfectly. What an awesome display. :) I hope that you are doing well today my dear! *BIG HUGS* from southern Oregon! Explored on 4/21/19, highest placement, #1.

Please see our new group, Pictures for Pam , we would love to have you! You may read the latest news of Pam`s recoverery here (11/9/18): www.ipernity.com/home/christine.bentley ------------------------- Yesterday's hike to the top of the Upper Table Rock was great fun, partly because I took my husband's Canon 5D Mark III with me! I told myself to be reasonable with the pictures, but you know how it is…"OHHHH LOOK AT THAT!!!" A moment later, "OOOOOOOOH!!! HOW BEAUTIFUL!!!" And so I made my way up to the top, clicking away and immersing myself in the bliss of photography and appreciating the world around me through the lens of my camera. Do you feel as I do? That your camera is like an extension of yourself? I am so very thankful that I enacted my idea to take pictures for Pam to enjoy. After such a very long time, my unquenchable passion for photography has finally been reawakened. What a priceless gift. I truly did not know if I would come back to life again…I'd tried over and over again to reignite my inner flame, but it always sputtered out. Now we're cookin' with GAS!! :D By the time I got up to the top of the trail, I'd captured over 100 pictures, slightly embarrassed at my lack of control, but pleased that I was having such fun. I walked out from the shady oak forest and onto the brightly lit mesa, adjusting to the full sunlight with a big smile on my face. It's so cool up here! Covered with volcanic rocks everywhere, a prairie covers the top of this flat plain and makes a home to a myriad critters including a rare shrimp that completes its lifecycle every spring. A few moments later I was at the edge which looks out majestically over the lovely Rogue Valley. What a sight to see! I was perplexed at the haze in the air because I thought the forest fires in southern Oregon were pretty much out. Obviously I was wrong, I sighed. Snickering to myself, I peered through my camera's lens knowing what I would see. Hardly anything of course! That's because my 100mm macro lens is NOT wide-angle, and if I actually hoped to get an image of this view, it wouldn't be with this camera. Awww, poor I00mm…I do use it for everything but there's just no pretending with a huge view like this. So I pulled out my Samsung smartphone and took some pictures, including a corny selfie for my husband, which I sent to him as I always do when I hike up the Table Rocks. I wandered back along the mesa, taking some time to crawl around looking for some sporophytes to photograph or other nifty macro subjects. Drat--I'd neglected to bring my knee pads. Oh well! I did prepare myself with the likelihood that any macro shots would probably be blurry. Hand-held macros are something I'm pretty good at but I hadn't practiced. This meant almost certain failure, as macro photography is totally unforgiving. It takes patience and the willingness to make sets of various apertures and distances to ensure at least one good picture of a given subject will be a keeper. I wasn't in the mood. So I took a few pictures but didn't expect anything useable. I confirmed later that I got close with a few images but none of them were worthy of seeing the light of day. Deee-leeet! My hike down the trail yielded another few dozen pictures to be excited about. What a great day! How wonderful to be back in the game again! I looked forward to getting home to see how many turned out. Looking through my pictures on my computer, I was extremely pleased to find that the majority of my images were "keepers." It really does blow me away how much our photography skills mimic abilities such as driving a car…even though you may not have done it for a while, the skills come right back and merely need a brush-up to get back to where you left off! GROOVY!!! :D Working through the pile of images, I cropped each "keeper" into a pleasing composition in Canon's Camera Raw, chucking duds or unfavorable duplicates and after a while I looked up at the clock and realized I wasn't going to have time to create the collage I'd planned on. The Samsung snapshot came to mind which I quickly copied over and made it my picture for yesterday. The rest of the images I kept could be doled out over the coming days and weeks if I chose. It was a better plan. Today I sat down and opened up Adobe Bridge. I already knew the picture I would post for Pam to see! I remember walking up the sun-dappled trail and seeing a brilliant flash of yellow catch my eye. Coming closer with my camera, I found this lovely leaf glowing on its branch, with an added bonus of lovely spiderwebs to give it extra character. Talk about a winner of a leaf!! Hooray! Pam, I hope that you enjoy this beautiful treasure from the Upper Table Rock trail…it is as rich and warm as you are my dear! Feel better and take the glow of this beautiful leaf into your heart! :) Explored on 11/14/18, highest placement, #18.

This morning when I was about to take pictures of the Bachelor's Buttons, I saw this tiny bee on one of the Allium flowers and couldn't resist taking some pictures! This little guy is just 1/3" in size!

I am so excited about this picture! I absolutely LOVE these spiders (even though they scare me to death) but I had never seen one on our property before. I've been searching for them in our meadow all summer without luck. Yesterday, while my husband and I were picking blackberries, I looked around for any telltale webs, and to my surprise, LOOK AT WHO I FOUND! HOORAY!!!! This image was taken on my property in August, 2011.

We finally finished our current project!!!! I'm so happy to be done with 10-hour work days, yay!!! That also means I'll finally be able to post pictures normally and get back to visiting everyone's wonderful photostreams! I hope you've all been doing well, I've really missed visiting and leaving comments. (It will be a couple of days before I can really dive in and say hello...I put off everything else to get my work done and now I have a million chores to do!) These are some grapes I found in Jacksonville when we visited a couple of weeks ago. They were growing on the walls and roof of one of the businesses there and were so pretty! Southern Oregon has a number of wineries and I would love to visit one at some point for all of the wonderful picture opportunities like this one! :) Tomorrow is my birthday, and Steve and I will be getting up early and driving three hours out to the coast, to the little town of Brookings, Oregon! I can't wait!!! We've lived in Oregon for about 7 years now but this will be our first visit to the coast! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!! :D By the way, I've uploaded two other pictures today and I hope you'll visit them too! Thanks to all of you who have visited and have left comments and favorites! I try to go to all of your pages within a day or two and is a highlight for me to see your beautiful photography! :)