Texas had a late spring this year, after a long winter with multiple freezes that many characterized as harsh, bitter, and grueling. Landscapes and yardscapes showed damage from this uncharacteristic weather, with tropicals and tender vegetation biting the dust. Also our insect population was thinned considerably, and our state bird, the mosquito, disappeared for a few nice months. I took to the roads to the hill country to record the annual spring show of Texas wildflowers. My husband was driving, and being a race car driver, he wasn"t inclined to stop for me to get the perfect picture. So I engaged in what I call "Driveby Shooting." I was using my iPhone, and was quite lucky the first day, being able to time the shots with just the right amount of anticipation to catch the scenes with the time delay it takes to capture the digital images. A side effect of such photography on the run is the "leaning fence illusion". Pictured above is an old school house somewhere around Frelsburg, maybe. I forget its exact location!
Love the yellow wildflowers. They are the most spectacular on dark and overcast days.
Bluebonnets are the pride and joy of Texas. Their beauty is more easily seen with the eye, than with the camera lens, as their tone and color is so close to green grass. They just don't show up.
Above is a multicolored field of flowers. This is another situation where the beauty of the field is better captured with the eye, than with a "driveby shooting." Below are Indian Paintbrush.
So ends my day of photography on the run. I don't recommend it to anyone, except to those who have a husband who thinks he is on a racetrack. Maybe next year we'll be more leisurely!
that is so funny, Trudy! I love the bit about our state bird and the leaning fence effect! I can just see you with your i-phone out the window yelling at Mike to slow down. If it were me I would have been out there with my tripod and camera gear yelling at June to stop eating the flowers and hurry and look at me for a picture while being extremely paranoid of a rattlesnake biting her because of stories I have heard about babies who got bit in the bluebonnets
ReplyDeleteI love your term of "drive by shooting". I have done this to keep from getting so bored on a long car trip. I never had such wonderful success as you managed. Congrats!
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