Colours of winter

[vaneramos]

Yesterday was one of astounding beauty. Driving to Lindsay and back to pick up Brenna, I was deeply affected. I will write about it, hopefully tomorrow. For tonight my priority is to finish the short story I started last evening. Right now Bren and I are headed to the butterfly conservatory in Cambridge. Another photo is posted in texture. A larger version of this photo can be viewed behind the cut. I was afraid the colours would be too subtle for my camera, but this image captured them fairly accurately without editing.

Comments

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Definitely worth the trip. I will probably have a couple new photos to post (I haven't looked at them yet) when I get around to it in a day or three. For the time being, here's something I posted last March:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/vaneramos/204137.html

I wrote more extensively about it here:

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/living_with_nature/63139

My tone in that article was unnecessarily critical. Actually the observatory has a lot more to offer now, including extensive displays of preserved insects and continuously running films, in addition to the live butterfly collection. On busy days there are staff on hand to answer questions. I do consider this a good thing for the environment and raising public awareness.

The butterflies were not as active today as they have been on other visits. I'm not certain why. They prefer sunny days, but today was sunny and we have seen more on cloudy ones. Make sure you go around noon, when the sun is directly above. Closer to March Break might be better, too. Even though the climate in the observatory is constant, the insects still follow seasonal rhythms. Maybe January is not as good a time. If you dislike crowds, avoid weekends and school holidays. It can get very busy. Today the place was nearly vacant. On the other hand, there were no staff in the observatory to answer questions either.

Admission was about $8 per adult, I think.

[bitterlawngnome.livejournal.com]

Probably the most reliable way is to create a table with the picture's cell larger by whatever the margin you want and the other side set to "*"

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

That's an improvement, thanks. I put the text outside the table so it will wrap around if necessary. I need to brush up on HTML.

[vaysha.livejournal.com]

Oh Van- it's so starkly minimal and breathtaking- great angles in the photo as well- I am looking at purchasing a new camera- what do you use? Are you happy with it?
I am currently using a canon but I really like the tones nikons seem to pick up.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

"All" I have is a Kodak DX3500, a simple point-and-shoot camera with nothing but a closeup option. Very little control over exposure, except for a few tricks I have learned for folling it. I am envious of my friends who have more powerful cameras. I used to deride this one all the time, but I have stopped. Sometimes it notices things I miss. It is simple and flawed, but it has a personality. It is tough. I have taken more than 16,500 images with it. I treat it with respect now.

My boyfriend has a Nikon CoolPix I have used a few times, and it's wonderful. I like the way it picks up tones, too. And it takes magnificent macros. However if and when I can afford a new camera, I will probably choose with wildlife photography in mind.

[vaysha.livejournal.com]

you are a perfect example of the saying it's not the pot's it's the cook- your photos are marvelous and you have a natural eye!
I am glad you also like thos tones and hues the Nikon picks up- I thought it might just be me.

[willowing.livejournal.com]

god that is heavenly! wow

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

Speaking of heavenly, have you ever had a banana and avocado milkshake? Or just avocado?

[willowing.livejournal.com]

hee - wow, never heard of that before ... must find a way to make one! :-) but hey, I thought you didn't like avocado! ;P

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Well, as I said I like it certain ways. In a shake it is heavenly. The first time I had one was last year in Toronto, but I have made them myself. Just put half an avocado, a banana, a couple scoops of ice cream and some milk in a food processor and blend it. You could leave out the banana if you want, but the combo is terrific.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

That would be vanilla ice cream.

[kwangjse.livejournal.com]

That is beautiful Van...

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Thank you. It was one of those rare days when nature seemed to bend the rules, or at least follow them in remarkable ways. It reminded me life is beautiful.

[eloquentwthrage.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the new desktop.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome.

[ksp24.livejournal.com]

Lovely!

The subtlety of color here is a delight to the eye.

Thank you for this visual treat!

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. Thanks for stopping by.

[rsc.livejournal.com]

It makes me think of Race Point at Provincetown in the winter, with the snowfield standing in for the ocean.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

That's a fascinating comparison. While I was taking these photos I thought it looked like sunset colours one would see over the desert, rather than snow.