Day 224 - Sunrise Walk

(Click any photo to enlarge.)

Pink Treetops

Golden Blossoms

The last time I was up before sunrise and outdoors with my camera was when I was in Death Valley back in February.  But today, I gave myself the opportunity to enjoy sunrise here in my own neighborhood.  My day is jam packed with an hour's drive to and from my class, participating in a nine hour class, and then dinner with a friend tonight, so the walk and blog needed to get done early.

Nature's Color Gradient

It was 36 degrees when I left the house at 6:20, so I dug in the hall closet for the hat and gloves and scarf I thought I had retired until October, and headed down the street.  Luckily, there is a beautiful farm at the end of the street, and the sun rises beyond its treeline.  The cows were grouped down by the barn, awaiting milking and/or feeding.

As I walked through the neighborhood, various birds accompanied me or sang for me:  mockingbird, robin, junco, song sparrow, red-winged blackbird, and Eastern bluebirds. 

Digital Zoom Bluebird

There was a jogger and a dogwalker out this morning, but I pretty much had the neighborhood to myself.  Cherry trees are in bloom and there are lots of grape hyacinths and pansies.

Digital Zoom Bunny

Here's a little camera lesson for today.  When using a point-and-shoot camera, there are two kinds of zoom.  One is optical, which is the movement of the lens that you can see and hear when you are zooming it out to take a photo.  On the back of the LCD panel you can see a white line with a vertical crossbar, which travels to the right as you zoom out.  Once the lens has reached its maximum, the line crosses over the bar and turns yellow, going into digital zoom.  Basically, what is happening is the camera has chosen the focal point and is now cropping in on the photo before you even take it, which gives the appearance of getting in even closer.  When you take the shot, be sure to hold the camera very still.  Sometimes, digital zoom works well.  Other times, the picture looks fuzzy.  The bluebird and the rabbit photos above were both taken with digital zoom; therefore, they are not the best quality, but it is still possible to see what they are.  If you want to ensure clearer, crisper zoomed-in photos, do not enter into digital zoom (the yellow line) territory.

I'm sure when the heat of July and August are here, I will be doing the majority of my walks in the early morning. 

Have a great Sunday -- it promises to be a beautiful one.

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Visit my photography show, "My Maryland," at the public library in Urbana, Maryland, on the lower level of the building.  It is there until the end of April.

Hurricane Sandy Relief: Donate to the Red Cross, and I will mail you a 5 x 7 print from any of the photos I have posted on my blog OR any photo on my website.

Forward to me via email a receipt for donating to the Red Cross. Tell me whether the photo is from the blog or the website, and Include its title along with a mailing address. The name on the receipt to the Red Cross must match the name of the mailing recipient. Send the receipt and the photo request to camscamerashots@gmail.com.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

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Visit my web site: camscamerashots.zenfolio.com
Follow me on Twitter: @camscamerashots
Email:  cam.miller@comcast.net

Cam's rules for the Daily Photo Walk:

1. walk every day
2. the walk must be in addition to any other planned activity for the day
3. post a photo every day
4. use whatever camera is easy and convenient for walking comfortably; always have a backup camera at the ready in case of mishaps (I use the Nikon Coolpix P7700)
5. no weather excuses
6. walk only where it is safe to do so