Taken near the shore of Lake Wingra.
Carnivorous orchid
Another shot from the conservatory at Olbrich Gardens.
Testing the new lens
I’ve been interested in getting a longer lens for a while (especially to get closer to wildlife). A few days ago I bought a Promaster 70-300mm F/4-5.6 macro lens. Since normal telephoto shooting is fairly straightforward, I was anxious to test the lens’ macro capability. The conservatory at Olbrich Gardens would be the perfect spot to do that.
I’m going to like being able to get in close, like the above shot of the very young and fuzzy ficus leaves.
Entombed in ice
Frozen waves
A good morning
For the weekend photography challenge over at Digital Photography School, I shot my favorite morning activity. Reading the news with a cup of coffee.
Hoarfrost
I woke up this morning to find hoarfrost beautifully covering all the plant life in the neighborhood.
After a few cups of coffee, I grabbed my camera and headed over to Olbrich Park.
An open letter to Mother Nature
Dear Mother Nature,
Thank you for all the snow over the past several weeks. It really does makes everything look beautiful. Unfortunately, I am beginning to run out of places to put it when I shovel my driveway.
Would you mind holding off on the snow for a while, say maybe until some of it melts? That would be great. Thanks.
Your friend,
Jonathan
Winter orchids
Spending time in the warm humid air of the glass domed conservatory at Olbrich Gardens does wonders during a spell of frigid winter weather.
Best music I heard in 2009
There are those that claim music made today isn’t as good as music made years ago. Reflecting on the past few years, I’ve collected quite a bit of evidence to the contrary. There is a lot of good music being made out there, you just have to know where to look. Here are my faves from 2009.
Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
This was my favorite release of the year. With their guitar/synthesizer sound, Phoenix’s music definitely has its roots in the 1980s (which is probably why I like it so). At the same time, it has a very fresh and modern sound.