Category Archives: Photography

Photographs I have taken mixed with a few technique lessons and suggestions.

Learning to Use my Lumix Digital Camera

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camera-2Above you see my Lumix DMC-ZS40 Digital Camera by Panasonic. I bought this camera last year when I started my Plum Bird Corner blog. Photos are a large part of a blog, and I knew I’d need a camera that I could use for close up photography and distance shots as well. I was taking a photography class at the time and my instructor recommended the Lumix as a camera that would fit my needs. One of the advantages of this camera over my last one, is that the Lumix has both a view finder and a monitor display. You can see both on the photo below. I usually use the monitor, because it shows me exactly what I will see in the recorded photograph. If I’m taking photographs on a very bright day, it’s not always easy to see what is displayed on the monitor, so in this instance I use the view finder which can be adjusted to suit my vision.

Camera-1I’ve been very happy with my purchase, but today while looking at the manual, I realized that the Lumix does so much more than simple basics. I decided right then and there, to  start from the beginning of the manual and really get to know my digital camera.

Today I started by learning to use the  Intelligent Auto Mode or the iA Mode. In this mode the camera optimizes settings to match the subject and recording environment. It’s recommended for beginners, or if you’re in a situation where you want to be ready to take a photo quickly, without making adjustments to focus and exposure. Below you see two photos that I took in  iA mode. By the way, all digital cameras have a fully automatic mode.

Orange-hibiscusI’m very happy with this photo of our hibiscus. All I did was point and shoot. The camera did the rest. Next I photographed two pieces of ceramic green ware that I’m currently working on. Once more the camera did the work. I simply had to frame the image and press the shutter button..

praying-childrenI’m really looking forward to working my way through the manual and learning all there is to know about my Lumix DMCZS40. I’m hoping you’ll follow along with me as I learn and share. Perhaps you might learn something new and helpful about digital photography as well. I’d love to hear if you do.

 

Mystic Blue Salvia

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In September I wrote about my mandevilla plant that had suffered terribly during an extreme heat wave that occured while we were away on vacation. I’d hoped to be able to return the previously beautiful plant to good health. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to save it, even after careful watering, and relocating it to a less sunny spot in the garden. The direct early morning sun was just too much for it. The plant had looked beautiful near our front door, but now the spot was vacant. I’d recently purchased a Mystic Blue Salvia to add to my hummingbird garden. It was doing well and growing nicely in a large container. I wondered how it would look by the front door in place of the mandevilla. As you can see in the photo above the Mystic Blue is doing very well in its new place and looks even prettier than the mandevilla. It is fuller and fills the area beautifully.
cropped-front-flower-2.jpgHere you see the mandevilla before our vacation. Both are lovely plants, but the salvia is a better choice for the spot. Most salvia prefer full sun, so will do better in our front garden, especially in the summer. I was very sorry to lose my beautiful pink mandevilla, but I’m very happy with the end result.

From New Zealand to Napa California

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Last April I spent three weeks with our daughter who lives in New Zealand. While there I purchased this stove top espresso maker. I wrote about it in the posts titled Coffee in New Zealand, and Love my Stove Top Espresso Maker. One of the things I love about it,  is its portability. Above you see a photo I took while preparing a cup of espresso on the stove in our 5th wheel trailer, during a recent trip to Napa California.

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Delicious espresso ready to enjoy. Another plus with the stove top espresso maker, is how quickly you can prepare a single cup of coffee, which I often do in the late afternoon. Our daughter recommended that I buy the stainless steel version rather than the aluminum variety which I did, even though it was a little more expensive. Being coffee lovers we also have a Keurig  coffee maker which uses pods, and we use it most days, but for size, flavor, and convenience, you just can’t beat a stove top espresso maker for a robust cup of coffee.

Get Ready Now for the Monarch Butterfly

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The Monarch Butterfly is beautiful, and easy to attract to your garden. Milkweed is the Monarch’s favorite food. Our milk weed plants are finally recovering now that the Monarch butterfly season is over for us. This was our second year with the Monarchs, and right now  I am watering and feeding the plants in preparation for spring. Last year, as the caterpillars devoured our plants, and adult Monarchs continued to lay eggs, we purchased several additional milk week plants. We quickly realized that this was becoming an endless cycle, so eventually stopped buying plants and let the adult monarchs look elsewhere to lay their eggs. FullSizeRender (5)

Here you see the monarch caterpillars munching on Milk Weed in our garden. The caterpillar stage lasts anywhere from 9 to 14 days and eventually the plants will become bare stems with roots. It is remarkable how these plants recover once the Monarch butterflies have flown from our area.

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These photos were all taken in our back yard, and if you would like to know more about the Monarch butterfly, please go to Monarch-Butterfly.com . They do a wonderful job of telling the full story of the truly awesome Monarch Butterfly.