Steven Helmer Publications

I am still getting used to the macro setting on my new camera. It works, just in a different way than my previous camera, and there are some nuances I'm still figuring out. I did manage to practice a bit with that on my walk today though, mostly trying to capture images of dragonflies near one of the ponds. Here are some of the photos I got: ______________________________________________________________________________ Here are some of my other insect photos: Just a Butterfly Picture Butterfly Photo Dragonfly Another Dragonfly Photo

I haven't been able to take a lunchtime walk the past couple of days but, despite it looking like it might rain, did managed to get out to the park and squeeze one in today. However, as far as photos go, it was a little bit of a disappointment. It was a bit too chilly for the turtles and snakes to be out, the various birds and insects I saw didn't seem to be overly cooperative and even something as simple as a flower was hard to photograph because of the wind. Fortunately, I did manage to snap this photo as I was finishing up my walk so I didn't leave completely empty-handed.

This is an older photo. I just felt like posting it today because, while I'm sure there are plenty who are counting down the days until Christmas, I'm counting down the days until spring (103) because I miss being able to take photos like this.

This isn't a new one. I actually took it about a year ago. The trails have been a little too wet for me to get a walk in the past couple of days so I figured I would re-share a photo I already had.

I saw this caterpillar while out walking at lunch today and decided to get a video of it as it moved up the trail. There were two things that surprised me about this insect. First, it moved a lot faster than I was expecting it to move. Second, it wasn't afraid to move directly toward me. I stopped the video right as it was coming up on my toes. In any case, it was fun (and peaceful) to watch it so I thought I would share.

The trails were somewhat crowded with people today and, because of that, I wasn't able to get as many photos as I would have preferred. But, I did see this caterpillar crawling up one of the stalks in the marsh and was able to get a photo of it.

The weather was somewhat interesting when I went for my walk at lunch today. It kept clouding up like it was going to rain then, just when I started to think I should head back to my car, the sun would come back out. It was also very windy out, making it somewhat difficult to get photos because many of the critters I normally would see were hiding and the wind was strong enough to keep me from even getting a decent photo of the late-season sun flowers that are blooming right now. I did, however, still manage to get some photos while I was out. The best of them are below:

My lunchtime walk was somewhat uneventful today. I saw an interesting bird. But, it flew by too fast for me to get a good enough look at it (or a photo of it) so I could identify what it was and, other than the usual frogs and toads, I didn't see much else. I did have this dragonfly buzz by me, however, and, mostly because I thought it looked interesting, grabbed a photo of it when it stopped to take a break.

It was very cloudy/dark out for most of the morning today and I was starting to make alternate plans for lunch. However, the sun finally came out around 10:30 and brightened things up enough for me to get my walk in after all. I learned something today, I need to work on my reaction time. I had a garter snake swim past me as I was crossing a bridge over one of the ponds and, by the time I realized what it was, it was already in the tall grass. I'll have to pay closer attention and watch for it next time. Here's some of the photos I was able to get:

I actually wasn't expecting to take a walk at lunch today. There was rain in the forecast and, because of that, I was making tentative plans to run some errands instead. However, the weather ended up being gorgeous and I was able to go after all. Much like this morning, by the lake, there were a few people in the park already and, since most had dogs with them, I wasn't really sure if I was going to see anything. But, I saw a wood duck at the start of my walk and between that, frogs, turtles, etc., I was able to get quite a few photos. Here are some of the photos I took:

It was a beautiful day for a walk today and the park was literally hopping. It seemed like I couldn't take a step without having to avoid squishing a frog or toad. I also saw a few garter snakes as I was walking, though none of them stayed still long enough for me to get a good photo of them. Here's some of the photos I took while taking my walk.

Normally, when I take a walk, I pick a direction and just see what I come across. However, on occasion, I'll be a bit more purposeful with my walk and head in a specific direction in an effort to get a specific photo. Today was one of those days. I saw a turtle resting on a rock on the far side of a pond and made an effort to get close enough to get a good photo of it. This wasn't as easy as it sounds either. The trail on that side of the pond isn't mowed down like the other trails and I had to walk through some knee-high grass, avoiding thistle and hidden gopher holes (not to mention ticks). I also had to be careful not to step on any snakes (we don't have anything poisonous here, I just didn't want to injure one). At the same time, I had to be as quiet as possible and remain as hidden as possible so the turtle wouldn't see me and dive into the water before I got my photo. In the end, I succeeded and even managed to get a few other photos before heading bac...