It is spring here in MI, and while that means the weather is warmer it also means a lot of gray skies. It gets tedious and depressing, so I like to keep colorful imagery up to look at in order to provide some cheer and warmth. Flowers are a good way of doing that.
Having a nice bunch of flowers in your house is a lot like having a cake in the house. There isn't a rule that says it has to be a special occasion. You can just do it whenever you want!
Since spring is apparently coming early here in Michigan, I thought I would post a flower photo to encourage things to continue along in that direction, and to help you all get in the mood for warmer, sunnier weather. Orchids of course are not spring blooms, however they are very pretty and in most cases quite colorful.
I have been asked by a number of people about the images I post. Specifically, why do I not post larger images and why I only post jpeg format. These are legitimate questions, as larger photos are easier to see, and jpeg format lowers the image quality. One would think that a photographer would want their images to look as good as possible and to be seen as they were intended, right? Well, yes and no.
Part of the nature of the internet is that there is no way for me to prevent these images from being taken from this site and used wherever people have a mind to use them, without paying for them. If you were a car salesman, you wouldn't want people just showing up at your lot and taking off with the cars, would you? These photos are put here as *examples* of my work, not the actual works themselves, so I don't mind that they get taken and used across the internet. (And believe me, they do!) Because they are lower quality images they really aren't useful for anything but personal use anyway, so I don't have to worry about others making money off them. And this way it works as advertising for me, without compromising the integrity of my work. I also make sure to strip all the EXIF data from the images I post so that any question of ownership could be resolved quickly, as the original images I have contain all the data necessary to prove where each image originated and what its original form was. I am very protective of my work, and this is a good way to accomplish that protection while still being able to share examples of the images openly. Additionally, it also protects the people who do pay me for my images, as those images are always going to be of much higher quality than ones which have not been paid for.
So there is that. :)
Hope you have a great March!
This is a Pogona lizard, most commonly known as a bearded dragon. It is only a month or so old, so quite young. But what a striking looking thing he is! His name is Peanut, and he lives nearby. Eventually he will be a foot long or so, and the spikes and sag under his chin will be much more pronounced. I am sure this is not the last you will see of him on the blog here. :)
His owner and caregiver is a delightful young lady, and as this next photo will demonstrate, someone with a lot of spirit and trust. Both admirable qualities. :)
They are small, only about the size of an orange, very timid, and reclusive. Not surprising as they live and nest on the forest floor, so have to be wary of many predators. I was very surprised to be able to get a shot this close, as I have never been nearer to then than 8 feet or so before they run away.
As we begin a new year, I hope that it brings you all many enjoyable surprises as this quail did for me.
Cheers!
Jonderson
