Spring Is Coming – But Wait!
We’re having some very odd weather here in Houston.
The last few days have been very comfortable and rather mild. There’s been just a hint of spring in the air. I’ve noticed that the birds are gearing up for the upcoming mating season. You can see it in their activity around the house and in the neighborhood.
This male Cardinal was singning to beat the band and showing off his mighty crest.
And these two House Finches are busily building a nest in the neighbor’s tree
They seem blissfully unaware that we have our second snowfall of the season predicted for this afternoon.
That’s right, snow.
again
in Houston, TX
Poor birdies.
Brennan’s Houston
I shot this on request for my friend at Studio RED Architects who were strongly involved in the rebuilding of Brennan’s here in Houston. You might recall that Brennan’s burned down during Hurricane Ike.
Shot from across the street using the A850 and the Zeiss 24-70mm.
21 second exposure at f/13.
The neon sign wasn’t finished before the grand opening and if you look closely, the gas lanterns are also not complete.
Rediscovering An Old Friend
When I first got into shooting with a digital camera, I picked up the Sony A100 and the 50mm f/1.4 lens. Due to the crop sensor on the A100, the 50mm translated to a 75mm focal length making it just a little too tight for the kind of photography I was doing so it really didn’t get all that much use. A shame, really. This lens is fast and sharp and the images were outstanding. Even so, I found myself leaning on my Sigma 30mm f/1.4 for that added wide focal range (equivalent 45mm on the cropped sensor) that allowed me to capture more of the scene I was shooting.
Now that I have upgraded to the full frame Sony A850 the Sony 50mm f/1.4 is finding its way back into rotation and I am reminded of how great this lens is.
Neighborhood Hawk
We’ve been seeing this hawk so frequently around the neighborhood Cynthia’s given her a name. Violet.
