Orb Web Spider - Eriophora transmarina

Orb Web Spider (Eriophora transmarina)

This photo really has to be seen full-screen to be fully appreciated. Click on the picture above to view the orb web spider full-size.

I caught this big Orb Web Spider under a tree one day. He was alive, but being quickly overrun by ants. So I flicked the ants off, and snapped a few pictures of him. He wan't very eager to move (all the better for me!), maybe the ant's had bitten him too much.

The Garden Orb Web Spiders are also called Araneus Spiders, Garden Orb-weaver, Wheelweaving Spiders or Orbweaving Spiders. The Latin or Scientific name is Eriophora transmarina.

More information on the Orb Web Spider.

Time to take a break! (Monkey Relaxing)

"Time to stop 'monkeying' around!"
Monkey taking a break

I caught this monkey taking a break at the Dubbo (Western Plains) Zoo last year. It seems an appropriate photo for today's post, as I've just finished a hectic week of playing at the Eisteddfod (along with younger siblings who were in other sections).

One of the pieces I played in this year's Eisteddfod was Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata", Opus 27, 3rd Movement ("Presto Agitato"). This is a quite an "agitated" piece, and certainly makes for a great performance, if you can play it well. Recently I found a video of Rowan Atkinson (better known as "Mr. Bean") miming this piece, along with the first movement of Beethoven's "Sonata Pathetique". His performance is quite clever, and very amusing for anybody who's played either of these pieces. I've included the video below, and highly recommend you check it out. This guy is really amazing!

This photo taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.

Mother's Day

"Happy Mother's Day!"
Native Australian Bee with White Flower
Mothers Day

Today is Mother's Day, as you probably already know. People across the globe are honouring the dedication and value of mothers by giving gifts and other signs of appreciation. And with good reason - after all, without mothers none of us would have ever been born!

I'd like to share with you today a little bit of history about Mother's Day that you might not have heard before.

Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia, whose mother had organized women’s groups to promote friendship and health, originated Mother’s Day. On May 12, 1907, she held a memorial service at her late mother’s church in Grafton, West Virginia. Within five years virtually every state was observing the day, and in 1914 President Woodrow Wilson made it a national holiday. Over time, what had originally been primarily a day of honour became associated with the sending of cards and the giving of gifts, however, and, in protest against its commercialization, Jarvis spent the last years of her life trying to abolish the holiday she had brought into being.

I'd also like to say a big "Thank you" and "Happy Mother's Day" to my own mother today. I know you are reading, so thanks for all you've done!

Information from Britannica Online: Mother’s Day
This photo taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.

Watchful Otters - Wordless Wednesday

"Watchful"
Two Otters out of the water
Wordless Wednesday

This photo taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.

ANZAC Day - The Dove of Peace

"The Dove of Peace"
Anzac Day

Anzac Day, April 25 in Australia and New Zealand commemorates the landing in 1915, during World War I, of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The Allies attempted to take control of the strategic Dardanelles from Turkey, allied with the Central Powers, in the so-called Dardanelles Campaign, which began in February 1915. ANZAC forces landed on April 25 and secured a beachhead at what came to be called ANZAC Cove, on the Aegean side of the peninsula. Despite additional landings by other troops during the succeeding months, the Allies could not capture the strait, and they suffered enormous losses from battle and disease. By December 1915 the Allied troops, including the ANZAC forces, had been withdrawn. Nonetheless, the ANZAC troops earned a reputation for valiant fighting, and they then served with distinction in France and in the Middle East. Later, in 1917, the Australian and the New Zealand forces were separated, and ANZAC thus ceased to exist.

In 1920 Australia and New Zealand created ANZAC Day as an official holiday to honour those who had fought in the Dardanelles Campaign. Since then it has been broadened to become a memorial day honouring all who served and died in World Wars I and II and in the Korean and Vietnam wars. It is a public holiday marked by religious services and parades and by ceremonies in which veterans participate. The Cook Islands, Tonga, and Samoa also observe the day.

This dove represents peace in the world. The bird, perched high on the roof of a shrine, is looking out over the world wisely, and is at peace. We in Australia are thankful for the peace we do have, and for those who have gone before us defending that right. Not only Australians, but everyone in the world should remember the ANZACs and all like them with gratitude today, and look forward with hope to the peace of the world to come.

Source: Britannica Online
This photo taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.

Dragonfly Insect - Wordless Wednesday

Dragonfly-like Insect clinging to a Eucalyptus leaf
Wordless Wednesday

Lacewing (nymphes myrmeleonides)

This Wordless Wednesday photo taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.

Bearded Dragon Lizard from Australia

Australian Bearded Dragon Lizard

Bearded Dragons have broad triangular heads and flattened bodies, with adults reaching approximately 18 to 24 inches head-to-tail. When threatened, the lizards will expand a spiny pouch under their jaw and turn it black, as well as inhale air and puff up to make them appear larger. The pouch resembles a beard, lending the animal their name.

Bearded Dragons have a distinctive series of spines radiating horizontally from the head to the tail. Their color ranges from light tan to dark brown, depending on their native soil, often with highlights of black, brilliant red, or gold, and can change somewhat depending upon their internal condition. Bearded Dragons can occupy a large range of habitats from the desert to dry forests and scrublands.

All species are from Australia, but they have been exported worldwide and bred successfully in captivity. In the wild, the various species are widely distributed throughout different regions of Australia. Bearded Dragons live about 10-15 years with proper care in captivity, though some can live up to 20 years old.

Bearded Dragons are known to be very docile and trusting, yet at the same time, outgoing and curious lizards. Their behaviour includes body language such as head bobbing and leg waving. It is not recommended to try and arouse this behaviour, however, as it is territorial in nature.

Information source: Wikipedia
This photo taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.

Ladybug (Ladybird) on Grass Stem

Ladybug (Ladybird) on Grass Stem

Finding a name for this creature was difficult. According to my searches, it is called a Ladybug in the US, but predominantly a Ladybird in the UK and Australia. So I've chosen a compromise here, and called it both! :)

Here is an old nursery rhyme we have here in Australia about the Ladybird - can anyone tell me if this is popular in the US too?

Ladybird ladybird fly away home,
Your house in on fire and your children are gone,
All except one and that's little Ann,
For she crept under the frying pan.

This photo taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.
Shutter speed: 1/124, F4.0, ISO 100

Fishing Boat and Pelican at Dawn

Fishing Boat and Pelican on the Water at Dawn

I took this photo on a recent holiday to Lake Cootharaba, near Noosa. The shade of a nearby tree gives the photo a blueish tone. You can clearly see the ropes on the deck of the small fishing boat, and the pelican in the background looking out over the water for breakfast.

This photo taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.
Shutter speed: 1/350, F4.9, ISO 100

Australian Blue Tongue Lizard - Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Australian Blue Tongue Lizard (Tiliqua mustifaciata) basking in the Sun

This photo taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.
Shutter speed: 1/209, F4.6, ISO 100

Australian Kookaburra - Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday
Australian Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) after the Rain

This photo taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.
Shutter speed: 1/350, F7.2, ISO 100

Dainty Birdwing Butterfly

Dainty Birdwing Butterfly - Close Up

When I was walking down the street at Boreen Point (near Noosa) I spotted this butterfly resting in the Sun. It didn't seem to be moving, and presented the perfect opportunity for a photo. Butterflies are normally very hard to get on camera, as they fly all over the place only stopping for about 5 seconds at a time. This butterfly proved the exception however, and stayed still calmly while I got some close-up shots.

This photo taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.
Shutter speed 1/149, F3.7, ISO 100

Giraffe Neck Hairs Close Up

Giraffe Neck Hairs Close Up

Here's an interesting shot I got at the Dubbo Zoo - a close-up photo of a giraffe's neck, with the hairs and markings clearly visible. You can see that a giraffe does actually have a "mane" so to speak - there is a ridge of longer hairs along the back of the animal's neck.

It's evident from the composition of this shot that "more is not always best" as David McMahon says on his blog. Sometimes you just have to ignore the whole and crop in on a small part of the object to achieve a certain effect. This photo turned out extremely clear and sharp, and seems almost as if you could reach out and touch the rough fur of the giraffe.

This photo taken with the Fujfilm S9600 digital camera.
Shutter Speed 1/340, F7.2, ISO 100

Chook Behind Bars

Wordless Wednesday

Hen Behind Chook Pen Fence / Chicken Wire

This photo taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.

Emus on the Roam

As I mentioned in the last post, I've recently had the opportunity to visit the Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, NSW. I took lots of photos (800+), so I've got lots of pics to post on this blog. For the first picture, I've chosen a subject that is uniquely Australian - an Emu.

The Western Plains Zoo has a good setup for photographing the animals. Instead of planting 8-foot fences between the people and animals, there is a sort of moat-and-wall arrangement, where you effectively stand on a mound of earth which puts you level with the top of the fence. This gives you a clear line of sight to the animals, which is great for photos

These emus were quite inquisitive, coming right to the edge of the "fence" to get their photos taken. With 10x zoom, I was able to get some good close-ups of the emus' heads.

The photo above shows a head-on view of the emu, while the photo below portrays the bird from the side. Both of these photos seem to portray a sense of action and alertness, as if the emu is utterly aware of your presence and is waiting for you to make the first move.

Overall the visit to the zoo was a fruitful exercise, and should merit a plethora of new photos for this blog. I look forward to sharing these photos, and I hope you will enjoy them too. I've been playing around with wide-screen photography, and the second emu photo in this post is an example of this. Hopefully I'll be putting up some of my shots in this format, it seem to convey a very different impression to standard 8x10 or 6x4 photography.

These photos taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.
Related Photos:

Lazy Sunday (Bearded Dragon Lizard)
Kangaroo in mid-air
Hairy Caterpillar

Bumble Bees in Motion

Bumble Bee in Flight - Landing on Rocket Flower

The First Photos from the new Fujifilm S9600!

It's amazing how the best moments for photos seem to appear when you least expect them. Yesterday I was outside as soon as it stopped raining, taking pictures of the flowers & leaves all wet and bristling with dew drops. I got a few good photos which I'll get up here soon, but just as I was leaving I noticed some bees flying around the Pak Choy plants. I snapped some photos at a relatively high shutter speed, not expecting to get much out of them as the bees were moving very quickly. But it seems I had underestimated the new camera. The photos turned out quite well, even after I digitally cropped them to less than half their original size.

I've included two of the best bee photos here. The first one (above) shows a bee hovering in the air mid-flight, about to land on a yellow Pak Choy Flower. You can actually see the bee's wings as they flap through the air at top speed.

In the second photo (below) the bee has landed and is sucking the pollen from the flower. Notice the large yellow pollen sac at the middle of the bee's body. Again, the yellow flowers are from a Pak Choy plant.

Bumble Bee Feeding - Resting on Flower

So far my experiences with the Fujifilm S9600 have shown it to be well worth the money. It certainly has exceptional macro capabilities, and it's great to have full manual control over the shutter speed and aperture settings. I'm looking forward to lot's more great photos in the months to come, and I hope you too can share in the enjoyment of this "wonderland of nature".

Coming up: After the Rain....

These photos taken with the Fujifilm S9600 camera.
Shutter speed 1/399, F5.7 (#1) & f7.2 (#2), ISO 200

Related Photos:
Bee landing on Lavender Flower
Life on a smaller scale [Mushrooms in Grass]
Close-up of yellow Pak Choy Flowers

Lazy Sunday [Bearded Dragon Lizard]

Lazy Sunday - A Bearded Dragon Lizard in the Sun

Lazy Lizard Lies in the Sun

Recently I was walking around a friend's property, mostly Australian semi-rural bushland, when I came across this little creature. Although he looks frightening, the Bearded Dragon lizard is practically harmless, and refused to move a muscle even when we picked him up! Before moving him, I snapped this shot at an unusual angle. The detail in this photo is amazing when viewed full-screen, especially around the lizard's head - you can see every small spike and inflection in his scaly skin. Although, as I said, these lizards are practically harmless, they can give you a nasty bite if provoked, so don't go picking them up!

This shot really makes you think. Whenever anybody looks at this picture they tend to automatically tilt their head counter-clockwise 90 degrees and look up and down the lizard's body. That's because of the unusual composition and depth of field in this photo.

The Bearded Dragon's head forms the primary focus-point in the image, with the beady eye attracting attention at the top of the head, and the split bark of the log leading the eye towards the dragon's frill further down.

I think the strangest thing about this photo is that you keep trying to turn sideways to look the lizard in the eye. The way the log and lizard combine to create an interesting "tilt" to the image helps to attract attention and create uniqueness. Just don't look at this picture too long - you might permanently bend your neck!

This photo taken with the Kodak C330 digital camera.

Related Photos:
A Hen-pecked Chook's Feathers
Another Hairy Caterpillar Photo
Prawns, Anyone? (Prawn Heads)

A creature from below... [Earth Worm]

Earth worm with grains

Earth Worm

Here's some variety - an animal is featured as the subject of this photo. This earth worm is shown lying on the dirt beside some chicken-feed: various grains including cord and sorghum. We found him under a tarp we had out in the yard, and after the photo he died a noble death - he was fed to the Chooks!

The natural structure of this photo draws the eye firstly toward the worm, which occupies the greater portion of the image, and secondly to the grains in the lower-right corner. The picture itself is not designed with a specific composition in mind, the only notable aspects are the main focus-points where the eye rests. It is interesting, though, how the eye follows a rough "zig-zag" course along the curves of the worm, and doesn't follow the smooth line of the worm's body.

This photo taken with the Kodak C330 camera.

Related Photos:
The Modest Blossom
Close-up of a hen-pecked chook's feathers

Close-up of a hen-pecked Chook's feathers

Hen-pecked chook's feathers

Stumps of feathers from a hen-pecked chook

Our 12 laying hens have recently been attacking each other to various degrees, and this is the result of a few close encounters with sharp beaks. It's an unusual subject for a photo, but that's a big part of photography - taking a different view at everyday things. This photo was just taken on the spur of the moment when I saw one of the hens being transferred to a new cage.

The curves of the feather stems concentrate towards the middle-right section of the image.
They form a sort of recurring pattern which does seem to have some order about it. The single remaining feather in the middle of the bunch of short "stumps" brings the sense of contrast in again. The whole picture centers on the basis of curves and two colors - blue/gray and brown/orange.

Well, it's already the 14th - entries to the "best bits" survey closed yesterday. I'm sorting through the entries and creating a collection of the best photos from the past 45 days, so look out for a post soon with the results!

This photo taken with the Kodak C330 camera.

Related Posts:
Prawns Anyone? (Prawn Heads)
Bee landing on lavender flower
Hairy Processionary Caterpillar

Prawns anyone? (Prawn Heads)

Prawn Heads and other scraps

Leftover prawn heads

Here is a very different perspective on this well-known seafood! This is a close-up photo of the scraps left over after a meal of prawns. The prawns' heads and tails are all that is left.

The large black eye is the most outstanding part of the prawn heads shown here, especially the center one. The natural body curves are also a feature of this photo, and the detailed look at this common but little-examined creature provides plenty of interesting items for examination.

This is yet another example of what amazing photographic subjects can be found just by looking around us. So much of what we see is a wide-angle view of the world - sometimes we can discover many more insights when we just stop and look under our noses!

This photo was taken with the Kodak C330 camera.

Related Posts:
Bee landing on lavender flower
Hairy Processionary Caterpillar
Kangaroo caught mid-air during jump

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