I felt so like an intruder. I had been teaching my youngest about how your 'eye' is perceived in photography, 'birdseye view' etc. So we were walking early one morning, AND since I love droplets... this caught my eye. I crouched down and snapped away. Not until I pulled it into editing, did I notice that I had disturbed the peace of the little spider on the backside. He must've just scooted around when I came bursting into his little world. His presence was a little 'extra' that I hadn't anticipated... and now when I look at this image, I'm not so fascinated by the droplets - but more how accommodating the spider had been for me! (yeah, that's the way I see it!)

This image makes me think I can paint... I often take shots and as I'd mentioned a few posts ago, then edit with Photoshop's dry brush effect... I was musing how to bring color back in this - and was so tempted to run a page of watercolor paper through the printer, then do a very subtle tint. But, it was just a thought.

Sometimes getting that perfect image is simply dependent upon the luck of timing. Being there at the right moment, prepared to capture it. I was up early to see my son off to the school bus and knew that while it had been cold enough to freeze the evening before, I was not expecting to find what I did that morning! In the quiet of early morning, we were presented with a crystal wonderland... these little ice whiskers had grown on the branches, the basketball hoop, EVERYWHERE - and they were glorious.

Later on, after a little research, I learned that this type of frost is called Hoar Frost and when it occurs, it presents the most magnificent scenarios... I was just lucky enough to happen upon it at the right moment, ready to capture it with my camera.

If one were able to describe quiet with a picture - this would be it. Taken only with available light... from the moon and a streetlight off in the distance it is surely one of my very favorite shots.

This image owes its life to the 'night vision imaging' capability of the Sony Cybershot DSC-F707. I absolutely love this camera, and while its resolution maxes out at 5 megapixels - it is what I grab as I reach right by my Canon Rebel Xti 10 megapixel.

This amazing camera has a Carl Zeiss lens and can very easily photograph the most minute detail (I do confess - I use it most often for macro photography...) while also mastering a night shot AND serving to entertain the dogs with the IR beam it shoots out to focus in the dark. Love it!

There is a certain path that I walk in the morning each day. I have two dogs and we take in the early morning air, sounds of the forest and the glory of sunshine filtering down through the trees with gusto.

Although the route is timeworn, the things I see and what I envision are new to me each day. This single droplet for instance: In this forest, many pine needles fall and quite often they land astride another branch... forming an upside-down V.

To my delight one day last winter, after a light rain, I came upon a bare-limbed smallish tree heavily decorated with these fallen pine needles. Each needle holding tightly to one clear droplet of rainwater. Sunlight caught each droplet as if they were holiday decorations of only the finest jewels.

After several seasons of Man vs Wild, I thought it was amazing what nature, herself, had done to tether stalk to stick.