working in black and white

Day 89;
  Somethings work better in black and white.  This probably should have a duck or frog or some other element.  I do like this scene better in black and white than in color.

Cat enjoying the fire

Day 88;

Blue flowers

Day 88;
    I love blue flowers.. Saw these today in my meandering;

Daffodil

Day 87;

Canadian Geese and Ring necked duck

Day 86;
      think duck on right is ring knecked - fouind at pond near laconia airport

The 3 Amigos

Day 85;

While walking today, came across the masked mauraders.....:)

Candelabra of sticks

Looking for Black American Duck? Common Male Merganser? ?, please scroll down.

Day  84;
  
     Found this interesting candelabra at a restaurant today.  The candelabra was made of sticks and had a birds nest on it.

Black American Duck? Common Male Merganser? ?

As I was driving north today, I drove down route 113 in Holderness looking for the Shovelers at Carns Cove. I didn't find the cove, and didn't see the shovelers but saw the following water fowl:
I have looked online to try and identify these waterfowl, but cannot.  If you have any ideas, please comment below.
Thank you                         Is this an American Black Duck?

On the way home, I stopped at this large man made pond in Wentworth and saw the following:  I know one is a mallard.  Could the one with the dark head and mostly white body be a common male merganser?  I am not sure about the duck with the mostly white or all white head is, behind the mallard.  Could it be a hooded merganser?    Not sure from this distance.  I couldn't get close enough to get a better shot.

Below:  2  more pictures of the same black and white fowl, side and back view.

This is as large as I dared to enlarge these photos without distorting the picture too much.

Could these 2 pictures be of a common male merganser?

The eye

Day 83;
So I said I would post something different and here it is.. while I was driving through Holderness, I saw this horse farm.. took some pictures.. If you look in the eye, you see reflections of the fence and a reflection of me.

Below is a picture of the farm.   I don't like the telephone type poles in this picture.

Pink Sky

Day 82:
   Not too many pictures to choose from tonight.  Went walking after work and out to a Play afterwards.
This morning on way to work, I did notice the pink clouds and reflection on Paugus Bay. 
I can see I have been posting a few sky pictures.. will try to vary a little more.

Foggy morning over the lake

First daffodil

Day 81;
     Warm weather... 80's today.  The first of my daffodils opened up.  This plant faces the south side of the house so it gets the most sun.  Buds on my clematis, chives are green and growing, other bulbs are continuing to erupt from the ground. Oh I wish that I had put in more bulbs.   Other herbs made it through the winter.  Hopefully this year I will actually use them in some recipes:)  I love chives on baked potatoe.

Bokeh 2

Day 80;
     Eating out with friends.. was trying to figure out what to do for Project 365 homework.. Saw some lights on indoor plants and tried bokeh.. it worked.  Took a few of shots to get something in the foreground in focus.. 

 

The bokeh in this picture remind me of little round braided rugs. 

Spring Bulbs

Day 79;
   Spring has arrived in my garden:  My first crocus.  Probably about my only crocus.. I am seeing fewer coming up in the garden.  I believe that the bottom plant is a hyacinth.

The Docks

Day 71;
  An early morning shot of the docks.

Honey bee

Day 77;
     Beautiful day today.... warm enough to open the crocuses in this church garden.  Lots of bees collecting honey.

Self Portrait

Day 76;

   This may be the self portrait I stick with.  Thought I had wanted a sunny morning, but think I like this cloudy day, still day with reflections in the background. 
   I will take more pictures tomorrow.

Updated:  The picture below is the one my photography instructor liked.  I liked this picture as well, but thought it was not a good self portrait, because I thought I had to have my face showing.  this picture is me relaxing, enjoying the early morning peace and quiet, enjoying the water, enjoying nature.
Update 2:
When I thought my face should be showing for a self portrait, I took the second picture below and thought that this side angle would work and thought this the best picture of those.  My sister in law thought I looked sad in the second picture with the side angle... you know, I do too.... I was trying not to smile, I was trying to look off into the landscape.. I was trying too hard I think.
  I really do like the first picture with the back of my head to the camera.. there is space between me and the reflection.. its not so crowded.. this first picture is more relaxing to look at I think.  I love sitting out here early in the morning,when it is quiet and peaceful and the sun is coming up.

                   

Angles

Day 75;
      Havn't taken too many pictures today.. pickins' are slim.. but I edited this one below..
 I have been doing a lot of thinking and planning in my mind for a self portrait - the last homework assignment for my last day of  Photography class - due on Monday..  I'm hoping to take the shot sometime this weekend and it would be great if we have a sunny morning..will try and post it afterwards..  

Color, Shape and Texture

Day 74;  
    I happened to be in the area of the Laconia Mill this afternoon. I took these shots from the outdoor patio type area next to waterfalls from the dam.  This area always pulls me in with its lamp, tables and chairs, small gardens, brick footbridge over a dry bed, and of course the water.  You are very close to the water here.  As I was taking multiple shots of various subjects, I didn't realize that I had gotten this berry near the top, in focus with the light bouncing off the top.  I like the contrast with the metal.
   A great cloudy day for reflections - in the second picture.   From where I was standing at one point, I was looking at the water and saw reflections of the tree, the lamp that arched near the top, and part of the building and wheel workings of the mill in the corner.
   In the third picture, is the large twisted part of the vine contrasting with the straight metal.  There is another vine that is twisted around a metal trellis but have yet to come up with a shot that does it justice. These vines get so large.

Red Berry

Silhouette

Texture

Glass

Day 73;
   Dinner at Hectors with friends.  I tried to use the photoshop on the white that is next to the glass, but was not successful at this time so left it alone.  I'll have to study up on it.. too late tonight. I liked the bokeh effect in the background of the small round yellow shapes.

Shining light

Day72;

   I saw this light shining through the long narrow hole in the clouds, reflected onto Paugus Bay this morning.

Sunrise on Paugus Bay

Day 71;    
    The sky was georgeous, could not help but take some pictures.  The pictures do not do the colors justice.  There was another picture I thought about stopping to take on my way to work.. but didn't.  Next time, I will try to take that shot instead of telling myself next time..... 

Can you identify these water fowl?

Here are some water fowl I took pictures of on my way home today.  There were 2 large black birds in the water.. have never seen something like this before.  Also curious about the black and white ducks.  I think the last one is a common merganser.
              In answer to my question of identification and friend emailed me:  Apparently the black water fowl are American Black ducks and the ones in the second picture below are common male mergansers.. to me they look so different than the common female merganser, which is in the third picture with the reddish head and crest.  Its amazing how many different varieties of birds and markings there are.  There were 3 common male mergansers and this one female in this one area in Ashland on Sunday, in back of the Thret Shop that sells violins, guitars, and other instruments.  The American Black ducks were also in the same area.

Bird of Prey

Day 70;
       Today I took a little detour on a trip to the PSU stadium and discovered the following bird at the end of the parking lot, closer to the building.  It took me a few minutes to realize that this bird had a dead smaller bird in its claws.  I'm not sure what this bird is, thought at first it was a Peregrin, but it doesn't look like the pictures of Peregrins online.  I also thought it might be a hawk and again, from the pictures I saw online, I could not make an identification.  If you know, please comment below.   Okay, after a little more research, I'm back, I think it is a Falcon.   Someone else suggested that this may be a sharp shin hawk and if so I think it is a juvenile sharp shin hawk. 
Any guesses?
     A person from the Birders NH Bird list has identified this as a female Merlin eating a cedar waxwing.  After looking at online pictures of Merlins, I think that that is correct.  Thank you NHBirders for viewing and identifying.

Side view

Side,back view

Bird Walk

Day 70;
    Here are some pictures I took yesterday and have posted today.  While walking with a friend, we visited several water areas with birds.  Below are pictures of  a Wood duck with mallards, I think ring necked ducks, hooded and common merganser, and sparrows.

                                                Wood duck with Mallards

I think ring necked ducks

Hooded and Common Merganser

Sparrows

Rare Birds

So I went back to see if the Merganser was still there.  I got a shot which includes teh Hooded Merganser Drake and maybe the female merganser and another black and white duck.  Picture not great, but okay for identification purposes.

Opeche Sunset

Day 69;

First Robin

Day;68;
    This morning, just before I got into my car, I saw 3 robins in my back yard.  2 of the 3 seemed to keep flying up in the air, circling each other..  I finally decided that this must be a mating dance and tried to get a picture of it.  I took many shots, but none were very clear.  However below this picture is probably the best shot I got out of all of the shots I took.

Below is what I think is a mating dance... this was the best picture I could get as the robins flew up in the air, and circling each other.

Shell

Day 67;
     Experimenting more with the macro setting.  It seems as though, I know this is trite:  the more I learn the less I know.  The harder I try to improve my photography, the more difficult it seems.  I think I am concentrating too much on trying to make the photographs perfect.  Think I need to go back and just have fun shooting things.  Tonight I was taking pictures of large items, small items and still life with the macro setting.   Still not quite getting what I am looking for, but like the shape and color of the inside of this shell.