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Category Archives: Backyard Garden

Weakness is not your Technique

05 Friday Mar 2021

Posted by untouchedtcphotos in Back Yard Garden, Backyard Garden, Bumblebee, Garden, Sloat Garden Center, Spanish Lavender

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Backyard Garden, Bumblebee, Garden, Sloat Garden Center, Spanish Lavender, The Matrix

I photographed this Bumblebee approaching our new Spanish Lavender plant we purchased from the Sloat Garden Center in SF. I used the fastest shutter speed on my camera which is 1/8000 of a second.

I love the wing position of this Bumblebee. I am constantly amazed by the poses of the creatures I am photographing in my backyard. This pose reminds me some of the scenes in “The Matrix” from 1999. Have you seen this old clip for this Virtual Combat scene? Some of the hand motions look like this bee. If you freeze a few of the scenes with Lawrence Fishburne or Keanu Reeves in mid-air, they remind me of this bee’s interesting wing position.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4yuhvccQog

My wife’s organization is looking at how the employees can return to the office. Her supervisor requested concerns and suggestions about returning to the office. One of my wife’s concern is just walking from the bus to the office. The building is a very bad part of town. Before the pandemic, the area was already bad. But during the pandemic, tents are more abundant in the area. She is more fearful of the recent Asian Assault which occur any time of the day or night. She communicated this concern to her supervisor in her email and added her regret she did not know martial arts.

In this clip, one phrase is mentioned — “Weakness is not your Technique”. Whether we know how to protect ourselves with martial arts and can do those cool moves with our arm, this is not the most important strength. Attitude is the strength we all need. We can either allow our fears to consume, or we can decide how to do something with the fear.

A Bumblebee is a pretty small creature. But it has strength in the speed of it’s wings. It does have a good stinger. Being fast and quick is its strength. I’m learning how smart bees are in their flight maneuvers. This bee knows how to use its strengths to protect itself.

Let’s not allow our weaknesses be our technique. Rather can we learn to use our strengths to conquer our fears?

Photos teach us to face weaknesses!

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Look before Leaping!

03 Wednesday Mar 2021

Posted by untouchedtcphotos in Back Yard Garden, Backyard Garden, bird, birds, Canon, Dark-eyed Junco, Garden

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Backyard Garden, bird, birds, Canon, Dark-eyed Junco, Etsy Untouchedtcphotos, Garden





Having a backyard refuge has been great for me to practice with my new camera lenses. With new equipment and technology, I am learning the different features and how to improve my photography. It’s pretty amazing how much camera equipment has improved and changed compared to when I initially was in college developing my photographs in a dark room.

This Dark-eyed Junco bird is pretty interesting in this series of positions. Initially, he looks content on top. Then he takes a peak downward. He moves towards being further downward. Finally, he leaps out and downward from the fence to his destination. He looks like he surveyed out his route as he looked outward at his prospective route. As he leaps out, he initially did not spread his wings, but he had to get his wings going to fly.

Taking a leap is a hard to do. It requires faith, strength and courage. Notice this bird does peer over before taking the leap. An important lesson before leaping into a new venture is to preview the scenarios which could result after taking a plunge. In the 2 pictures, the bird takes a couple of positions leaning forward to look before actually leaping. So trying to browse, imagine and plan are great steps for preparation. Unfortunately, Murphy’s Law is pretty inevitable with something unexpected happening. But that is just how life works. Did any of us ever expect to be sheltering in place during a pandemic? We are learning how to roll with life changes.

Exploring my photography groove in my backyard was something I planned but never thought would be a reality. There are obstacles which are interrupting my quiet refuge. For example, I was wondering if a cat visitor was scaring away the hummingbirds.  So I was wondering what may be scaring the hummingbirds. It could be noises from construction, sirens from first responders, loud passing vehicles, aircraft flying overhead, or other normal city sounds in our neighborhood that could be keeping my bird friends away. I am just learning to roll with these changes and adjust things in the backyard to see if the birds will return more often.

I’ve learned that I needed a little push from my wife and others in my life to start this journey. I also ponder to plan my next move in my strategy to improve my photography. I do not regret taking leaps into the unknown. It is scary, and I still do not know where I will land or what my accomplishments will be. But I will never know the outcome unless I pursue the jumps.

My photographs constantly encourage and provide lessons to me about life. I hope they will also give my small audience ideas and hope about upcoming journeys.

Photos help us take leaps!

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Ruffled & True Colors

28 Sunday Feb 2021

Posted by untouchedtcphotos in Back Yard Garden, Backyard Garden, birds, Canon, Garden, Home Garden, Hummingbird

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Backyard Garden, bird, Canon, Etsy Untouchedtcphotos, Garden, Home Garden, Hummingbird

Singing and Tweeting

Cleaning

On the look out

Feathers are ruffled

The Hummingbirds have rarely been coming into our yard to drink the nectar of the Cuphea Vermillionaire flowers the past two weeks. They used to come every 20 minutes or so during the late morning and early afternoon. I have only seen them come in for a very quick visit and they appear skittish and fly away quickly.

I took these pictures of the Hummingbird up in a neighbor’s tree. I used a powerful zoom lens since he was far away. This bird’s ruffled feather reminds how many may look with sheltering in place. Our hair can be messy and tousled. We attend church via the internet, and no one has to see how we look. We do not need to dress up to go anywhere. We are comfortable in our sweats at home.

Do we feel like our feathers are ruffled? With all the recent Asian Assaults occurring, it is alarming and fearful. Not only do we have to watch our surroundings as we walk outside, but there are also home invasions while occupants are present. I usually am not as sensitive to outside noises. But more recently, normal outside noises are irritating. Individuals in my circle were sick with COVID-19. Fortunately, they recovered. Whenever we have big family gatherings again, there will be a couple of empty chairs of relatives who are now gone. These pandemic times are unnerving. So I feel like this bird.

What is amazing about this bird is the colors? Depending on how the bird bends his head and the reflecting light, the bright fuchsia shines on the top.  Even with the ruffled feathers, the emerald shimmering green body is beautiful. It is interesting how one moment the bird’s head looks black. Then when he points his beak up, he shows his true colors on his head and neck!

I need to learn from this bird. I need to look up where my help comes from the Lord. The light shows the pretty colors on the bird with the reflections. The Light reflection can also bring beauty and peace to each of us in the midst of a pandemic.

Can we reflect true colors even though we may be battling ruffled feelings?

Photos Reflect True Colors!

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Transparent

27 Saturday Feb 2021

Posted by untouchedtcphotos in Back Yard Garden, Backyard Garden, Bush Daisy, Canon, Flower, Garden, Home Garden, Insect, Sloat Garden Center, Sonnenschein

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Backyard Garden, Bush Daisy, Canon, Etsy Untouchedtcphotos, Flower, Garden, Home Garden, Insect, Sloat Garden Center, Sonnenschein

I photographed this insect back in December of 2020. I do not know what kind of insect this is. It was attracted to this Bush Daisy (Sonnenschein) flower we purchased from the Sloat Garden Center by the SF Zoo. Sorry I did not try to identify this interesting bug. It reminds me of a cartoon shaped insect. I love the delicate transparent wings and 3 segmented body. The striped body is cool too. The head and torso portions remind me of Darth Vader’s helmet in shape. It appears hard and bell shaped.

But my favorite part of this insect is the wing with the intricate pattern lines and transparent appearance. Nothing can be hidden in this wing.  Even though these wings seem delicate, they are strong enough to allow this bug to fly everywhere. They can lift this bug up and about, so it can gather food and sweetness.

Why are we afraid of being transparent? Probably we are afraid to be transparent due to our pride. Sometimes my wife does not want to show all her cards. In our case, she wants to hide some of our clutter when we had guest visiting our house before this pandemic. Our clutter also reveals who we are and our hidden indulgences of healthy snack food and chocolate. We are afraid of criticism and disapproval. We do not want to be judged. We feel we need to hide our weaknesses.

But when we choose to be transparent, it could allow us to fly a little higher and be lighter after releasing the weight of what we are hiding. Yes there is certain information about ourselves which is private. When we share ourselves with others to help and encourage, then it is worth the risk of exposure.

Do we want to emulate this bug and be transparent to help someone and be free to fly higher?

Photos remind us about Transparency.

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The Bumblebees are Back!

25 Thursday Feb 2021

Posted by untouchedtcphotos in Back Yard Garden, Backyard Garden, Bee, Bumblebee, Canon, Garden, Home Garden, Sloat Garden Center, Spanish Lavender

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Backyard Garden, Bee, Bumblebee, Canon, Etsy Untouchedtcphotos, Garden, Home Garden, Sloat Garden Center, Spanish Lavender

For the past couple of weeks, the Bumblebees have been coming to search for food. This worker Bumblebee is about to land on our new plant, Spanish Lavender (Lavandula stoechas), which was purchased at the Sloat Garden Center on 3rd Ave in San Francisco. I caught this shot of the Bumblebee on this plant. A Hummingbird was checking out this plant too, but I was not fast enough to photograph him. I love this bee’s long legs hanging down as he goes towards his next snack.

I’ve been experimenting to find the right flowers to grow in my yard which will flourish and attract the hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. I’ve order some flowers online. So far I’ve been disappointed with these online plants. They did not survive well in my garden. Sloat Garden Center has a lifetime guarantee on their plants. The flowers from Sloat Garden Center have done well in my yard. Since Sloat Garden Center is local, they understand our climate and soil. Their employees are always helpful and knowledgeable to give advice about growing the plants.

I never spent so much time in my garden, until we were sheltering in place due to the pandemic. Early in 2019, I already started my garden project, but had not planned what should be planted in the spring. This year I’ve scoped out the plants to add this spring. I’m excited about the prospect of my future flowers I hope to purchase and plant, and the new creatures they will feed and attract.

We are not happy with this pandemic. But ironically, many of us have developed our passions during this pandemic period. I’ve been a photographer for most of my adult life. My gardening passion resulted from my photography passion to create a haven and environment to shoot pictures.

Focusing on nature has a calming effect on my soul. It reminds me how God is the great Creator of all. Observing the flowers and the quick flying bees, hummingbirds and butterflies is fascinating. My garden world takes me away from the pandemic world for a break.

We all need a refuge to take a break from our pandemic world. Allow photographs to take you to a calmer place.

Photos Calm our Souls.

 

 

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Cat Lurking in our yard

21 Sunday Feb 2021

Posted by untouchedtcphotos in Backyard Garden, Canon, Cat, Garden, Predator

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Backyard Garden, Canon, Cat, Garden, Home Garden, Predator

Here’s an ominous picture of a stray cat who periodically visits our yard. He does not have a collar. So I am assuming he does not belong to anyone. But perhaps someone is feeding him since he is moving around the backyards on our block. This picture makes him a little evil with his green eyes and brown striped nose.

The cat seems a little shy. Once he sees me, he runs quickly away. If I knew the cat, I do love playing with cats.

But I have a dilemma. I have been working on my hummingbird sanctuary in my backyard. Lately as I have been sitting in my yard waiting for these quick flying birds to visit, I have been disappointed. They have not been coming to get their picture taken. I am wondering if this cat is scaring them away.

I set up surveillance and noticed this cat visiting in the dark. I also noticed one of the birds who visited previously is missing. I really hope this cat did not go after that bird.

What is my next course of action? I purchased ultrasonic animal repeller with a movement sensors. I took them out of the yard anticipating rain coming. I decided I will set these up again. When the sensors are set off by movement, then a high pitched sound goes off and hopefully will send the cat away.

Here’s the link of one the Solar Ultrasonic Animal Repeller with Motion Sensor

Let’s see if these animal repellers help the hummingbirds feel safe to return to my backyard so I can continue to enjoy their company.

Photos Capture Lurkers!

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Bird Salute!

19 Friday Feb 2021

Posted by untouchedtcphotos in Anna's Hummingbird, Back Yard Garden, Backyard Garden, birds, Canon, Cuphea Vermillionaire, Garden, Home Garden, Hummingbird, Sloat Garden Center

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Anna's Hummingbird, Backyard Garden, bird, birds, Canon, Cuphea Plant, Cuphea Vermillionaire, Etsy Untouchedtcphotos, Garden, Home Garden, Hummingbird, Sloat Garden Center

These hummingbirds never cease to amaze me with their different movements. As I sit in my backyard trying to catch hummingbirds in action, I never know what I will observe. So I was fortunate to catch the this beauty from the back with his wing curved forward looking like a salute. These hummingbirds are so quick and fast. I have been adjusting my camera equipment and technique to capture their movements.

This hummingbird is probably just moving quickly towards its next snack and meal. They need a lot of energy due to their constant and rapid flying. Usually the hummingbirds visit my yard solo. Perhaps it is the mentality of needing food with no time for socialization. This photo reminds me of a painting with the soft surrounding around the bird. It resembles the soft brush strokes of a painting. This photo would look pretty awesome printed as a canvas.

Ironically, this hummingbird is saluting no one. It reminds me how we are more isolated due to this pandemic. A salute is a gesture to display respect particularly in the military. Whether we are in the military or not, this attitude of a salute is desperately needed today. Lately in our area, random acts of violence have occurred attacking Asians. It is quite alarming. What happened to respect for all peoples? We may not look alike or agree on everything. But we should agree all people deserve to be treated with respect.

Can we remember this hummingbird’s salute and show respect with a smile to someone we do not know? Smile as a salute to help someone else smile.

Photos remind us to salute!

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Calm Hummingbird Wing Stretch

18 Thursday Feb 2021

Posted by untouchedtcphotos in Anna's Hummingbird, Back Yard Garden, Backyard Garden, birds, Canon, Cuphea Vermillionaire, Garden, Home Garden, Hummingbird, Sloat Garden Center

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Anna's Hummingbird, Backyard Garden, birds, Canon, Cuphea Plant, Cuphea Vermillionaire, Etsy Untouchedtcphotos, Garden, Home Garden, Hummingbird, Sloat Garden Center

This hummingbird has its body a little downward with his wings flung back as if he was stretching. He probably is just getting into a good position as he approaches the flowers for nectar. 

See if this hummingbird’s pose looks similar to the “2. Chest Stretch” from this link to lifehack.org

Stretching may be uncomfortable in the beginning, but it can help to relax and improve our flexibility. I help my wife relax with shoulder massages, which does the trick to get her to fall asleep quickly. 

During these pandemic times, it is helpful to find out what will help us to de-stress and relax. My wife discovered this celebrity trainer for Pilates on YouTube to relax. Activity helps us to release our stress. I look at my Fitbit to walk my quota of steps every hour. I do not go out to walk but just walk all over my home. Find an activity to get the blood flowing. This trainer has a lot of videos. She gives clear instructions, and my wife enjoys a challenging workout. No one needs to feel intimidated trying these workout especially if you try it alone. Plus it is FREE, and just requires 30 to 40 minutes to improve one’s mood. This is my wife’s recommendation, and it works for her.

Kit Rich Celebrity Trainer on YouTube

Having a calming garden and photographing the hummingbirds, bees and butterflies helps me to let go of worries with all the recent stress in life. Last week was pretty stressful with quite a few unfortunate events. My calm is achieved by getting out in the yard and sitting still. Waiting for the hummingbird friends to arrive which renews my soul. Sometimes they come and sometimes I miss them. But this activity is a highlight of my day.

Create your calm space to do whatever activities you enjoy to do to relax. Whether it is doing puzzles, reading, watching movies, embroidery or just praying, create a space to feel calm and peace. Make it space with plants, flowers, pictures and calming colors. Or work on your backyard as I am to create an outdoor space to create calmness in life. Having a refuge place to fling your arms back to stretch out the kinks in your neck and shoulders is the best. Create Calm in life!

These hummingbirds are the best to remind me what is important in life.

Photos can create Calm!

 

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Moving Forward

15 Monday Feb 2021

Posted by untouchedtcphotos in Anna's Hummingbird, Back Yard Garden, Backyard Garden, birds, Canon, Cuphea Vermillionaire, Garden, Home Garden, Hummingbird, Sloat Garden Center

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Anna's Hummingbird, Backyard Garden, birds, Canon, Cuphea Plant, Cuphea Vermillionaire, Etsy Untouchedtcphotos, Garden, Home Garden, Hummingbird, Sloat Garden Center

This hummingbird has an interesting curved wing in the back. I am constantly amazed as I see the different ways the hummingbirds position their wings. This bird looks like his chest is out, and he is proud to move forward. He looks confident and ready to tackle all the sweetness in these flowers.

Being like this confident bird is a challenge. Confidence does not come easy to me. Seeing the hurdles and obstacles instead of the opportunities in challenges can be the downfall for all of us. Learning how to jump higher to get over the hurdles is hard to do.

My first photography art show, which was many years after my college photo show, was a terrifying event. My wife happened to see an ad for a local coffee shop who was looking for artists to display their work. We planned an opening event and invited a crowd. Surprisingly, everything fell into place. I had forgotten about a lot of old photos I took about 25 years ago. I decided to choose those old photos and make them digital. I determine how the images would be displayed and planned out the descriptions to explain my work. I was pleasantly pleased with my work knowing my collection of photographs are unique and represent a special period of my photographic journey. The initial hurdles no longer seemed as high, and I realized I could jump over them.

There was a great support crowd who attended this event to cheer me on. It was a humbling and a great learning experience. I am grateful for the support I received from family, relatives and friends to give me the confidence to move forward.

Do you lack confidence to show the world who you are? I was fortunate to listen to individuals in my life who encouraged me to show who I am as a photographer. Confidence is like a building. We need a strong foundation to provide support to build and hopefully not topple over.

Photos remind us to move forward with confidence!

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Swimming Through the Air

15 Monday Feb 2021

Posted by untouchedtcphotos in Anna's Hummingbird, Back Yard Garden, Backyard Garden, Canon, Cuphea Vermillionaire, Garden, Home Garden, Hummingbird, Sloat Garden Center

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Anna's Hummingbird, Backyard Garden, Canon, Cuphea Plant, Cuphea Vermillionaire, Etsy Untouchedtcphotos, Garden, Sloat Garden Center

He is always keeping an eye on me.

He flies between the Cuphea Vermillionaire plants with ease while keeping his eye on me.

I’m having a blast trying to understand these visiting hummingbirds. I sit in my garden when the sunlight is the best and wait to see if they will come to visit. My goal is to be quick to shoot these graceful birds in action. When these hummingbirds visit, I sense they are watching me. They are trying to evaluate if I am safe. I can feel their eyes looking at me.

It is amazing the different ways the hummingbirds move their wings. They can fly away in a blink of an eye. I try to anticipate where they are flying to catch their different wing positions.

The top hummingbird’s wings reminds me of a swimming stroke with one wing pointed forward and the other pointed towards the back. They are naturally graceful even with their quick speed. It amazes me how a creature can be extremely quick with such angelic wings.

It would be nice if I could be as swift and move with pizazz. I took dance lessons with my cousin when she was preparing to get married. Her fiancé was not available to go with her. So I went to be her partner. We learned all the typical ballroom dance steps. It was fun. But I was no “Fred Astaire” in my movements. There was no flare in my steps. Once upon a time, I was a fast runner in track and could run to play basketball. But in dance, my feet did not work very swiftly with finesse.

It’s okay I will never be a great dancer. Every individual has a unique talent, which they can perform with finesse. For the hummingbird, it can fly with grace and speed naturally. I may not be able to fly. But I am glad I discovered my love for photography and continue to strive to capture interesting images. It took time for me to find this passion and study to become a photographer. It is a passion I seek to improve and learn the ever changing camera technology.

These hummingbirds remind us to seek out our talents and develop them to be the best.

Photos show who we are!

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  • Weakness is not your Technique
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