“Chickadee.” Photograph by Gale D.
Can we say tired? I am so physically and mentally exhausted from grading, grading, grading, and grading. I want to take a photo walk, but (1) my camera battery isn’t charged. I learned this last night when I was about to record my son playing in the strings orchestra. And (2) I barely have enough energy to make it to the door let alone through it.
Therefore, I decided to take my photo walk indoors today. How? Thankfully, Diane W, Midteacher on swap-bot, created a series of swaps for the A Thousand Words group that’s right up my photo alley. The series, called Take a Walk, encourages photographers to take some time with their cameras regularly and share their photos with others in the group.
If you’ve been following Pics and Posts long enough, you know photo walks are my go-to for “getting through the crazies.” I take a walk–camera in hand–quite regularly during the work day to take a break from screens and students, to readjust or reset. Also, my hubby, son, and I take photo walks and drives on weekends when the weather’s nice (or tolerable).
Today, I need to follow a different path, so we’ll take a walk with Gale D, Grstamping on swap-bot.
Gale, from Ontario (Canada), spends a lot of time outdoors and loves shooting “in nature,” particularly in her favorite spot near Lake Ontario. She “can hand feed birds, watch squirrels at play, stalk deer, and be stalked by wild turkeys.” These ventures help her to feel close to nature and clear her mind. They also keep her sane.
She sent me a few of her memorable encounters–either because of their beauty or because of how the animals trusted her in their space–from her January photo walk.
Gale was allowed to get up close and personal with the chickadees. She even fed a few from her hand! They love sunflower seeds!
“Hand Feeding the Chickadees.” Photograph by Gale D.
A vibrant visit with a blue jay added a splash of color to the grays and browns of winter.
“Blue Jay: Vibrant in Winter.” Photograph by Gale D.
And finally, she had a brief tête-à-tête with a squirrel, her favorite subject because they’re not only beautiful but “they’re fun to watch!”
“Squirrel.” Photograph by Gale D.
I love these photos, but I’m kind of interested in seeing a photo captured while she was evading wild turkeys! 😀
You can take a photo walk too, even if you can’t get outdoors. Check out Glenrosa Journeys. Candace takes readers with her as she explores Arizona. Her photography and her blog are inspiring. For photos without the blog, check out the Nature Photography Group on Flickr. You can find more of Gale’s work at Photographic Touch.
Stay tuned. I’ll share more “take a walk” photos soon.
Walk on!
Pics and Posts 
Very nice Chandra. I am lucky to have a FB friend who always shares the photos from her walks around the valley – mostly at the Wildlife Area so there are lots of pics of birds and otters etc. . I am also lucky to have a lot of wildlife right in my yard – turkeys, deer, raccoons as well as the regular bird visitors. Ain’t life grand!
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We see wildlife quite regularly, but rarely in our backyard. We see a good variety of birds all day long and the occasional fox and coyote. I’m not comfortable with the canine family, but I wouldn’t mind a deer visit.
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Ive finally been approved for a good camera via hubby. Can’t wait to take high quality photos!!
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Yay! What are you looking for? Need suggestions?
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Yes. Actually I do. I thought I responded but apparently I didn’t. I’m thinking of getting the Canon T6…upgrade from a phone but not so complex that I’m overwhelmed with the features. I need a good starter camera
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Okay. I’ll be texting you…
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I got your card by the way!! Thanks so much. Love good happy mail!!
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Yay again! Lol! Sadly, I still have your sister’s letter on my desk. I was trying to find princess stickers in my stash for her baby girl too, and then it got buried beneath…everything. Hugging you from afar…
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OOUUU, AHHH ( I never know how to spell OOOUUU. LOL) Thank you Chandra for sharing this. I really needed it. I am right there with you on the tired. I would love to sleep for… what 12 hours straight. LOL. A full 8 would be just heavenly. I think you should do a post on camera recommendations. Kinda think you did a long time ago. I was thinking of getting attachments for my phone. But I would really love an inexpensive, decent camera to get better shots of Mingus. Ah well…
Hope you get a rest soon. A breather, a break. ;o)
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I’m not the one to do camera comparisons. I know what I know about the cameras I’ve used and I can vouch for them. As for an inexpensive camera that gets the job done, my son’s first “non-toy” camera was a Canon Elph. He still has it. That little thing is powerful! It sometimes beats out my DSLR. In fact, it works so much better (sans flash) in low light situations like aquariums and museums. It does great work with macro shots too!
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