Another photo from last weekend

 The Carolina wren is a small bird with an outsized personality. Despite its compact size, it fills forests, gardens, and backyards with a bold, ringing song that often sounds far too powerful for such a tiny body. Its warm reddish-brown plumage, long curved bill, and distinctive white eyebrow give it a lively, alert appearance that matches its energetic behavior.

Common throughout the southeastern United States, the Carolina wren is a year-round resident, even in colder months when many birds migrate. It’s known for its adaptability, often nesting in unusual places, flower pots, mailboxes, old boots, or any cozy nook it can find. Pairs are strongly bonded and frequently seen together, reinforcing their reputation as loyal and resilient birds.

What truly sets the Carolina wren apart is its voice. Its cheerful, rolling song is often one of the first sounds heard at dawn, bringing life to quiet mornings. For many nature lovers and photographers, the Carolina wren represents persistence, warmth, and the simple joy of noticing the small wonders living right alongside us.

 

 

Simplicity

Simplicity is a recurring theme in my work. This is the kind of scene many people pass by while going about their lives, absorbed in their own thoughts and concerns, without ever noticing it, until the beauty of their surroundings is revealed to them. The image below is a perfect example of that.

 

Last weekend pictures

There are a few photos I took last weekend that I truly love. One of them is the image below, showing a pair of Sandhill Cranes in flight. I especially like how the cloudy background closely matches the cranes’ gray coloring, creating a harmonious look. 

Another photo I enjoy is this landscape, where the dry winter vegetation glows with golden tones, unmistakably revealing the time of year when the image was captured.

The below image captures a quiet woodland scene where winter is gently asserting itself. A winding paved path curves through the frame, inviting the viewer to follow it deeper into the forest. Tall trees stand on either side, their trunks dark and textured, while branches overhead are draped with fading leaves in warm shades of gold, amber, and rusty orange. The remaining greenery contrasts softly with the seasonal colors, suggesting the transition between autumn and winter. Fallen leaves carpet the ground, catching the light and adding warmth to the scene. Overall, the photograph conveys a sense of calm and reflection, a peaceful moment where nature slows down and the changing season is clearly written in color and light.

Path to nowhere

Fulll of Action

Last weekend, I photographed a karate competition focused entirely on the combats. I got some amazing shots that can be found in two Flickr albums, available here and here.

Our grandson Liam participated in this event (pictured above), and considering that he fought for the first time in some of the categories, he did extremely well.

For the first time, I took two cameras: the Canon R6 and the Canon 5D Mark III. The R6 was paired with an EF 70–200mm f/2.8, and the 5D with an EF 50mm f/1.8. I had never used the 5D with the 50mm for this type of event before, and I was pleased to see that it got the job done very well. I missed a few pictures, but mostly because of human error. It’s somehow difficult to shoot with two cameras whose autofocus systems are completely different, especially with one being mirrorless and the other a DSLR. But you get used to it, and I’m sure I’ll keep using this setup in the future. Of course, having two mirrorless cameras would be the perfect setup, but this is what I have. 

Picture taken using the Canon 5D Mark III, released in 2012!

 

Nano Banana

 I asked Nano Banana to create versions of this photo:

And here are the results:

 

I was not pleased with the second photo because, by rotating the subject, it looked like a different kid, in my opinion. Here is the prompt that I used to get the first picture edited by Nano Banana.

"An expressive, natural portrait of a subject, bathed entirely in warm, directional golden hour sunlight. The light should be low, highlighting the texture of the skin and hair with a vibrant rim light. Camera/Settings: Captured on a Canon R6 with a 85mm lens, f/1.8, shallow depth of field (bokeh) in the background. Composition: Leading lines from a distant fence drawing the eye to the face. Style: Cinematic realism, saturated gold and orange hues, high dynamic range. Do not change subject position. Do not edit the face of the subject." 

In my experience, Nano Banana tends to always edit the face of the subject, which is the reason why I do not feel it’s a tool that can be reliably used for editing. However, you get decent results if you try to replace the background or use other tricks in that sense. If you do not put both pictures, the original and the one edited by Nano Banana, side by side, the results look nice, but if you compare them you can notice the AI editing right away. 

You can find other prompts and test them yourself here.  

 

Radio Active Lenses

This story was reported by Fstoppers. Apparently, in the past, radioactive elements were used in the manufacture of lenses to reduce chromatic.

The most interesting thing to me is that some of these lenses are so good that they are still on the market even though they are not made anymore.

BIF: Birds In Flight

I like this location, Crews Lake Nature Reserve, because birds fly low close to the water and at the level of the pier, giving me a nice view of the birds. 

The above picture is a good example of that. The background is totally blurred, making the bird pop up nicely. You can't ask for more.