Sunflowers at Sunset - Woodland, California June 21, 2020

Turn your face to the sun and the shadows follow behind you

~Maori proverb

More social distancing with flowers!  This time in Woodland at three of many sunflower fields growing in Yolo County this time of year. I came to see some sunflowers but got sidetracked by a little bird watching place nearby that my co-worker Yvonne had told me about.  More on that in another post. :)

When I finally tore myself away from the Egrets and Herons and made my way to my planned location just a bit up I-5, it was getting dark and the sun had pretty much set.  But the sky was a beautiful orangey-pink, the mountains were blue, and the fields were bright with green and yellow. 

It's a bit late in the season and it's been HOT so a lot of the flowers were going to seed and starting to brown and droop.  But they were still a gorgeous sight to behold. 

I learned a little something from Reddit recently regarding the two different sunflowers seen in the photo below.  

The smaller, multi-clustered flowers (that we sometimes notice on the side of random roads here in California) are the male pollinators.  The tall, strong seed-bearing sunflowers are, of course, the females.  Girl power baby!

You know me and know I have to do a couple "stylized" photos every time.  :-)  To me, there is beauty in every stage of life.  Not always the stereotypical "beauty", but beauty none the less. 

This picture is similar to the first one, I know.  But I just loved the way some sunflowers have their heads held high to catch the last rays of the setting sun.  And this time I found three more closer to me!

More "style"! 

This is the backside of the sunset.  Pro tip:  After the sun has set (or risen), look to the opposite horizon to catch the last bit of the beautiful show of light and color!

Here is another example of the male and female flowers.  This farmer's field had a thick row of male flowers planted between every 10 or so rows of females.  

This is the opposite side of the road.  Strong and beautiful females tower over there male pollinators with the orange Western sky and beautiful trees in the background.  

And this is probably my favorite shot of the day so I saved it for last.  So gorgeous.

Such a peaceful and perfect way to end a Sunday night after a pretty stressful/anxiety-filled week/weekend.  

Till next time.  

xoxo

Sony A350

Note: all photos taken by Jeanette H. (author/photographer) at sunset/blue hour with handheld DSLR at 400 ISO (Sorry for any grainyness). I've learned that the used 300mm zoom lens I bought has a lot of chromatic aberration which sucks to a certain extent (especially with birds and wildlife) but isn't a deal breaker for non-pro photos.

It's a Bird! It's a Plane! Or Is It? - Mini Post Excitement 7/1/16

I was heading down Road 94B in Woodland on my search of flowers and fauna.  It was an interesting road.  Fields and a few houses and so on.  

As I was approaching an old, narrow bridge with a stand of trees on one side, my eye was caught by a large bird sitting in a tree top just off the road.  I was going too fast to pull over, so I crossed the bridge and turned around.  I went back and parked my car so I could get out and explore. 

I didn't have my zoom lens with me, so I figured my chances of getting any good shots of Mr. Turkey Vulture would be slim to none. To my surprise, he was pretty calm and cooperative, even spreading his wings for several shots!  

Love at first sight:

He's checking to see if I like this pose.  I do, Mr. Vulture.  

Nope.  Not flying, just turning to the side so I can get a different view.  You can see through his nostrils!!  

He was balancing while extending his wings every which way for me.  The Zoolander of vultures!

Blue Steel.

This is not a vulture.  This is a plane.  Just down the street is the Yolo Fliers Club.

"Ummm, excuse me! Aren't you supposed to be taking NATURE pictures Madam Photographer?"

 Oh, yes.  I definitely am!! 
He never flew away and was quite happily perched when I returned to my car and drove away.

Oh how I wish I had my zoom!  These photos would have been amazing.  But not bad for an 18-55 with a semi-skittish bird.

The area was pretty cool and I couldn't resist a photo of some graffiti on the bridge which crosses over Cache Creek.  Made even more interesting with a little bit of fisheye thrown in. 

On the other side of the bridge (Mr. Vulture's side actually), there were tons of swallows flitting around and around in the air above the water far below.  I tried to capture them with very modest "success".

One last shot of Derek with a weird self-portrait in shadow.  I like it.  

And I jumped back in my faithful ride and headed North toward the sun and the bee-filled safflower fields. 

xoxo

Nikon D3300 with 18-55 lens (some wide/fisheye attachment)