DVMsWife: 3/21/10

Okay, so not the Gosselin family name that first came to your mind. No gossip to be shared about John and Kate, such as Kate's long (fake) tresses or her "Dancing With The Stars" casting call or John's recent sightings and with which woman.

Our pond's goose family has arrived back from their hiatus over the winter months. The past few years our pond has seen numerous amounts of waterfowl. Mallards, geese, Great Blue Herons, to name a few. We even had a swan visit for a couple days, all by him or herself. Taking a break from its mate I presume. That is the only way I can fathom seeing one swan alone.

Last year this family arrived near the end of March to raise their babes. They are back now. At least I think it is the same pair of geese. Two of them once again preparing a nest, swimming around the pond, and making a heck of a loud ruckus when one of my barn cats comes near. None of my barn cats have tried to take on a goose. They are pretty smart that way. Geese can be quite vicious. A fat, ole' barn cat has no chance with making a goose a meal.

They seem to be here earlier this year. Our winter was a quiet one. Maybe one or two winter storms. I think I plowed our driveway a handful of times compared to last year's 123 times in one month. Just a guestimate of course. These two soulmates are back on our funny farm enjoying the pond surrounded by cattle and cow dung. But soon grass will be sprouting, frogs will be hopping and turtles will be floating about. In a month or so their chicks will be swimming alongside their parents, learning the ropes of life. I'm glad they are back. It means Spring is officially here. New beginnings. Fresh starts. And I am thankful for these reminders.

It has been quite some time since I last entered a picture into the I Heart Faces weekly themed contest. I love that website for all of the wonderful hints and photography information I pick up every week not to mention a surplus of fantastic inspiration from fellow photographers. I Heart Faces is a super place to stop on by and become inspired and learn some new techniques to use with your own camera hobby.

This week's photo challenge is "Focusing on Angles", and not "Angels" like I first thought it read. Although I feel my subject is quite the little angel. Finding fun, eye-catching "angles" to draw in a viewer's attention instead of seeing a dead-on, perfectly centered subject which can be a bit boring. With a fun angled shot, you create a mood or feeling of what is happening when you press that shutter button down. This leads to an overall dramatic shot; not your typical portrait studio image. So with my above picture I shot this while looking down at my daughter(you can see my big, dark, scary shadow behind her.....Muuwwwaahhhhaaaa). Her face was turned and she shared this pretty, fun-loving smile, giggling at our two neurotic doggies playing nearby. It is a personal favorite shot of mine.

Nikon D80, 100 ISO, 2.2 Aperture, 1/640 sec, 85mm lens

Mouse-click on over to I Heart Faces and see what other photographers (beginners, amateurs, and pros) have shared for this week's theme. And don't forget to add your own!