Sams Lake Sanctuary

In the past I have written about Sams Lake Bird Sanctuary.  It is so close to my home -- it is easy to scoot over there to spend a little time walking around and taking photos.  A couple weeks ago Southern Conservation Trust; the entity that owns and manages this preserve, contacted me to see if I would be available for a shoot time.  I agreed and they notified anyone interested that I would be there.  Well, it was cold, dark, and early -- and we did not have the turn out that we had last year for a similar event.  One of my core photo group members was there -- he and I stayed a while shooting and trying to keep our feet warm!  

The very chilly morning was excellent for the vapor off of the water.  I believe this was the first frost -- scattered in the yard at home and on the roof in the shade when I got back home from shooting.  The night before I wondered if I would need my gloves -- I dug them out, not used since last winter.  I shoot in winter golf gloves.  They don't keep your hands the warmest -- but they allow me to adjust all the dials and buttons on the camera without having to remove one.

This is a great time of year to catch wildflowers at the end of their season -- the seeds are popping and foliage is dying.  The photo above is using depth of field, available light, and the color in the background to set off the few stalks I chose to keep in focus.

The path was littered with leaves and bits of gold are in the trees.  Walking through the woods on such a crisp fall day is a nice thing -- a great way to start a Saturday.  As I neared the end of this path -- I heard the water rushing.  We have had a lot of rain lately to keep the water moving.  The creek area at the end of the lake had a nice little layer of fog rising.  As the sun came up over the treeline it was shining through the fog.  This last photo is a favorite of mine from yesterday.  I walked by and looked at the tree, saw the sunlight through the branches lighting up the fog.

This was about the time I realized my toes were frozen -- and I headed home to look at my photos.  Sams Lake is part of the site specific category for Nature Undisturbed.  Please check out the website for information and the call for entries.  If you have any questions about the show, feel free to send me an email.