Through Brazilian Eyes

Scrapbook-style collage of four nature photographs set at slight angles with white borders and soft shadows: three Brown Pelicans on a beach, three Great Blue Herons atop a coastal shrub, three Blue Curls flower clusters, and three orange beetles on a pink thistle.

If Two Is Company, Is Three Perfection?

Lens-Artists Challenge #400: Rule of Three When this post goes live, I’ll be spending time with family and friends in Brazil.Any comments you make are appreciated, and I’ll respond to them in due time. Photography has so many rules that … Read More

A Greater Roadrunner stands tall and alert in a sun-drenched meadow of Indian Blanket wildflowers, gazing skyward with a composed, slightly regal expression. Soft golden light and a painterly blur of red and gold blooms surround the bird. Likely the female.

Love Dance

I was out walking and photographing wildflowers at Southwest Williamson County Regional Park when a movement in the grass caught my eye. A Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) — not an unusual sight on the Texas trails I frequent — but … Read More

A field of Horsemint (Monarda citriodora) in full bloom, their stacked purple-and-white whorls rising above the foliage, with Firewheels (Gaillardia pulchella) dotting the background against a soft, green-bokeh landscape.

The Lemony Neighbor — Horsemint Blooms in the Texas Spring

I really like springtime in Texas. Besides excellent weather, the display of wildflowers is a continuous show. In mid-May, we are finding lots of fields covered with Firewheels (Gaillardia pulchella). Although the vibrant hues of reds and yellows create a … Read More

A double rainbow arches over the rooftops and treetops of a residential neighborhood at dusk. The sky transitions from deep blue-purple on the left to vivid orange and magenta on the right. Both the primary and secondary rainbow arcs are clearly visible. Photographed in the Gardens of Teravista, Round Rock, Texas, on May 21, 2026.

Magenta Skies and a Double Rainbow

Two days ago, after a series of thunderstorms rolled through our area in Round Rock, the sky outside our living room window began to glow in a way that stopped us in our tracks. It was just past 8:20 in … Read More

Tranquil pond reflecting a blue sky filled with white clouds, framed on the right by leafy green branches, with suburban houses and a grassy lawn visible across the water.

Lens-Artists Challenge #399: Stuck in Place

At one time or another, some of us feel a lack of inspiration or motivation to photograph new things. Some people address those times by going out with only one lens. Others force a change in perspective by switching to … Read More

Carcará in Texas: Meeting the Crested Caracara

During a recent walk at Berry Springs Park & Preserve in Georgetown, Texas, one of my friends pointed out this Crested Caracara in a distant field. That was a lifer for me. I had heard about this bird of prey … Read More

A wide, low-angle view of a Pflugerville prairie blanketed in Firewheel wildflowers, their fiery red centers and yellow tips repeating into a softly blurred horizon dotted with bright yellow Stiff Greenthread.

A Field Aflame — and the One That Wasn’t

A week ago, a friend invited me to join him for an early-morning walk through an open field in Pflugerville, where wildflowers were growing undisturbed. The day was windy, but the light was generous, and the field had been waiting. … Read More

Tall poplar trees mirror perfectly in a still spring-fed pond at Independence Creek Preserve, beneath a soft pink sunset sky with West Texas hills in the background.

The Creek That Sweetens the Pecos: Inside Independence Creek Preserve

Heading west on I-10 from Junction toward El Paso, the scenery quickly flattens. The Hill Country gives way to dry, open country, and the miles can begin to feel long. A few miles past Ozona, Exit 325 to Sheffield opens … Read More

Sunset over the Laguna Madre at South Padre Island, Texas, with a long wooden pier extending into glass-still water and a small cluster of boats moored at its end beneath a sky of magenta, orange, and soft blue.

A Last Light on the Laguna

On our last evening at South Padre Island last month, we gathered for dinner with our hosts and friends at a small bayside restaurant, the kind where the air carries equal parts salt and laughter. The conversation moved easily from … Read More

A small pond seen through overhanging branches, surrounded by spring-green trees whose foliage and reflections fill the frame; a soft, painterly edit gives the scene a dream-like quality. Copperfield Nature Trail, Austin, Texas.

A Different Green Every Spring

Lens-Artists Challenge #398: Choose a Color “Nature in her green, tranquil woods heals and soothes all afflictions.” — John Muir Ritva sets this week’s challenge: Choose a Color. In her post, she gives us plenty of beautiful examples and ample … Read More