I like to start off every day with a sunrise. Considering my proclivity for this, I must be the luckiest guy in the world. During most of the year, at least one day out of two will provide fodder for my famished camera. Some days are better than others, but every day is different.  This is part of my thinking time for the day. I usually get fifteen to thirty minutes to contemplate the newness of the day and what it might bring:

Then I have a little walk around my garden to see who’s awake and what they’re doing.

In the same bush in which I found a beautiful green lizard the other day, I spotted this tiny bug hiding under a leaf. The sun was shining through the leaf and making the little fellow glow. I tried to get the shot without flash, but there simply wasn’t enough light:

The little guy is only about a centimetre long.

Over at the Bird of Paradise plants I found a similar sized spider. It kept trying to move around on the other side of the curled-up leaf to hide, but finally tired of that and submitted to my photographic zeal:

The shot really appeals to me compositionally. Its simplicity is powerful. Getting one or two shots a day such as this one, which really pleases me, lifts me right off the ground. Photography is a powerful emotional stimulant for me. I must be neurotic. No, wait. Of course  I’m neurotic!

This spider is vainly attempting to hide from me. He nearly pulled it off, except that I saw it moving down from the flower on which it was waiting for a meal. You’ll see more of this little spider tomorrow:

I’ve featured this lovely green spider before here.

I never know which orchids in the garden are going to bloom next. The blooms last for an incredibly long time compared to most flowers, sometimes for a couple of weeks. I know absolutely nothing about orchids and I’m happy to allow them to be a mystery to me. I overanalyze the underwater world and pretend to be an expert. I think that it’s nice to appreciate some things without knowing everything about them. It leaves room for awe and wonder:

The sun was coming in from the back of these blossoms. I turned my flash on to give a little fill light in the dark areas to punch up the colour. I’m quite happy with the shot.

The best thing about walking around in my garden with my camera is that, if I wake up the next morning, I know that something like this will be waiting for me.

Lucky? Blessed?

You choose.

Related posts:

1. Spider Day! Today is Spider Day! Oh, and a couple of sunrises. One of them blows my mind. The sunrise, not the spider....
2. Strolling Through My Garden Stroll around MadDog's garden looking for for spiders, Coleus, lichens, a flame tree and a head-spinning panorama - Jan Messersmith, Madang, Papua New Guinea...
3. The Spider and the Fly And then the fly flew. I doubt a spider thinks much about disappointment. It's a waiting game. Patience is the key. The occasional meal will suffice. Would that we had such patience....
4. Today’s Invertebrates Go for a stroll through author and photographer Jan Messersmith's garden. Have a look at some spiders and a horny caterpillar. Discover the Curry Tree. Seven photographs and text....
5. Along Came a Spider Well, nothing has happened at all concerning moving Madang – Ples Bilong Mi to a new server. It turns out that I’m a complete incompetent. I did my best, but it’s not working. So, we’ll stay put for the time being until I can get somebody smarter to help me....
6. Yeah, Man! Give Me That EXTREME Science! Steven Goodheart bangs out another one. This guy has gone blog crazy! First Buddhism, then nature walking in Berkely, now Extreme Science! What next?...
7. Oh My. The Sky! Have a look at some of my personal skies from Madang, Papua New Guinea. I'm willing to share them. - Jan Messersmith...

This entry was posted on Friday, November 13th, 2009 at 07:25 and is filed under Mixed Nuts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.