New Year, New Look, New Goals

Published on by Sunset WindsLeave a comment

When I started SunsetWindsPhotography I wanted to use the space to share my love of nature and photography.  I wanted to inspire people to get outdoors and see for themselves what I captured in pictures.

Unfortunately I often got sidetracked and failed miserably to share the pictures I took, and when I did share it often turned into a bit of a “photo dump,” making it difficult for readers to differentiate between photos.

I want 2015 to be different.  I want to share moments, not just unload 30 pictures on you at once.  For this reason I’ve decided that I will be posting twice a month and sharing with you only those photos that I myself am so in love with that I feel a disconnect with them (when you don’t see the picture as one you took, but can appreciate the scene within the picture as something that has a life of it’s own).

I have done a little redesign of the site making it a little bit more minimalist which should help to make the photographs the stars of the show. I have also added a “galleries” page which you can see in the top menu, which contains a quick and easy link to every photo gallery on sunsetwindsphotography.com so you can more easily browse photos!

So, when should you expect new photos? I’ll be posting on the 6th and 20th of each month from now until December of 2015 as an experiment in achieving goals and remembering again why I love photography.  There may be a few special occasions in between where I’ll make a surprise post as well.

If you want to make sure you don’t miss a thing you can follow me on bloglovin if you use it, on Twitter where I’ll post a link to all new posts (warning, this is my personal twitter so if you choose to follow me you will also see all of my personal tweets), or on my Facebook Page where I also post the images I share on sunsetwindsphotography.com.  I also post to flickr, pinterest and instagram if you’d like to follow me on other social media networks!

So, without further adieu, here is the first installment of the 2015 gallery!

Birds Birds Birds

Published on by Sunset WindsLeave a comment

If it isn’t already evident, I really enjoy taking pictures of birds.  In them I see all the beauty of nature.  Birds represent the health of an ecosystem, and the general health of the planet, and I think it’s important to pay attention to them.  Often we see a bird fly by without noticing what kind of bird it is, or what the bird is up to.  My boyfriend said that until he met me he didn’t realise just how many bird species you can see in one day, just by taking a moment to observe them.  My hope in posting photos of birds is that you’ll take the time to notice what’s flying around you the next time you sit in the back yard, and to appreciate their beauty and personalities!

The photos of the cardinals were a lucky break.  Normally cardinals are extremely shy (although they aren’t very good at hiding, for obvious reasons). This time we stumbled upon a male who was trying very hard to get a girlfriend!

The loons are a fairly common bird up in cottage country, but seeing a group of males together isn’t as common.  You’ll usually see a male and female and baby, or just the lone loon that has come to represent Canada’s north.

If you’re interested in learning more about birds, and the different species you see I’d recommend buying a copy of The Crossley ID Guide. No, this isn’t a sponsored post, I just really love this book.  The plates are photos rather than the usual paintings you see in bird books. The birds are shown in all their different colourations depending on gender and season.  This book is much larger and heavier than your average bird book, but you won’t have ANY problem identifying a bird.