Apple of Horse's Eye

Very creative Heather!    She calls this:  “Apple of His Eye”.   Can you see Heather reflected in the horse’s eye?    I guess it wasn’t planned that way.    The intended pic was a nice close up (which it is).    It wasn’t until later when Heather saw herself.

DID YOU KNOW?    Using reflections is one of the most popular and powerful techniques in photography.
WATER is one of the most common types of reflection surfaces.    There’s nothing like seeing mountains, trees, even buildings relfected.    It’s a picture that’s “double the beauty”. 

DOUBLE THE FUN AND SEND IN 2 FRESH AIR PHOTOS IF YOU LIKE.    YOUR MASTERPIECE COULD BE FRONT AND CENTRE ON BT,  AND PLAY A STARRING ROLE ON THIS WORLD FAMOUS BLOG!    UPLOAD YOUR PHOTO(S) TODAY.

Dragon .. Flew!

Will the real Dragonfly please stand up?!   Very Cool!    The Dragonfly is one of my favorite insects.    Here, Terri shows us a Dragonfly that has gone through its final molt.    That’s after it has emerged from the water and its  “skin” splits to reveal the mighty winged adult it has become.    Terri  is a wildlife biologist by trade (and now a new mom).    She took this picture in late spring by a pond outside Whitecourt.    She writes:  “I so appreciated the wildlife and scenery in the deep woods of the area north and west of the city”.    And for that Terri, we city slickers are extremely grateful!

DID YOU KNOW?    Dragonflies have a voracious appetite for mosquito larvae.    One of the benefits of having dragonflies live nearby is that they eat many times their weight in mosquitoes every day.    Using a basket-like arrangement of their legs, adult dragonflies can actually catch and eat other bugs while they are flying … now THAT’s talent!

WHAT IS “YOUR” FAVORITE INSECT?    DON’T STIR UP ANY HORNET’S NEST OR ANYTHING, BUT MAYBE YOU CAN SAFELY ZOOM IN ON A HONEY BEE.    SNAP, SEND, AND SAVOUR THE SUCCESS .. OF BECOMING A MEMBER OF OUR FRESH AIR PHOTO NATION THAT IS!

Sleeping Giant

Shane works in the northern part of the province, and is the kind of Fresh Air Photographer we like.    He is never without his camera.    In his own words:  “Sleeping giant.    A beautiful sunset coming out of the backside of Suncor”.       This is north of Ft. Mackay/ Wood Buffalo – Spectacular!

DID YOU KNOW?     Fort MacKay is a hamlet in northern Alberta.    It is located at the north end of Highway 63, about 65 km north of Fort McMurray.    To the east is the mighty Athabasca River.

FRESH AIR PHOTOS AIR EVERY MORNING ON BT AND ARE FEATURED ON THIS VERY BLOG.    ON OUR MAIN WEBPAGE YOU WILL SEE:  “CONNECT WITH BT” -  CLICK ON THAT.    THEN LOOK FOR:   “SEND US YOUR PHOTOS”.    UPLOAD YOUR PICTURE TODAY – SEE IT ON BT TOMORROW!

In awe Zoltan. In awe

When this shot was taken in and around Two Hills, we in Edmonton were fighting a rain snow mix!    Zoltan – the man behind the lens – chased a solar storm, found a clearing, and was witness to an amazing show of the Northern Lights.    He is dedicated to his art-lucky for us.    This was late Sunday night May 2nd -  into the wee morning hours of Monday, May 3rd.    Many people (including Zoltan) are registered with Aurora Watch.    When there is the potential for this kind of show — email alerts are sent out.    Interested?    Check out:  http://corona-gw.phys.ualberta.ca/AuroraWatch/.

DID YOU KNOW?    Solar winds drive particles toward the Earth at about a million miles an hour.    It takes 40 hours for these particles to strike the Earth’s atmosphere.    If you would like to see more of Zoltan’s photography, instantaneously, head to his website.    His pictures are out of this world:    http://www.infocusimagery.com

SOLAR WINDS AND OUR MAGNETIC FIELD CREATE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS.    BUT A GOOD OLD FASHIONED PRAIRIE WIND AND YOUR MAGNETIC PERSONALITY CAN CREATE MANY FRESH AIR PHOTOS.    GET OUT THERE — POINT AND SHOOT AND EMAIL US YOUR PICTURE … TODAY!

You made my day!

Mother Nature is about to put the lid on another wonderful day.    Shyla is the lucky one to have seen this for herself and we are grateful she included ‘us’ in her kodak moment.    This is what living in Elnora means to Shyla.    The village is in Red Deer County, about 75 kilometers southeast of the City of Red Deer.    Sigh.

DID YOU KNOW?    Elnora became a village in 1929.    And it is one proud place!    They may not have the population base of a large centre (& that’s exactly why they love it there) — but they have a website with tons to see.    While clicking around, I discovered that on Father’s Day, there will be a Pancake Breakfast on the Elnora Museum grounds.    Pay them a visit at:   http://www.villageofelnora.com. 

THIS PICTURE MAY REMIND YOU OF ONE OF ‘YOUR’ FAVORITE PICS.    MAYBE IT WAS LAST WEEKEND OR LAST SUMMER.    NOW IS YOUR CHANCE TO BECOME PART OF FRESH AIR PHOTO HISTORY.    UPLOAD YOUR PICTURE TODAY!

The only thing spicier than The Bachelorette (Monday nights at 10pm on Citytv) is our BT Bachelorette Panel the morning after.

Trevor Schmidt, Meredith McLennan and Aubrey Chau will join us every Tuesday morning at 8:10am to dish on the drama, snicker at the side plots and predict which Prince Charming will outlast all others in Ali Fedotowsky’s (new) quest for love.

If our first session was any indication, we’re going to need a little more time. No shortage of opinions here…

rpj.

Hey human - Hurry!!

I get a chuckle from this one.    If ever a bird was to be giving “a look” – this is it.    I imagine it beaking off with:  ”Hey Human – get on it wouldya?”    Murray helps many fine feathereds out there by banding, tracking, preserving, and as we can see above; he builds and repairs nest boxes.    I spy  his drill on top.    Apparently, Murray was a little late in the repair and maintenance for this particular nest box and Mrs. Tree Swallow here didn’t want to wait.    A quote:  “Nature is great!”    It sure is!

DID YOU KNOW?    Bird enthusiasts say Tree Swallows are great birds to watch to learn ‘birding’.    They are active, attractive, and tolerant of people.

MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS PRIVILEGES, AND YOU ARE INVITED TO BECOME A MEMBER OF OUR FRESH AIR PHOTO NATION.    SNAP AND SEND TODAY!!

Cruising Coyote

Trail cameras are incredible.    They allow us sneak peeks in the forest without disturbing the animals.    There is also something to be said about being one with nature from the comforts of home.    This is a picture from the trail camera Kathy and her husband have on their farm.    They have only had it for a couple of months but they love looking back to see all the critters that meander through.    Thanks Kathy – So do we!      

DID YOU KNOW?    The coyote has an incredible sense of hearing and smell.    A sudden odour or noise can make it change its course in mid-step.    And run?    The coyote can reach a speed of 64 km per hour.    It has only two known weaknesses:  it sleeps heavily and looks back while fleeing.    Didn’t our high school track & field coach tell us never to look back while running?

YOU TOO CAN BECOME A MEMBER OF OUR FRESH AIR PHOTO NATION.    BENEFITS INCLUDE:  BEING FEATURED ON BT AT 7:10 IN THE “AM”,….AND A SPOTLIGHT ON THIS WORLDWIDE BLOG.    UPLOAD YOUR PHOTO TODAY!

February's Fresh Air

A Fresh Air Photo FLASHBACK.    The artiste — also known as Jack Frost, was showing off that morning.    And we are thankful that Kim was there to capture this beautiful moment in time.    Camera at the ready – we like that!    It was early- early one February morn when Kim was out for a walk with her trusty four-footed Dryad.

DID YOU KNOW?    The shot that Kim has so perfectly illustrated is called a RACK FOCUS.    She has the branch closest to us in focus, but the ones in the background are not as sharp.    Here is the professional DEFINITION:  The practice of shifting the attention of a viewer of a film or video by changing the focus of the lens from a subject in the foreground to a subject in the background, or vice versa.

IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW YOU LINE IT UP – IF IT’S A PICTURE OF MOTHER NATURE OR HER CREATURES, WE WANT TO SEE IT.    YOUR FAME IS LASTING AND YOUR BRAGGING RIGHTS ENDLESS!