Bumble bee macro

Here's another one of my favorite macro images -- a large bumble bee on the delicate petals of a hot pink zinnia. Gorgeous! I'm enjoying the Fall... aren't you?

Check out the large version. It has A LOT more detail!

Hornet on a Golden Zinnia - Macro

I shoot flower photos as often as I have time... and sunlight. Going out and shooting pics relaxes me and helps clear my head. When a wonderful capture like this one occurs, it is such an awesome blessing. And special thanks to the kind anonymous person who told me that the flower shown here is a golden zinnia. The hornet looking insect lighted for a few seconds and then disappeared.

Praying Mantis

A curious little creature found her way into our yard recently. She was a beaut... and not nearly as aggressive as I thought she would be. When I asked NJ, my son, to get me something to put her in, he brought me the blue plastic pencil box. I could not have come up with a better background for the macro shots that followed. Here is one shot of the curious praying mantis...

Click on the photo to see a larger version. ENJOY!

A Little Housekeeping...

I've been rather remiss in not keeping CharlieJ's Blog/o/Foto up-to-date. I really want this blog to be worth following. So... I give you my promise that I'll do my level best to keep the Blog/o/Foto updated at minimum twice per month. That's two photographs worth showing you -- the reader -- every single month. I hope to post more than two photos per month, but that's all I can truthfully commit to for now.

I hope you enjoy and learn and become inspired by something you read or see on CharlieJ's Blog/o/Foto. God bless and have a great Fall!

Myrtle Beach - Black-n-white

The dog days of Summer are over... and it's time to say goodbye to the beach and ocean dunes. This photo pays homage to one of my favorite places in the world -- Myrtle Beach, SC. Although Myrtle Beach is becoming more crowded and tourist-oriented, it's still a great place for family vacations or long walks along the shoreline at sunset.

"California" Kingsnake

Guess what my son found in the back yard Saturday evening? Yep! A juvenile "Cali- fornia" kingsnake. We caught it and played with the little guy for awhile... and then let him go on his way. This shot was actually inspired by my son. As I was holding the snake, NJ said, "Daddy, he looks like your watch... see, black & white". I laid the kingsnake over my wrist and he curled around the wristwatch for a moment. Snap! Good shot!

While we're talking about snakes... if you don't know the temperament and species of a wild snake, DO NOT TOUCH IT. I have handled snakes and studied them for quite some time now. Therefore, I knew this little bugger would bite if he felt threatened - as well as knowing he couldn't hurt me more than the pinch of a mosquito. For the record, this kingsnake bit me three times while we were playing with him. All were slow, deliberate, moderate bites -- which meant he was checking me out, not feeling threatened or attacking.

Roadside Flowers

The last of the trio from the roadside flowers is a not really a flower at all. It's a weed! No, it's not a crabgrass yellow "flower", but looks kinda like it. I like the opaque look of the petals in the morning sunlight. Have a good weekend!