Way Out West Photo Blog!

2006-06-27T08:08:00.000-07:00

This is a very quick snap shot of a doe... she was very nervous, but would hardly leave her spot in the grass... the more we thought about it, she prolly had her baby in there with her...

Then on my way to work this morning, I got to see a baby fawn very up close, trying to cross the road to be with it's moma... It was so cute, but guess who couldn't get their camera out from the back seat and out of the bag quick enough! I was so mad!

What I woudln't give for a good camera with a telephoto lens on it... heck what I wouldn't give for a camera with a little more zoom than mine!

Thats next on my list!

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!

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2006-06-23T07:03:00.000-07:00

This is a quick snap of our neighbors kitten perched high in the tree... she was quite content to watch us on the ground from her throne... finally she stretched out yawned and catnapped for a while... She is the cutest thing ever, and only about four months old. Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!!!

Shannon

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flower power

2006-06-21T12:06:00.000-07:00

This is pulling from a few weeks ago, from the botanical gardens... I need some new pics, bad... Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!

2006-06-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

My son had a coach pitch tournament this past weekend. I saw all these bats hanging on the fence and snapped a few pics... I played with them in Photoshop... Here is what I came up with... I am getting more and more addicted to photoshop... Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!

Shannon

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2006-06-13T06:22:00.000-07:00

This is another picture from my impromtu shoot of an eight month old... The light played so well in her hair. I didn't realize how hard it was to shoot a wiggly baby. But I had fun... I had my camera on auto for this shot, so I really don't know where it was focusing, but I really loved this one when I turned it sepia. The mother loved it as well.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

Shannon

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2006-06-08T08:06:00.000-07:00

This is a shot from an impromptu photo shoot of a co-orkers 8 mo old daughter... we actually spent the morning trying to get decent shots, and when we were done, she needed two things, her moma and her bottle... So I quickly snapped this, and editied it in Photoshop. I think I love this shot the most out of all 150 pictures.... Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!

Shannon

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2006-05-24T13:44:00.000-07:00

I know it's nothing just fantastic, but people were rushing us to keep on walking, and with a narrow path, you kinda have to... so here is another shot of the Botanical Gardens from this past weekend. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

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2006-05-22T07:27:00.000-07:00

I got to do something a little different this weekend. A friend and I drove up to OKC to the Myriad Botanical Gardens on saturday... I took a few good pictures, so the next couple of days will be dedicated to that. This plant just made me laugh, it looks like a little green monster to me.

Thanks for stopping by, Have a Great Day!!!!

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2006-05-19T07:03:00.000-07:00

Well between work, graduations, and so much more, I have been so busy, I haven't been able to post lately... So here is osmething I shot last night. I know nothing fancy, but I seem to liek the sun and silhouettes... This was taken on my six acres, I hope and plan to build a house on one day, one day... Thanks for stopping in, Have a great day!

2006-05-09T10:58:00.000-07:00

I took this picture back in February when the clouds were just beautiful... I did no photo editing whatsoever to this photo, as I don't with most of my other photos. This is really how it looked and it was awesome, even my seven year old was amazed. Thanks for stopping in, Have a great day!

2006-05-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

This post is a different one for me, a close up... This was actually taken easter day at my husband's grandparents. This is in her front garden... I dunno if I like it...

Perched high

2006-05-05T19:22:00.000-07:00

I took this a few months ago... I really like it, it could do without the power line through the middle of it, but I tried all stances to get it out and couldn't without losing some of what I liked... Thanks for stopping in, have a great day!

Shannon

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5/7/06: I should note that the shape in the tree is in fact a hawk... I had been watching him, and took a few other shots of him... Have a great day.

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Cock-a-doodle-doo!

2006-05-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

I dunno exactly what I did to make this appear so small, but this is one of my roosters on the farm. I guess I'll remind everyone that I shoot with a Konica Minlota Dimage z-10... it's a good camera, just wish I would have done more research before buying. Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!

Stormy day

2006-05-03T11:17:00.000-07:00

Well I'm sad to say a series of events have prevented us from buying my dream house... So I finally was able to get out the other day and get some photos of a storm.... Thanks for being patient with me while I was gone.

Shannon

Heads up!

2006-03-16T06:13:00.000-08:00

I wanted to let those few people that check my blog know that I will not be posting and pictures for the time being. My husband and I have decided to undertake the great task of buying a new home. My evenings are spent cleaning and showing mine to prospective buyers. I haven't picked up my camera in almost three weeks (except for the quick shots of my husbands finger accident, missing half of his knuckle, lol)... So be patient with me and hang in there, I will return soon enough I hope! Have a great week to all!

2006-03-03T08:52:00.000-08:00

Hi all! I am so sorry I haven't posted in a long time! My little sister got married this past weekend, and we have just been so busy with planning showers and all that stuff. I'm sorry I haven't popped in to let ya'll know. But I'm back now, still need to get fresh new pictures, but this one is from around Valentine's Day. Our temporary jack russel terrier, Dunn. He no longer resides at our house since he is a tornado on four legs. I shall return tomorrow I hope.

Thanks for stopping by!

Shannon

2006-02-02T09:18:00.000-08:00

This is my little brother-in-laws show pig. He was being lazy and I saw this picture in mind in black and white. Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful Day!

2006-02-01T09:31:00.000-08:00

2006-01-31T11:50:00.000-08:00

So this is a little off my beaten path, but his eyes were so interesting.
I only got one shot at him before he turned and left, so I am pretty happy with this.
His eyes are so soft looking. Thanks for stopping by!

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2006-01-30T06:53:00.000-08:00

2006-01-23T11:45:00.000-08:00

Here I am at work thinking about how I haven't uploaded a new pic today... I just don't seem to take enough pictures... so I am posting one from back during the summer. This is my baby girl Dixie in one of my flower beds. Thanks for stopping in, don't forget to leave a post so I can visit you.

2006-01-21T12:53:00.000-08:00

2006-01-18T06:57:00.000-08:00

2006-01-17T19:35:00.000-08:00

Old House

2005-12-30T06:44:00.000-08:00

This is dating back a little bit to the fall, but here is a pic of an old farm house out in the country. I love the blue stem grass and how the sun filters through it.

Rocky Lake

2005-12-16T15:52:00.000-08:00

Okay, okay, so I realize there isn't really that much special with this picture. I guess for me it was more of a feeling standing at the edge of the water, in the cold wind, looking at a lake that barely ever freezes. The wonderful sunset cast shades of pink, and seeing the big blue heron fly right in front of me, that was too quick for me to catch in this shot... it was beautiful, so I'm showing it anyways. Also if you look up at the top of the pic, you can see what later became our full moon that night. So thanks again for stopping by and looking... I'd like to hear some feedback so don't be afraid to post. Have a great night!

... btw, we have a strong chance of snow tonight (jumps for joy), but very little of it, so hopefully tomorrow I will be able to post beautiful pics of white!

... btw, again, for those of you wanting to know what a blue heron is, look at the following link;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Blue_Heron

Broody

2005-12-15T03:22:00.000-08:00

I snapped this pic of some brood mares that were up by a roadside fence in the setting sun.

They even let me pet them afterwards. Ahhh, my longings for a horse again. Thanks for looking!

Shannon

Railroad tracks

2005-12-14T08:30:00.000-08:00

I came acroos this railroad track a few miles from the house, and just thought it looked so pretty. Had I not been on my way somewhere, I would have stopped and took a walk down it. No telling what animals I could have stirred up. There are a ton of cotton tails in this area. So glad to be back to posting and with bigger pics. Thanks for looking.

Shannon

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!

2005-12-13T09:44:00.000-08:00

So for weeks I have been tweaking a test blog to get my image size larger. Finally it occured to me, try uploading my pictures from a host site instead of my computer, then the size option was changeable, and Volia!!!! Larger pics! I am so excited... So with that, I thought I would share a pic from a while back of our pet guinea pig, I know, I know, it's not really a 'me' pic, but it will work for the time being. I have to say I haven't posted much lately, because I was so frustrated with my blog, but now I know... Yay me!!!!!!!!!!

"Dolly" Llama

2005-12-13T07:08:00.000-08:00

These Llamas don't live far from me, and one day taking the backroad home, I found this photo opportunity. I nicknamed the baby 'Dolly'... I don't even know if she is a 'she', but I know she is so cute. Thanks for looking! Have a great Day!

Little Gabby

2005-11-22T13:09:00.000-08:00

These are some shots I recently took of my niece Gabby. I am thinking of entering the last one in a photo contest, but I don't think there is 'enough' there. Thanks for stopping and looking!

Shannon

Charcoal Effect

2005-11-14T08:25:00.000-08:00

So I was playing around with a photo editing program, and thought it would be fun to share this. Also I haven't posted a photo in a while, and was feeling pretty bad about it, so I thought I better find something. This was a picture I took, facing south-east from Rock Lake. This little town has a small convienience store, one little resturant, and a tire place. Thats it. Population: 174. Well, I guess thats it for today, thanks for stopping by.

Shannon

Sunrise Sunset

2005-11-09T11:02:00.000-08:00

Here are two shots I took the other day. The first is the sunrise on my way to work. The second was the following day's sunset west of my house. I haven't posted in a couple of days so I thought I better do so. I hope to have more by the end of the week. Thanks fo stopping by!

Shannon

Fall Blossoms

2005-11-01T09:31:00.000-08:00

I wanted to capture the last few blossoms before our first frost killed them all. These are flowers in mine or my grandmother-in-law's yard. I am a sucker for mums, I think they are so pretty. Today will be short and sweet, but I plan on getting out today to snap some fall colors, finally the trees are starting to show some color. Thanks for looking today, Have a good one!

Shannon

These are some marigolds that grandma planted last year I believe, love the deep orange.

These are some of the mums I will be gracing me yard with next year. Grandma always has these beauties, so this year we will be transplanting some into mine.

Okay, Okay, I know these aren't flowers, but their colors are just outstanding. These are sitting on my front walk, right by my mums, and my bacaopa.

A view of grandma's hollyhock in the setting sun.

This is the purple hyacinth bean I ordered from burpees for Grandma and me. Unfortunately I didn't get mine planted, but she did. They are so pretty!

A few ramblings...

2005-10-26T07:24:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures I took while out driving around with my husband. Being from East Texas, with all those trees, I am still amazed at this land, and how different it is. You can see for miles out here. I think I have heard that the average viewing range is 7 miles. Thats a really long ways! It has it's own beauty, for being so barren and plain.

Thanks for stopping,
Shannon

This place is south of my town, out in the middle of nowhere, kinda like everything else... Oklahoma's name was based on Choctaw Indian words for "red man". Even the land here is red. Hince the name red dirt country, and the origin for the name for country music.

You can definitely tell winter is setting in. The color change isn't real dramatic here. We don't have all the pretty oranges, reds, and yellows, we go from green to brown. I suppose sometimes we are blessed with a little color, but nothing compared to the east coast, thats for sure!

I know this picture looks like all the others, there are so many of these out here, but they all have a beauty to them. Almost a lonely feeling.

The greatest thing to experience here, is an awesome sunset. The colors can be outstanding!

Camera Woes

2005-10-26T06:48:00.000-07:00

I guess today would be a good point to explain what kind of camera I have. I have a Konica Minolta Dimage Z10, which is a good camera, but not good enough.

Unfortunately I am learning that the hard way. It is a perfect camera for me at home, and those close ups of my family, but those long range shots is where it gets me. I highly reccomend it for those needing a good family camera. It's a 3.2 megapixle, but until you go to take those long shots, you'd never know it. The pictures are clear and crisp. It has gotten me through a year of scrapbooking.

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But I have my eye on the new Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D. It has the anti-shake technology in it, and many other wonderful featurs. The latest and greatest in digital cameras. I'm so in love! lol...

But be ready to pay a pretty penny for it, it retails for over twelve hundred doallars with the zoom lens package. So this country girl is saving her pennies.

Back to today's post, we took a trip this past weekend to go look at some Elk, Camels, and zebras at a private property. The zebra was toooo far to even try to take a picture, but the camel and elk were 'do-able'. I snapped over 30 pictures, and the following were the only ones that were even presentable. I think I may have a temporary cure for my blur problem, I have ordered a very nice tripod, expandable from 24 inches to 62 inches. I feel maybe then I can get a clearer steady shot. Still won't help much with those action, distant, shots, but for now, this is all I have. Thanks for looking, have a great day!

Shannon

This guy was pretty far off the road, so I am more than happy with this shot. I had my camera zoomed almost as far as it would go. Hunter couldn't believe we have camels in Western Oklahoma.

Here is a group shot of the elk all enjoying the warm sun. Shannell said that there was more than that, but we couldn't find them. Hunter really enjoyed these guys, dreaming of hunting! lol!

This big guy was over on the other side, so we were able to get closer, but because of my unsteady hand, the picture is still alittle blurry.

Their racks are huge!

Where this fellow came from, we don't have a clue. But all the sudden there he was, checking us out.

Gobblers

2005-10-18T20:08:00.000-07:00

The Rio Grande wild turkey is native to the central plains states and got its common name from the area in which it is found - the life giving water supply which borders the brushy scrub, arid country of the southern Great Plains, western Texas and northeastern Mexico. The Rio inhabits brush areas near streams and rivers or mesquite, pine and scrub oak forests. It may be found up to 6,000 feet elevation and generally favors country that is more open than the wooded habitat favored by its eastern cousins. The Rio Grande is considered gregarious and, nomadic in some areas, having distinct summer and winter ranges. They may form large flocks of several hundred birds during the winter period. It has been known to travel distances of 10 or more miles from traditional winter roost sites to its nesting areas.

These are some quick shots I took before they took flight. They love the winter wheat fields. Thanks for browsing, Enjoy!

Like a Hawk...

2005-10-12T06:12:00.000-07:00

The most common and widespread hawk in North America, the Red-tailed Hawk is a bird of open country. It is frequently seen sitting on utility poles where it watches for rodents in the grass along the roadside. The Red-tailed Hawk ranges throughout North America to the central Alaska and northern Canada, and south as far as the mountains of Panama. Although not truly migratory, they do adjust seasonally to areas of the most abundant prey. Hawks belong to the category of birds known as raptors -- birds of prey and have a wing span average of 56 inches.

I was very fortunate to get some still shots of these boys by the sides of the roads, each miles apart. I hope you enjoy!

Shannon

This pretty boy wasn't for sure whether to watch me or the covey of quail that

was in the fence line. He stayed long enough for me to snap these two photos.

Another shot of the hawk watching the quail. I really enjoy taking pictures of these creatures, they are so swift, it can be challenging getting pictures of them.

Although I don't consider this to be a very good picture, I thought I would share anyways. Seeing his wingspan, catching him in motion, was so cool. And the bright green and blue sky, just soo cool.

This boy stayed still ong enough for me to get one good shot, until I can learn how to set my digital camera's shutter speed faster, that's as good as it gets.

Moo Moo Buckaroo!

2005-10-12T06:04:00.000-07:00

Did you know: Oklahoma has a land area of 69,919 square miles and ranks 18 in the nation in size but despite size, our state ranks fourth in the nation in the production of all wheat and cattle and calf production. We have alot of cattle! Out on my drive the other day I was able to snap a few good pictures of some of our four-legged beef friends. Be sure to let me know what you think...

Shannon

One of the greatest things about fall is the colors... even the broom weeds are turning a pretty yellow. These guys were happy to be napping when I woke them up. Sorry guys! :)

I just couldn't resist this little guy, he was so interested in me and what I was doing. Like "can I come play?"

I stopped to take this pic, not necessarily for the cow, but for the way the sky looked. I love how the clouds had a very distinct line dividing the sky.

This is how it is...

2005-10-11T18:05:00.000-07:00

So I created a blog a while back, but I realized, I am not one for talking all that much about me. I like to show and teach things. I really should have been a teacher... But instead I am leaning towards a photographer, which is a big step out of my current shoes. I work with the elderly... So as it is, this is my first 'new' post and I would like to share pictures from my area of the world. Just as I like to look at pictures of big cities I will probably never see, people in the big cities might never see what I see everyday. I call it God's Country, sometimes the colors can just take your breath away! Please keep in mind, none of these photgraphs have been edited in anyway (unless stated) the first key to becoming a good photographer, is about composition through the viewfinder. I have had a Konica-Minolta Digital camera for almost a year, and I am just learning how to really use it.

I hope you truely enjoy... Shannon

The following pictures were taken this past Sunday, while out for a drive with my younger sister. It was such a beautiful, cool, autumn day, I couldn't help but stop and snap pictures.

These grain bins are part of the local co-op, the colors are just awesome.

This old fence post corner just drew my attention. I actually zoomed in on this from the comfort of my car.

This is a tree I found on a farm, just kinda out there by itself, all alone. I love it.

Well thats it for today, I think I'll save the others so I can post a few pictures everyday or so. Have a Great Day!