Instagram @lsqrd42

 Yes, I'm still on Instagram, and have been a lot more active over the past few months.  While I do have an instagram tag, there's only a few posts there, and it's been 17 months since the last one.  I guess I need to talk about it more...   I'm no influencer, though, with a whopping 262 followers (as of today).  That's OK, I still enjoy it.  My instagram has a lot more photos from my phone.  More "slice of life" type photos, less "High Art".  I also enjoy the other photographers who come up in my feed.

Anyway, here's the last 2 dozen posts, all of which are from my phone camera.  I'd welcome your views (or even a follow!)

And I'm always happy when I can put data in a spreadsheet and make a graph!  Here's my weekly Views and account views for the last 12 weeks.  A nice trend in my painfully low numbers:

Road Tripped Pt. 3

  A couple more photos from our recent trip.  These were taken on a walk at the Lakefront trail in Euclid, OH, along the shores of Lake Erie:

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Road Tripped Pt. 2

 A couple more photos from our recent trip.  Nothing too fancy, just a couple glimpses from the condo in Cleveland where we spent a couple of nights.  Just some "slices-of-life" that pleased me....

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Cole (2)

   Part of the "Trail Critters" collection of sculptures placed around the rails-to-trails paths in our area. A second photo of Cole.  "Located at Glen Carbon Junction, in Glen Carbon, along the MCT Ronald J. Foster Heritage Trail at Main Street, stands this lively 12-foot-tall hot pink canary. A nod to Glen Carbon’s origins as a coal mining locale, and the significant role canaries played in the practice of coal mining."

Cole is technically along the Heritage Trail, but right at the junction with the Nickel Plate Trail.  I was actually walking the Nickel Plate when I took this photo.

Road Tripped

 We're back from an excursion.  A 10 day trip from St. Louis area to Cleveland (OH) area to Pittsburgh (PA) area to Raleigh (NC) area (via Danville VA).  Then to Asheville (NC) and back to St. Louis area...  Just under 2260 miles on the tripmeter!

I didn't take a "real" camera this trip, because of the agenda, but I did take a lot of phone photos.  I'll probably trickle out some of them here, hope you don't mind!  Find all the posts at the TAG:  Nov2024trip

Here's a view of Lake Erie, taken from a cottage in Euclid, OH.  There's 2 different presentations, both starting from the same original.  Both cropped 16x9 aspect ratio.  

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The B&W version was edited using snapseed ap on my phone, completed within a few minutes of taking the photo:

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The color version was edited on my desktop, using Photoshop Elements and Topaz Simplifier plug in.  This was done tonight, after we returned home.

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It is interesting that the crops are almost identical, but not quite.  I rather like aspects of both versions, what do you think?

Here's the straight from (phone) camera version, I knew when I took the photo that there would be a significant crop!

  

In a motel, baby, like the Holiday Inn (1117)

   Another in the series of photos in and around hotels while travelling.  Today is shots from November 2017.  Once again, the post title is from the old Elton John song:  CLICK.

Check out the TAG to see more from the series.

Lonely Nights

The definition of business travel (for me at least). Just another hotel in just another city. Far from home and family. During the day you're busy, but at bedtime the solitude bears heavy. Fortunately I don't travel so much these days.  Not sure where this was.  Maybe St. Paul, MN, maybe Charlotte, NC, possibly Atlanta, GA.  Maybe something else.  It all blurs together.

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Clearly a Holiday Inn Express...  maybe in and around Atlanta?

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From the hotel room window, St. Paul, MN.

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From the hotel room window, Charlotte, NC

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Sandy

    Part of the "Trail Critters" collection of sculptures placed around the rails-to-trails paths in our area.  I'm planning to document them all, this is the 5th of 8 posted.  Click the tag to see all posts.

Sandy:  "Located in Pontoon Beach off of the MCT Nature Trail sits this playful, lime green lizard. Sandy patrols the Sand Road/Chain of Rocks Road intersection and stretches out a whole 10-feet-long."

In a motel, baby, like the Holiday Inn (0917)

  Another in the series of photos in and around hotels while travelling.  Today is April 2017.  Once again, the post title is from the old Elton John song:  CLICK.

Check out the TAG to see more from the series.

Hall lighting.  Pretty sure this was another Holiday Inn Express, somewhere between Burnt Prairie, Illinois and Lexington, KY.  Back when my son was looking at colleges.

Red Bellied Woodpecker

 

Just another back yard bird.

Being Crazy

 "You know people have tried to put me off as being crazy.  Sometimes it't to your advantage for people to think you're crazy" - Thelonious Monk

Rainy Night

 A little slice of life from the other day, waiting for the light to change...

Mary

   Part of the "Trail Critters" collection of sculptures placed around the rails-to-trails paths in our area.  "Located in, where else, Maryville. Along the MCT Schoolhouse Trail near Drost Park, nests this striking 9-foot-tall red cardinal."

The first photo is from June, 2024, the second is from October 2024.

In a motel, baby, like the Holiday Inn (0417)

  Another in the series of photos in and around hotels while travelling.  Today is April 2017.  Once again, the post title is from the old Elton John song:  CLICK.

Check out the TAG to see more from the series.

Parthenon, Nashville Style (at dusk)

Nashville, Tennessee is home of a full scale replica of Greece's Parthenon. Originally built for Tennessee's 1897 Centennial Exposition, this replica of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece serves as a monument to what is considered the pinnacle of classical architecture

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This was taken from a 2th floor balcony at the Nashville-Vanderbilt Holiday Inn....

You learn to see by practice

 "You learn to see by practice. It's just like playing tennis, you get better the more you play. The more you look around at things, the more you see. The more you photograph, the more you realize what can be photographed and what can't be photographed. You just have to keep doing it."

 - Eliot Porter

40

 

Ups and Downs

Just a little something taken with the iPhone a few days ago.  The type of image that I really like, but that rarely seems to get much attention.  But I'm well past counting "likes" to measure my self worth.  Well, mostly past.  That said I got a huge boost at one of the comments this received over at 365project: "Beautiful! It reminds me of an Eliot Porter photograph."  That really made my day.

I cropped this 5x5 for instagram, I should go back and try other crops, maybe get this one printed.  Or maybe this is perfect?  What say you?

There's nothing deep and meaningful to the title.  This song from the dB's popped into my head while I was trying to think of something.

Hawk Haiku

  It missed the song birds

This cooper’s Hawk looks grumpy  

Go chase a squirrel!

Cooper's Hawk

A new "lifer" for me, Cooper's Hawk.  I was just hanging in the family room today when I saw this "guy" swoop down to one of the bird feeders, scattering the songbirds.  It looped up to the nearest branch, empty "handed".  Very cool.  Here's the best photo I managed:

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Below are a couple of other photos taken through the picture window.  The one above is through an open window.

Newt

  Part of the "Trail Critters" collection of sculptures placed around the rails-to-trails paths in our area.  "Located at Edwardsville Junction in Edwardsville, where the MCT Nature, MCT Nickel Plate, and MCT Goshen trails intersect, is Newt. An orange kitty standing 9-feet-tall and reminding all frequent trailgoers of their favorite small trail kitty."

Interesting, the sculpture was originally titled Nelson, presumably due to the general proximity to the N.O. Nelson complex.  I believe the name was changed in honor of an actual cat the was known for hanging out around the trail.

This is the first time I've photographed this one, photos taken 10/25/2024.

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In a motel, baby, like the Holiday Inn (0117)

  Another in the series of photos in and around hotels while travelling.  Today is January 2017.  Once again, the post title is from the old Elton John song:  CLICK.

Check out the TAG to see more from the series.

This was my room during a business trip to Bismark, North Dakota.  Who the heck goes to Bismark ND in January?  Ah, the joys of business travel.

Mondys, Ugh

 Pretty cool today, at least cooler than it has been.  And wet.  Make that wet, wet, wet.  Anyway, we noticed this scruffy bird at the feeder.  At first I wondered if it was some kind of sparrow, but what kind of sparrow?  It hung out on the feeder long enough for me to grabbed my camera and snap a few photos.  And then it continued to hand around while I opened the window and grabbed a few more, cleared shots.

Checking with Merlin photo ID, and several photos, it couldn't figure out a good guess.  I even tried Seek, which suggested something in the finch family.  So I went for the big guns:  Facebook and Reddit.  And the consensus is clear for Goldfinch.  Perhaps molting, perhaps having dunked its head in something....  But definitely looking worn.

Here's some photos.  It had just fluffed/shaken before that last one.:

Bad Bird Photos - Northern Flicker

 Sometimes a crappy photo is better than nothing.  Especially when trying to do identifications.

One of my favorite birds is the Northern Flicker.  And while my Merlin ap has heard them frequently, I haven't seen (or been able to photograph one since January 2024.  But I saw this guy in the back corner of my yard.  I knew it was too far away for a decent photo, but grabbed my camera to confirm the sighting. (I uve a zoom lens on my camera that I can use like binoculars).  

Anyway, yes it was a Northern Flicker, no doubt about it.  I thought I'd share anyway.

September Winners, BetterPhoto.com

 Better Photo has announced the winners of their August contest, and I had a second place, along with several Finalists, etc.  Always fun to get some recognition!

2nd Place winner:

Straight Lines - Post Techniques and Toy Camera Photography

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Finalists:

Carolina Wren

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Rattlesnake Master

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Against The Odds

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End Of The Day

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Staff Favorites:

St. Louis Skyline

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So, that's 1x Second Place, 4x Finalist and 1x Staff Favorite.  I also had 18x Editor's Picks, too many to post here.

Check out my photos HERE.