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May 26, 2009

sometimes you just know...

Just down the road from our weekend cottage is a huge expanse of land...acres and acres of beautiful green trees and plants and moss covered rock formations that have all been left untouched for years.

I'm not really sure what my mind was thinking the other day when my body felt an actual need to get out of the car as we passed this land, but I try to listen to myself when this happens.  We have driven by this property hundreds and hundreds of times in the past two years, but this time it was different.
I knew I just had to have a photo of the old fence post that had blended into the snow covered hills all winter, but now, for some strange reason, was suddenly screaming
"see me?"
After my first photo, with a fear of poison ivy clouding my thoughts, as my capri wearing legs were way too deep into the grasses for this time of year, the fence post in front of me became alive right before my eyes.
I looked back at my husband waiting patiently for me in the car with an "yikes...ewww" look on my face and at the same time went running back towards him so I could switch to my macro lens.  Quickly, I tried to describe to him what I had been looking at..."I don't know, ants or something or huge flying ants" and he asks if they're termites and I'm like, "sure, maybe they're termites with huge wings and queens and kings and lots of family members or maybe they're just gross, but whatever they are, I want to get closer."
And now this is where it gets fun...I did get close...really close...and continued to be grossed out with the combination of flying crawling things and that once again I was in grass I couldn't identify...but isn't this what photographers do?
~~~~~
now here's the end of the story
only once or twice have I copyrighted a photo of mine 
but only because I was practicing playing with watermarks
but
this time 
even though I didn't want to do it
I felt the need to protect this photo
because 
I think I want to enter it in a contest
or
blow it up really big
or
use it for greeting cards
or
sell it to a bug extermination company
~~~~~
so here's the final photo that I took 
before any of those flying buggy ant termitey things flew straight into my face
and
really grossed me out
{and because I posted this photo through flickr
please tell me that you can see it as I have had flickr/blogger/photos issues in the past}
it's a bug's life

28 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 26, 2009

    i can just visualise you running to your car and getting your macro, all excited. the photos are great!

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  2. Oh, PLEASE promise me you won't sell it to a bug extermination company....it is far too BEAUTIFUL for something like that!!! :(

    Truthfully...I think these little guys are way cooler and way less icky than your spider from the other day.....

    You make me want to take pictures...

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  3. I could see it just fine !

    I did a post about loving the unlovable last week. I read something about how if you shine a light on it, look at it closely, it would make it easier to see it as lovable.
    Your picture made the icky bugs lovable...well, mostly anyways. I would call it "Beautiful Ugly" myself. ;)

    Happy Tuesday !

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  4. I'm sitting here the whole time, thinking,"Eww, Eww, Eww!!!" Then I'm smiling because I can see your antic, (get it play on words,) as you spaz and run back and forth. And, I admire your eye...because I don't think I'd want to shoot it but you knew you should.

    Last, how does one work with water marks? That's really what I ended up wanting to know?!

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  5. AnonymousMay 26, 2009

    MY Darling Daughter...you found a nest of flying ants. Their diet of preference is wood. Dad and I had to have the exterminator pay us a visit a few years ago, because they (the flying ants) had discovered how DELICIOUS the wood beneath the bow window in the living room tasted. Fortunately, he was able to get rid of them for us. They're a close cousin to the termite, and could probably be just as distructive. They DO have queens, and workers. I'm glad that you enjoyed your trek through the tall grass...I hope you didn't take home any tics or poison ivy etc.
    The picture is really neat!!

    Love ya! Mom

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  6. Yes, I can see it. Don't know that I wanted to. Love your mom's comment, even if she is anonymous.

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  7. works great - I use flickr for a lot of my posts. the only time I have a real problem is when I mark the shot for family only (usually the shots of the girls).

    that's what we photographers like to do, get closer. excellent (though sorta icky) shots! :)

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  8. Howdy, Beth's Mom!!

    I love the photo and your new logo, Beth! Very scrolly and pretty!

    Bzz...

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  9. Hi Beth,

    Now, was that last pic a zillion times magnified - or are they just BIG BUGS?!!

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  10. i see it loud and clear! it's AWESOME!

    this post cracked me up. i felt like i was with you on your little adventure. it's a great photo, and you SHOULD copyright it AND sell it! great job! wonderful detail!

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  11. Beth, I am not big on bugs but you seemed to capture them as only you know how. You are definately an adventurous gal.Love it...not the bug.

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  12. Wow, what a great, great shot. I can totally see why you would copyright it too :)

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  13. instincts are so grand, aren't they? and how strong they get when we listen -- ya did good, Baby! This photo is so cool, I agree it's too 'good' (beautiful) for an exterminator though ... it's just such a perfect SUMMER moment, to me ...

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  14. What a wonderful post, you made me laugh and cringe at the same time. What you mau be looking at, and this is just a guess because I have no idea what part of the world you're in) is flying ants. We get them, they only last a few days then they're gone for the rest of the summer, thank god! There also seem to be red ants....whcih we have an overabundance for. Icouldn't get close enough to photo them....I'd be afraid of getting bit!

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  15. eeewww...yes i see it ...the ant go marching in this post!

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  16. That is fantastic! I can see why you were excited. Those of us who lug around cameras tend to feel that way when these kinds of opportunities arise. But I was thinking right off the bat: poison ivy!
    Brenda

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  17. AnonymousMay 26, 2009

    That's an excellent shot Beth :-)

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  18. Beth ... you found all the ants now go find the uncles ... love the shot ... kind of makes that one special ant all sweet and romantic looking. I see a Disney classic story!

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  19. Oh, yeah -- good move! Fabulous photo and it does have legs.(Or wings, as the case may be!)

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  20. very nice beth, very nice!

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  21. I can can see that bug! All your photos are so lovely...it is so green and lush where you are!

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  22. I was going to ask if you found out what they were but reading the other comments, your mom answered my question. Thanks to your Mom! Hopefully you didn't get poison ivy or tics. Yuk.

    Your photography is beautiful.

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  23. beautiful photos -- totally worth the buggage:)

    xo

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  24. Yes this is what girl taking pictures have to deal with! And didn't you love it. Great great post and pictures.

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  25. So this is what happens when you follow your instincts...you take this amazing picture of what would normally be a creepy crawly, and you have portrayed him as this sweet, rather reflective little creature. It looks as though he is contemplating the big things.
    LOVE this picture..love it.

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  26. Ewww- bugs (my nose involuntarily is itching while I write this)! But kudos on the awesome photography- it totally is amazing!

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  27. HOLY COW!! That's marvelous. I vote for all four. Yup. Contest, blow it up huge, greeting cards, and sell it. It's marvelous!

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  28. Cool photos, looks like that last one posed for you :-)

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**I love reading the comments you leave, as they make me feel like we're sitting in my kitchen, having a cup of tea, discussing life and wondering where all the time has gone ...beth