Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged beauty is everywhere, Canon 7D, Common Grackle, grackle, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Quiscalus quiscula, Tamron 150-600mm, uncommonly beautiful, Woodbridge VA on March 14, 2025| 5 Comments »
When in the shadows, Common Grackles (Quiscalus quiscula) appear to be all black, but in the bright sunlight their iridescent feathers shine in an array of colors. I photographed this uncommonly beautiful Grackle as it perched in a dead tree on Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
Beauty is everywhere.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Art, Flowers, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, tagged beauty is everywhere, Canon 50D, Canon 60mm, Cindy Dyer, day lily on July 5, 2021| 14 Comments »
I was feeling a little “artsy” on Saturday morning when I composed this close-up image of one of day lilies now growing in the garden of my dear friend and neighbor Cindy Dyer. Over the last nine years of so Cindy has served as my photographic mentor and muse. I remember how liberated I felt when she first told me it was ok to photograph parts of a flower and not just the whole thing—it opened my eyes to all kinds of new creative possibilities that went way beyond merely documenting “reality.”
Beauty is everywhere!
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged beauty is everywhere, Blue Dasher, Blue Dasher dragonfly, Canon 50D, Fort Belvoir VA, Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge, male Blue Dasher, Pachydiplax longipennis, Tamron 180mm on August 22, 2020| 14 Comments »
Blue Dashers are one of our most common dragonflies where I live and it is easy to pass them by and take them for granted. When I stop and look closely at them, however, I am reminded of their beauty. I spotted this striking male Blue Dasher dragonfly (Pachydiplax longipennis) on Tuesday at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge.
There is a lot of detail in this image—like the little amber patch on the wings and a tiny orange simple eye (ocellus) in the middle of the “face” adjacent to the larger compound eyes—and I recommend that you double-click on the image to get a closer view. (If you want to learn more about dragonfly eyes, check out this fascinating article entitled “Dragonflies: eyes and a face” at benkolstad.net.)
Beauty is everywhere.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 