Santa Monica, CA Sunset

This used to be my view from my old apartment in Santa Monica, CA. I miss this view, so I thought I'd post it here to I could look at it again.

DebraRubyPhotography.com

Color and Detail

I'm going through my flowers folder and finding pictures I haven't looked at in a while. This image was taken in Brentwood, CA in October 2008. I love the color combination and detail I was able to capture with my little Canon Power Shot. Foliage and Macro are great features!

DebraRubyPhotography.com

Nature's Magic - With a Little Help from Photoshop

Believe it or not, this is the Pacific Ocean at the Santa Monica Pier, not a swimming pool! That morning the water was so clear, and the light was at just the right angle to make the most beautiful patterns, that it didn’t look real. This was not Hollywood magic, this was nature’s magic.

When I got home and saw the picture on the computer, I noticed small specks of light splattered throughout the image. I don’t normally touch up my photos, but I cleaned up the extra spots of light in Photoshop using the healing brush tool. It was a bit tedious and time consuming, but the final product is worth it.

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Excerpt from: Moments in Time Captured Forever; You Don't Need a Good Camera to Take Good Pictures. 

 

DebraRubyPhotography.com

Hanging Out

This baboon was just hanging out when we drove by in the Jeep on the reserve in Kenya, Africa. 2006.

DebraRubyPhotography.com

Moran, The Friendly Rhino

On my trip to Africa, our group was fortunate enough to meet Moran, The Friendly Rhino! He had been raised by people from birth and we were assured that he would not harm us. I was scared, but went up to him and rubbed behind his ear. His skin was so soft and smooth! Moran was very patient with all of us and even posed, as you can see! It was quite an experience I won't ever forget!

DebraRubyPhotography.com

The One I Didn’t Take

Never turning my back against

The Wailing Wall,

I walked away.

Looking up, I noticed

two black birds

facing each other on

The Western Wall

sitting in a crevice of the stone.

It would have been

a beautiful picture,

but I didn’t take it.

I honored the Sabbath instead.

Others took pictures,

but I didn’t.

I felt guilty and torn.

I wanted that photo,

but I was respecting the feelings

of the worshipers.

Against my will

I followed the rules of the Sabbath.

I have a thousand other pictures

that are beautiful and just as meaningful as

the one I didn’t take.

DAR

Jerusalem, Israel

DebraRubyPhotography.com

Lion King

Here is another photo from my trip to Kenya, Africa back in 2006. This trip was life changing for me and inspired me to learn more about photography when I returned home. Look at this majesty! How magnificent! Enjoy!

DebraRubyPhotography.com

Follow the Leader

An elephant family in Kenya, Africa, 2006.

Exlim 5 megapixel camera

Prints for sale at: DebraRubyPhotography.com

Busy Bee

I always look for pictures while walking. Originally, I was attracted to this large plant all flowering at once. But, as I took pictures, a bee came up and settled on this one flower for the longest time! It was amazing! I stayed with him until he flew away. Thankfully my dog, Cody, very patiently waited for me.

My prints are available at: DebraRubyPhotography.com. Thank you!

Thank You Sunshine

This was taken the morning after a rainstorm. Thank you sunshine and my beautiful rose garden!

Debra  :-)

Happy Thanksgiving

I am so grateful for the beauty I see around me all the time. This small bed of flowers only takes up a tiny section of my neighbor's front yard, but here it looks like the world.

I hope you have been enjoying my blog so far. This image is not in my book, but if there are any images that touch your heart, please contact me at: Rubypics@aol.com or go to my website: DebraRubyPhotography.com. My images are for sale and the book will be out next year.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Debra Ruby

Ants Marching

I noticed these pretty pink flowers a couple of times and wanted to photograph them, but hadn’t taken the time until then. The morning light was soft and pretty.

I started taking traditional pictures of the flower when I noticed ants walking along the stem underneath. I already had my setting on macro to get close to the flowers, so I just changed my focus from the flower pedals to the ants marching. I found their movements fascinating. 

I love the color combinations of pink, yellow and green in this picture. Nature’s colors are vibrant and spectacular next to the small working ant. I appreciate seeing the little things in such a big world because it reminds me of how important each and every creature is to our ecosystem.

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Excerpt from: Moments in Time Captured Forever; You Don't Need a Good Camera to Take Good Pictures.

Perfect Imperfection

Sometimes nature provides you with perfection and all you have to do is capture it.

One day as I walked out of the elevator into the courtyard of an office complex, I passed a pink flower in a perfect circle that caught my attention. I had to stop and photograph it!

I took out my little Canon Power Shot from my purse and turned on the scene select. I chose “foliage” for plants, and then turned on the macro setting so my subject would be clear up close. I took several shots of the flower whole and inside itself so the entire frame was all pink. I chose this photo because it illustrated the perfect circle. I had never seen this before or since. Creating a photo that is entirely one color is fun, but in this case it didn’t show how amazing nature can be.

Now, looking more closely at this flower, it is not perfect. There is a blemish in one of the pedals. The blemish is in a pedal in the second layer at the bottom of the frame. The darkened cracked line reminds me that nothing and no one is totally perfect, but can still be absolutely stunning! 

It is up to us, the viewer, and photographer, to capture these rare moments and remind others of nature’s fleeting beauty. There are many people who are in their own minds and don’t notice any miracles of nature until someone stops them and points them out. 

I went back to that plant a week or two later and the flowers were all wilted and dying. I was grateful I had seen this “perfect” flower when I did and had captured it in my camera that day. I can revisit this miracle and enjoy it as often as I like, and I like that.

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Complete story from, Moments in Time Captured Forever; You Don't Need a Good Camera to Take Good Pictures.