This week’s assignment was “Signs of Spring”. It became the subject of this assignment after I was inspired while shooting last week’s assignment (Subject Placement) and found our local wild rabbit sitting beside the house.
I got some shots of him last week, but they weren’t any good. And it wasn’t as if I was expecting to get another chance to shoot him for this assignment, but in seeing the changes he was going through, shedding his thick, fluffy snow white fur and replacing it with his newer brown camouflage for the summer (a true sign of the onset of spring), I thought “what a very timely next assignment”.
A couple of hours after I locked down the subject of this assignment, it started to snow (oops),… and then it snowed again the next day, and then again the next which made me wonder if I had chosen the right assignment topic (welcome to spring time in Edmonton). Fortunately I brought my camera in to work with me that afternoon, and captured this scene outside the office window.
Pussy Willows
This last Sunday was “Palm Sunday” and as a young child growing up in a Catholic family, I will always associate spring and Easter with “pussy willows”,… and of course, the last fleeting snow storm(s) of the season.
Awakening buds
Another true sign of spring to me is when our Mayday tree starts to come alive again. It always seems to be the last tree in autumn to completely lose its leaves and also the first tree of the year to open up its buds, and burst forward with lush green leaves and those incredibly fragrant little white flowers.
Finally, this little guy has been living off and on in our back yard all winter long, munching on the wide array of foliage peeking out of the drifts of snow covering our gardens.
I’m certain he also found those wilty carrots I buried in the snow, back in December…
But alas, now he’s showing signs of his snowy white coat turning shades of brown,… and he with his brown/black tipped ears, I’m sure he knows that spring is well on its way.
For anyone interested, this coming week’s assignment is “f/4”. Yep, that’s right, the subject is completely open, so long as you shoot it at f/4.
Cheers,
