All About Irma
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.”
Vivian Greene
IRMA’S CLOUDS
My sincere thanks to those of you who expressed concern in light of the forecast arrival of Hurricane Irma. Fortunately for the our little island, Irma struck only a glancing blow, resulting in flooding and down trees, but no serious damage. Our layers of emotion went from anxiety, to fear, to hope and finally to relief as she veered further and further west and away from the South Carolina coast.
FOLLOWING THE LEADER
“Not all the storms of life can be predicted.”
David Petersen
Beyond our emotional layers, Irma had some interesting impact on the layers of our local nature. One of my favorite pre-storm affects was the clustering of wood storks around a nearby lagoon. The lagoon waters had been drained in preparation for the oncoming rains, leaving a veritable feast of fallen fish on which the birds were happy to indulge. Wood storks are an endangered species so I was happy to see so many of them looking so healthy.
IRMA VICTIMS
“Joy weathers any storm: Happiness rides the waves.”
Todd Stocker
What was good for the birds was obviously not so good for the fish. They were everywhere, as were the insects and birds feasting on them. As they say, one man’s pleasure is another man’s pain.
IN FLIGHT
“The greatest storms on our earth break not in nature but in our minds.”
Mehmet Murat Ildan
In addition to the wood storks, herons soared overhead, perhaps looking for a safe place to avoid the 50 mph winds that were to come. I was in photographer heaven following the birds as they passed me by from every direction.
FEATHERED FOUNTAIN
“In the midst of the storm, our anchor is hope.”
Lailah Gifty Akita
I’ve chosen to close with a capture that made me smile as I went through my results for the day. A wood stork seems almost to be playing like a child, spitting water like a feathered fountain. Perhaps he, like the rest of us, is simply celebrating the fact that the storm, at least this time, has passed us by. May you too find joy in the calm that follows the storm.
WPC: Layered
Yikes, I haven’t been here in two weeks – so the storm is old news already, right? 😉 Your photos are really beautiful, especially to someone who spent a lot of time on those islands and misses that special environment. That first one, it has a familiar Atlantic ocean feeling, really beautiful, Tina. In a comment I see it was taken with your phone – terrific! And I love the Wood storks, both the group and wow – that last photo! Great timing!
Beautiful photographs, love the quotes and your positivity towards the difficult times of life.
great shots Tina….so happy IRMA bypassed us…so SAD for others….
Hey Tina, good to hear you guys didn’t get the full brunt of Irma. Great capture on the Feathered Fountain shot 🙂
Hey Andy! Good to see you pop up on this one😊. Hope you had a great summer
Sent from my iPhone
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Your bird photos are indeed awesome. 💙
Thanks very much Imelda!
You’re welcome, Tina. 🙂
I’m relieved that you’re safe, Tina, and that you’ve captured these wonderful Irma moments. I especially love that first shot of the clouds/seas. There is a wonderful depth to that image. The colors/shades are so varied.
Thanks very much Patti – nature provided the palette for that one. What’s missing is the roar of the ocean – I suppose I should have done a video but a lifetime of still photography always causes me to forget that until it’s too late 😱!
It’s hard to think of using different media at the time!
Tina – May I ask how you shot the “Waiting for Irma” ocean scape? Camera? Lens? ISO? You managed to capture something that only those whom have lolled about in the ocean surf would know to look for: that glorious spray off of the back of a breaking wave. Very cool. The animals are wonderful as well.
Thanks Jared, much appreciated. Over the years I’ve spent a fortune on NIKON DSLRs and their amazing lenses. Most of the photos in this post were made with my D/300s and my f/2.8 70-200 lens. The shot you asked about however was shot with my handy dandy iPhone 6 😉 proving once again that the best camera is always the one you have with you!