The Largest Praying Mantis I’ve Ever Seen

This enormous praying mantis prop stands quietly waiting for next year’s Mardi Gras parades.  The prop is approximately 12′ – 15′ tall.

Red-Winged Blackbird

This beautiful red-winged blackbird sang from the top of the highest tree, surveying its surroundings

Algiers Facade

The three-dimensional facade of this building in Algiers, Louisiana reminds me of something ancient and something modern.

 

Cypress Dawn

Cypress trees creep out into the water.  The early morning sun begins to warm their trunks and nourish their leaves as a new day begins.

 

Evening Campsite

The late spring air turns cool after sundown.  The campfire provides warmth and a place to gather and reconnect.

Peacock

This resident of the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, Louisiana, freely mingles with visitors.  Earlier in the day I photographed the peacock with his tail spread wide but that image seemed too cliche.  Later during our visit he hopped up on a nearby wall.  Looking at the front of the peacock, rather than focusing on his well known tail feathers I was amazed by the deep blue plumage covering most of its body.

Solitary Cypress

This cypress tree stands alone, out in the water.  I shot this picture at sunrise from about 300 yards away.  The fog drifted around the tree as the sun slowly swept it away.  As the light and fog were continually changing, I kept shooting and ended up with this image, where most of the fog is between the tree and the shoreline, highlighting it’s isolation.

Southern Beauty

To me the magnolia tree’s large, fragrant blooms are symbolic of the South.  Having grown up in Northern Virginia, I never noticed magnolias.  Perhaps they aren’t as popular there or maybe I just never paid attention as a kid?  Regardless, the magnolias are blooming again in Richmond.

Facade of The Everything Store

The repeating geometric patterns of this building facade grabs my attention.

Sunrise on the Bayou

Life begins to stir among the cypress trees as the sun slowly peeks over the horizon.