Robin, rain & raindrops

I've been angling to get a nice, close bird photograph or two in recent weeks while on outdoor outings and had no real luck until this weekend. During one of the downpours Sunday, I caught a glimpse of a robin perched on a fence between my home and a neighbor's, so I grabbed my camera, stepped outside as quietly as I could, and managed to get off three shots before the robin flew away. All three shots were very similar; the one above is a slight crop of the first one, and the one below is a tight crop of the same frame.

I also grabbed some raindrop shots, which are included below the robin.

Rain wouldn't go away, so ... we simply dealt with it

At first, it didn't seem to make sense to drive to Bloomington from Indianapolis for an outdoor photo shoot on a day that forecasters were promising yet more rain, extending what has seemed to be an unending string of extraordinarily wet spring weather. But that's just what I did Saturday, even though I don't own any serious weather-protection gear for my equipment, nor do I have rain-repelling outerwear.

My plan at the 100-acre private property, opened to members of the Indy Meetup Photo Club by a relative of one our members, was to bring along my umbrella for protection during any drizzle or light rain, limit my gear options to just the lens on the camera (I picked my mid-range Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8) and head for the house for cover if any rain reached downpour proportions, even though there could very likely be an extensive haul to that house if I happened to be anywhere near the outer perimeter of those 100 acres.

There was rain during the several hours we were out and about, but except for some very short spurts, it never got too heavy to warrant getting out of it. I used some of the opportunity to pursue photographs of leaves and flowers -- and even an umbrella -- adorned with raindrops. There were also mushrooms, rock formations, critter paw and footprints, trees and logs (including heinous-looking thorns on one tree), mud holes, interesting vistas, and a puddle large enough to surrender a nice reflection shot. We saw no critters except for Joey and Friday, the host family's two dogs.

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