Stream Bed Under a Log - 50with50 No. 9

Green Stream

A stream bed runs under a log in the woods behind our house. This is the 9th entry in the 50with50 series.

On a recent Saturday when we went for a walk in the woods, I was looking for things to photograph. There are plenty of leafless trees, as well as plenty of leaves on the ground. Those are good sometimes, but I was looking for something different.

Then I saw these green streaks along the ground where the water had been running lately. We have had lots and lots of rain this winter. Noah might start reaching for his umbrella if he were here. So there has been no shortage of water around.

I was actually a little surprised to find as little mud as we found during our walk. It had been a few days since any rain had fallen, but the horse pasture was still pretty muddy, so I expected the woods to be as well. But they were not, which was fine since that was where we were walking.

However, it was easy to see where the water had been flowing during all of the rains. Because instead of the brown, dead leaves everywhere, the stream beds were covered in green. Of course, the green came from moss and algae from those areas staying so wet. But it was really fun to see these bright green areas when most everything else was a shade of brown.

Nature is pretty cool, and pretty colorful, sometimes.

Surprising Nature

Actually, nature is full of surprises, besides just colors. There are so many interesting things to see.

Growing up in the city, my main exposures to nature were the grass and trees in our yard. We were definitely in the city, but we did have some good-sized trees in our backyard, which was nice.

But now, being closer to nature, it is always fun to see what is there. It is interesting to watch the ponds, creeks, and rivers swell after a rain, only to return to their normal size after a few days. After a rain, the winter grass turns even more green, which adds some color to the brownish-gray season. Animals are everywhere, and it is fun to see them, such as the groundhog that ran in front of our car the other day. The trees are starting to bloom, which makes me sneeze, but it also makes me smile to see new colors coming out and to see flowers growing on trees.

And then before you know it, summer will be coming, and more changes will be here. Always something new and interesting to see in nature.

Bible Verse

How great are your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep! - Psalm 92:5

About the Photo

You have probably guessed that the only lens I took on our nature walk through the woods was the 50mm prime lens so that I could get more photos for the 50with50 series. To me, that lens is perfect for most nature photos, unless you want a really wide view. In most cases, you could probably just change lenses, unless of course you did not bring any other lenses with you. Knowing that I was limited in focal length, I knew ahead of time the types of photos I could and could not take, so I was not setting myself up for disappointment or anything.

I did tweak the colors slightly to get the green to show up better, because the camera did not pick up the green to be quite as bright as it looked to me in real life. But that was a simple fix, and Ieft everything else pretty much like it was.

Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Aurora HDR. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Sony Alpha A7 II
Lens: SonyFE 50mm f/1.8
Date: February 29, 2020
Location: Home, Williston, Tennessee