On the Drive Home - Radials, Trees and Bird!

Radials!!
Tonight wasn't especially wonderful. The skys had been almost completely clear all day long. But, as I headed home, I noticed that there were a few clouds in the West. I knew that the sun would be setting at about the same time that I arrived home. So, I did pull over and take a few shots. The first picture below, shows an effect that I frequently get when the sun is directly present in the frame -- radials. Usually these would be caused by the leaves of the iris in the leanse - one radial per leaf. As I count them in this shot, I see ten of them. But, I don't know how many leaves the iris of the Fujifilm camera has. Ten, maybe? A common way of also getting this effect is to use a 'star' filter in front of the lense. But, I am not doing that.



Look for something to use!!!
In this next shot, you would find me keeping my eyes open as I drive along, looking for a tree, a cactus, a building, or anything else to put into the foreground. I just happen to really love old dead-looking trees. I think they make great silouhettes. In this next picture, the sunset may not be all that great, but I do like the tree. And, by the way, since I drive the same routes to and from work, over and over again, I take note of and remember most of the trees, etc., along the way, so I can plan ahead a little bit, and tell my self, that just around the next bend is that nice tree. That way, I can safely pull over without scaring any other drivers!



Bird!!!!
Finally, tonight I noticed that I had company. Or, maybe it was that I was causing this bird to have company. Anyway, he was watching me watch the sun set. I'm sure that he couldn't begin to figure out what I was doing, running around the trees, stooping down and aiming whatever that thing that I was holding at the trees and sun. Anyway, I enjoyed his company.