July 2 to 8, 2017

It is going to be hot here in the Salt Lake Valley this week, not as hot as it will be south of here but plenty hot enough. Escaping to cooler temps here can be as easy as heading up into the nearby mountains or going north on a camping trip.

Ring-billed Gull preening in a snow stormRing-billed Gull preening in a snow storm – Nikon D500, f9, 1/1000, ISO 1000, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

When it gets this hot I like to look at images I have taken on cooler days to remind me of how refreshing the winter temps can be compared to the heat of summer. I photographed this preening Ring-billed Gull in a snow storm in January of this year at a pond near where I live and it was pretty chilly that day. I’d been hoping for a snow storm with wet, fluffy snowflakes because they show up in images better than the finer, drier snowflakes do. I had a blast photographing gulls, ducks and geese on that snowy January morning.

Just looking at this Ring-billed Gull image makes me feel invigorated and refreshed.

Life is good.

Mia