I've been meaning to put up a photo blog for a while, but just never find the time. Seeing the latest photo contest over at Gardening Gone Wild finally galvanized me into action. Per the rules of the contest, I ventured out into the garden this afternoon and took a new photo specifically for the occasion, from knee level. It was a sunny but hazy afternoon with strong blustery wind, but this brave little bee was out pollinating anyway.  I took the shot hand-held while sitting on the edge of a garden bed in the garden of local landscape designer Genevieve Schmidt of NorthCoastGardening.com. The key to taking photos of busy insects like this in windy conditions is to keep an eye on the composition and follow the shot, but bypass thought on the focus. Let your eye and your shutter finger work out when to push the button; by the time you think about it, the shot will be long gone. The borage is a nice subject; the flowers open up a pale pink (right) and quickly darken to blue (left). My goal was to get the bee and both flowers in focus, along with some of the great texture of the ...