Capturing the spirit

My favorite photos are those that capture the real essence of something or someone. In that spirit, here are a couple winners. The first one is Santiago Peak this morning looking smoking hot, although actually it's just a cloud on a cool morning.

I made a quick trip to the oasis to redo the hummingbird feeders. Otherwise, after a lot of rain the bees will overwhelm them. The road was perfect, no washing, but of course, that also means no runoff for the tanks. I ended up with a total of just over 7 tenths, but it didn't fall fast enough to flash flood. Some people near there got over 4 inches. Rain is still in the forecast though.

Here's my favorite Lucifer Hummingbird picture ever. It really captures the spirit and essence* of them. That look means business! This was taken last month by Mac Womack and posted here with his permission. Thanks, Mac!

*I used to think in order to capture the essence of the Lucifer one had to get the gorget color perfectly. But through the years I've discovered that the color is so variable and changeable that it can't ever capture the full spirit of the Lucifer. Better to bypass that distraction to get to the heart of its character. This photo is it!