An early morning photoshoot

Things don't always go as planned at 6:00am.  I decided that this morning, I would head out on a photoshoot at one of our local Columbus Metro Parks.  Checked the weather last night - it was supposed to rain but not until later in the morning.  Checked the sunrise time.  Checked the camera battery.  All set!

Unfortunately, it started sprinkling just as I left the house.  I saw a gorgeous sunrise just beyond our roofline, but by the time I got to the park, the colors in the sky were quickly fading to a dreary gray.  But, when life gives you a rainy photoshoot, take pictures of raindrops, I say!

Here is my first shot of the morning, not a great one, but you can see the pink glow of the sunrise:

There was milkweed all over the place - under sunnier conditions, I might have seen a monarch butterfly or two....

There was a hardworking dragonfly flying about, leading me down the path.  I was hoping he'd land somewhere and pose patiently for some shots, but no such luck.  He was too busy collecting his breakfast.  But as I followed him down the path, I spotted something that was willing to hold still for a moment - a little family of rabbits.  At one time, I spotted 3 of them together.  As you can see, they were leery of me:

There were wildflowers all over the meadow, but this dead plant (not sure what it is) really caught my attention.  It just goes to show that beauty can be spotted in everything:

I realized it was time to go when I started daydreaming about bagels a bit more than someone on a mission for photography should.  And although it was a rainy morning, and my photos weren't anything like I had envisioned as I prepared last night, it was a nice photoshoot: the sounds of croaking frogs and a hawk in the distance, the smells of wildflowers in the rain and the opportunity to observe nature on a quiet, drizzly morning.

Hope you are having a nice (dry) weekend!
-Cheryl