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Luci Westphal

Documentarian – Photos, Videos, Words
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Featured Photo: Paynes Pier

This photo of the boardwalk that reaches into the wetlands lake of Paynes Prairie directly off US 441, I took on an early January morning in 2021.

BLOG (under re-construction)

nature photo postcards by Luci Westphal, pink flamingo, snowy egret, raccoon, colorful birds, pink blooms, tufted titmouse, aligator, Florida, available via Happier Place

Shiny New Nature Photo Postcards + Satiny Folded Greeting Cards

sandhill cranes flying above palm trees, migration, winter in Florida

Winter Photos from Paynes Prairie State Park (Florida)

wooden boardwalk, pier, into the fog, lake, wetlands, Paynes Prairie, Florida, US 441

Featured Photo: Paynes Pier

Favorite songs best of 2020, playlist, mixtape

Favorite Songs: 4th 1/4 of 2020 Mix Tape

2020 in the movies, old moveis set in 2020 on tv and streaming

Old Movies Envisioning a Future 2020 – Better or Worse Than the Actual 2020?

2021 Happier Place Nature Photography Calendar, Photos by Luci Westphal

2021 Wall Calendar Featuring My Photography

Favorites Songs Summer 2020, mix tape, playlist

Favorite Songs: 3rd 1/4 of 2020 Mix Tape

Baby gator sleeping on a log in Shark Valley, Everglades, National Park, Florida

Everglades National Park Photos – Part I: Shark Valley

Red-winged black bird, 1 dollar bill, buy local tampa bay

Discover and Buy Local from Tampa Bay Artists and Makers

music playlist favorite songs 2020 second quarter, April, May, June, sunset

Favorite Songs: 2nd 1/4 of 2020 Mix Tape

Snowy Egret coming in for landing on new LuciWest photography website and blog

New Landing Spot: My New Merged Relaunched Imperfect Website

Great white egret on tree, pink roseate spoonbill in flight, facing away

Introspection, Reflection and Need for Action – by a White German Expat in America

music playlist favorite songs 2020 first quarter, January, February, March, royal tern beach shadow

Favorite Songs: 1st 1/4 of 2020 Mix Tape

Roseate Spoonbill, pink, bird, animal, Florida

Featured Photo: Roseate Spoonbill

Cormorants, Florida, birds, black, orange beak, blue eyes

Refreshed

Favorite Songs: 4th 1/4 of 2019 Mix Tape

Jumping Over My Own Shadow: My First Indie Market

Favorite Songs: 3rd 1/4 of 2019 Mix Tape

Favorite Songs: 2nd 1/4 of 2019 Mix Tape

Photos from the Weeki Wachee River and Springs State Park (Florida)

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luciwest

As promised or forewarned: the Monarch Butterfly T As promised or forewarned: the Monarch Butterfly Transformation Series begins... with photos of the caterpillars eating down two different tropical milkweeds (Silky Golden and the replacement Scarlet Milkweed, which was also was without leaves or flower buds a few days later). 
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The lone caterpillar on the Silky Gold is hanging upside down, eating that hole into the leaf.
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I'll be posting videos in my IG story of the caterpillar competitive speed-eating - and maybe also right here in the feed. 
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On my Twitter and GHWP Facebook Page, you can see other photos and also other videos I already uploaded to YouTube. There'll be a blog post with the full transformation from egg to butterfly and everything in-between in the next few days...
Monarch butterfly on an amazingly thriving lavende Monarch butterfly on an amazingly thriving lavender in our backyard. Not only has this been the most thriving yard I've ever had (grown mostly from scratch over the fall/winter months) - it's also the yard with the most butterflies AND where I've witnessed the astonishing  transformation from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis (via goo stage) to butterfly to... and got hooked on buying milkweed plants. 
I'll sharing photos (and videos) of the whole cycle over the weekend. 
You've been warned.
This cascading rocky tight spot of the Tallulah Ri This cascading rocky tight spot of the Tallulah River in the Chattahoochee National Forest (Georgia) is this month's hi-rez download on Patreon. 

I also recently gifted a larger metal print of it as a wedding present. It wasn't until after I chose it that I noticed the upside down heart. Now I can't unsee that.

Running streams are a general #happierplace for me -  and this river in particular with the memory of camping along its shore just a little further up the dirt road where the river is wider and a bit mellower is a specific Happier Place I revisit in my mind, in photos - and maybe even IRL again one day...
That's not an oyster, oystercatcher. See what you That's not an oyster, oystercatcher. See what you did there? Now that little shell is stuck on your bill, looking like a white clown nose. Wait, this is a commentary about wearing masks? Stop it. 

#BirdNerd Info: bird wore bracelets. Would like to know more about why. They are a rare sight around here - and I assume they migrate.

#keepflwild #roamflorida #liveamplified #your_best_birds #bird_brilliance #audubonsociety #birdphotography #beachlife
What would you choose if you had to? Close-up of t What would you choose if you had to? Close-up of the singing Eastern Meadowlark that puts all the focus on the bird or… 

… a wider photo that gives context by showing more of the surrounding nature, maybe even the location?

Since I’ve been taking more wildlife photos lately, I keep facing that question. Answer is subjective, of course.

And then with Instagram, of course there’s now always the question: crop it to a square or leave the original aspect ratio uncropped? In this case the original is a lot more interesting for the 2nd photo because the tree branch extends differently to the left and right, which now also meant: if I crop this down to a square, I might choose to show more of the left where the moss is lit up by sunlight, but then the bird looks away from the center... more choices...

For now, I like to go with square or vertical for IG because horizontals get so tiny.
Oh right, size matters too. Some subjects just look more interesting bigger - so i like to look at Insta photos on my laptop instead of the little phone. 

Also I post everything in original un-cropped on Twitter and the Good Hard Working People Facebook page. Honestly, I like the way the photos look better over there - but harder to focus just on photos with all else that’s happening on those platforms.

#birdsofinstagram #birdphotography #meadowlark #your_best_birds #keepflwild #roamflorida #ourplanetdaily #bbcearth #gainesvilleflorida
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