Best shots: Some of my favorite recent outdoor photos

I am an enthusiastic but mediocre photographer. I love a good photo, though, and so I have fun looking through our readers photos.

Recently a number of nice outdoor photos caught my eye, so I emailed the photographers and asked to feature them here.

Let’s start with the photo above, taken by Randy Fisher of Everett at the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge near Spokane.

“I actually went there hoping to see some of the many birds that are usually in the area,” he said. “Not much in the way of birds that day, but the sky was too spectacular to ignore. The sky can be a great frame when photographing other subject matter, but on that day the setting became the frame for the sky.”

Paul Miller took this photo of a butterfly in his back yard. He and his wife had been admiring the various bees and butterflies when this one caught his wife’s attention. He followed the butterfly around, and, as it didn’t seem to mind the attention, Miller got some good photos.

“I positioned myself with the sun at my back to brighten the colors of the butterfly and the flower he or she sat upon,” he said. “I wanted to capture the dark colors of the butterfly contrasting the pale colors of the hydrangea flower petals and the green leaves.”

Sandra Peery of Marysville took this photo in May in the Heather Meadows Area in The Washington Cascades Near Bagley Lake.

“It was such a beautiful clear day and the sun was shining on the lake showing this beautiful blue color,” she said. “I like this photo because it reminds me when I am walking in this area of how peaceful it makes me feel surrounded by all of the beauty that is up there.”

Jake Funston took this photo of an osprey while on a boat with a good friend. They were passing near the nest, which is near the 10th Street boat launch in Everett, as the osprey was landing. Funston said she didn’t appear too happy that they were nearby. Funston said the boat launch area is great for photographing wildlife.

Funston said he liked several things about the photo: the nearly full extension of the wings, the clarity of the eyes and face and, most of all, the sunlight showing through the wings.

Thanks to all the photographers for sharing their photos and telling me about them. Do you have a great outdoor photo you’d like to share? Add it to our reader galleries and I might feature it here.

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