Little Earth Stars

- To some the dandelion is a weed; but not to me, unless it takes more than its share of space, for I always miss these little earth stars when they are absent. They intensify the sunshine shimmering on the lawn, making one smile involuntarily when seeing them. Moreover, they awaken pleasant memories, for a childhood in which dandelions had no part is a defective experience.
Source: "The Home Acre," by E. P. Roe

Canon 7D, 1/30 sec @ f/10.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro, converted to black and white in Lightroom 3 using Silver Efex Pro 2.

Starry Night

- Out in the country in Southwest Wisconsin the nights are dark and the sky is full of stars. This is a long exposure of 78 seconds so there's a little blur with each star caused by the earth's rotation. Canon 7D, 78 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 100, mounted on a tripod.