photoartflightGolden-Winged Skimmer
Posted on August 18, 2018
While I was at the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge I photographed a lot of dragonflies. Some I have not noticed before. It is fun to find some that are different from my usual local varieties. I really liked these Golden-winged Skimmers. Besides their main color which really stands out, the wings look really cool also. Some images are focus stacked images, combined in Photoshop.
Spangled Skimmers
Posted on August 16, 2018
We found quite a few Spangled Skimmers At Davidson’s Mill Pond Park when we went to look for and photograph Dragonflies. It gave us opportunities to get a variety of angles and views of the Spangled Skimmers as they darted around the small pond there. Looking them up online it seems they like Well-vegetated ponds and lakes or occasionally slow-moving areas of streams. Also they are more prevalent in Summer while others are around starting in the Spring.
Raindrop on Evergreen Branch
Posted on July 24, 2018
I went outside after a rain to look for raindrops on flowers or leaves. On the evergreen by the sidewalk, I noticed this strand of a web with a large raindrop on it. There were a few smaller drops on the left part of the web strand to the left. This was 3 images shot with a close focusing 300mm lens. I like using the 300mm more for this type of shot than using a traditional macro. It gives me more working distance and a softer background than my typical macro lenses. Even my 150mm, 180mm or 200mm macros do not give me the same “look” that I wanted.
After the featured image I shot a series of 4 horizontal images along the top of the same branch. It seemed like there were a lot of water drops on the branches. It looked like the rain ran down the lower needles and ended on the tip of the needles.
4 image horizontal panorama from same above tree
Slaty Skimmer Head-On View
Posted on July 23, 2018
I am always trying different ways to photograph Dragonflies and Damselflies. At one location most of the dragonflies are not where I can get close to get the detail I want. So I have to come up with different ways to photograph them. Here I was trying a 300mm lens with close focusing capability. I also added a 2X teleconverter, so using a Canon 1.6 crop sensor camera I had a FOV equivalent of 960mm of a full frame camera. Some shots I also added a short extension tube between the lens and the teleconverter which also enlarges the image on the sensor a little more. But doing this you cannot focus to infinity, but I did not need that ability to photograph Dragonflies.
Wild Turkey Display
Posted on April 23, 2018
I was surprised to see a Wild Turkey struting around my yard the other morning. There are quite a few around where we live, but usually they are not displaying and are females. Reminds me of a post from fellow blogger Mike Powell, https://michaelqpowell.wordpress.com, earlier this week, showing a Wild Turkey struting around displaying it’s feathers from the back. Thought it was funny to see a similar pose. So, thanks Mike for giving me the inspiration for a similar image.
Moon Over Captiva Island, Florida
Posted on March 10, 2018
After I finished photographing the sunset on Captiva beach and was on my way back to the condo, I noticed the moon was fairly bright. It was not a full moon, but I took a few shots anyway and liked how clear the sky was there. I am still going through images I shot there months ago, but will eventually get through them all.
Early Morning Reflections
Posted on February 24, 2018
I liked the early morning light and the reflections of the trees and sky in the water. I was traveling light and only had a long lens for birds, so I shot a series of images and combined them in Photoshop. In some ways it is confusing and busy looking, but I still liked it anyway and thought it was interesting. Only needed a few touch ups to fine tune the image. It was a quiet day for the birds, but I enjoyed being out in the fresh air and seeing what else I could find.
Weathered Feather Panorama
Posted on February 16, 2018
While taking a walk at the Audubon’s Plainsboro Preserve in NJ, I was looking for some photo opportunities. Plainsboro Preserve is almost 1,000 acres with a variety of trails and an almost 50 acre lake. Because it is a large area, most birds are distant, but you never know what you might find. It also seems to a have a lot of Beavers, so you see their handiwork (felled trees with their tooth marks) all around the areas near the water on the Preserve.
I found this weathered feather along the path and thought it looked interesting. I took 2 images, handheld with a 300mm f/4 IS lens with a 1.4X teleconverter. I like this Canon lens for an all purpose Walk Around lens. It is sharp, image stabilized, focuses fairly close on its own, very hand holdable, fairly lightweight and sharp. So I use this lens quite a bit for when I am just taking a walk with no idea of what I might photograph. If you carry extension tubes with you, you can even get closer for a very close, almost macro lens.
I used Photoshop to combine the two images, which most of the time works well! You just have to give enough of an overlap so it seems to be more accurate in lining the 2 images and automatically blending the final image. Every once in a while you might have to do a slight touch up.
White Ibis Fly-By
Posted on February 5, 2018
I am still going through my images from our trip to Florida from last November. There were quite a few White Ibis foraging for food and a few flying around in the Refuge. As I was photographing the White Pelican panoramas, this Ibis flew by. I liked the featured image with the Ibis as it was coming towards me, giving a more interesting angle plus had wings in an elevated position. We were traveling “light”, so I was using a Canon 300mm f/4 with a Canon Series III 1.4x teleconverter.
As the Ibis was almost in front of me, it did not seem to be as interesting an angle. Plus the shadow on the wing was not my favorite view.
Kayaker Rowing By- 2 Shot Panorama
Posted on January 19, 2018
Sometimes you just shoot what happens to go by you. I was waiting early in the morning, for some birds to fly in, when this fisherman in a kayak rowed by. So I shot a quick two shot panorama, handheld, as it went by. Sometimes just to see if it works or to get practice for multi-image moving panos. I was using a 300mm f/4 lens with a 1.4x teleconverter. On a moving pano, I try to get the area with the most movement in one non-blended section and the section with less movement in the “overlapping” section. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not. But it is fun to give it a try!
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