photoartflightPreDawn Sunrise
Posted on September 12, 2015
I got up early to try photographing the Pre Dawn Sunrise. I liked the mist coming off the lake. I shot a series of exposures and blended them together. Not as a HDR image, but more as an image blending darks and lights together. Featured image, 12mm, main exposure – 0.8 sec @ f/8, 1250 ISO, bracketed with exposure compensation, +&- 3 stops, choosing a few to blend.
Brigantine Sunrise
Posted on April 17, 2015
We got up early last weekend to try to get an interesting sunrise at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. There was a heavy cloud cover, but still looked interesting, even though it was not as colorful as we had hoped. The featured image is a 6 shot 12mm panorama combined in Photoshop. The other images are from 12mm to 24mm,
Morning Sky
Posted on October 18, 2014
Last week we woke up to this colorful sunrise outside our window.
Brigantine NWR Panorama Telephoto Sunrise
Posted on August 30, 2014
We took Friday off and went to the Edwin B. Forsythe NWR, Brigantine Division in Oceanville, NJ. We arrived before sunrise to be ready to photograph. I wanted to capture the pre-sunrise or Dawn along with the Sunrise, hopefully with birds flying through it. Sometimes Dawn is more interesting than the actual Sunrise. I was trying for a multi-shot vertical panorama Sunrise with a long lens to capture mainly the sky without too much foreground. The feature image is a 5 shot vertical panorama shot with a 400mm lens. I waited for the sun to be behind the clouds because I was using a Canon 400mm DO Lens (Diffractive Optics) which will flare when pointed at the sun. Then I concentrated on single shot images with the 400mm and adding in some with 17mm through 105 using multiple lenses.These will be posted later. Warning! Do not look directly into the sun, especially with a telephoto lens. You can and will damage your eyes! I used live view or focused off to the side then estimated where I should aim the camera. On the panorama, I just shot to one side and moved to the other side, not looking through the viewfinder.
Grasses lit by Sunrise 400mm, handheld, f/7.1, 1/640 sec, -0.33 exposure comp, ISO 800
High Flight of Egrets in Sunrise
Dawn, pre-sunrise, skyscape
Flight of Egrets at Dawn
Spring Sunrise
Posted on March 30, 2014
Although Spring has arrived in the Northeast, the weather has still been very cold. Between work and the cold weather I have not had a chance to go out and shoot some new images for the blog. I was leaving early to get to work at 6:40 in the am and saw this interesting sunrise with puffy clouds. I only had my small Panasonic GH2 and I clicked a few quick shots. Nothing great, but something colorful to post.
Panasonic GH2, Panasonic Lumix G 14-140mm f/4 -5.8@ 140mm, 1/80 sec, -0.33 exposure compensation, ISO 640
Foggy Sunrise
Posted on December 19, 2013
A week ago, the sun was coming up on a foggy morning. At first it looked a little bland, then the color started to show through. The sun was glowing a warmer yellow in the fog making for an interesting spot of color in an otherwise B&W looking image. I used a Canon EOS 1D MkIV with a Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DO IS lens @ 150mm, f/8, 1/2500 sec , ISO 1250, aperture priority, -0.67 exposure compensation.
Red-Winged Blackbird Flocks at Blackwater NWR
Posted on December 11, 2013
In the colder months there are huge flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds flying through the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge outside of Cambridge Maryland. The number of Bald Eagles increase also during the colder months to approximately 150. When the water freezes over the Eagles sometimes are seen taking Red-winged Blackbirds or Canada Geese for their meals. Here are some photos of the flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds flying through the refuge and also photos of Eagles guarding their lunch.
Canon 20D, Sigma 300-800 f/5.6 zoom @ 731mm (1170mm with 1.6 crop factor of 20D sensor), 1/2000 sec @ f/8, ISO 400, aperture priority, -0.33 exposure compensation.
Canon 7D, EF400mm f/4 DO IS USM +1.4x teleconverter, 560mm (896mm with 1.6 crop factor of 7D sensor), @ f/8, 1/2500 sec, ISO 400, Aperture Priority, -0.33 exposure compensation.
Eagle w/Red-winged blackbird, Canon EOS 7D, Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6 zoom @ 1023mm with 1.6X crop factor of 7D sensor), 1/2500 sec, f/8, ISO 400.
Red-winged blackbirds flying by the snag at sunset.
Red-winged Blackbirds scattering after Eagle swooped in for a meal.
Sunrise and Moonset at Blackwater NWR
Posted on December 1, 2013
Here are a few early morning images from the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge Maryland. This series, taken between 5:30 and 6:00 am, was one day after a full moon in May. I liked seeing the detail in the moon, with the moon in a warm yellow color, lowering over the trees & water. Opposite was the sunrise, coming over the trees and water. I was shooting handheld between 1/125 and 1/40 of a second @ ISO 800 with a Canon 1D MkIV and a Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS USM at 24mm & 105mm. I did not shoot bracketed exposures to later merge with an HDR program because I was handholding the camera. Instead I used one image and used Nik’s HDR Effects Pro 2 on a single exposure to mimic an HDR Image. Then used Nik’s Define to remove some noise.
Favorite Images from the Celery Farm Natural Area in Northern, NJ – Sunrises & Sunsets
Posted on October 9, 2013
The Celery Farm Natural Area in Northern NJ is a local wildlife area that is close to home so it is easy to get to and wander around with a camera for an hour or two. It has a little over 100 acres to explore. Over 240 species of birds have been spotted here along with a variety of mammals, insects, and reptiles. I used to often get there early for sunrises and see the birds flying through the warm colors. Sometimes I would go back in the evening to catch a sunset. Here are a few images from those early morning/evening photo treks.
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