Blackwater NWR Sunset

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland has some very dramatic sunsets. They are close to the coast which helps provide the dramatic colors. All I was missing was a flock of birds flying through the colorful sky.

Ding Darling NWR Sunset

A series of sunsets at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in December 2013. Here in New Jersey we have had a LOT of snow, so it nice to reflect back on the warm weather of our trip to Florida.

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Early Sunset @ 6:09
Canon EOS 1D MkIV, Canon 24-105 f/4 L IS Lens @ 90mm, f/8, 1/400 sec, ISO 400

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Sunset @ 6:26
Canon EOS 1D MkIV, Canon 24-105 f/4 L IS Lens @ 32mm, f/8, 1/400 sec, ISO 400

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Sunset @ 6:26
Canon EOS 1D MkIV, Canon 24-105 f/4 L IS Lens @ 47mm, f/8, 1/400 sec, ISO 400

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Sundown @ 6:40
Canon EOS 1D MkIV, Canon 24-105 f/4 L IS Lens @ 50mm, f/8, 1/125 sec, -0.67 exposure compensation, ISO 400

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Clouds at Sundown@ 6:41
Canon EOS 1D MkIV, Canon 24-105 f/4 L IS Lens @ 24mm, f/8, 1/320 sec, -0.67 exposure compensation, ISO 400

Brigantine Sunset

This is a sunset taken 2 years ago in December at the Brigantine Division of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. Came across them on an external backup drive. We were winding down our day there and this was our last trip through the Wildlife Drive. Nearing the end of the Drive before going into the wooded area we were treated with the colorful sunset.

Header Image – Canon EOS1D MkIII, EF24-105mm f/4L IS lens @ 105mm,  f/13  1/250 sec,  ISO 400, Aperture Priority, +0.33 exposure compensation, effective focal length with MkIII  1.3X sensor,136.5 mm.

Canon 7D, Canon 400mm DO f/4,  f/8,  1/640 sec,  ISO 400, Aperture Priority, -0.33 exposure compensation, effective focal length with 7D 1.6X sensor, 640mm.

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Last Flight at Blackwater NWR

Going through my older files from Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, I came across this series that I never worked on. Blackwater has great sunsets because of its proximity to the coast with the moisture in the air. This was shot in December, near the end of daylight. I like the sun’s rays coming down through the clouds, giving streaks of sunlight in the lower clouds. This one lone bird was flying through the sky under the dark higher cloud bank. The photo just made me think  “Last Flight of the Day.” Sometimes you can see large flocks of birds going through the evening sky, but late on this day there was just one lonely bird heading home, which I thought gave an interesting look. I usually do not like having the subject in the middle of the frame, but in this instance I chose this one because the bird is so small it was not as powerful off to either side and looked unbalanced. This was shot with a Canon 7D with a Canon 400mm DO f/4 telephoto lens. Exposure 1/1250 @ f/8, ISO 400.