Category: Photography

7-Day Nature Photo Challenge – Day 7

It might be a prince…

I was nominated by a fellow blogger, Project Relish, for a 7-Day Nature Photo Challenge.

So for the next week, let’s see, if I can come up with some interesting nature images and pass the challenge onto some of my fellow bloggers.

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Relaxing

This lovely specimen was sitting next to a pond at the College of Simon’s Rock on a fine August weekend, as my wife and I dropped of the daughter for her start of the school year.  He was kind enough to let me sneak up on him, as I was hanging over the edge of the pond, to get a nice view of him.

The peaceful nature, with which he sat there, as if he didn’t have a care in the world, made for a wonderful moment.

Technical Details

This image was captured with my old Canon EOS 1D Mk II and 24-105 f/4L lens.  Exposure settings were f/9 at 1/40 second at ISO 400.

The Rules

Post a #naturephoto every day and nominate another blogger for this challenge.

Nomination

The challenge of nominating a fellow blogger…  RobDPhotographer has a blog full of amazing photography, which you should visit!  I hope he accepts the nomination for the challenge.

Friday Travel Photo – vol 4

Elgin, but no marbles!

As I photographed quite a bit while in Scotland, I thought I’d once again dip into my pool of images from that 2013 vacation.

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Elgin Cathedral

After leaving the Inverness area, our next Bed and Breakfast was in Braemar in the Highlands.  As we hadn’t planned a specific route, our decision was to follow the A96 a bit and see when we’d turn south.

As we got to Elgin, I suggested that we make a stop somewhere to break up the drive; not knowing that we’d find the amazing Elgin Cathedral right in our path!  The grounds of this cathedral are not only stunning, as can be seen in the above image, but they are also overflowing with the spiritual energy that has collected here throughout the ages.  If you are sensitive to these energies, you can’t help but be touched at a large number of locations on the grounds.

Additionally, the structure is visually stunning, and, considering that construction started in the first half of the 1200s, one can’t help but be amazed by the advanced building techniques that existed to build such precise arches.  Its rich history is detailed further on the History Scotland – Elgin Cathedral web page.

Technical Details

This image was captured with a Canon EOS 5D Mk III with a 17-40 f/4L lens attached.  Settings for this image were f/10 with 1/400 second at 400 ISO.

Bonus Coverage

A second image from this cathedral taken from the top of the North tower, which is precipitous…

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From on high!

Note that this gives an excellent view of the area, with the river Lossie just behind the cathedral.

Friday’s Mystery Slide – vol 4

The gilded gate beckons

So, last week’s edition was a bit problematic, as the surroundings were rather tricky to identify without knowledge of early New England architecture.  Hopefully, this week’s mystery slide is a little easier, as it is not placed in New England…

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Where is this gate?

These ladies are dressed stylishly, walking from the parking lot through the gate.  I’m sure that someone will identify this gate rather quickly.

For extra credit, around which year was this slide photographed?

7-Day Nature Photo Challenge – Day 6

Her name is McGill…

I was nominated by a fellow blogger, Project Relish, for a 7-Day Nature Photo Challenge.

So for the next week, let’s see, if I can come up with some interesting nature images and pass the challenge onto some of my fellow bloggers.

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Lily

Sometimes all it takes is the appreciation of a single flower, as it stands out among the sea of green.  Such was the case here with this beautiful flower.

Hope you enjoy this view toward Spring (sorry Southern Hemisphere…)

Technical Details

This image was captured with my trusty Canon EOS 5D Mk III and 24-105 f/4L lens.  Exposure settings were f/6.3 at 1/160 second at ISO 400.

The Rules

Post a #naturephoto every day and nominate another blogger for this challenge.

Nomination

The challenge of nominating a fellow blogger…  Ata’s Cave, whose blog is very interesting and worth your attention!    If she accepts this challenge, I look forward to the results!

Dogstar Thursday – vol 7

Moose can fly

After a couple of weeks of portrait images, I thought it was time for some playful action…

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Moose!

Meet Moose, a dynamic little dachshund whose energy is just infections.  This is a rather old image from around 2007, if memory serves me, at which time Moose was still very active in agility and loved chasing a ball.

With a little help from Moose’s loyal human, and a couple of test shots, we got this photo. A bit of the right radial blur in post, made Moose into the superstar of dachshunds in flight!

Hope you enjoy this proof that legs are never too short!

Technical Details

This image was captured with a Canon EOS 10D using a 70-200mm f/2.8L lens.  At 1/320 second with f/6.3 aperture at ISO 400.

Winter’s Beauty – pt 4

Warm tones on a cold day

Another entry in the short series on Winter’s Beauty, as today’s temperature went up to 76F!

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Sunset on a Cold Beach

This shot was the final image that I captured during a long, cold day of shooting at various snowy beaches, from which you have seen some other images.  As the sun started setting I wanted to create something that summed up both hope for warmer times and the stark beauty of this chilly beach.

The posts provided a great leading line to juxtapose the water’s edge and the horizon lines.

Hope you enjoy this image!

Technical Details

Shot with a Canon EOS 1D Mk III and a EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM lens.  The exposure settings were f/10 at 1/160 second and 400 ISO.

Three Line Tales – week 6

Reality need not apply!


TLT week six - people at Tate Modern
photo by Samuel Zeller – click here for full res version

Bodies politic,
Factitious for mass appeal.
Decepticon’s rule.

****

Thank you to Sonya of Only 100 Words for coming up with Three Line Tales.

The TLT rules are simple:

  • Take a look at the photo prompt and write three lines to go with it.
  • Your lines can be poetry, micro-fiction, micro non-fiction or just a really long caption – everything goes as long as it’s three lines long.
  • A link back to this post would be nice (it’ll make me feel obliged to swing by yours to read your three lines, and some of your readers might want to join in, too – the more, the merrier, right?).
  • Tag your post with 3LineTales – it’ll make it easier for others to find it in the Reader.
  • Read other participants’ lines.

Please check Sonya’s post Three Line Tales – Week Six for detailed instructions.

Wednesday Wonderment – pt 7

Blossoming just for you

Nature is full of amazing and beautiful displays, many of which are taken for granted.  Go into any grocery store or super market and apples abound; how many of us take a moment to appreciate how this apple started?

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Apple’s True Beauty

About five years ago, I decided to follow the development of an apple orchard, which was close to my daily commute throughout the year.  It’s one of those fun projects that keep one’s interest in photography keen, and taking a walk through an apple orchard in the morning is a great way of invigorating the senses for the day that lies ahead.

This shot is from early May, when the blooms were fully developed, just before the wither and start developing into tasty, crisp New England apples.  With the beautiful light, it was just amazing to look more closely at these trees and their wondrous adornment!

Hope you enjoy this moment of wonder and think about it, when you bite into your next apple.

Technical Details

This image was captured with a Canon EOS 5D Mk II and a 24-105 f/4L lens (with circular polarizing filter).  Settings were  f/10 at 1/400 second with ISO 200.

7-Day Nature Photo Challenge – Day 5

Canada Geese, all in a row!

I was nominated by a fellow blogger, Project Relish, for a 7-Day Nature Photo Challenge.

So for the next week, let’s see, if I can come up with some interesting nature images and pass the challenge onto some of my fellow bloggers.

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Geese on the Quinapoxet

This image goes back almost 12 years, but is one that I still like after all these years.  Of course, the Canada Geese are the main actors in this image, but there’s a bit more to it…

First of all, this was a lovely Autumn day, and I had been tooling around doing a bit of photography, when, all of a sudden, a thought struck my mind that the light would be perfect at the Quinapoxet river in West Boylston, not far from home.  I made it over to the bridge where the river flows into Wachusett reservoir in no time, only to find that I wasn’t the only person with this idea: a number of photographers had taken position on the bridge with nice tripods pointing down the river.

Not easily deterred, I decided to take a different approach and went down to the edge of the river, so that I would shoot from a very shallow angle.  My camera was about 1 foot off the ground during the sequence that I shot to capture these geese.  The shallow angle and whisper of a breeze produced this magnificent reflection of color.  Standing on the bridge would not have resulted in this image.

Also, I discovered that posing geese is not easy, as no amount of brainwaves caused them to line up until this shot, where they are all distinct.  It took more than thirty shots to get this particular one.

 

Technical Details

This image was taken with a Canon EOS 10D and 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 lens.  Exposure settings were f/6.7 at 1/60 second at ISO 400.

The Rules

Post a #naturephoto every day and nominate another blogger for this challenge.

Nomination

The challenge of nominating a fellow blogger…  Holly’s OCA Blog has lots of great information on photography, as well as very cool images; you should definitely check out this talented person’s blog!  If she accepts this challenge, I look forward to the results!

7-Day Nature Photo Challenge – Day 4

Water everywhere!

I was nominated by a fellow blogger, Project Relish, for a 7-Day Nature Photo Challenge.

So for the next week, let’s see, if I can come up with some interesting nature images and pass the challenge onto some of my fellow bloggers.

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Guggins Brook

This photo is the result of my curiosity.  All over Massachusetts, many towns have their own conservation areas, which usually are buffer zones to keep development in check.  Often, these areas are wetlands that are a habitat for many native species, which would otherwise be driven into urban areas with little chance of survival.

Although one can search the internet and find many of these areas with some amount of description, it’s often hard to tell what they will be like and if they are worth the drive over.  The other approach is to notice the (usually) small signs that indicate a conservation area, pull over and start exploring them.

My discovery of Guggins Brook came from my curiosity about what lay behind this sign, which caused me to pull into the small parking area one day on my way to work.  As it had been a wet early April, I was greeted by lots of water and trees just beginning to recover from Winter’s regime.

The short hike through this land was refreshing and had several pleasing vistas, such as this simply composed patch of trees in the wetlands.

Technical Details

This image was captured with my trusty Canon EOS 5D Mk II and 24-105 f/4L lens.  Exposure settings were f/16 at 1/250 second at ISO 400.

The Rules

Post a #naturephoto every day and nominate another blogger for this challenge.

Nomination

The challenge of nominating a fellow blogger…  AgathaO‘s blog provides a wonderful view into the world, as seen by her, which is particularly interesting, as she tends to observe what many of us might miss.  If she accepts this challenge, I certainly will look forward to the results!