Icy River at Broadmoor. If I'd been paying more attention I would have noticed that the iso was set to 400, which explains why I wasn't getting the shutter speeds I was expecting. It was very, very cold.
Showing posts with label polarizer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label polarizer. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Daily Photo - Icy River
Icy River at Broadmoor. If I'd been paying more attention I would have noticed that the iso was set to 400, which explains why I wasn't getting the shutter speeds I was expecting. It was very, very cold.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
A Hawk Landed on My Head Today!!!
Well, it may have been a Merlin, I didn't manage to get a picture.
Anyway. I went to Broadmoor this morning since I didn't have to be at work early today. It was freaking cold, 19 degrees or something and windy. I meandered a little, found some ice, and the mostly frozen river and noticed the spillway under a water fall I like got reworked. Only time will tell if they ruined it for photography or not. There also appears to be a new overlook at the wildlife pond, though I didn't explore it.
Wandering around I spotted a hawk in a tree quite far off, and circled around to try to see it better. By the time I got there the blue jays had chased it and a friend off. I stayed to try to photograph some birds with some new tips I got about by 55-250 mm lens (f8, Servo Auto focus, shutter speed 1/320 or faster). I stood there for a good 10-15 minutes, very still with the camera up in front of me, snapping images of some sparrowy looking birds. I heard wings, and felt something land on my head, but almost immediately take off. I felt nothing but a light weight settling on my hat then it was gone. I turned around, expecting a blue jay, though I couldn't figure out why one would land on me. I figured if it had been an attack, I would have been pecked, or been whacked with the wings, there also would have been some shrieking as a warning before any dive-bombing.
A few feet away at eye level was a tiny raptor, grey or brown and white streaked chest, tiny hooked beak, about the size of a jay. He took off before I could get the camera up. I think he had pointed wings, but the people at the Wildlife Center thought he was a sharp-shinned hawk, since merlins aren't as common this time of year. (Mind you just about anyone I know probably wouldn't have held still if they heard wings that close. My cockatiel has been using my head as a landing platform for years now, and I've become accustomed to freezing so she doesn't miss. Most of my relatives start freaking out when she takes off, which of course in turn freaks her out more.)
So apparently in this getup and not moving I look like a very inviting tree stump. Especially since I was about 10 feet away from what I suspect would have been breakfast.
I find it extremely funny that on my first day actively birdwatching a hawk landed on my head. I did manage some much, much better pics of small birds, though none were outstanding.
A few of my very close to actually focused birds... not too heavily cropped.
American Robin
White Throated Sparrow (maybe)
Northern Cardinal (female)
No idea, it had a little yellow on the top of its head and yellow and black wings. It also sat still almost long enough to focus then would take off again.
About the size of the above birds in their original files.
Basic tips for the lens included get closer, which I'm not so good at.
I bought some thermal pants, so maybe I'll go out again tomorrow.
Anyway. I went to Broadmoor this morning since I didn't have to be at work early today. It was freaking cold, 19 degrees or something and windy. I meandered a little, found some ice, and the mostly frozen river and noticed the spillway under a water fall I like got reworked. Only time will tell if they ruined it for photography or not. There also appears to be a new overlook at the wildlife pond, though I didn't explore it.
Wandering around I spotted a hawk in a tree quite far off, and circled around to try to see it better. By the time I got there the blue jays had chased it and a friend off. I stayed to try to photograph some birds with some new tips I got about by 55-250 mm lens (f8, Servo Auto focus, shutter speed 1/320 or faster). I stood there for a good 10-15 minutes, very still with the camera up in front of me, snapping images of some sparrowy looking birds. I heard wings, and felt something land on my head, but almost immediately take off. I felt nothing but a light weight settling on my hat then it was gone. I turned around, expecting a blue jay, though I couldn't figure out why one would land on me. I figured if it had been an attack, I would have been pecked, or been whacked with the wings, there also would have been some shrieking as a warning before any dive-bombing.
A few feet away at eye level was a tiny raptor, grey or brown and white streaked chest, tiny hooked beak, about the size of a jay. He took off before I could get the camera up. I think he had pointed wings, but the people at the Wildlife Center thought he was a sharp-shinned hawk, since merlins aren't as common this time of year. (Mind you just about anyone I know probably wouldn't have held still if they heard wings that close. My cockatiel has been using my head as a landing platform for years now, and I've become accustomed to freezing so she doesn't miss. Most of my relatives start freaking out when she takes off, which of course in turn freaks her out more.)
So apparently in this getup and not moving I look like a very inviting tree stump. Especially since I was about 10 feet away from what I suspect would have been breakfast.
I find it extremely funny that on my first day actively birdwatching a hawk landed on my head. I did manage some much, much better pics of small birds, though none were outstanding.
A few of my very close to actually focused birds... not too heavily cropped.
American Robin
White Throated Sparrow (maybe)
Northern Cardinal (female)
No idea, it had a little yellow on the top of its head and yellow and black wings. It also sat still almost long enough to focus then would take off again.
About the size of the above birds in their original files.
Basic tips for the lens included get closer, which I'm not so good at.
I bought some thermal pants, so maybe I'll go out again tomorrow.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Daniel Webster
Another Sunday morning at Daniel Webster in Marshfield. I'm extremely lazy about going out in October and November, partially due to the weather, but also due to the fact it now gets dark within an hour of getting out of work. It keeps raining on the weekends, so I keep getting trapped at home.
Above and Below are only different due to a twist of the circular polarizer.
I took some colorful leaf pics before my basic proclivities reappeared and i noticed all the fungus covered tree limbs that fell down the day before.
There were plenty of weird berries and such ready for the critters willing to eat them.
Canadian Geese, there's a closeup farther down.
Even the Poison Ivy is changing pretty colors.
Reflections of sky.
There were a few dozen of these guys all over the place. Oddly enough the only other birds I saw in large numbers were crows and starlings.
Overall I had fun, though it wasn't as interesting as it has been before.
Above and Below are only different due to a twist of the circular polarizer.
I took some colorful leaf pics before my basic proclivities reappeared and i noticed all the fungus covered tree limbs that fell down the day before.
There were plenty of weird berries and such ready for the critters willing to eat them.
Canadian Geese, there's a closeup farther down.
Even the Poison Ivy is changing pretty colors.
Reflections of sky.
There were a few dozen of these guys all over the place. Oddly enough the only other birds I saw in large numbers were crows and starlings.
Overall I had fun, though it wasn't as interesting as it has been before.
Monday, August 17, 2009
North Dakota Clouds
Most of these were taken on rt 83 in North Dakota, around the Minot area. It's freaking cloud photographer heaven here. Most were through car windows, but I managed to avoid reflections on almost all of them.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Cape Cod National Seashore - Beaches
A very useful fact I learned this year is that after 4 pm the lifeguards no longer patrol, so the National Seashore beaches become free. This is ideal for me since I have no interest in actually swimming in freezing cold Massachusetts water, but do want to wander around beaches when the lighting is good. Last year I just paid for one beach on my last day and hit them all in succession on my way home. I remembered that last year that the last beach hadn't wanted to see the receipt, so wondered if there was a reason. Too bad I didn't find this out until the second to last day. I could have been to the beaches every night.
I took dozens of pictures one night as the seagulls rode the wind up and down the beach at sunset. Only 2 or 3 images came out focused as it was my first use of my long zoom lens in a few months.
I didn't position this feather, it really was sitting on the beach lined up nicely like that.
After 4 dogs are also allowed on the beaches. This came from a tiny little dog playing in the surf.
All three of these were the same day, though each is on a different beach. The clouds were awesome that day. I have plenty more pictures, but most have boats on the horizons, which I'm not too fond of. For some reason they were lining up to the left of the above picture.
On the last day I went on a Sand Dune Tour. It wasn't bad, but I've been on better tours. They drive you around to see some beach shacks, you get a little of the area's history and you get to take pictures at an overlook at the end. Overall not a bad tour.
Pine Tree at Province Sands Park Headquarters. It was the perfect time of day to catch the light on the tree, but have the sky dark enough to not wash out.
I took dozens of pictures one night as the seagulls rode the wind up and down the beach at sunset. Only 2 or 3 images came out focused as it was my first use of my long zoom lens in a few months.
I didn't position this feather, it really was sitting on the beach lined up nicely like that.
After 4 dogs are also allowed on the beaches. This came from a tiny little dog playing in the surf.
All three of these were the same day, though each is on a different beach. The clouds were awesome that day. I have plenty more pictures, but most have boats on the horizons, which I'm not too fond of. For some reason they were lining up to the left of the above picture.
On the last day I went on a Sand Dune Tour. It wasn't bad, but I've been on better tours. They drive you around to see some beach shacks, you get a little of the area's history and you get to take pictures at an overlook at the end. Overall not a bad tour.
Pine Tree at Province Sands Park Headquarters. It was the perfect time of day to catch the light on the tree, but have the sky dark enough to not wash out.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Great Island - Wellfleet
This is a trail I didn't try last year, so was all new this year. I quite enjoyed the chunk I went on. I arrived around low tide, which is really the best time to walk in tidal flats, or on a beach. The trail went much farther than I ended up walking, and the furthest parts are underwater at some high tides. Just like at Audubon's Wellfleet Bay there were plenty of fiddler crabs underfoot. The parts of the trail I went on had no shade whatsoever, so plan for a hot walk. I was a little disappointed by a huge house? being built quite close to the trail so construction noises echoed all around.
The clouds were a little better than I'd been getting previously, so I took lots of sand dunes with sky or clouds pics there. I also got there near noon, so my circular polarizer could work without heavily altering colors. Keep in mind this is a very cheap polarizer, it came in a set with a UV filter for $20.
^Circular polarizer set at diff rotations, same time as below
The polarizer limits light from diff angles from entering the lens, which has several uses, making skies bluer, killing reflections on wet surfaces, and at least partially removing reflections on shiny surfaces.
Sections of the beach were closed off for breeding birds, but the section that was open I found quite nice, and healthier seeming than the basic beach at the resort we all stay at. This beach had plenty of barnacles and snails on the rocks that were being exposed by low tide. I've found the resort beach to be a generic beach, ie it has sand, small amounts of shells, and rocks, but very little interesting life. The fact that they tractor it at least once a week to keep it neat likely doesn't help its sterility.
Several cement and stone poles, possibly left over from a dock, had awesome bright yellow lichen growing on them.
Other than the WellFleet Bay Sanctuary this is my next favorite place for photos on the Cape. It would have been even better if the dang darner dragonflies would have just landed.
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