The Venice Rookery

I arrived late yesterday afternoon in the middle of a rain storm. I decided to lay low and get a early start this morning. Up at 6:00 and the rain had quit, but it was very overcast and misting. I set out for the rookery after stopping at McDonalds for a large coffee...yuck. I arrived at 6:15, but the available light was still not enough for picture taking, so I mounted a flash for fill light and got started. The anhinga here is a male and was very co-opertive. All in all, it was a fair day at the rookery....I ended the day with 580 pics. Packing up and moving to Kissimmee tonight.

All comments are welcome...Thanks for following me.

Steve

Michigan 2009 Video

I went to Michigan in July. I'm just now getting around to posting the photos. I created a video....Let me know if you like it ! I may start posting all future photos in video form. Comments are welcome, even the bad ones.

Steve

Photo Trip to Florida

I will be leaving Wednesday morning for a photo trip to Florida. I will post some photos here. My first stop will be The Venice Rookery, in South Venice, Florida. This is my favorite place for bird photos, so I hoping the weather and birds co-operate. Here is one from last year. Happy shooting !

The Story Behing the Photo

This was my "Last Photo of the Day", thus the name. It was late November in 2008 and the Florida sunset was just beautiful as always. I had been shooting all afternoon for about four hours and was trying to tear down and get back to the motel. It seemed like there was photos to be taken everywhere as the sun was very co-operative. I set up and just waited for the birds to fly through. The moment came at 6:08 pm using a Canon 1D Mark III & 100-400 zoom lens set at F5.6 at 1/6400 sec. ISO 400....Multi-segment exposure with no compensation.

Photo Tip of the Week

Most people prefer to set their Point & Shoot cameras to the auto setting and let the camera decide whats in order for the best shot at any given moment. I prefer to set my camera manually and make the camera do what I want. I have always suggested that you practice shooting with different apertures and monitor the results afterwards to learn how depth-of-field affects your photo.
You will find that a smaller depth-of-field (and smaller f-stop #) focuses all the attention upon your subject. This is great for taking a picture of your child, your dog or your husband .... subjects stand out against a blurry background.
Likewise, you will find that a greater depth-of-field (bigger f-stop number) will make everything from here to eternity appear in focus. This will help make those landscapes fascinating and lovely. In todays digital world, you don't have to worry about making mistakes, just delete and start over. This is a great tool for learning.
If you find these tips helpful, please take time to comment. Thanks, Steve.

The Story Behing the Photo

This photo was taken in early November, 2008. I was looking for some late fall foilage on this trip to the Great Smoky Mtns NP. I had seen this mountain cabin on several previous trips to the Roaring Fork trail, but this time I decided to walk around and shoot from the rear of the cabin. I was struck by this vantage point, which was new to me. I decided to make a HDR (High Dynamic Range) photo, which is a combination of of several different exposures. It revealed the highlights and shadows very well. This image was taken November 6, 2008 at 3:30 in the afternoon, using a Canon 5D, tripod mounted, at 1/60 & F11. I used a 16-35mm lens set at 16mm, ISO 400.

Photo Tip of the Week

When taking photos in a national park, visit the national park's website. Many of them offer insider photo tips that are specific to that park. Stop at the visitor's center for the latest safety information and wildlife notices. Talk to a park ranger. They are an invaluable source for information about the park and its wildlife. Always take a short walk before you begin shooting, looking for good photo subjects and backgrounds. Pay attention to the light and from what direction it is coming from. If possible, begin very early or stay late...that is usually the best light. Happy Shooting !