My Granddaughter's 7th Birthday party and my Olympus OMD-EM10

Yesterday, we celebrated Savannah's birthdate in the beautiful basement recreation room in her Colorado home. It was a perfect time to test the Olympus OMD-EM10 in low light. I set the camera to the largest aperture that the camera offers, ISO and White Balance Auto and fired away. I was really pleased how the face detection option picked up the kids faces with ease. Here are a few of my photos...

Moon Eclipse - Patience Rewarded with Surprise Photo

On September 27th I decided to set up my gear on my pool deck and wait for an opportunity to get a photo or two of the eclipse of the Supermoon.  Our town, Safety Harbor on Florida's west coast was socked in by clouds.  The Moon was nowhere to be seen.  But patience yielded just a two minute window between 8:20 and 8:22 PM when the clouds cleared a bit.  I took just four images between 7:30 and 10:30 PM.  The airplane crossing in front of the Moon was in only one of those photos.  The only manipulation that I did with this photo was to crop the image into a square format as well as some global sharpening.

This photo generated more than 1200 Likes on Facebook and over 100 on Google+.  The photo was shared countless times. And, it continues to generate feedback.  It is so nice when a plan comes together!

Camera: Nikon D750, Lens: Nikon 200-400mm f4.0 on an Induro tripod with a Wimberly II gimble head.

Photoshop's Content Aware Move Tool

The Content Aware Move Tool.  This was my first use of the Content Aware Move Tool.  I know that it has been around for a while, but I just haven't had any need to use it until now.  Lynn and I were returning to Denver recently from Moab along Scenic Highway 128 which runs along the Colorado River.  The landscape along the road is spectacular.  I noticed these riders on horseback draped by the picturesque mountains on the south side of the highway.  I made a quick U-turn to get the photo below.  By the time that I was able to get my shot the riders had advanced to the right side  of my photo.  While editing this particular photo I marked it to return to for additional editing in Photoshop CC.  I selected the riders and their dust with the Content Aware Move Tool and I was able to move them to the left in the photo so that they would be seen entering the scene.  I think that this photo (above) has a lot more impact.  What do you think?

Patience Improves Bird Photography

Lunch has arrived.

This year I have concentrated on getting interesting, whimsical photos of Florida birds at nesting and birthing times.  To get these shots requires patience, waiting for the right moment when my instincts tell me to release the shutter...many times in bursts to get just the perfect expression from the birds.

 Fish mouth

I was always on the road before sunrise to a few of our researched beach locations.  These were spots where I had previously been and had seen bird activity (mating, nests, eggs, chicks) or where I had received information from other photographers or lovers of wildlife. On one occasion a friend and I traveled by small boat to a barrier island that was known for nesting birds.  Many of the places where I shoot are marked and roped off by the Florida Wildlife Commission and the Audubon Society.  Fortunately, many volunteers spend time at these sites as well to protect the nesting birds.  I always photograph from behind these barriers.

 Black Skimmer Chick with a needle-fish.

Needle-fish seem to be a popular catch for the Skimmers.  On several occasions I have been able to get photos of birds wolfing down these fish.

Lunch with Royal Terns.

Whimsical behavior between the birds makes for some really fun photos that have a lot of impact. Patience is important, but the window for opportunity is important too.  This is a two to three hour opportunity at best.  As the morning temperatures increase and the skies change from blue and clouds to white this usually signals the end of my photography day.  The birds end their fishing and hunker down in their nests with eggs and young. 

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Macro Photography - Spider

Does anyone know what kind of spider this is?  Photographed in Safety Harbor, Florida...Olympus OMD-EM10 with Olympus 60mm macro lens, f11 at 1/30 second.  This spider was less than 1/2 inch long.

When I get bored I go back to my backpack and fish out a lens that I haven't used for awhile and just use that lens exclusively for a while.  That's what I did near my house to get this photo.  This is also a good time to get nice pictures of spider webs that glisten with the morning dew.

This Time of Year is for the Birds

Male Osprey with catch.

 Birds are nesting in Florida. Chicks are breaking out of their eggs.  And birds are fishing and bringing their catches home to their broods. Here are a few of my recent bird photos from Florida's West Coast.

Black Skimmer with fish.

Welcome home.  Least Tern with fish.

Least Tern hand off.

These photos were taken with two Nikon cameras, the new Nikon D750 full frame camera and a Nikon D7000.  Lenses were the Nikon 200-400mm f4 and the Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 with the Nikon 1.7 teleconverter.  It is a good idea to get out now and get these photographs before it gets too hot and the birds go for the shade!

Mourning victims and there families in earthquake stricken Kathmandu.

Lynn and I visited Earthquake stricken Kathmandu in 2012. Today we are sadly mourning those who lost their lives in this new, horrible tragedy. I posted a few photos from Kathmandu here: http://www.crazyabouttravel.com/12-04-India-0007.html