Tag Archives: landscape

Epic Utah road trip – Chapter 1

July 17, 2016OUTSIDE FLORIDA, Utahbluebird, Deer, Flowers, landscape, Marmot, sunrise, travel, vacation, wildlifeEd Rosack

I have many “out of Florida” photos to share with you today from Utah. MK wanted to take a short sightseeing trip out there over the 4th of July weekend and asked me to be her travel buddy. Of course, I couldn’t turn that down! Last year on my trip out west , I passed up seeing Zion and Bryce Canyon because I wanted more time in Death Valley National Park. I’m glad I got to go back.

Flowers at daybreak – Cedar Breaks National Monument. We visited this beautiful place twice. The second time before dawn, when we were the only ones there.

Because this was my first time there and our visit was so short, I’m going to write more of a “travel log” instead of a “what and where they are and how to photograph them”. I wouldn’t try to write that until I was way more familiar with the area. I will say that it is spectacularly scenic and if you get a chance, just go. You’ll find all sorts of things to point your camera at.

The first place we visited was Cedar Breaks National Monument. It was a surprise to me – I hadn’t really heard of it before. It’s very scenic and has a lot of wildlife too. We saw many deer on the trip. Unfortunately, there were several on the side of the road – we watched carefully to make sure we didn’t hit any.

Morning deer

We actually went by Cedar Breaks twice. The second day, we left early to find a sunrise spot and ended up there. By ourselves – magnificent!

Sunrise at Point Supreme – Cedar Breaks

We were walking through the visitors area and I was looking around in the trees trying to find the bird making a very strange call I didn’t recognize. A nice German gentleman came up to me and pointed out the Marmot that was making the racket. A bit embarrassing – but I did get a photo.

Yellow Bellied Marmot

Our bird watching was casual, but I did record one new life bird.

Mountain Bluebird – These were quite common at Cedar Breaks National Monument

One other place we wandered to was Brian Head Peak – a very scenic ski town. You can tell from the first photo and this one that there were lots of wildflowers blooming – a beautiful bonus!

Flowers by the road to the top – On the way up to 11,000 feet at Brian Head Peak, Utah

Here’s a summary of our trip:

53 hours duration (Saturday morning – Monday evening)
1,091 miles driven
3 National Parks (Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef)
3 National Monuments (Cedar Breaks, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Timpanagos)
1 All-American Scenic Byway (Route 12)
1 life bird (Mountain Bluebird)
1 Yellow-Bellied Singing Marmot
1 Elk
Lots of deer
14 stamps for MK’s National Park Service passport
700+ photos
1 epic father-daughter Utah road trip! We were so very tired when we got home!

What a terrific trip – thank you MK! I’m still going through the photos and adding favorites to my Utah album on Flickr. You can take a look there if you want to see more. And click on any of the photos in this post to see a larger version on Flickr.

I’ll work on a post with photos from the other spots next week. Until then, thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Now, go make some photos!

July's for the birds…

July 10, 2016INSIDE FLORIDA, Osceola Countybirds, bobwhite, Burrowing Owl, Cow, landscape, Sandhill Crane, sunrise, whooping crane, wildlifeEd Rosack

Kevin M. and I knowingly and by chance violated many photography thumb rules yesterday morning. My first example:

Sunrise over the pasture

As landscape photos go, it breaks rules: It’s not all in focus; I didn’t use a low ISO to minimize noise; I used a long lens (so I could keep power lines out of the frame), not a wide-angle ; And I didn’t use a tripod. But I like how it turned out. I’m pleased by the composition and colors. It also has a bit of mystery with the fog, and the cows that are a bit hidden. Florida does look like this.

Next up are some bird photos. In Florida, July is one of the hottest months. Most photographers know this and many choose to stay inside – because the birds know this too and many of them also seem to disappear when it’s this hot. So what did we do? We went out looking for birds.

When we were photographing sunrise, we heard Bobwhites calling and spotted this one on the fence by the pasture. It was very patient and waited with us for better light. But I still had to violate one of my thumb rules and shoot at ISO 3200 to get a decent photo. By the way, let me just say again that technology today is wonderful. This image was at a focal length of 600mm, with a shutter speed of 1/50 second, hand-held!

Northern Bobwhite

The Burrowing Owl was a little way down on the same fence line. By this time the light was somewhat better and I could shoot at ISO 1600 and 1/100 sec. Still pretty impressive stabilization and sensor performance.

Burrowing Owl

Those three photos were at our first stop! Kevin wanted to show me some Red-cockaded Woodpeckers he’d spotted at the Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area. I’ve been there before looking for them and this time we think we heard some, but didn’t manage to see or photograph any.

We did spot some other not so common birds including Brown-headed Nuthatches, Common Ground Doves, and Eastern Meadowlarks.

On the way back, we went by a farm where one of Florida’s Whooping Cranes hangs out. I’ve been there several times looking for it without success. Until this time:

Whooping Crane and two Sandhill Cranes

This is more of a record shot than a great photo. The light is harsh and the birds are beyond the range limit for this lens so it’s cropped in. And the July heat was making waves too, harming the image quality. But I still like it. Thumb rules? Who needs stinking’ thumb rules!

Until the 1930s, Whooping Cranes occurred naturally in Florida (see this article on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation site). There have been efforts to re-introduce them by leading them with ultra-light planes on migration routes (see this site). In January 2016, the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced they’d “stop supporting the use of ultralight aircraft to help young whooping cranes migrate from Wisconsin to Florida each fall”. Studies show that interacting with humans has a negative effect on the birds. I’m pretty sure this particular Whooping Crane is a survivor of the program. It’s banded yellow over green on its left leg, but a short google search didn’t turn up any info.

So rules of thumb are good – especially if you understand them and know when to break them. Breaking the rules led me to a sunrise photo I like and four life-birds yesterday (thanks Kevin!). By the way, you can click on any of these for larger versions on Flickr.

And thanks to all of you for stopping by and reading my blog. Now, go make some photos!

P.S. Stay tuned for some photo stories from Utah. MK and I had an epic weekend out there and I’ll share it when I finish processing the images.

On the water's edge, waiting for sunrise

July 3, 2016INSIDE FLORIDA, Merritt Island NWRlandscape, sunriseEd Rosack

East Gator Creek Road at sunrise, November 2012

On the water’s edge, watching the sun rise.
Distant clouds add color and rays to a magnificent moment.
Reflected sunlight reaching around a rock close to shore, creates golden ripples.

I stand – tripod steady; camera set; release in hand.
Deciding which instant to save and relive later.

Did it matter? Musing now, they are all marvelous moments.

I got up one morning almost four years ago at 4:30am to go out with my camera and make this photo. I enjoyed making the photo. I don’t really remember not enjoying the early wake up. Lately, I’ve slept in. I need to either go back to getting up early or turn into a sunset photographer.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Now, go make some photos!

Sunrise and Terns

May 29, 2016Cocoa, Cocoa Beach Pier, INSIDE FLORIDAbirds, birds in flight, landscape, least tern, people, sunriseEd Rosack

Tom M. and I went over to Cocoa Beach last week. Jim B. told us about some Least Terns nesting on a hotel rooftop there, and we wanted to take a look.

I got up at o-dark-thirty and met Tom to drive over. Our reward was a gorgeous morning!

Seeing the sun rise above the sea soothed her soul

I don’t know the woman in this photo. She was enjoying the sunrise too, and I was grateful for her contribution to my composition.

When the sunrise show was over, we headed south on SR A1A to find the Terns. They were right where Jim said they would be. We knew we were in the right place when we noticed all the guano in the parking lot and on the cars.

The birds were flying off the roof in small groups with an occasional eruption of what seemed like the entire colony. At times there must’ve been over a hundred in the air.

Least Tern in flight

They’re small (8 or 9 inches long) and fast and erratic flyers. To get a photo, you’ll need a long lens, good technique, and / or persistence and some good luck. I used my Nikon D-800 with the Tamron 150 – 600mm lens. Even with such a long lens, I had to crop these two images pretty heavily. The main issues I had were trying to follow the birds in such a magnified field of view – and hoping that the focus on my camera could keep up.

Getting consistent results is difficult. I took many photos and got few keepers. Tracking something so small, fast, and erratic with a long telephoto lens takes some practice!

Least Tern in flight with minnow

Cocoa and the surrounding area is a very photogenic place. You can see other photos I’ve made there in this set on Flickr. And you can also read Jim’s blog post about the Terns at this link: ~~http://jbophoto.com/least-terns-2/~~ (sorry – no longer available). Thanks Jim!

And thanks to all of you for stopping by and reading my blog. Now – go make some photos!

Early Friday at MINWR

May 1, 2016INSIDE FLORIDA, Merritt Island NWRbirds, BPWD, Fish, landscape, Little Blue Heron, Mottled Duck, Osprey, sunrise, wildlifeEd Rosack

I don’t have much to say this morning, so the photos will have to do most of the talking. I started yesterday along the Indian River at Space View Park.

Watching the morning sun. This is a two frame, blended exposure. I made the bottom half exposed for the water with a Neutral Density filter to slow my shutter speed to 20 seconds at ISO 100 and f/11. I made the top part with the filter off, exposed for the sunrise at ISO 100, f/11, 1/100 second. I was very happy to see the Osprey fly through the frame with a fish as I clicked the shutter. I blended them together in Photoshop with a layer mask.

I planned to drive around on Gator Creek Road next, but it was closed – so I headed to Black Point Wildlife Drive.

Juvenile Little Blue Heron. There were several around, so they must be nesting nearby. I’ve seen Green Herons breeding there, but not Little Blue Herons.

A Mottled Duck. I don’t spot these too often. When I looked it up, I learned (or maybe re-learned) some things. Mottled Ducks are related to both Black Ducks and Mallards, and are the only duck adapted to breeding in southern marshes. The Florida population is a subspecies and the male has lost its distinctive plumage so that the both sexes are colored alike.

You can click on these photos to see larger versions, and I have many more MINWR images in this album on Flickr.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Now – go make some photos!

Fireflies at Fanning Springs

April 24, 2016INSIDE FLORIDA, OcalaCow, Cypress, fanning springs, firefly, Flowers, landscape, manatee springs, panorama, reflection, suwannee, wildlifeEd Rosack

Lynn and I drove over to the Suwannee River west of Gainesville, Florida last week and stayed for a couple of nights at Fanning Springs State Park in one of their cabins.

Into the Suwannee River – The Manatee Springs run into the Suwannee.

It turns out that April is peak season for Fireflies, at least around here. It’s been many years since we’ve seen any and it was a treat to watch them. On the second night, I set up my camera on a tripod and used the remote control app on my phone to make this photo from the mosquito free comfort of the screened porch at the cabin.

Fireflies 2 – I used my Olympus E-M5 Mark II in Live Composite mode. This is an ~11 minutes total exposure, with ~330 frames at 2 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1600 each. Composited in camera.

We saw other wildlife too, including lots of birds and a few Gulf Sturgeons jumping in Fanning Springs. I managed to catch this snake swimming through the high water at Manatee Springs with my iPhone.

Florida Brown Water Snake – Manatee Springs, Florida

It’s a great time of year for a drive in Central Florida too. We enjoyed the beautiful wildflowers blooming along most of the roads.

Train Track Wildflowers – Next to the Williston, Florida Train Depot

And the farms in the Ocala area along our route are both scenic and idyllic.

Greener Pastures – A cattle ranch near Ocala, Florida

Fanning Springs and Manatee Springs are about 7 miles apart along the Suwannee. Both offer kayaking, and swimming (usually), and many other activities. High water at Fanning closed the swimming when we were there, but Manatee was open.

You can rent kayaks and canoes, and if you put in at Fanning, you can coast with the current down to Manatee. There’s a service that will return you back to your starting point. This sounds like a relaxing paddle to Lynn and I and we plan to try it next time. We’ll have to watch out for the jumping Sturgeons, though. There’s also a pontoon boat tour you can take from the concession at Manatee.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Now – go enjoy some Florida State Parks and make some photos too!

Merritt Island – March 30, 2016

April 3, 2016INSIDE FLORIDA, Merritt Island NWR, St. Johns RiverAlligator, birds, BPWD, Flowers, landscape, Spoonbill, sunrise, wildlifeEd Rosack

I went over to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge last week with Tom M. Here are a few of the things we saw on this trip.

St. Johns Sunrise – silver lining and sun rays: This is a long exposure (10 second) image I made at the boat ramp on the St. Johns where it meets HW 50. The water is higher than I’ve seen it there before

Pollen covered Bumble Bee on Purple Thistle: These thistles are blooming all over Black Point Wildlife Drive. The pollen on this bee may be an indication of why we’re having such severe allergy problems here in Central Florida.

Spoonbill in the reeds: There were many other birds around too.

Life and death in the Florida wild: The bird (a female Red-breasted Merganser) was looking for fish along a small grass island in the distance. I glanced over when I heard some splashing but couldn’t see anything at first. Then I noticed this alligator with the bird. The struggle was hard to watch, but mercifully brief.

On a related subject, you may have seen news about the recent fish kills we’ve had in the Indian River Lagoon. These are occurring just south of MINWR, nearer Melbourne, Florida. As we were driving around the refuge, I was struck by how natural it looked and by the absence of any dead fish. I’m very thankful that the Refuge has preserved this natural area for us to enjoy.

I worry about the areas where fertilizer runoff and septic tank leakage can lead to pollution, brown tide, lack of oxygen and dead fish and animals. I hope that we can figure out solutions so that people living near our natural resources don’t damage them.

OK, sorry for the commentary. Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Now – go make some photos!

Circle B Bar Reserve – February 20, 2016

February 28, 2016Circle B Bar Reserve, INSIDE FLORIDA, Must do listbirds, Great Horned Owl, Green Heron, landscape, reflection, sunrise, Yellow-rumped WarblerEd Rosack

Surprisingly, it’s been 2 1/2 years since I’ve been to the Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland, Florida. Surprising because although it is a longer drive for me, it’s such a wonderful place. Every time I go, I realize again that it’s well worth the time.

Anyway, four of us from the Photography Interest Group woke up very early (me at 4:25 am!) and headed over. Sunrise wasn’t as colorful as some mornings are, but the calm winds made for nice reflections.

Calm morning – Looking west before sunrise

When we had enough light, we all shifted to birding mode and explored. The temperature was just right for walking around. We saw many warblers in the trees and bushes – I think most were Yellow-rumped, but I’m not so good with IDs on smaller birds.

U lookin’ at me? Yellow-rumped Warbler

And the canals were full of wading birds looking for breakfast.

Green Heron

In spots the surface of the water was completely covered with duckweed, but incredibly the birds still managed to grab small minnows.

Snowy Egret and minnow

I saw another egret pounce and come up with a stick, but as I watched it dropped the stick and kept and swallowed the minnow that was also in its beak – amazing skills!

We also saw a good variety of other birds including some less common ones: hawks, Osprey, a Barred Owl, Cardinals, Belted Kingfishers, Sandhill Cranes, Caspian Terns, a Black Crowned Night Heron, an American Bittern, a Carolina Wren, a Sora, a Swamp Sparrow, American Robins, an Eastern Phoebe, and others.

On the way out we parked for a few minutes to meet some famous new arrivals.

Great Horned Owl nest and chicks

It wasn’t hard to find this nest – the tree was roped off, and a volunteer was doing a good job protecting the site and keeping all the photographers in order and back away from the birds! It was nice to see these two little ones, and it was nice that all the people were polite and respected the bird’s space.

You can find more info and photos at these links:

The Circle B Bar Reserve is an extraordinary place – one of the many blessings we count here in Florida. If you haven’t been there, go.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Now, go make some photos!

Orlando Wetlands Festival 2016

February 18, 2016INSIDE FLORIDA, Must do list, Orlando Wetlandsfog, landscape, sunriseEd Rosack

Just a quick and early post this week to make sure everyone knows about the Orlando Wetlands festival this Saturday (2/20/2016).

Smoke on the water – Morning mist on Lake Searcy at Orlando Wetlands Park

It starts at 9am and since attendance has grown so much, you’ll have to park this year at Fort Christmas and ride the free shuttles out to the Wetlands. Please look at their main page for info on the latest festival:

https://www.orlando.gov/Parks-the-Environment/Directory/Wetlands-Park

You’ll have fun and learn about this outstanding outdoor resource for our area.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Now, go make some photos – at Orlando Wetlands Park!

Foggy morning start

February 7, 2016INSIDE FLORIDA, Merritt Island NWRbirds, BPWD, dew drop, fog, fogbow, Gull, landscape, panorama, reflection, Spoonbill, wildlifeEd Rosack

“This grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never all dried at once; …”
― John Muir

The first part of my visit to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge last Tuesday (2/2/16) was about as foggy as I’ve ever seen. So much so that I was happy to follow a large truck along SR 46 on the way over – better than feeling my way through the low visibility on my own.

For some reason, I’d taken a macro lens with me and I was happy to use it on the following image:

Nature’s necklace – Foggy mornings dew along Black Point Wildlife Drive. This is a 5 frame, hand-held focus stack.

One of my on-line friends (Dorothy) asked me on Flickr how I got the reflections in the dew drops. They were really a gift from nature. I could see lots of dew covered webs from the car, and I watched for one where I could frame the drops standing out against a clear background. When I found this particular one, I had to figure out how to best image them. One part of it was making sure the sensor plane was as close to parallel with the lines of drops as possible. I stopped down to f/8 for increased depth of field. Then I focused on the front string and made a high-speed sequence while I rocked slowly forward. This captured about 17 frames with different parts of the scene in focus. Back at my computer, I picked 5 of the frames and made a focus stack to get as much as possible in sharp focus. The last steps were to do some selective contrast / sharpening on just the drops. I like the way it turned out.

As I explored further on Black Point Wildlife Drive, I saw something for the first time – a fogbow:

Fogbow and birds in the misty morning marsh. This is a two frame panorama (and exposure bracket) that I blended manually in Photoshop. See this post for an explanation of my technique.

Fogbows are mostly colorless because the water drops in fog are so small that diffraction smears the colors. Physics in action!

Eventually, the fog cleared and I was able to get some good light on a few birds.

Spoonbill along Black Point Wildlife Drive

Double Gull stare-down – along the causeway into MINWR

You can click on these photos to see larger versions on Flickr. And you can view an album of my MINWR photos here and some other fog / mist photos in this album.

I’ll leave you with another John Muir quote:

“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” – John Muir

That perfectly expresses my feelings after I got home last Tuesday.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Now – go ‘walk with nature’ and make some photos!

Central Florida Photo Ops

What and where they are and how to photograph them.