The Villages Polo Spring 2017

First trip of the season to the Polo Matches at the Villages. It seems to be more and more popular each season. I tried to isolate the action instead of shooting when the players were bunched up. Also, this was my first time shooting all in manual so I could control the shutter speed.

Consolation Match April 23, 2017

Spacecoast Birding Festival

This was my second year attending the Spacecoast Birding Festival in Titusville, Florida. Brevard County is a hot spot for birding with the highlight being Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge. People come from all over the US and some foreign countries to attend the festival. They have expert guides for both birding and photography classes, workshops and field trips. I participated in several birding fieldtrips to some new places including Salt Lake. The highlight of the festival was the Gull Fly-In at Daytona Beach Shores where hundreds if not thousands of gulls hang out on the beach at sunset before spending the night on the ocean. There were several expert guides who could identify different species of gulls, including first and second year juveniles. This years festival included a variety of weather conditions  from warm and dry to wet and cold on the last day.

Birds are nesting in the spring in Florida. Some people think the nest locations should be secret but that's difficult when the nest is in a very visible public park. So I am posting the photos a good time after the babies have branched. No one that I know will disturb the wildlife on purpose. Most experienced wildlife photographers know that the farther from the nest the better angle you have. Shooting underneath will make everything distorted.

Practicing Flight Photography

Having a location that you can return to is great for learning. I had the chance to come back and try to get better flight shots with a few adjustments I learned from shooting side by side with other experienced photographers.

I have been fortunate to also photograph an eagles nest, another barred owl nest, a flickr nest and many nests at the Gatorland rookery.

Great Egret chicks at Gatorland

Mead Garden Owlet starting to branch

Great Horned Owlets nesting in an abadoned osprey nest.

Spruce Creek Park in New Symrna Beach

Piers and sunsets are my favorite subjects. Unfortunately most of the parks close right at or before sunset. After hearing a horror story about being locked in I was going to make sure to leave before that happened. I found the Spruce Creek park and pier to be very scenic. Fearing that there would be crowds of people on the pier was unfounded. I arrived early to scope out the best angles and get in some early shots of the pier with the beautiful afternoon light. The pier has a nice angle to it and can be shot while on the pier or at ground level with the marsh in the foreground. Next time I need to bring a red kayak! The sunrise didn't disappoint but it reached its peak as we drove out of the park and down Route one.

Twenty Four Hours on the Connecticut Shore

A birder I met on my last trip to Massachusetts recommended Hammonasset Beach for a great birding spot . Since I was going to visit my Dad in October anyway, I added an extra day to check out Connecticut shore spots. After a frustrating start with a rental car that had push button start I made it to Guilford and checked into the Comfort Inn. Mid afternoon I found my way to Hammonasset Beach State Park. To my delight, the rather steep entrance fees were suspended. I headed south to Meigs Point first. The weather was heavy overcast and drizzle. The beach has some elevation and rocks to add to the interest. I expected more shore birds but only found seagulls. Opposite the beach is a salt marsh and some hiking trails. The most birds I found were in the grass parking lot where the Canada Geese and a few kildeer were congregating. The park closed at 6:30 pm so I spent most of my time at the beach side.

 The following morning I was not hopeful for good weather but decided to drive towards the the State Park again and looking for a spot for sunrise. The State Park didn't open until 8 am but I found a small park off of Route 1 named East Wharf Beach Park. There was a small beach area and a rock pier. The sunrise was not spectacular but the clouds were interesting not as overcast as the day before.

Back at Hammonasset Beach State Park I waited for the gates to open and then headed back down to Meigs Point. There was lots to explore but I concentrated on the beach with the rocks and then the marsh areas. I took a short hike to look for birds and was lead to a barred owl sitting in the open by a friendly birder. Saw a few warblers, downey woodpeckers, cat birds and hundreds of barn swallows.

The red plant is glasswort that turns bright red in the fall.

How many ways can you process an image....

 This version was made after watching Scott Kelby's course on Landscape photo processing. The first version was too yellow, the second was too flat. I try to not overprocess my photos but usually don't go far enough.

Sunrise at Marineland

The beach at Marineland is pretty unique in Florida due to the coquina rocks that are scattered about. As the seasons pass and the weather and tides change, so does the beach. I have been there a half dozen or more times and everytime it's looks like a different place. It's about an hour and a quarter drive from Orlando so the best time to go is when the sunrise is not too early. I chose a time when the tide would be high so the water would be flowing around the rocks. Long exposures work best when the water is flowing in and out showing the movement. Before sunrise, I used an ND filter that is about a three stop, but switched over to the Lee Big Stopper after the sun rose and it was getting brighter. The Lee Big Stopper gives the photos a bluish cast that has to be fixed in lightroom. Today I ordered an inbetween ND filter of 6 stops and will be anxious to try it out.