Photography From Florida
OMG! It's a Photography Posting!
Yes, it would seem that I've been posting about many photography goods, but little about my own photography. One little known tidbit is that I do publish my images online, I just happen to publish them on other sites, forums, etc. Usually specific to the kind of photography that I do. Hey, when it comes to my own site, I lean more towards text than images. Weird, I know. :)
This particular photograph on the right is a Monarch Butterfly, which I photographed in Florida at one of the zoos with my 70-200mm lens.
More Fauna...
What I found, photographing in Florida, aside from the fact that we have it GREAT in California, in terms of weather and heat, is that I truly enjoy photographing wildlife. Especially, birds!
This shot of a bright white Heron was one of some 32 other shots I took of that one bird, in that particular pose, with various other photographers, children, and eco-tourists milling about.
While the jury is out regarding what does and doesn't work, when it comes to out of focus highlights, I happen to love the highlights from the water, as they are rendered by the lens I was using, the 70-200mm f/4 "beercan" telezoom lens.
I believe most of my shots were with that lens, actually. A great lens that performs wonderfully...
Where's the Flora!?
Yes, Florida does indeed have ALOT of plant life. Pictured here on the left was a nice closeup shot, of some lovely and colorful plants in the water. Mother Nature does such a wonderful job of presenting all of the beauty of the world, that sometimes, it isn't so much that there isn't anything to shoot... but it's a matter of information overload and we find it VERY hard to decide on what to shoot.
I've found that when I'm out in the field, memory card space is cheap. The ticket and time spent getting there wasn't, so I snap away. It moves, I shoot. It doesn't move, I shoot. To the chagrin of those with me, it does indeed look like I'm just shooting at anything and everything. Perhaps I am.
My wife has actually commented that our trip to the Florida Everglades was like a photographic buffet for me. So much nature and wildlife, like out of a National Geographic... just on the side of the road. It can be quite overwhelming... and in my case, it can REALLY tire out your shooting arm!
Perhaps, there is just so much to shoot
While walking through what I might call a swamp in California, but is actually just a small segment of the river flowing through Florida's Everglades, I encountered this clearing in the water. A grove of trees amidst the stalks and stumps of their predecessors. The scene looked so tranquil that I wanted to take a photo that captured the feeling. This is one of the few shots, which I did not shoot with my long telephoto, but with my Tamron 17-55mm f/2.8.
My real regret with this show was that I did not have something truly wide... or perhaps fisheye. A fellow photographer and co-worker would later indicate that he went and got a Nikkor 10mm wide angle. *sigh* Well, someday. Someday.
It's Just Not The Everglades until... you see an Alligator!
Really, it really isn't a trip to the Florida Everglades, for me, until I've seen an alligator... whether its by the road, on the sidewalk, or in the water... I love watching them.
This one, while it looks close, was shot from about 6-8 feet away from the critter, from a gentle slope bank. No fence, no gate. Just a healthy bit of distance between me and those awe inspiring features.
This one was DEFINITELY shot with the 70-200mm... close to the 200mm end of that zoom range. ;) I like em, but not enough so that I want to experience their speed and power first hand.
There are, of course, many more photographs from that trip. I caught site of a beautiful and extremely large piliated wood pecker. I got REAL close to a fairly rare miniature blue heron. Got to capture a couple of turtles and an alligator sharing floating platform. Rode by a clutch of baby alligators and their mother. And, of course, got to go around chasing ever so cute Ibis(s)... right after watching a water moccasin glide powerfully and effortlessly through the waters.
Regarding the cottonmouth, there is NOTHING like the personal fear of knowing that snake can take my life, it can race up the tree and onto my platform, just a mere 2 feet away from it, and take a bite at me.
But, like much of the wildlife in Florida, they really just want to be left alone. If you don't bug them, they won't bug you. Visiting Florida's Everglades has impressed upon me both how fragile that ecosystem is... and how wonderfully beautiful and powerful it can be.
(Note: All of the images displayed above are Copyrighted materials. If you wish to make use of my images, please contact me for usage rights prior to making use of them. Thank you.)
What did I shoot with?
Well, I had my Konica Minolta 7D body, which was responsible for all of the above lovely photographs. I had three lenses with me, but only really shot with two. The first, my trusty 70-200mm f/4 "beercan". Long since discontinued, but you can definitely get great shots with equivalent lenses. The next was my 17-50mm f/2.8.
I had a whole bunch of batteries with me. My camera bag. And a good number of Sandisk UltraII 4GB CF cards.
 | The Art and Science of Butterfly Photography author: William Folsom asin: 1584280190 |
 | Practical Manual of Captive Animal Photography: The Step-By-Step Guide to Photographing Wildlife in Zoos, Aquaria, and Other Controlled Habitats author: Michael Havelin asin: 1584280239 |
 | Dynamic Wildlife Photography: Techniques for Creating Captivating Images author: Cathy Illg,Gordon Illg asin: 1584281308 |
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