Primrose

The indoor macro marathon continues...

Daisy Macro

With the bitter cold weather still with us and with a wind blowing at 25mph, the local florist was my best bet for some macro shots of flowers. I'm afraid that I will capture this daisy from every angle before the weather changes for the better!! (best detail in large view)

More Macro Fun

Seeing things differently through the macro lens...! (click large view for detail)

Bud

Twenty five days until Spring .......but then, who is counting?

Fresh Ground

The old vaudeville joke went something like this: Customer.."Hey, this coffee taste like mud"! Waitress: "What do ya want?..it was fresh ground this morning".
Sorry.

Welcome Back

From way back in "The day" a 1970's era Health teacher image. A scanned old photo found by my sweetheart and a dare to "post it" on this blog! Way cool tie but where did all that hair go?

Beach Glass

A cold winter day might just be the ideal time to experiment with indoor macro shots. Backlighting beach glass is certainly not a new idea but it is a fun way to stay on the learning curve!

Dead Calm

A most unusal moment on the Great South Bay as a very calm afternoon had the bay looking more like a pond.

Winter Jetty

Reminders that it still is winter are at every turn, however I do notice the days getting longer!

(Best in larger view, click on the picture)

Golden Spiral

The theme for a recent photo challenge was "Fibonacci". After first Googling "Pasta types", then "famous Italian Liars", I came to learn that Fibonacci was actually a rather distinguished mathematician from the 1200's. Evidently on a slow night in 1202 Fibbie, as he was known to his buds, came up with a theory about the sequencing of numbers in nature. Astonishing to math mavens and mildly interesting to the general population, his book "Liber Abaci" introduced his theory of numerical sequencing to Western Europe. (It had been used in ancient India circa 200B.C., but that's another story..). Soo, flashing forward to 2009 a macro shot of a Nautilus shell (illustrating his sequential theory in nature) might just make a decent photo entry for a Fibonacci challenge.

Perhaps, all of the above is just way too much information! (Image looks best in large view)

Happy Valentine's Day

"Shower the people you love with love" James Taylor

My Needy Valentine

Kiss me, call me, e-mail me, hug me, feed me...Geez, What is up here? Is it me? ..or are these Valentine messages that have bombarded our stores aimed solely at the the lonely, demanding and needy members of our society? What happened to "I Love You"...and just because You are You?...

Pier Into The Fog

Just who is the photographer venturing out onto a foggy pier?....Mid-February and we were treated with a Spring-like day. With temperatures pushing 60 degrees and a bay still filled with plenty of ice there was an eerie foggy light by the water. Fortunately my favorite photographer found her way back to firm ground.

More Macro

The only Long Island flowers I can find this time of the year are in stores. Macro experimentation, playing with light and depth of field is part of the learning curve.

Eye See

Eyeball reflections may seem like a clever macro subject, but it has been done many times before.

Geese and More Geese

As the debate about how to control them continues, Geese continue to multiply and thrive. Once a seasonal visitor, Canadian Geese use less and less of the flyway for migration. To the uninformed, geese provide for a close encounter with wildlife but in reality they are a major environmental nuisance. For air traffic controllers and pilots geese are becoming a major safety issue as evidenced recently.

Connetquot Preserve

The estate house on the lake at Connetquot State Park provided housing for the elite hunting and fishing club members throughout most of the 1900's. The trout hatchery, located upstream, has been shut down due to an outbreak of trout virus. Local fly fisherman are hopeful that an early cure can be found.

Over The Dune

The cold snap seems to be easing and the weatherman promises that soon we can shoot outdoors again without the risk of frostbite. I would make a lousy Canadian.

Strawberries

With a wind chill factor near zero degrees, indoor macro shooting seemed like a really good idea. Hence, from the relative warmth of my refrigerator, "Strawberries".

Determination

On a mission at Connetquot State Park, 9:30AM and 22 degrees following yesterday's snow storm. My dive buddy/camera partner is convinced that the perfect "winter shot" is just a short hike and a few clicks away. Feeling more like Shackleton or Perry than Ansel Adams I braved the morning temperatures and came home with this image to document the endeavor. Hey...it sure beats going to work!

Pins

"Pins", or.."How I spent a nasty winter snowy day with my new macro lens". Actually, more time was spent searching the house for inconsequential small items that might make interesting macro subjects.

Lighthouse Walk

Yesterday was one of those rare winter gifts, a bright sunny day with Spring-like temperatures pushing near 50 degrees. It was a perfect day for a Fire Island stroll along Robert Moses' State Park's nature trail. In spite of dire groundhog predictions, yesterday provided an early taste of the rejuvenating weather that lies ahead.

Ground Hog Day

Looking at this sign I thought that that perhaps for once, the town department of rules got one right! The bay has been showing the effects of our recent winter temperatures. No matter what that groundhog sees or says, my calendar indicates that Spring is still seven weeks down the road.

Cultural Exchange

Speaking only Spanish, the local parrots on Roatan often use universal gestures to communicate with monolingual tourists.

Cabana Walk

CoCoView's "on the water" accommodations are in fact just that. If you are looking for a room with a view these rustic cabanas might be on your list. A sense of adventure will be helpful, while very clean and well maintained rooms at the resort reflect a Caribbean experience of 30 years ago.

Fire Dancer

Locals entertain the tourist at CoCoView's weekly show in Roatan.

Tranquil Honduras

Something very peaceful about puffy Caribbean clouds on the horizon.

West End Highway

Mainstreet in Roatan's only tourist town, West End, shows the effects of the rainy season. The highway department plans for road improvement involve trucking in more sand.

Yesterday's Visitor

We were honored to have a Black-Crowned Night-Heron spend some time at our place yesterday. This guy spent most of the day in one small area and did not seem to mind our curious cameras.

Playing With Fire

Creative evening entertainment at CoCoView on the island of Roatan, Honduras.

Morning Light

A little after sunrise on Roatan and time for coffee and a last minute wide angle shot before breakfast!

Casa Sonrisa

Our beach house in Honduras was well named as we had stellar views of the sunrise. Sleeping to the melody of seabirds and surf was a real "back to nature" treat!

Catch of The Day

A trip to Roatan would not be complete without spending some time out of the water to experience some of the local flavor. This gentleman agreed to have his picture taken as he was cleaning the morning's catch in West End. Still a funky town of sand streets, West End retains it's old Caribbean alure with character. One can still find plenty of time warped hippies in West End's beach bars!

Dive Briefing

There is a certain rhythm to a dedicated dive trip. Folowing coffee and breakfast ( or afternoon lunch) gear is checked and stored onboard the boat, and the dive plan is discussed. Our dive master for the week, Mark, explains the features of a site called "Connie's Dream". The motto of safe divers continues to be: "Plan the dive and dive the plan".

Gazebo Morning

Pre-coffee light is as peaceful as it is pretty at our favorite gazebo. After the first few shots of the gazebo I was puzzled as to why I could not keep it level. I took a closer look and discovered that it was not my eye but rather the roof supports that had shifted!

Good Seats

Located on on our little stretch of beach, great seats for watching the sunrise or late afternoon water spouts and thunder storms. Roatan, Honduras where the temperature is a consistently in the low to mid-80's is a wonderful spot to escape the winter of el Norte.

Morning Dock

Our week of diving at Roatan, Honduras was wet above the surface as well as below. On the day of our departure things appeared to be improving as the early morning sky showed a promise of blue. It was just a tease however as our flight lifted off in a steady rain.

Afternoon Reflections

Reflections on a peaceful Honduran afternoon.

Hammock Haven

Great place to "hang out" during our escape from winter. The weather this week in Honduras has been a mixed bag of rain and sunshine in a constant state of flux. AND..it's warm!

Our Dive Boat

Our platform for playing in the ocean, we are assigned to the same dive boat for the week. A great idea for making new friends and sharing underwater experiences! Wonderful diving here in the Bay Islands of Honduras!

Our Honduran Hideaway

Early morning and shot with tired eyes through a screened in porch this view is our window on the Bay of Honduras for the next week. I'm not sure what is best the view, the soothing gentle sound of the surf, the sleeping or the diving.

The Challenge

The challenge is...to walk out of here with just a cup of coffee! Our recent tour of the Dyker Heights Christmas light display required a stop for coffee. Typical of many Brooklyn specialty bake shops, this establishment was wall to wall with every manner of cookie, pastry and cakes. I can still smell the aromas.....

The Dock

I've been taking some time out on a rainy and dank morning to go through photo files. This shot was from our final 2008 boat trip to Fire Island. At first glance I passed over this shot but on a nasty winter day I was reminded how fortunate we are in so very many ways including (and not limited to) having nature's beauty in our own backyard.

The Shot That Got Away

Click on the image for the larger view...The Great Blue Heron who surprised me by taking advantage of my limited attention span and lack of focus sails out of sight. This shot was a rather severe crop for my 150mm lens and lacks the detail of a much longer focal length.

Windy Marsh

Windy and bitter cold. I was playing with image depth of field and shutter speed here as the winter wind made me realize that just being out here with a camera was a bit insane! Photography can be a little like fishing sometimes as we often hear about the shot that could have been (as in the fish that got away). In this case a Great Blue Heron took flight behind me as I was fussing with camera settings.

Dock O' The Bay

Salty and unglamourous an old seine net skiff sits alone in a Peconic River marina awaiting winter duty during the herring run.

Beach Light

Nickerson Beach in Nassau County had shadows that caught my eye the other day. For me, this type of shot frequently "just does not work" but there was something about the lines and shadows that was appealing. Anyway another attempt to find interest on another empty (and serene) wintery beach. (best in larger view)

Winter Bay

Something so very peaceful about a still winter morning by the bay.

Happy New Year

Wishes for a healthy and happy 2009!