Spotted Moray in The Florida Keys

After a long separation from serious photography my interest was rekindled while diving in the Florida Keys.  For those who have been there, you know it is teeming with life.  This photo of a Spotted Moray Eel was taken off of Tavernier.  About 15 miles south of Key Largo.  I was still using film cameras when this was taken.  I used a Nikonos V, with a 50mm lens, and an Ikelite 400 strobe.  Lots o'light is needed to bring out the colours.  I actually was using Fuji Velvia 50 slide film and had this one scanned at the local photo shop.  

I've had a couple people ask how I get so close to those skittish little hummingbirds.  The truth is, I don't.  At least not with the camera.  The Nikon 600mm VR lens has a minimum focus distance of about 18 ft (6m), so I have to be at least that distance away from the birds.  I also use a 1.4x tele-converter, this gets me a bit closer, digitally speaking.  I have approximately 8 feeders with various foods for the different bird species.  They are spread out on a clothes line from about 10ft to 30ft (3m - 10m) away. 

Here are a couple photographs I took with my phone camera.  I prefer having the setup on the table, so I can sit down and patiently wait for the birds.  The odd shaped thing on the top of the camera is actually a red dot scope used on a shotgun or paintball gun.  I made a bracket that fits into the hot shoe of the camera and rests on the top of the filter cover.  Why you ask?   This lens has a very small angle of view, meaning you only see bout 4 % of the area in front of the camera, while looking in the view finder.  A bird can come and go before you actually find the darn thing in the viewfinder to get the picture.  With this set up, I turn the red dot scope on, and it shows a red dot where the lens is aimed.  This thing is outstanding for panning shots of moving birds or airplanes.   You don't need to look into the viewfinder, just look into the scope from a distance, the dot will be on target.  As you can also see, I have a cat to deal with.  Truth of the matter is, we have FIVE cats to deal with.  And if you know cats, they want to be directly in front of you whether you are reading the newspaper, or on the computer. As for the birds, they don't seem to mind them being in close proximity.  However, its a pain when the cats decide to stretch and sit up when the birds finally do show up.  

Hummer in Motion

This little guy has become a backyard regular.  Stops by, gets his fill of my special blend of water and sugar, hangs around for a little while, then heads off to parts unknown.  I was actually hoping on getting pictures of finches, but when opportunity knocks, I answer the door.  This was taken with my Nikon D200, Nikon 600mm VR, using f/9, 1/250 sec, ISO 400, and a 1.4 tele-converter.  I didn't have to use a flash as the sun was shining directly into the bird's face.  Metering was done in spot mode and I focused on the eye.  These guys love to dive in and take a sip, then pull back into the same spot, making it easy to predict where they might hover.

Great Grey Owl

Getting this photo made me feel like the flat tire I got made it all worth while.  Denise and I went on a road trip from the Lower Main Land (British Columbia) to Kamloops and back using roads we had never been on.   As we were coming back from Kamloops we headed off on 97D toward Logan Lake.   After an encounter with a bull and cow moose [I might post the pic, its not great but it was 900 ft (300m) away], we continued south on 97D.  Approximately 10km from the moose, I noticed a guy carefully walking away from the road into the bush. I looked ahead and saw this owl on a post.  The guy (Brad) got to within 2 - 3m of the bird, we turned the truck around and took some pics of Brad's head next to the bird.  After about 30 photos, the bird flew down the fence line.  We chatted with Brad for a few minutes, exchanged emails, and went to turn around to continue on.  As I pulled onto a side road, this is what I was greeted with.  I managed to take about 60 photos of this guy on this post, stalking a squirrel, taking the squirrel, and eating it in three bites. (The small pic of the owl in the side bar was after he had devoured the meal.  This photo was taken with my trusty Nikon D200, 80 - 400mm VR lens, with an ISO of 400 I believe.  Flat Tire?  What Flat Tire?

The King's Stare

Sorry for the watermark, but it does get a little disheartening when you stumble across someone-else's submission to a contest with your picture.   Anyhow, one of my favorite subjects for photography is big cats.  I frequent zoos and aquariums at every opportunity.  In my travels, I have found my favorite place to stalk tigers is at the Detroit Zoo.  They are close, no fences, and they are well taken care of.  (Maybe because of their namesake Detroit Tigers baseball team).  The tigers there are very active and love to play.  Give them some snow and they become showoffs.  This guy was no different.  He posed royally for me for long periods of time.  Then  came "The Stare".  I like to think he was also well fed.  This was taken with a Nikon D200, Nikon 80 - 400mm VR lens, on a Manfrotto Tripod. 

Today's Photo

 

This Red Eyed Tree Frog was not easy to see at the Vancouver Aquarium.  In fact I had to get in an odd position, to take the shot and remove the flash to get it from an angle.  That was so I wouldn't see the flash reflection or unsightly shadows.  However, it sure made the frog stand out against the back ground and leaf.  Normally, these guys have blood red eyes, but they also have a membrane that covers them.  If you look close enough it looks speckled.  This was taken with my trusty Nikon D200, SB800 flash and I believe I had my Nikon 17 - 55mm lens.