Pixelpost

Snacking with my Dirty Hands

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 02:42 -0400

I posted the two Schmidt's Guenon I intended to do. On the first of the two posting I mentioned the few exhibits I paid closer attention to during my visit. The Black Tailed Prairie dogs is one of those exhibits someone can never overlook. Very sociable animals to each other and to visitors. The other factor is they enjoy posing which is great for some photos. This particular image I could not resist but to post. Acorns were falling from trees during the entire day, hitting the ground, the heads and shoulders of visitors as well as animals. One of the prairie dogs was hard at work kicking dirt everywhere in order to create new underground passages. During its chore an acorn feel from the tree and hit its back. The prairie dogs backed up out of its tunnel as it let out some squeaks and grunts. He or she realized it was an acorn, devoured it and returned to work. I do have another two images of the prairie dogs that I will be posting. One of a group pose and another feasting on some vegetables.

Hiding Schmidts Guenon

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 01:43 -0400

Yesterday's entry I mentioned I would be posting two Schmidt's Guenon. This is the second image which was taken the same exhibit. I also mentioned in yesterday;s entry these animals were very lively and alert. This Guenon was constantly hiding and revealing itself to the other members. It eventually got to the point where it decided to stay behind the large log and look downwards or over to the side. Normally I do not see these monkeys hiding, they are normally swings or sitting either on the rocks, logs, or perched high on the bars.

Schmidts Guenon

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 00:34 -0400

Thursday was about 97 degrees outside and I decided to go to Southwick Zoo to meet up with a couple friends I haven't see in a while. I was actually really hesitant about going their with such hot temperatures. There are plenty of trees there providing a lot of shade so it wasn't really that bad. Overall it was a really good day. I didn't really take to many images this time around. There were a few exhibits I payed more attention to in terms of capturing images. The Mandrill Baboon family had a new member, Prairie dogs were posing as a group (couldn't overlook that), a few different monkey exhibits, Red Kangaroos, and a handful of random shots. This shot and tomorrow's shot was taken at the Schmidt's Guenon exhibit. A bunch of them were out and very active. This member was on a log and its attention was fixed on other Guenon. Other than that, not much more to say.

Covered in Pollen

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:15 -0400

Since I posted a dragonfly image, I decided to follow up with a random insect image I captured this summer. A honey bee covering itself in pollen within a pollen rich center of a daisy flower. As I said in the past, I would like to post this summers insect photos before the Fall season. Now that we are in September, I'll have to make an effort to get them posted between other images. I don't think I have to many more I would like to post for this summer. I have to look back at my inventory, I think I have about 5 more I would like to post. As always, feel free to let me know what you think.

Blue Dasher Dragonfly

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:20 -0400

This is the second dragonfly of the two I had planned to post. It is a Blue Dasher specie and it was resting comfortably near my feet. The first dragonfly posting can be seen HERE in case you have not already seen it. Chronologically speaking, today's entry was captured prior to the dragonfly resting on a tree branch. Both were captured near the same wetland pond located within the Norman Bird Sanctuary.

In terms of capturing the insect, I did not have a macro lens nor did I have my Kenko extension tubes, talking about being prepared. I really wanted a close up shot of this detailed animal, because there are two factors that draw my attention to Dragonflies. The first, its facial features and second, the anatomical structure where the wings join the back. Due to the limitation of close up focusing with a Nikon 70-300mm lens I had no choice but to step back and take a few shots as you see in the before post processing shot.

Normally I do not talk to much about the post-processing but I want to briefly discuss the beginning workflow so comparing the before and after would make a little more sense. This image was not cropped using either the crop tool or the Marquee tool to bring the image closer, which is a trick many use to get closer to an image. The original background layer was duplicated and rotated. The duplicated layer was then skewed and distorted to fill the original canvas and to cover the background layer. The same layer was then distorted using the lens tool to introduce some barreling effect to bring the image closer to the viewer. The image continued to be processed as it usually would be done with curves, etc. Granted it might not be as good as if the scene was captured with a macro or close up lens but still a technique that can be used as a backup plan if necessary. Feel free to let me know what you think or if you have any questions. I hope you enjoy it.

Tangled and Unraveling

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:40 -0400

Not only was there sand on the beach but plenty of broken big rocks and debris. I had the rocks behind me as I was capturing images of the shore birds. On top of the rocks there were a few items left behind by whoever. One of the items was this disasters looking rope. The thick rope stared to unravel and was at the same time tangled with various types of string. I decided this image will focus on the chaotic cluster while the single ribbon of rope will fade out into the background. The next rope image will be the opposite. The single strand will lead us to the faded bundle.

I Cannot Eat All of This

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:19 -0400

Last Monday, I explained I found a lot of Piping Plovers and Sanderlings on a sandy beach. The first two shots can be seen HERE and HERE. This third shot is a piping plover that stumbled upon a small cluster of seaweed that had come to shore. It fed on it for a second and looked around at the other members for a while. It seemed either it was trying to invite others to feed with it or hoping no other would be interested.

Mechanical Excavating Forces

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 01:26 -0400

I am going to leave the sandy beach shore for one image. I have to say I didn't go far because this excavator, manufactured by Caterpillar, was right near the beach sitting on a grassy hill with its mechanical arm stuck inside the earth. I knew I was going to make a dramatic image with this shot especially with all the clouds in the background. I decided to color tone it with a powerful color considering the purpose of this machine is to destroy, eradicate, excavate and demolish whatever it is meant for. This is the only shot I am anticipating on posting. I hope it is enjoyed.

Display My Mighty Wings

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 02:47 -0400

A few Images back, I mentioned I visited the 300 something areas of forest that makes up the Norman Bird Sanctuary. The intention was to view various birds that I have not yet seen. Unfortunately the only two birds I saw was a single Chickadee and a Chicken. I have chickadees in my own backyard and chickens, well I can see that on the roadside or at a local petting zoo. Fortunately, I was able to capture a few Dragonfly images within the sanctuary near a wetland pond. The first dragonfly I was photographing was resting on the ground in the dirt and dried grass. After sometime, I turned around and saw this magnificent Insect resting on a tree branch. It stay motionless for a while and was able to grab a handful of shots. As I got closer it eventually flew away but did return to the same exact spot a number of times, so I could get a second and third round of shots in. I have been wanting to get a dragon fly image this summer and I finally got it.

More Than a Peaceful Moment

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:07 -0400

I don't have all that much to say about this particular image. Another landscape image taken from the same shore as where I interacted with all the Plovers and Sanderlings. It is an extension of the sandy shore that borders the Sachuest Point National Refuge. Two factors that caught my eye is the tree that extends slight above the rest of the terrain and how the terrain tapers off out into the distance.