Posts in Category: spring
Yellowstone! Canary Springs outflow
From below with the my telephoto zoom, this is the outflow on the Upper Terrace of Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. Rock in the making as we watch and more layers of travertine are deposited. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode. Processed in Photomator.
Yellowstone! Firehole Springs?
I think this is called Firehole Springs. It is on the Firehole Lake Drive at any rate. A common thermal feature of Yellowstone National Park, these boiling springs are fascinating. Dangerously so. You do not want to put your hand in there. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom at 75 and 508 mm equivalents. Program mode. Processed in Photomator. Video assembled in LumaFusion and resized for upload in VDIT.
Yellowstone! Surprise Spring
Off Firehole Lake Drive you come to Surprise Spring, a crystal clear hot spring with an intermittent steam eruption. It was not super active on the day we visited, but it is still surprising and surprisingly beautiful. Just look at those colors. The video captures it a bit better. Sony a5100 with the Sony E 10-18 f4 zoom at 15 and 27mm equivalents. Program mode and, obviously, movie mode. Processed in Photomator. Video edited in Lumafusion and VidDay (resizing for posting).
Yellowstone! Lower Terrace, Mammoth Hot Springs
I was genuinely surprised how much I used the Tamron 50-400 for landscape on my trip to Yellowstone. The scale of the scenery lends itself to a more focused view, and the 75-100mm equivalent on the Tamron is ideal. Yes I would have, a few time, liked a bit wider view (if the rumored Tamron 20-400 is any good I may be tempted), but for the most part the 50-400 did an excellent job framing the vast landscape and the smaller landscape details. These shots of the lower terrace of Mammoth Hot Springs were all taken with the Tamron at various focal lengths for framing, and come as close to capturing the wonder of the place as, at least I, have ever managed, and certainly better than any single wide angle shot. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC VXD zoom at various focal length equivalents for framing. Program mode. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Spring is coming!
Song Sparrow: York County, Maine, USA, February 2024 — The first (or my first, at any rate) Song Sparrow of 2024 here in York County. Spring can’t be far behind. He was not singing yet…just kind of a soft twitter, but song is coming just as sure as spring. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Wildflowers
Yesterday was a day for looking for wildflowers. I took my ebike out to the headquarters trail at Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge to see if, despite our ridiculously late spring, there were flowers in bloom. The Hobblebush is, of course, still in bloom, but then, that sometimes blooms in February. The Lady Slippers, generally a safe bet for Mother’s Day, are just budding out. Late indeed. However the Two-bead Lily are past, so they apparently bloomed on schedule. ?? I found the Rhodora above in a road-side ditch on my way to Rachel Carson, and the Wood Violet, Blueberry, and Painted Trillium along the trail. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and assembled in Framemagic.
Wildflower Carpet
We hiked part way up Hellhole Canyon in Anza Borrego Desert State Park when we went wildflower hunting there in early March. This is a mixed stand of Parish’s Poppy (yellow), Wild Canterbury Bells (purple), and Biglow’s (or maybe Red-stemmed) Monkey Flower (pink). Simply wonderful! In-camera HDR. Sony a5100 with the Sony 16mm f2.8 lens and the UWA converter for an 18mm equivalent field of view. Processed in Polarr.
Along S22, Anza Borrego Desert
It is time to share some desert wildflower closeups from our visit to the Anza Borrego Desert in southern California. These flowers were all found within a few feet of each other on the hillside between S22 and Truckhaven Trail just east of Borrego Springs (there is actually a pin there on google maps, with some photos of the wildflower bloom, courtesy of desertusa.com). They are, clockwise from the upper left, Desert Sunflower, Sand Verbena, California Chicory, and Desert Pincushion. Sony RX10iv at 600mm. Macro mode. 1/1000th @ ISO 100 between f5 and f6.3. Processed in Polarr and assembled in FrameMagic.
Song Sparrow doing its thing
Song Sparrow, Wells Harbor, Wells Maine
Yes, well, I could not have planned this shot. The Song Sparrow is at Wells Harbor, in the beach rose along the edge of the sandy beach, with the boatyard and a winter shrouded boat in the background…just far enough away to provide a nice even background for the sunlit sparrow. It has the look of a studio shot. Right place, right time, and a cooperative subject. What more can I say?
Of course the right equipment helps. Taken at the full 2000mm equivalent field of view of the Nikon P900. This is my second P900 as the first is in for repair, and I have a whole bunch of workshops scheduled over the next three weeks. Could not go to Florida (FL Birding and Photo Fest) and Ohio (Biggest Week in American Birding, aka Warblestock) without my P900…so, a second camera. 1/640th @ ISO 100 @ f6.5. Processed in Lightroom.
Cardinal in Song
Northern Cardinal, Kennebunk Bridle Path, Kennebunk ME
The old red bird sings in the bare birch tree. Sounds like the lyrics of a song. Or maybe the beginnings of a poem. 🙂 Northern Cardinal along the Kennebunk Bridle Path near the Mousam River.
Nikon P900 at 2000mm equivalent field of view. 1/500th @ ISO 160 @ f6.5. Processed in Lightroom with NIK filters.