Photo 365 - On Assignment - February (Small Things)

White Goose (Anser sp.)

This white goose was being fed some Burger King french fries from a father and son at AD Barnes. The father and son were up on a raised deck that looks over the lake and tossing down pieces of fries. The goose eyed them from about 100 yards away and bee-lined straight for them. It proceeded to get its fill of fries, it looked very happy. While it was being distracted by the food I worked my way down underneath the deck and got up nice and close. The father and son eventually left after which the goose wasn't all that interested in modeling for me and promptly swam away.

Shot on Canon Rebel T1i at f/5.6, 1/500 sec, 250mm, ISO 400

Photo 365 - On Assignment - February (Small Things)

Common Moorhen / Florida Gallinule (Gallinula chloropus cerceris)

I spotted this little fellow at AD Barnes around sunset time. He was busy scurrying around picking up leftovers from a father and son that were feeding a white goose. He was mixed in with some American Coots (which I did not photograph) and was being much more aggressive toward getting the leftovers. What I really like about this picture is that you can actually see the little water droplets on his back, although I might not be that easy to see when viewing a smaller version of this picture. I wish I could have gotten a little more detail in those white feathers instead of having them so blown out, but it is still a nice shot. PS I threw in the subspecies name for all you science dorks out there!

Shot on Canon Rebel T1i at f/5.6, 1/320 sec, 250 mm, ISO 400

Photo 365 - On Assignment - February (Small Things)

Little Weedy Flower

Went over to A.D. Barnes park off Bird and 72nd - if you saw my cell tower pics they were taken from that park. I went in looking to get some pictures of reflections off the lake in the corner of the park. There was a nice white goose which got his fair share of shots (expect to see some them later) and as I was circling the lake I saw these little daisy like weeds. I stopped and snapped a bunch of pics of these little guys. I'm looking for themes for the month of March, please let me know any suggestions you might have.

Shot on Canon Rebel T1i at f/5.6, 1/1000 sec, 131 mm, ISO 400

Photo 365 - On Assignment - February (Small Things)

Swamp Cotton (I totally made that one up....)

Another fine example of me wandering through the the glades and photographing the little random things that no one else is looking at. Just to be clear for all those who have not seen a cotton plant, this NOT cotton! This is a tree releasing seeds (see those tiny black specs) which uses this "cottony" substance to help distribute the seeds via the wind. Everything in the glades was covered with this white stuff. If you go back and look at the baby gator pick from a few days ago you can see some of this white stuff on his snout. I'm not sure what plant this was, but I'm on the lookout for a good guidebook on south florida plants. If I can identify this I'll post it. Hope this makes all your northerners covered in snow feel a bit warmer!!

Shot on Canon Rebel T1i at f/18, 1/400 sec, 250 mm, ISO 800

Photo 365 - On Assignment - February (Small Things)

Small Tuft of Spanish Moss... I think

I think this is spanish moss growing on a tree... I'm not that great at identifying plants, gotta go find me a good south florida field guide. This was taken down in the glades. This tree was growing by a boardwalk and as most people were walking around taking in the amazing scenery, taking pictures of all the beautiful birds and gators, there I was looking at a branch with a spec of moss growing on it. It is kind of funny because this stuff grows all over the place but people don't seem to notice it much, so I'm giving it some love.

Shot on Canon Rebel T1i at f/5.6, 1/250 sec, 250 mm, ISO 100

Photo 365 - On Assignment - February (Small Things)

Scorched Lightbulb

Here's the lightbulb that brought about yesterday's picture. This pictured turned out ok. I'm still not completely thrilled about it, but until I find a better way to do it this will make do. The christmas lights still look cool. The crack on the top of the bulb also adds a nice little effect. So what's coming up tomorrow? Dunno, figure that out when we cross that bridge...

Shot on Canon Rebel T1i at f/5.6, 1/50 sec, 53 mm, ISO 800

Photo 365 - On Assignment - February (Small Things)

Christmas Lights

Yeah, OK, I know you are going to ask why did I post a picture of Christmas lights? Well I've been trying to figure out how to photograph an incandescent lightbulb that blew out and has some cool scorch marks on the inside. The problem with trying to photograph a blown out lightbulb is lighting it up, ironic. After trying a variety of lighting techniques (lamps, flashlights, candles, etc.) I tried lighting the light bulb with Christmas lights. It kind of worked so maybe I'll post that picture tomorrow. But as I worked through the lightbulb problem it dawned on me that Christmas lights are small and viola! Bust out the short zoom lens, get real close, and bam!

Shot on Canon Rebel T1i at f/5.6, 1/50 sec, 55 mm, ISO 800

February 21, 2010

Photo 365 - On Assignment - February (Small Things)

Juvenile American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)

Went out to Shark Valley this afternoon. Weather and lighting looked great as I left my house around 2:30, was really pumped. As I got closer to Shark Valley, read when I was driving past the casino, it started getting very cloudy - boo lack of light. As I got near the park entrance I noticed another problem, cars were parked on the side of the street for about mile leading up to the park. Damn you cooler weather!! *shaking fist at sky* Parking Lot Full signs added to my dread. Fortunately when I pulled in most people were on their way out and I was able to park in the lot, not a mile down the road. The lighting was ok, nothing special. The animals on the other hand were awesome. Gators were laying out all over the place, including the babies as is obvious above. This little guy was just chilling on two stumps, one of his little buddies was laying just in front him. Momma gator was laying on the opposite bank so I wasn't to worried about getting close to this guy. He was kind enough to even open his eyes for me, a nice touch.

Shot on Canon Rebel T1i at f/10, 1/200 sec, 250mm, ISO 800