Last week was crazy. Thursday everything was encased in a quarter inch of ice. Limbs sagged and broke, power lines fell, lights went out. Mine were out for two days. The upside to all of this is how the ice bends and reflects light.
Nikon D70 & Nikkor 24-120mm at 55mm, 1/250s, f8, & ISO 800
The day was clear and cold. The sky above Sharon United Methodist Church
was deep blue with wispy white clouds.
Nikon D70 & Nikkor 24-120mm at 29mm, 1/500s, f11, ISO 800, & polarizing
filter
Gulls enjoying the view from the stern of the ferry.
Nikon D70 & Nikkor 24-120mm at 1/2500s, f7.1, & ISO 1600
On Thanksgiving Day, we took the ferry from Southport to Fort Fisher and the seagulls put on a show for the price of a loaf of bread. Looks kinda creepy to me. I used the "Sports" setting to stop the action, but it was overkill because it added some grain to the sky.
Nikon D70 & Nikkor 24-120mm at 24mm, 1/2500s, f8, & ISO 1600
I found this great maple tree beside the interstate and it has large mellow yellow leaves. I've never done one of these colored object on b/w pics before, but I thought it came out pretty well.
Nikon D70 & Nikkor 24-120mm at 66mm, 1/200s, f7.1, ISO 800, & lots of Photoshop Elements.
The Poinsett Bridge was built around 1820 in northern Greenville county. It is the oldest intact bridge in South Carolina. Kinda looks medieval doesn't it?
Nikon D70 & Nikkor 24-120mm at 32mm, 1/3s, f13, & ISO 200
I've taken lots of butterfly pictures in the last few months. The little yellow ones fly so fast and so eratic, its difficult to get a good shot. At Playcard Swamp, I found these two waiting patiemtly on the edge of the swamp. Later I read that they sometimes land on the ground to lick some salt. (Phoebis sennae)
Nikon D70 & Nikkor 80-400mm at 400mm, 1/125s, f5.6, ISO 200
The ride called Pharaoh's Ship swings back and forth in a giant arc. I was able to get it in motion and I got the Ferris Wheel in motion, but never at the same time. I used Photoshop Elements to mesh the two together. The exposure settings were the same for both images.
Nikon D70, Nikkor 24-120mm, tripod, & remote control at 24mm, 3s, f22, & ISO 200
More from the South Carolina State Fair. For those of us with an inner ear problem, The Octopus can be quite distressing, however, the light patters it makes are pretty cool.
Nikon D70 & Nikkor 24-120mm at 45mm, 1.6s, f22, & ISO 200
This is the week of the South Carolina State Fair. I saw several other camera nerds there also taking pictures of the moving lights.
Nikon D70 & Nikkor 24-120mm at 34mm, 3s, f22, & ISO 200
In the swamps of South Carolina, fallen leaves and the roots of trees turn the water the color of tea. The darkness makes for nice reflections. There were some currents in the creek feeding Old Levi Mill Pond at Poinsett State Park. No alterations were made in the colors or the texture.
Nikon D70 & Nikkor 80-400mm at 80mm, 1/30s, f20, & ISO 1600
This weekend I went home to get some of the last grapes of the season. Muscadines & scuppernongs are grapes that are native to The South. Thick hulls, large seeds, but oh so sweet. Then I see a couple Monarchs - back to the car to get the camera - you see the result.
Nikon D70 & Nikkor 80-400mm at 400mm, 1/60s, f5.6, & ISO 200
Palamedes Swallowtail (Papilio palamedes)
I think this will be the last butterfly for a while. I've seen several with
missing parts (see the left side of this one). I'll get more in the spring.
Nikon D70 & 24-120mm at 120mm, 1/100s, f5.6, & ISO 200
These yellow wildflowers were planted beside I-26 close to Clinton, SC. I
couldn't drive past without shooting them. The wind was blowing and waiting
for a still moment required lots of patience. If you can't beat'em,
join'em. I think it looks kinda like Van Gogh.
Nikon D70 & 24-120mm at 45mm, 1/6s, f29, & ISO 200
This weekend I went to the coast to do some pre-hurricane evacuation for Ophelia. Since it turned out to be a false alarm, I pulled out the Nikon and went looking for shots. I found another butterfly: a Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis)
Nikon D70 & Nikkor 24-120mm at 120mm, 1/60s, f5.6, & ISO 200
I wish I knew what kind of plant this is. The afternoon sun lights it up.
Nikon D70 & Nikkor 24-120mm at 120mm, 1/50s, f5.6, & ISO 200
More from the South Carolina Botanical Garden (Vanessa virginiensis)
Nikon D70 & Nikkor 24-120mm at 120mm, 1/160s, f5.6, & ISO 400
Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)
Nikon D70 & Nikkor 24-120mm at 110mm, 1/30s, f8, & ISO 200
This butterfly bush in the South Carolina Botanical Garden was like a
butterfly magnet. More to come.
Nikon D70 and Nikkor 24-120mm at 120mm, 1/320s, f5.6, & ISO 400
No Kodachrome here. The sun poked through the trees to put some dappled
light on the wild hydrangeas.
Nikon D70 & Nikkor 80-400mm at 80mm, 1/125s, f5.6, ISO 200
I took a walk beside a creek close to my church looking for shots of birds &
butterflies. I saw an orange blob in the creek and went for a closer look. I saw a fish bed, a small collection of pebbles with several adult fish and maybe a hundred orange fingerlings. When I got home, I was very disappointed to see the soft focus. I went back a few days later, but the fish and the bed had vanished. I would not normally want to post a picture that wasn't crisp, but the subject is so cool, I made an exception.
Nikon D70 & 80-400mm at 400mm, 1/40s, f5.6, ISO 200
The new Cooper River Bridge has been completed. The longest suspension
bridge in North America joins Charleston to Mt. Pleasant. For the last
couple years, we have seen it grow from pilings to tower over the harbor and
over the old bridge. Last weekend, they let pedestrians on to walk and
enjoy the view.
Tonight we went to see the Greenville Bombers play ball. All day long rain
had been threatening. We saw these ominous clouds and left the stadium,
then the bottom dropped out. That's why I always carry my camera in my
trunk.
Nikon D70 & Nikkor 24-120mm at 24mm, 1/80s, f3.5, ISO 800
The breeze blew back the wisps of sparks and created a delicate blue
blossom.
Nikon D70 & Nikkor 24-120mm at 42mm, 6s, f18, ISO 200, severely cropped
Fireworks courtesy of Redemption World Outreach Center
Nikon D70 & Nikkor 24-120mm at 24mm, 5s, f10, ISO 200
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly (papilio glaucus) in mid-flap.
Nikon D70 & Nikkor 24-120mm at 120mm, 1/400s, f5.6, ISO 400
Tonight we had a clear sky and a beautiful full moon.
Nikon D70 & Nikkor 80-400mm at 400mm, 1/80s, f8, ISO 400
Here is another shot of Queen Anne's lace. I think it is more interesting on the underside.
Nikon D70 & Nikkor 24-120mm at 58mm, 1/200s, f8, ISO 200
Queen Ann's lace is in bloom now. What's that little purple thing in the
middle?
Nikon D70 & Nikkor 24-120mm at 100mm, 1/500s, f5.6, ISO 200
I was walking around the farm, camera in hand, when I spotted several
buzzards soaring over their buffet. They are not pretty birds, but they are
very graceful fliers.
Nikon D70 & Nikkor 80-400 at 210mm, 1/2000s, f5.6, ISO 400
Yesterday was Memorial Day. In Marion Square, in Charleston they placed 1,838 flags to honor the American men and women who have died in Iraq & Afghanistan. God Bless America.
Nikon D70 & Nikkor 24-120 at 85mm 1/400s f10 ISO 400
I haven't posted anything in a while because I have been on vacation at the
gulf coast in Destin, Florida. No internet, no email, no photoblog, almost
no cell phone for a whole week! I haven't decided if that is good or bad.
The sand is like sugar and the water is an emerald green. Every morning
between six and eight a family of dolphins would come by to breakfast on the
bait fish that swam along the shore. We saw them leap, play, and come very
close to the beach.
Nikon D70 and Nikkor 80-400 VR at 250mm, f5.3, 1/500, ISO 400
In South Carolina, the department of transportation plants wildfowers side
da road. While diving down the interstate last Friday I saw a couple miles
of daisies. I had to stop and take a few (pictures). This one is uncropped
and untweaked.
Nikon D70 and Nikkor 24-120 at 120mm 1/640s f5.6 ISO 200
I walked up to the pier and they were a having a surfing contest. The waves
weren't big but I needed the experience of focusing on a moving object.
Nikon D70 Nikkor VR 80-400 at 280mm ISO 200 1/1250s f5.3
Looks like the water is cold and he's trying to keep his feet warm.
Sandpiper at Garden City Beach, SC
There were lots of birds in Mama's yard too. This guy was pretty skittish.
I got about 80 feet from him before he flew off.
Saturday at the South Carolina Botanical Garden, the sun was out and it was
a beautiful day. A tree had fallen in the lake and these 19 snapping
turtles were taking advantage of the warm afternoon.
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