Seven-Years Ago Today. Springtime Nature in New Jersey.
I noticed this hairy spider with some iridescent green at my front door. It stuck around long enough for me to get a camera with a macro lens. I think it is fascinating how many eyes spiders have. I just wish it would do a better job keeping the stink-bug population down.
Hairy Spider at my Front Door. Image taken with a Leica TL2 camera and 60 mm f/2.8 macro lens (ISO 160, f/4, 1/160 sec).
Seven-Years Ago Today. Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.
I love the smell of the Honeysuckle flowers. I used to have a lot of the vines growing in my backyard. In recent years I haven’t seen as many of the flowers. This week I did see a vine and some of the flowers on the deer fence which I will leave and hope more return.
Honeysuckle Flowers. Image taken with a Leica TL2 camera and 60 mm f/2.8 macro lens.
Seven-Years Ago Today. Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.
I noticed a Mosquito emerging from some standing water in my backyard. I have seen mosquito larvae before, but not one emerging. After taking the picture, I drained all of the standing water I could find as there had been reports of the Dengue Fever, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and the Nile Virus being spread by mosquitos. And I don’t like being bitten by mosquitoes when I go out at night to watch the fireflies.
Mosquito emerging from the water. Image taken with a Leica TL2 camera and 60 mm f/2.8 macro lens.
Fourteen-Years Ago Today. Indoor Springtime Nature in New Jersey.
Scutigera Coleptrata also known as a House Centipede crawling on one of my walls. It is not a silverfish. Apparently, they eat spiders and other small insects, so I leave them alone. This image was taken with a macro lens and a flash. It was late at night, and I normally do not see them during the day.
Scutigera Coleptrata (House Centipede) — Not a Silverfish. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 105 mm f/2.8 VR Macro + TC-E 20 (ISO 800, 210 mm, f/11, 1/250 sec) with SB-900 Flash.
Eight-Years Ago Today. Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.
I used to have a patch of Lily of the Valley plants that would bloom in the spring. This is an image of the flower buds just before opening. Unfortunately, I lost the plants when they drilled the well for the geothermal loop.
“Lily of the Valley” flower buds. Image taken with a Nikon Df camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens (ISO 100, 105 mm, f/16, 1/200 sec).
Eight-Years Ago Today. Indoor Cactus Garden in New Jersey.
I take the cactus in for the winter and rarely see them blossom. I was about to move them outside when I noticed one of the small barrel cacti had small flowers. I couldn’t get the level of detail I wanted with a single macro image. Instead, I made a composite of 24 focus stacked images using a Nikon Df camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens (ISO 100, 105 mm, f/4, 1/125 sec) and SB-910 flash (EV -2). The images were processed using Helicon Focus: [Method B (depth map, R = 8, S = 4)].
Small barrel cactus flowers. Composite of 24 focus stacked images taken with a Nikon Df camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens (ISO 100, 105 mm, f/4, 1/125 sec)
I am a scientist by training (Eckerd College, BSc; Caltech, Ph.D.). I worked for 27 years as a Chemist in the Pharmaceutical Industry developing processes to manufacture medicines for human and animal health. I now spend my time as a photographer and world traveler. My interests include the natural world, wildlife, landscapes, sky, and seascapes, travel, and astrophotography. I look for unique ways of viewing the world and presenting my images. I have traveled to over 55 countries in six continents, often on Semester at Sea voyages. While at home in New Jersey, I spend time observing and photographing the plants and animals while expanding a wildflower garden/meadow in the backyard. When the sky is clear, I have telescopes viewing the night sky.
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