Orchid

Desert Rose at Green Thumb Plant Sale

Bromeliad at Green Thumb Plant Sale

Why Sony A700?

All pictures on this photo blog were taken with my Sony A700 ($1,100 retail). Most of them were also taken with the Tamron 300 mm zoom lens ($175.00 retail through Dell.com).

Occasionally, I receive questions about why I chose to purchase a Sony A700 instead of a similar Nikon or Canon DSLR. Anyone that knows me understands that I am not one to blindly follow the crowd. The last thing I would do is purchase a particular brand because it's what everyone else expects me to do. But, the single biggest reason I purchased a Sony...the stabilized lenses for Nikon and Canon cost an arm and a leg.

I originally planned to purchase the entry level Olympus DSLR, but after holding one in my hands at the camera shop a few times, I ruled it out. Some of the Zuiko lenses made for the Olympus are class leaders, but the Olympus felt tiny in my hands. I found it uncomfortable to operate the controls on the Olympus E510.

After holding the Sony A300 and A350 in my hands, I had my answer. Plus, all the Sony's have in camera stablization, which makes the lenses less expensive. (I don't own any yet, but some of the popular Minolta lenses will fit the Sony as well.) I chose the A700 over the A300 and A350 based on reviews I read on several camera discussion boards and reviews of the products by other camera owners.

I recently upgraded the Firmware from version 1.0 to 4.0 and the results are even better. Version 4.0 allows me to take better advantage of the Photoshop editing capabilities for RAW image files.

I'm also very happy with the photos taken with the Tamron zoom lens. For $175, it does a great job. I'm not sure $5,000 for a Canon or Nikon stablized lens would make the same amount of difference in my end results.

Based on this CNET article, it looks like I made a pretty good choice.

Phalaeonopsis Orchid

I purchased this orchid for $7. I know nothing about orchids, but for a few dollars I figured I could learn.

Herrmann's Royal Lipizzan Stallions

The Herrmann Family in Myakka City, FL has been training Lipizzan stallions for many, many decades. We recently visited the ranch and enjoyed one of the winter training sessions. The courbette, levade, and capriole are traditional Airs Above the Ground maneuvers that date back to ancient times.

You can lead a bird to water....

I think this is a warbler of some kind. It's hard for me to tell, but perhaps this is a pine warbler?

Eye on Me

Red Bellied Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

American Bald Eagle

There is an eagle's nest at Honeymoon Island State Park. We went to see it on Saturday and as we approached the fenced off area, the eagle was returning. We watched for a few minutes and then left the area. We walked back toward the parking lot and snapped several other pictures along the way. When we were a quarter mile from the truck, a lady walking toward us stopped to talk. She explained that a little farther up the trail, she had seen an eagle sitting close to the walking trail.

We walked for another few seconds toward the car and then on the left hand side about 25 feet above us and less than 50 feet away from us, there it was - just sitting there.

Outside of a zoo, we've never been this close to an American Bald Eagle - and we may never be that close again.

Magnificent Osprey in Flight

I just love this flight photo. The blue sky. The wingspan. It's all so peaceful. This photo was taken with my 300 mm Tamron lens with a UV filter and standard lens hood.

Osprey at Honeymoon Island

The osprey on Honeymoon Island are very active in February. I lost count, but we must have seen at least ten nesting pairs today. At one point, we were surrounded by osprey on all sides. There were osprey above us, in front of us, behind us, and directly overhead darting in and out between the trees - lower than I've ever seen there before.

I have some other photos I'll post later - stayed tuned for bald eagle pictures.

Web of Worms

Rose Close Up

Anhinga

Warblers at the Rookery

Pine Warbler

or....Palm Warbler

It's hard for me to tell.

One of the pit falls to photographing small bird species in a wild setting is a lack of lens power and clarity. (That doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying.)

Great Blue Heron

I had taken 139 photos at the Venice Rookery and I was beginning to think about packing it in for the day, when this Great Blue Heron leapt from his perch on the island and began flying toward me.

The jpeg photo was taken in "auto" mode at 1/500 shutter speed, F 5.6, and 500-ISO. He caught me standing in the shade, but I "punched" it up just a little with my Photoshop software.

For comparison, here's the original version of the photo.

After landing, he posed for several profile photos. Here's the best one.

Venice Rookery Trip

We took a short drive to the Venice Rookery this morning.

The nesting area is on an island in the middle of a small lake, so the best pictures require bigger and faster lenses. The conditions really dictate 500 mm lenses and up to properly fill the frame. They can can range in price from around $1,000 up to several thousand, but I did manage some nice shots with my measely $170 Tamron 300 mm macro zoom. (For the money, it's pretty hard to beat.)

I snapped this little guy on the near side of the lake in front of the picnic shelter.

I'll post some ahinga, red-bellied woodpecker, and great blue heron shots a little later.

Fun with Photoshop Watercolor Functionality

I've been playing with the Photoshop functionality that converts digital images into watercolor artwork. Photoshop offers literally hundreds of possibilities for "customizing" digital images according to personal tastes.

Here's a copy of the watercolor image.


And, here's the original.