Monday (21-May-2012) — New Jersey

Indoor Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Last night, one of my creepy crawly house pets Scutigera Coleoptrata (House Centipede) came out to visit me in my bedroom. I decided that I wasn’t that tired, so spent some time taking macro images — until it got tired of the flash and went away.

One of My Creepy Crawly House Pets Came Out to Visit Me in My Bedroom Last Night. Scutigera Coleoptrata (House Centipede) -- Not a Silverfish. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 105 mm f/2.8 VR Macro (ISO 100, 105 mm, f/16, 1/60 sec) with SB-R200 Ring Flash. Raw image processed with Photoshop CS6. (David J. Mathre)

One of My Creepy Crawly House Pets Came Out to Visit Me in My Bedroom Last Night. Scutigera Coleoptrata (House Centipede) -- Not a Silverfish. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 105 mm f/2.8 VR Macro (ISO 100, 105 mm, f/16, 1/60 sec) with SB-R200 Ring Flash. Raw image processed with Photoshop CS6. (David J. Mathre)

Sunday (20-May-2012) — New Jersey

Backyard Spring Nature in New Jersey: Rabbit and Ticks.

I noticed that one of my local rabbits had some big ticks on its neck. It was trying to rub them off without much luck.

I wanted to see and photograph the annular eclipse today. Unfortunately, I had to cancel the road trip out west due to a meeting in New Jersey that I need to attend on Monday. I do hope to photograph the Venus transit early in June. Weather permitting this should be possible from New Jersey.

Rabbit Trying to Remove the Big Ticks on its Neck. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 500 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 900, 500 mm, f/4, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)

Monday (14-May-2012) — New Jersey

Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

The Rhododendorn’s that the deer didn’t eat last winter are currently in bloom. The following five pictures are the same image processed differently. The first image is the straight out of the camera imbedded jpg image with no post processing. Next next four pictures were processed with Phase One Capture One Pro 6; Nikon Capture NX2; Adobe Lightroom 4; and Adobe Photoshop CS6.

I’m interested in comments which version you like or dislike.

Cluster of Rhododendron Flowers. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V1 and 30-100 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 41.2 mm, f/4, 1/60 sec). Out of the camera imbedded jpg image. (David J Mathre)

Cluster of Rhododendron Flowers. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V1 and 30-100 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 41.2 mm, f/4, 1/60 sec). Raw image processed with Phase One - Capture One Pro 6 (vivid, levels, vignetting). (David J Mathre)

Cluster of Rhododendron Flowers. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V1 and 30-100 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 41.2 mm, f/4, 1/60 sec). Raw image processed with Nikon Capture NX2 (levels, noise reduction). (David J Mathre)

Cluster of Rhododendron Flowers. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V1 and 30-100 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 41.2 mm, f/4, 1/60 sec). Raw image processed with Lightroom 4 (Adobe Camera Raw 7). (David J Mathre)

Cluster of Rhododendron Flowers. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V1 and 30-100 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 41.2 mm, f/4, 1/60 sec). Raw image processed with Photoshop CS6 (Adobe Camera Raw 7). (David J Mathre)

One-Year Ago (14-May-2011) — Belize

Gone to See Central America and the Panama Canal. Semester at Sea Spring 2011 Enrichment Voyage on the MV Explorer. Ultimate Travel Photography Workshop II with Michael Mariant. Day 18: Belize.

Black Vultures in Flight in Belize. The lake was filled with dead fish. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 300 mm, f/8, 1/1000 sec).

Black Vultures in Flight in Belize. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 300 mm, f/8, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)
Black Vultures in Flight in Belize. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 300 mm, f/8, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)