Six-Years Ago (03-March-2011) — New Jersey

Backyard Winter Nature in New Jersey.

The purple crocuses are always an early sign that spring is coming. My neighbors across the street have a south-facing wall so theirs are always the first ones to appear.

Purple crocus blooms peaking above the fall leaves. A sure sign that spring is coming. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 85 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 85 mm, f/2.8, 1/200 sec). (David J Mathre)
Purple crocus blooms peaking above the fall leaves. A sure sign that spring is coming. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 85 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 85 mm, f/2.8, 1/200 sec). (David J Mathre)

Ten-Years Ago (03-March-2007) — New Jersey

Backyard Winter Nature in New Jersey.

An inquisitive female Northern Red Cardinal posed for me during my daily backyard walkabout. It looked like it was just trying to get warm in the morning sunshine. The all red male bird wouldn’t stay still long enough to have its picture taken.

Inquisitive female Northern Red Cardinal perched in a sunny tree in my backyard. Winter nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)
Inquisitive female Northern Red Cardinal perched in a sunny tree in my backyard. Winter nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)
Inquisitive female Northern Red Cardinal perched in a sunny tree in my backyard. Winter nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)
Inquisitive female Northern Red Cardinal perched in a sunny tree in my backyard. Winter nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)
Inquisitive female Northern Red Cardinal perched in a sunny tree in my backyard. Winter nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec). (David J Mathre)
Inquisitive female Northern Red Cardinal perched in a sunny tree in my backyard. Winter nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec). (David J Mathre)
Inquisitive female Northern Red Cardinal perched in a sunny tree in my backyard. Winter nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/750 sec). (David J Mathre)
Inquisitive female Northern Red Cardinal perched in a sunny tree in my backyard. Winter nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/750 sec). (David J Mathre)

Seven-Years Ago (01-March-2010) — From the Air

Aerial Photography. Transcontinental Flight from San Francisco, California to Newark, New Jersey.

Views from the window of a commercial flight while crossing  the continental United States. The images were taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 50 mm f/1.4 lens. The images have been reprocessed using Capture One Pro, and Photoshop CC, including the use of the dehaze filter in Adobe Capture Raw for the daylight images.



Individual images from the slide show can be viewed here.

Eight-Years Ago (01-March-2009) — New Jersey

Winter Nature in New Jersey. Sourland Mountain Preserve.

I went for a walkabout at the local Sourland Mountain Preserve on a snowy day and took a few pictures. The high-pressure gas-line right of way trail looked open, but I didn’t go very far. There were cattails in the marshy area, and some Mallard ducks swimming in the pond. The ducks usually leave as soon as the more boisterous Canada geese arrive, but on this snowy day the geese stayed away.



Individual images from the slide show can be viewed here.

Nine-Years Ago (01-March-2008) — Colorado

Elderhostel “Photography in the Southwest” Workshop Day 5. Kelly Place.

The Elderhostel/Road Scholar photography workshop that I attended with my father and brother ended the previous evening. Before leaving the Kelly Place B&B to drive back to Boulder, Colorado I took one last image of the “Sleeping Ute Mountain” from the patio at dawn.

Sleeping Ute Mountain at dawn from the back patio at Kelly's Place, near Cortez. Image taken with a Nikon D3 camera and 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 200, 35 mm, f/11, 1/30 sec). (David J Mathre)
Sleeping Ute Mountain at dawn from the back patio at Kelly’s Place, near Cortez. Image taken with a Nikon D3 camera and 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 200, 35 mm, f/11, 1/30 sec). (David J Mathre)

All week I had been intrigued by this wooden flying goddess that was hanging from the ceiling of the meeting room. [Maybe Javanese, Sundanese, Balinese, pre-Hindu Dewi Sri, or Shridevi. Or An Apsara (Apsarasa) Hindu or Buddhist flying spirit???]  I spent a little bit of time trying to get an image that I liked. The lighting wasn’t good so did some experimenting with a flash.

Flying goddess and shadow. Workshop space at Kelly's Place, near Cortez. Image taken with a Nikon D3 camera and 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 200, 70 mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec) and flash. Maybe Javanese, Sundanese, Balinese, pre-Hindu Dewi Sri, or Shridevi. Or An Apsara (Apsarasa) Hindu or Buddhist flying spirit. (David J Mathre)
Flying goddess and shadow.  Image taken with a Nikon D3 camera and 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 200, 70 mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec) and flash. (David J Mathre)
Flying goddess and shadow. Workshop space at Kelly's Place, near Cortez. Image taken with a Nikon D3 camera and 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 200, 70 mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec) and flash. Maybe Javanese, Sundanese, Balinese, pre-Hindu Dewi Sri, or Shridevi. Or An Apsara (Apsarasa) Hindu or Buddhist flying spirit. (David J Mathre)
Flying goddess.  Image taken with a Nikon D3 camera and 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 200, 70 mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec) and flash.  (David J Mathre)