Wednesday (22-November-2017) — New Jersey

Backyard Autumn Nature in New Jersey.

The leaves on the Japanese maple tree have faded from bright red to brown. Yesterday, some birds found the newly renovated bird bath. They will have to wait until next spring for me to install the solar-powered fountain. The three inquisitive but wary does looked on as I was taking pictures of the statue on the bird bath. Now that it is hunting season, the deer know that they need to stay within 400 feet of a house in order to stay safe.

Newly Renovated Bird Bath and Stature. Autumn Backyard Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon Df camera and 28 mm f/1.8 lens (ISO 100, 28 mm, f/4, 1/400 sed) (David J Mathre)
Newly Renovated Bird Bath and Stature. Autumn Backyard Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon Df camera and 28 mm f/1.8 lens (ISO 100, 28 mm, f/4, 1/400 sed) (David J Mathre)
Trio of wary does in the afternoon sun. Autumn Backyard Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 55-135 mm lens (ISO 100, 135 mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec). (David J Mathre)
Trio of wary does in the afternoon sun. Autumn Backyard Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 55-135 mm lens (ISO 100, 135 mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec). (David J Mathre)

Ten-Years Ago (22-November-2007) — Hawaii

Gone to See Hawaii. Big Island Photography Workshop with Thom Hogan. Day 5: Volcano National Park.

Peridot Crystals (Pele’s Tears). Image taken with D2xs camera and 105 mm f/2.8 macro lens (ISO 100, f/22, 1/60 sec, flash). Thom was curious what I was taking macro images of in my hotel room while waiting for dinner.

I have always been fascinated by crystals. Before I retired I learned to solve chemical structures using single-crystal x-ray images. I love whenever I ever find a crystal in nature.

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Peridot Crystals (Pele’s Tears). Image taken with D2xs camera and 105 mm f/2.8 macro lens (ISO 100, f/22, 1/60 sec, flash). (David J Mathre)

Ten-Years Ago (22-November-2007) — Hawaii

Gone to See Hawaii. Big Island Photography Workshop with Thom Hogan. Day 5: Volcano National Park.

While we were out on our morning photography composition lesson outside of Volcano National Park, I found this black volcanic rock with yellow-green sparkles. I brought it back to the lodge where I had a macro lens, and spent the afternoon trying to get some pictures of the crystals. Later on I discovered that the crystals were a semi-precious gem known as Peridot (Pele’s Tears).

Peridot Crystals (Pele's Tears). Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 105 mm f/2.8 macro lens (ISO 100, f/22, 1/60 sec, flash). (David J Mathre)
Peridot Crystals (Pele’s Tears). Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 105 mm f/2.8 macro lens (ISO 100, f/22, 1/60 sec, flash). (David J Mathre)