Author: David Mathre

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 on home renovation and expansion of a wildflower garden/meadow.

Five-Years Ago (21-June-2008) — New Jersey

Summertime Nature in New Jersey: Sourland Mountain Preserve.

Female Red-Winged Blackbird with an Insect. First Day of Summer at the Sourland Mountain Preserve. Image taken with a Nikon D300 camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/8, 1/200 sec).

Female Red-Winged Blackbird with an Insect. First Day of Summer at the Sourland Mountain Preserve in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/8, 1/200 sec). (David J Mathre) — Female Red-Winged Blackbird with an Insect. First Day of Summer at the Sourland Mountain Preserve in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D300 camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/8, 1/200 sec). (David J Mathre)

Wednesday (19-June-2013) — New Jersey

Semester at Sea Spring 2013 Enrichment Voyage.

I am back home after an extended voyage on the Semester at Sea MV Explorer. Over 52 days the Spring 2013 Enrichment Voyage visited 19 countries (Spain, Monaco, Italy, Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, Portugal, Belgium, Netherlands, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, England, Norway, Latvia, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany). The Garmin GPS that I carried recorded 24539 miles (10068 miles by air, 9216 miles at sea, 2457 miles by car, 1800 miles by bus, 819 miles by train, 46 miles by ferry, and 133 miles by foot). Using five cameras (including my smart phone) I took over 60K images taking up almost all of a 1.5 TB external hard drive. Internet access on the ship was slow so I didn’t make many posts. I plan to go back and post images from the trip over the next few days and weeks.

Sunday (16-June-2013) — England

Gone to See Europe. Semester at Sea Spring 2013 Enrichment Voyage on the MV Explorer. Day 51: Southampton, England.

Queen Elizabeth (Cunard Lines) Docking in Southampton, England. Image taken with a Leica X2 camera (ISO 100, 24 mm, f/5, 1/200 sec). In camera B&W.

Early in the morning I saw a large cruise ship all lit up from the window in my cabin. The ship passed us relatively quickly. Once we arrived in Southampton we saw that the large ship that passed us was the Queen Elizabeth.

Wednesday (12-June-2013) — Germany

Gone to See Europe. Semester at Sea Spring 2013 Enrichment Voyage on the MV Explorer. Day 47: Kiel Canal, Germany.

I was part of a team of six photographers that took ~30,000 images as the MV Explorer (Semester at Sea Spring 2013 Enrichment Voyage) transits the Kiel Canal in Germany.Howard Ignatius used the images to create this time-lapse video of the passage through the canal.

Tuesday (11-June-2013) — At Sea

Gone to See Europe. Semester at Sea Spring 2013 Enrichment Voyage on the MV Explorer. Day 46: Copenhagen, Denmark.

Sunset on the Baltic Sea. Are there offshore oil platforms in the Baltic Sea off Denmark? Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera FT1 adapter and 80-400 mm VRII lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec).