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.

Wednesday (21-December-2011) — South Carolina to Florida

Gone to See America. December 2011 Florida Road Trip. Day 2:  South Carolina to Florida.

I set up a Nikon 1 V1 camera and 10 mm f/2.8 lens on a tripod rigged into the passenger seat, and started driving south. The camera was set to take images every 10 seconds, auto ISO, f/2.8, focus manual (infinity), auto shutter speed. I would have to stop and change the battery every hour or so. The images were then used to produce the following time-lapse video of the road trip.

Tuesday (20-December-2011) — New Jersey to South Carolina

Gone to See America. December 2011 Florida Road Trip. Day 1:  New Jersey to South Carolina.

I set up a Nikon 1 V1 camera and 10 mm f/2.8 lens on a tripod rigged into the passenger seat, and started driving south. The camera was set to take images every 10 seconds, auto ISO, f/2.8, focus manual (infinity), auto shutter speed. I would have to stop and change the battery every hour or so. The images were then used to produce the following time-lapse video of the road trip.

Sunday (11-December-2011) — New Jersey

Gone to See New Jersey: Aerial View.

A friend took me on a flight in his single-engine Cessna Scout airplane. We took off at the nearby Princeton Airfield (which is closer to Rocky Hill than Princeton). I was able to see the local high school, the J&J site, my backyard, and the local mine. The mine used to be owned by 3M, but is now owned by Gibraltar Rock. We also saw the Merck Corporate headquarters at Whitehouse station (large hexagon building).  During the flight I took images with my new Nikon 1 V1 camera using the 10-100 mm VR lens. I also took video images of take-off and landings as viewed from the back seat. I made a movie using both time-lapsed images and the video clips.

Midair Shadow while Landing in a Small Airplane at Vansant Airport. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V1 and 10-100 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 14.4 mm, f/4.8, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)
Midair Shadow while Landing in a Small Airplane at Vansant Airport. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V1 and 10-100 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 14.4 mm, f/4.8, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)

Saturday (10-December-2011) — New Jersey

Backyard Autumn Night Sky Over New Jersey: Bird Captured Flying Past the Full Moon.

I missed the Lunar Eclipse because I am on the east coast. The sky was clear and the moon was full, so I did take some images and DSLR videos with a Nikon D3s and 600 mm f/4 VR lens + TC-E III 20 teleconverter. The D3s is limited to a 5 minute 720p HR video, so I would keep going out  and restarting the videos. It was cold, and I wasn’t going to stay out there. The amazing thing when I started viewing the videos, on the very first one saw that I captured a bird flying across the moon. The duration of the transit was about 0.1 second. The frame-grab image from the video shows the bird in front of the moon. I think that it is a sea bird based on the wing shape, but hope that a bird expert can help with the identification. I’ve also included a video of the bird transit. The first pass is real time, the next six repeats are slowed down 10x.

Bird Flying Past Full Moon. Frame Grab from a DSLR Video taken with a Nikon D3s and 600 mm f/4 VR llens and TC-E III 20 teleconverter (David J Mathre)
Bird Flying Past Full Moon. Frame Grab from a DSLR Video taken with a Nikon D3s and 600 mm f/4 VR llens and TC-E III 20 teleconverter (David J Mathre)