Thursday (02-June-2016) — New Jersey

Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Time-lapse side-show of a pink poppy opening. Even though this looks like it is happening in daylight, the poppy flowers start to open in the very early dawn. I set the camera ISO to auto and let it ride to the maximum. Individual images can be viewed here.


Three-Years Ago (01-June-2013) — Latvia

Gone to See Europe. Semester at Sea Spring 2013 Enrichment Voyage on the MV Explorer. Day 36: Riga, Latvia.

Rusting Locks on a Fence in Riga, Latvia. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 10-100 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 100 mm, f/5.6, 1/320 sec).

Rusting Locks on a Fence in Riga, Latvia. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 10-100 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 100 mm, f/5.6, 1/320 sec). Semester at Sea Spring 2013 Enrichment Voyage. (David J Mathre)
Rusting Locks on a Fence in Riga, Latvia. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 10-100 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 100 mm, f/5.6, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)

Three-Years Ago (28-May-2013) — Norway

Gone to See Europe. Semester at Sea Spring 2013 Enrichment Voyage on the MV Explorer. Day 32: Oslo, Norway.

Running the Steps at Vigeland Sculpture Park in Oslo, Norway. Image taken with a Leica X2 camera (ISO 200, 24 mm, f/16, 1/1000 sec).

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Running the Steps at Vigeland Sculpture Park in Oslo, Norway. Image taken with a Leica X2 camera (ISO 200, 24 mm, f/16, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)

Friday (24-May-2016) — New Jersey

I’m Back in the Printing Game.

My last printer, a HP Photosmart B8190 recently died and the model was discontinued a few years ago so I have been on the lookout for a replacement for making Fine Art Prints. This Epson Stylus 4900 arrive last night from B&H. Four guys had to unload it from the delivery truck. The instructions state that two people need to lift the printer from the shipping crate. It was really heavy, and difficult to do by myself. Once I got it up onto the desk (morning long project) I ran through the setup, loaded all of the inks, and got it configured on my network. The colors in the initial test prints look great, even if I am using up some remaining HP paper from the last printer. Image of “Blue Eyes” taken with a Leica X2 camera (ISO 100, 24 mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, fill flash).

Epson P4900 Printer. Image taken with a Leica X2 camera (indoors, computer and printer) (David J Mathre)
Epson P4900 Printer. Image taken with a Leica X2 camera (indoors, computer and printer) (David J Mathre)

Thursday (19-May-2016) — New Jersey

Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

The new Fujinon XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR telephoto lens arrived this afternoon. It was not available before the Semester at Sea voyage. I took it out for a few shots while the sun was still out. My initial impression is favorable. The Fuji X-T1 camera and new lens is about 1 kg lighter than a corresponding Nikon D4 and 80-400mm VRII lens. The Fuji lens does not focus as fast as the Nikon lens, but the focus appears to accurate. I will take it out to the Sourland Preserve this weekend for some field testing. I do want to see if the focus will be fast enough to catch birds in flight.

Cluster of rhododendron flowers. Backyard spring nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and 100-400 mm OS lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/14, 1/250 sec). (David J Mathre)
Cluster of rhododendron flowers. Backyard spring nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and 100-400 mm OS lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/14, 1/250 sec). (David J Mathre)