Two-Years Ago (31-July-2013) — Iceland.

Gone to See Iceland 2013: Photography Safari with Mike Hagen. Day 2: Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands).

We spent the day on the island of Vestmannaeyjar. Puffins, sheep, and landscapes. The main town on the island was nearly destroyed by volcanic activity in 1973.

Puffin with Fish in Flight. Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens (ISO 800, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)
Puffin with Fish in Flight. Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens (ISO 800, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)
The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side of the Fence. Icelandic Sheep Attempting to get its head through the fence on the summer pastures in Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland. I think the fence was to keep the sheep from the Puffin Nests. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens (ISO 800, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/160 sec). Nikonians Academy Iceland Photo Adventure Tour. (David J Mathre)
The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side of the Fence. Icelandic Sheep Attempting to get its head through the fence on the summer pastures in Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland. I think the fence was to keep the sheep from the Puffin Nests. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens (ISO 800, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/160 sec). (David J Mathre)
The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side of the Fence. Sheep grazing on the summer pastures in Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens (ISO 800, 400 mm, f/9, 1/500 sec). Nikonians Iceland Photo Adventure Tour. (David J Mathre)
The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side of the Fence. Sheep grazing on the summer pastures in Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens (ISO 800, 400 mm, f/9, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)
Lupins at the Edge of the Lava Field in Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland. The volcanic equption back in 1973 almost swallowed the town - there are homes buried under those rocks. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 6.7-13 mm VR lens (ISO 160, 6.7 mm, f/4, 1/500 sec). Nikonians Iceland Photo Adventure Tour. (David J Mathre)
Lupins at the Edge of the Lava Field in Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland. The volcanic equption back in 1973 almost swallowed the town – there are homes buried under those rocks. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 6.7-13 mm VR lens (ISO 160, 6.7 mm, f/4, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)
Grass Seed and Driftwood on a Black Volcanic Sand Beach. Vestmannaeyjar Iceland. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 10-100 mm VR lens (ISO 160, 69 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec). Nikonians Academy Iceland Photo Adventure. (David J Mathre)
Grass Seed and Driftwood on a Black Volcanic Sand Beach. Vestmannaeyjar Iceland. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 10-100 mm VR lens (ISO 160, 69 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)
Icelandic Grass Seed and Driftwood on the coast of Vestmannaeyjar Iceland. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 10-100 mm VR lens (ISO 160, 39 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 sec). Nikonians Academy Iceland Photo Adventure. (David J Mathre)
Icelandic Grass Seed and Driftwood on the coast of Vestmannaeyjar Iceland. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 10-100 mm VR lens (ISO 160, 39 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)

Two-Years Ago (30-July-2013) — Iceland

Gone to See Iceland 2013 Photography Safari with Mike Hagen. Day 1: Golden Circle.

The Bubble is About to Burst. Strokkur, a geyser in the Haukadalur geothermal area beside the Hvítá River in Iceland. Images taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens (ISO 100, 80 mm, f/11, 1/320 sec). The great thing about this geyser is that it erupts several times an hour, and you can get to relatively close safe distance. All of the Golden Circle bus tours stop here, so it can be crowded.

Three-Years Ago (30-July-2012) — New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

Fawn with Spots. Summer Backyard Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D800 camera and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens (ISO 100, 300 mm, f/2.8, 1/500 sec).

Fawn with Spots. Summer Backyard Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D800 and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens (ISO 100, 300 mm, f/2.8, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)
Fawn with Spots. Summer Backyard Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D800 camera and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens (ISO 100, 300 mm, f/2.8, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)

Four-Years Ago (30-July-2011) — New Jersey

Backyard Daytime Astronomy.

Sun with Sunspots. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and Questar 7 inch telescope with solar filter (ISO 200, ~2500 mm, f/16, 1/2000 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define 2, and Photoshop CS5.

Sun with Sunspots. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and Questar 7 inch telescope with solar filter (ISO 200, ~2500 mm, f/16, 1/2000 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define 2, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre)
Sun with Sunspots. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and Questar 7 inch telescope with solar filter (ISO 200, ~2500 mm, f/16, 1/2000 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define 2, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre)

Two-Years Ago (29-July-2013) — Iceland

Gone to See Iceland 2013 Photography Safari with Mike Hagen. Day 0: Reykjavik.

The day before the Iceland Photography Safari started, I went on a walkabout in Reykjavik. The morning was cloudy with some light rain when I came across a cat sitting in front of the famous Hallgrímskirkja (church of Hallgrímur). In the evening, I walked along the harbor to see Sólfar, the Sun Voyager steel sculpture. From wikipedia “Sun Voyager is a dreamboat, an ode to the sun. Intrinsically, it contains within itself the promise of undiscovered territory, a dream of hope, progress and freedom.” The sun didn’t set until after 22:00 (10 PM).

Cat in front of Hallgrímskirkja (church of Hallgrímur) in Reykjavik, Iceland. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 10 mm f/2.8 lens with an Olympus FCON-T01 fisheye adapter (ISO 160, 7.5 mm, f/4, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)
Cat in front of Hallgrímskirkja (church of Hallgrímur) in Reykjavik, Iceland. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 10 mm f/2.8 lens with an Olympus FCON-T01 fisheye adapter (ISO 160, 7.5 mm, f/4, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)
Sunset Along the Reykjavik Harbor Walkway. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 10 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 160, 10 mm, f/8, 1/400 sec). The foreground is a water fountain, and the bicycle rider just happened to go by as I took the image. (David J Mathre)
Sunset Along the Reykjavik Harbor Walkway. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 10 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 160, 10 mm, f/8, 1/400 sec). The foreground is a water fountain, and the bicycle rider just happened to go by as I took the image. (David J Mathre)
Silhouette of Sun Voyager (Sólfar) at Sunset. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 10 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 160, 10 mm, f/8, 1/400 sec). (David J Mathre)
Silhouette of Sun Voyager (Sólfar) at Sunset. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 10 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 160, 10 mm, f/8, 1/400 sec). (David J Mathre)