Category: Nature

Views of nature and the natural world. Plants, animals, and wildlife from around the world.

One-Year Ago (30-July-2013) — Iceland

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

One of our stops for the day was to see Strokkur, a geyser in the Haukadalur geothermal area beside the Hvítá River in southwest Iceland. The geyser erupts every 6-10 minutes, and you can get much closer than Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park. It should be noted that there were several tour buses stopped at the site, and lots of folks queued up to view the geyser. I found a spot a bit back on the other side and sent up a tripod to take a series of images with a Nikon D4 camera and 80-400 mm VRII telephoto zoom lens (ISO 100, 80 mm, f/11, 1/320 sec) that were then combined to create a GIF motion video of the bubble bursting.

One-Year Ago (29-July-2013) — Iceland

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

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.

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. Nikonians Academy Iceland Photo Adventure Trip. (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). (David J Mathre)

Six-Years Ago (26-July-2008) — Colorado

Summer Nature in Colorado. Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge.

Duckling Nursery in a Marsh at Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge located in North Central Colorado. Image taken with a Nikon D300 camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/8, 1/500 sec).

Duckling Nursery in a Marsh at Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge located in North Central Colorado. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/8, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)
Duckling Nursery in a Marsh at Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge located in North Central Colorado. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/8, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)

Friday (25-July-2014) — Russia

Gone to See Europe 2014. Day 55: Semester at Sea, Summer 2014 Semester Voyage. Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Rostral Column in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Image taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and Zeiss 12 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 200, 12 mm, f/16, 1/180 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CC 2014.

Rostal Column in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Image taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and Zeiss 12 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 200, 12 mm, f/16, 1/180 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CC 2014. (David J Mathre)
Rostal Column in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Image taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and Zeiss 12 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 200, 12 mm, f/16, 1/180 sec). (David J Mathre)

Thursday Ago (24-July-2014) — At Sea. 

Gone to See Europe 2014. Day 54: Semester at Sea, Summer 2014 Semester Voyage. Gulf of Finland.

Ship Passing Under Electric Blue Noctilucent Clouds on the Gulf of Finland. Early morning from the Deck of the MV Explorer. Image taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and 23 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 23 mm, f/1.4, 1 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Nik Define, and Photoshop CC 2014.

Noctilucent Clouds over the Gulf of Finland. Image taken with a Fuji XT1 camera and 23 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 23 mm, f/1.4, 1 sec). (David J Mathre)
Noctilucent Clouds over the Gulf of Finland. Image taken with a Fuji XT1 camera and 23 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 23 mm, f/1.4, 1 sec). (David J Mathre)