Wednesday (27-December-2017) — Florida

Gone to See Florida 2017/2018 Road Trip. Day 7: Sunrise at Fort De Soto Park.

I began the day early at Fort De Soto park with my brother to watch the sun rise under the Sunshine Skyway bridge. The sky was just starting to show some signs of light when we arrived. There was a line of clouds above the Skyway bridge, and it looked promising for the sun to come up under the clouds. I set up two cameras, one with a 16 mm wide-angle lens, and one with a 500 mm telephoto lens to do  time-lapsed sequences of sunrise.

Cameras set up to photograph the sun rising under the Sunshine Skyway bridge from Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County, Florida Image taken with a Leica T camera and 11-23 mm wide-angle zoom lens (David J Mathre)
Cameras set up to photograph the sun rising under the Sunshine Skyway bridge from Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County, Florida Image taken with a Leica T camera and 11-23 mm wide-angle zoom lens (David J Mathre)


Three-Years Ago (27-December-2014) — South Atlantic Ocean

Gone to See Antarctica 2014/5:  Day 12 – At Sea on the Hurtigruten MS Fram in the South Atlantic Ocean

A 1 minute video from the observation deck of the Hurtigruten MS Fram of the sea conditions while traveling between South Georgia and Antarctica. I didn’t get sick, but remember that there were not many folks in the dining room. I did notice that my GPS track for the day had about six times as many data points from all of the rocking and rolling. We were going into some really heavy head winds, which reduced the speed of the ship from about 15 knots to 7 knots.

Ten-Years Ago (25-December-2007) — Florida

Extended Mathre Family Celebration: A Busy Christmas Day

Early morning sunrise and night-time photography at the Vinoy Hotel.  Wildlife photography at the Weedon Island Nature Preserve. Lots of birds, a crab spider, and how often do you see, let alone catch a “flying fish” in midair. Then the extended Mathre family Christmas Day celebration.

Sunrise over Tampa Bay from the Vinoy Hotel in St. Petersburg, Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 14-28 mm f/2.8 len (ISO 100, 20 mm, f/11, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)
Sunrise over Tampa Bay from the Vinoy Hotel in St. Petersburg, Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 14-28 mm f/2.8 len (ISO 100, 20 mm, f/11, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)


Mullet in Flight. Weedon Island Nature Preserve, Pinellas County, Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D300 camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 80 mm, f/5, 1/500 sec) (David J Mathre)
Mullet in Flight. Weedon Island Nature Preserve, Pinellas County, Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D300 camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 80 mm, f/5, 1/500 sec) (David J Mathre)



Three-Years Ago (24-December-2014) — South Atlantic Ocean

Gone to See Antarctica 2014/5:  Day 9 – At Sea on the Hurtigruten MS Fram in the South Atlantic Ocean

Dawn colors from the deck of the Hurtigruten MS Fram between the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) and South Georgia Island. Views like this are why I get up early to view the sky at dawn while at sea. This is a composite of 16 image taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera.

Colorful Clouds at Dawn over the South Atlantic Ocean from the Deck of the Hurtigruten MS Fram. Composite of 16 images taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and 23 mm f/2 lens (ISO 200, 23 mm, f/8, 1/250 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and composite panorama created with AutoPano Giga Pro. (David J Mathre)
Colorful Clouds at Dawn over the South Atlantic Ocean from the Deck of the Hurtigruten MS Fram. Composite of 16 images taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and 23 mm f/2 lens (ISO 200, 23 mm, f/8, 1/250 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and composite panorama created with AutoPano Giga Pro. (David J Mathre)

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Six-Years Ago (24-December-2011) — Florida

December Road Trip to Florida in 2011: Fort De Soto Park

Sun rising under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge from Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County Florida. Later in the morning a male Osprey protecting its mate and nest.

Sunrise Rising Under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge from Fort Desoto County Park. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 70-200 mm f/2 VRII lens (ISO 100, 105 mm, f/16. 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)
Sunrise Rising Under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge from Fort De Soto County Park. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 70-200 mm f/2 VRII lens (ISO 100, 105 mm, f/16. 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)
Top Gun Protecting His Mate and Nest. Osprey Aerial Battle. Fort Desoto County Park in St Petersburg, Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D700 and 28-300 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)
Top Gun Protecting His Mate and Nest. Osprey Aerial Battle. Fort Desoto County Park in St Petersburg, Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D700 and 28-300 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)