Saturday (23-December-2017) — Florida

Gone to See Florida 2017/2018 Road Trip. Day 3: Sunset at Fort De Soto Park.

I went to the beach at Fort De Soto park for a lasagna dinner with my parents, brother, and aunt. The park is located in St. Petersburg at the southern tip of Pinellas County separating Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Just after the sun went below the horizon, the clouds started developing some intense pink and orange pastel colors. The first image is a composite of seven images taken with a Leica T camera and 11-23 mm wide-angle zoom lens stitched together with AutoPano Giga Pro in a Fish-Eye view. The second image is a composite of fifteen images stitched together in a Little-Planet view.

Colorful Clouds at Dusk over the Gulf of Mexico. Sunset at Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County, Florida Composite of seven images taken with a Leica T camera and 11-23 mm wide-angle zoom lens (ISO 100, 11 mm, f/4, 1/100 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and the fish-eye composite created using AutoPano Giga Pro. (David J Mathre)
Colorful Clouds at Dusk over the Gulf of Mexico. Sunset at Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County, Florida Composite of seven images taken with a Leica T camera and 11-23 mm wide-angle zoom lens (ISO 100, 11 mm, f/4, 1/100 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and the fish-eye composite created using AutoPano Giga Pro. (David J Mathre)
Colorful Clouds at Dusk over the Gulf of Mexico. Sunset at Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County, Florida Composite of fifteen images taken with a Leica T camera and 11-23 mm wide-angle zoom lens (ISO 100, 11.1 mm, f/4, 1/100 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and the Little Planet composite created using AutoPano Giga Pro. (David J Mathre)
Colorful Clouds at Dusk over the Gulf of Mexico. Sunset at Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County, Florida Composite of fifteen images taken with a Leica T camera and 11-23 mm wide-angle zoom lens (ISO 100, 11.1 mm, f/4, 1/100 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and the Little Planet composite created using AutoPano Giga Pro. (David J Mathre)

Three-Years Ago (23-December-2014) — South Atlantic Ocean

Gone to See Antarctica 2014/5: Day 8 – At Sea on the Hurtigruten MS Fram the Falkland Islands and South Georgia

Since my Nikon Df camera was not functional, I did the best I could with my Leica T camera, and the 18-56 mm zoom lens. I never thought I would try to capture “bird in flight” images with this camera and lens. There were a pair of Wandering Albatross using the thermals behind the ship. I had to spend a lot of time to finally get an image where the birds were in focus. I can be done, but takes patience.

Pair of Wandering Albatross Searching for Food in the South Atlantic Ocean from the Deck of the Hurtigurten MS Fram. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 18-56 mm lens (ISO 100, 56 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 8, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CC 2014. (David J Mathre)
Pair of Wandering Albatross Searching for Food in the South Atlantic Ocean from the Deck of the Hurtigurten MS Fram. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 18-56 mm lens (ISO 100, 56 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 8, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CC 2014. (David J Mathre)

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Six-Years Ago (23-December-2011) — Florida

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

Sunshine Skyway Bridge at sunrise from Fort De Soto Park. Later in the morning I watched a nesting pair of Osprey.

Low Tide Panorama of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge at Dawn. Taken from Fort Desoto County Park in St. Petersburg, Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 14-24 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 200, 14 mm, f/16, 1 sec). (David J. Mathre)
Low Tide Panorama of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge at Dawn. Taken from Fort De Soto County Park in St. Petersburg, Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 14-24 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 200, 14 mm, f/16, 1 sec). (David J. Mathre)
Sunshine Skyway Bridge Panorama at Dawn from Fort Desoto Park. St. Petersburg, Florida. Composite of 3 vertical images taken with an Nikon D3s and 45 mm f/2.8 PC-E lens (ISO 200, f/11, 0.5 sec). Images processed with DxO, AutoPano Giga, Photoshop CS5, and Topaz Define. (David J Mathre)
Sunshine Skyway Bridge Panorama at Dawn from Fort De Soto Park. St. Petersburg, Florida. Composite of 3 vertical images taken with an Nikon D3s and 45 mm f/2.8 PC-E lens (ISO 200, f/11, 0.5 sec). Images processed with DxO, AutoPano Giga, Photoshop CS5, and Topaz Define. (David J Mathre)


Three-Years Ago (21-December-2014) — Falkland Islands

Gone to See Antarctica 2014/5 Day 6: Hurtigruten MS Fram visiting the Falkland Islands

The first place we stopped in the Falklands was Carcass Island. I was surprised to see palm trees this far south. It almost looks like the MS Fram was anchored off a Caribbean tropical island.

Hurtigruten MS Fram anchored off Carcass Island (one of the Falkland Islands). Image taken with a Leica T camera and 18-56 mm lens (ISO 100, 40 mm, f/16, 1/125 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 8, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CC 2014. (David J Mathre)
Hurtigruten MS Fram anchored off Carcass Island (one of the Falkland Islands). Image taken with a Leica T camera and 18-56 mm lens (ISO 100, 40 mm, f/16, 1/125 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 8, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CC 2014. (David J Mathre)

 

Six-Years Ago (21-December-2011) — Florida

December Road Trip to Florida in 2011: Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

I stopped for a couple of days in Merritt Island, and spent the time at the National Wildlife Refuge. A target rich environment. These are a few images from that day — Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Wood Stork, Alligator, and Sunset. I especially liked the Great Blue Heron doing the “Chicken Dance”.

Great Blue Heron Doing the Chicken Dance. Black Point Wildlife Road, Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 200-400 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1800, 400 mm, f/4, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)
Great Blue Heron Doing the Chicken Dance. Black Point Wildlife Road, Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 200-400 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1800, 400 mm, f/4, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)