Travel - David Mathre Photography

Three-Years Ago (01-June-2008) — Colorado

Springtime Nature in Colorado: Rocky Mountain National Park.

While visiting Lily Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park I saw a number of male Broad-tailed Hummingbirds. It looked like they were setting up territories as they would perch on a branch and watch the others in the vicinity. Every now and then they would dive toward the others in an attempt to get some more space.

Male Broad-tailed Humming Bird at Lily Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. Image taken with a Nikon D3 and 70-200 mm f/2.8 VR lens + TC-E II 20 teleconverter (ISO 280, 400 mm, f/8, 1/400 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre) — Male Broad-tailed Humming Bird at Lily Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. Image taken with a Nikon D3 and 70-200 mm f/2.8 VR lens + TC-E II 20 teleconverter (ISO 280, 400 mm, f/8, 1/400 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CS5.

Male Broad-tailed Humming Bird at Lily Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 70-200 mm f/2.8 VR lens + TC-E II 20 teleconverter (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/8, 1/160 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre) — Male Broad-tailed Humming Bird at Lily Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 70-200 mm f/2.8 VR lens + TC-E II 20 teleconverter (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/8, 1/160 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CS5.

Four-Years Ago (28-May-2007) — Colorado

Early Springtime in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Images of Colorado wildflowers taken at Lily Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. In Colorado this is still early spring with the snow only recently melting. I think that these are Prairie Crocus flowers (Pulsatilla Patens). Let me know if the identification is correct.

Prarie Crocus Flower. Early Spring in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens (ISO 100, 105 mm, f/11, 1/125 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre) — Prarie Crocus Flower. Early Spring in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens (ISO 100, 105 mm, f/11, 1/125 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CS5.

Prarie Crocus Flower. Early Spring in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens (ISO 400, 105 mm, f/11, 1/160 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Focus Magic, NIK Define 2, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre) — Prarie Crocus Flower. Early Spring in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens (ISO 400, 105 mm, f/11, 1/160 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Focus Magic, NIK Define 2, and Photoshop CS5.

Prarie Crocus Flower. Early Spring in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens (ISO 125, 105 mm, f/11, 1/250 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre) — Prarie Crocus Flower. Early Spring in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens (ISO 125, 105 mm, f/11, 1/250 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CS5.

Two-Years Ago (23-May-2009) — South Dakota

Gone to See America 2009 Road Trip. Day 16: Badlands National Park.

Western Meadowlark Singing. Late last night while not able to sleep after a loud spring thunderstorm, I started to read Moose Peterson’s book “CAPTURED — LESSONS from BEHIND the LENS of a LEGENDARY WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER“. In the book I saw an image of a Western Meadowlark. This morning while driving to work I was listening to a chapter of the book “The Last Stand” on Sirrius/XM radio and heard that “Sitting Bull heard from a Meadowlark that he would be killed by a Lakota”. With two references to a Meadowlark, I remembered that I had taken an image of a similar bird while on my “Gone to See America 2009” road trip while in Badlands National Park in South Dakota. When I took the image, I didn’t know what type of bird it was, but was enchanted by its singing.

Western Meadowlark, Badlands National Park, South Dakota. Image taken with a Nikon D3 and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/11, 1/640 sec). (David J Mathre) — Western Meadowlark, Badlands National Park, South Dakota. Image taken with a Nikon D3 and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/11, 1/640 sec).

Monday (16-May-2011) — Mexico

Gone to See Central America and the Panama Canal. Semester at Sea Spring 2011 Enrichment Voyage on the MV Explorer. Ultimate Travel Photography Workshop II with Michael Mariant. Day 20: Cozumel, Mexico.

My mother outside of Josefina’s Mexican Cooking Class. When I get a chance I need to post images from the cooking class.

Two-Years Ago (14-May-2009) — California

Gone to See America 2009 Road Trip. Day 7: Spring in Yosemite National Park Photography Workshop with Michael Mariant.

I took this image 2 years ago while driving into Yosemite National Park. I noticed something bright red in my rear view mirror. This was not red flashing lights, but rather something red in the woods. I turned around and found these flowers blooming. I did not know what they were — a plant or fungus. They were later identified as Snow Plants (Sarcodes sanguinea). Although plants, they do not use chlorophyll for photosynthesis, but rather get carbohydrates from coniferous trees via a shared mycorrhizal fungus.

Snow Plant (Sarcodes sanguinea). Yosemite National Park. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 45 mm f/2.8 PC-E lens (ISO 100, 45 mm, f/8, 1/13 sec). (David J. Mathre)