Eight-Years Ago (15-January-2011) — Chile

Gone to See Patagonia 2010/2011. Photography Workshop with Thom Hogan. Day 20: Puerto Natales, Chile. Hostage Day 4.

Day four in Puerto Natales. The Chilean Red Cross and Military organized safe passage out of Puerto Natales for the departure for all of the tourists being held against their will in southern Chile. We first had to get to the Red Cross refuge center that was set up in the E3 elementary school to register. Then it was a lot of waiting as the Red Cross tried to organize lists and priorities to depart. There were nearly 1000 folks in the refuge center. A doctor gave me some antibiotics for my upper respiratory infection (that was turning into walking pneumonia. This also moved me up the list so I was with the 2nd group to depart. While at the refuge center, we got a certificate from the Gubernator of Southern Chile stating that we had been detained against our will. This is a series of snapshots taken with a Leica D-Lux 5 camera documenting the day. Freedom at last. I ended up sleeping in the Punta Arenas airport lobby before getting the first commercial plane to Santiago the next morning. The road between Santiago, and the Santiago International Airport were still being blocked by the protesters. I have to thank Thom Hogan, Rob Noonan, Wilderness Travel, the Chilean Red Cross, and the Chilean Air Force for getting us out safely.



Individual images from the slide-show can be viewed here.

Monday (14-January-2019) — New Jersey

Backyard Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

I’m not sure of the ID of bird in the first two images. It looks like the dark-eyed junco’s, but it has a brown rather than grey and black feathers.


Three-Years Ago (14-January-2016) — Pacific Ocean

Gone to See the World. Semester at Sea Spring 2016 Voyage on the MV World Odyssey. Day 10: Crossing the Pacific Ocean From Hawaii to Japan.

The Masked and Brown Boobies continue to follow the ship. I think they are using the thermals created by our motion as they search for fish. I managed to get an image of a Brown Booby just after it caught a Flying Fish.


Individual images in the slide show can be viewed here.

Sunday (13-January-2019) — New Jersey

Backyard Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

The predicted winter snowstorm didn’t happen. When I woke up there was barely a dusting of snow on the ground. Once the sun came out there were lots of birds at the feeders. Dark-eyed Junco, Mourning Dove, Marsh Wren, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, House Finch, Tufted Titmouse, and Northern Cardinal. I wasn’t able to get any suet at the meat market this week. They gave me some pork fat instead. Initially the birds ignored it. The Red-bellied Woodpecker, Tufted Titmouse and Marsh Wren finally started to nibble on it.

alt_title. (David J Mathre)
Dark-eyed Junco. Image taken with a Fuji X-T3 camera and 200 mm f/2 lens with 1.4x TC (David J Mathre)
alt_title. (David J Mathre)
Junco? Image taken with a Fuji X-T3 camera and 200 mm f/2 lens with 1.4x TC (David J Mathre)









Individual images from the slide shows can be viewed here.

alt_title. (David J Mathre)
Grey Squirrel. Image taken with a Fuji X-T3 camera and 200 mm f/2 lens with 1.4x TC (David J Mathre)

Three-Years Ago (13-January-2019) — Pacific Ocean

Gone to See the World. Semester at Sea Spring 2016 Voyage on the MV World Odyssey. Day 9: Crossing the Pacific Ocean From Hawaii to Japan.

Images from sunrise and sunset from the deck of the MV World Odyssey. One thing that I noted on this voyage was the very red color of the sun at sunrise and sunset as we crossed the Pacific ocean. I wasn’t expecting smog in the middle of the ocean. The closer we got to Asia, it became even more pronounced. I normally do not try to take pictures of the sun without a very dark filter, especially through a telephoto lens. However, on this voyage the atmosphere near the horizon became that filter.

Orange colored sky and clouds over the Pacific Ocean just after sunrise. Composite of 10 images taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 35 mm, f/16, 1/250 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and stitched together with AutoPano Giga Pro. (David J Mathre)
Orange colored sky and clouds over the Pacific Ocean just after sunrise. Composite of 10 images taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 35 mm, f/16, 1/250 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and stitched together with AutoPano Giga Pro. Click on the image for a wider view. (David J Mathre)



Individual images in the slide shows can be viewed here.