Ten-Years Ago (18-November-2007) — Hawaii

Gone to See Hawaii. Big Island Photography Workshop with Thom Hogan. Day 1: Kailua Kona.

Ten years ago, I arrived in Hawaii to attend a photography workshop with Thom Hogan. It was hard to believe the day before I was in Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge in northern Colorado. At that time, I had only been taking pictures with a DSLR camera for just over one year. Soon after getting the camera, I found Thom’s web site which became a very helpful resource as I was learning to use the camera (much more useful than the Nikon manual provided with the camera). I purchased his guides for the D200 (and subsequently the guides for all of the new Nikon cameras I have used. These guides are by far the best resource for understanding the capabilities of the Nikon digital cameras. I saw a note in Thom’s web site that there was a late opening for his Hawaii workshop over Thanksgiving week. I signed up right away since I knew that there was a lot more that I needed to learn to become a better photographer. The first evening in Hawaii, we went down to the beach for sunset. I took these two pictures of boats with the sun setting behind them. Little did I know, it would become a contest between some friends on a Semester at Sea voyage to get images of boats or ships in front of the setting sun.

Sunset and Sailboat off Kona Beach, Big Island Hawaii. Day 1 of Thom Hogan's 2007 Hawaii Photography Workshop. Image taken with Nikon D2xs and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)
Sunset and Sailboat off Kona Beach, Big Island Hawaii. Image taken with Nikon D2xs and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)
Sunset of Kailua Harbor from Kona Beach, Big Island Hawaii. Day 1 of Thom Hogan's 2007 Hawaii Photography Workshop. Image taken with Nikon D2xs and 12-24 mm DX lens (ISO 100, 24 mm, f/9, HDR 9 images 1/800 to 1/20 sec). (David J Mathre)
Sunset at Kailua Harbor from Kona Beach, Big Island Hawaii.  Image taken with Nikon D2xs and 12-24 mm DX lens (ISO 100, 24 mm, f/9, HDR 9 images 1/800 to 1/20 sec). (David J Mathre)

Ten-Years Ago (17-November-2007) — Colorado

Colorado Autumn Road Trip: Big Horn Sheep.

I saw several Big Horn Sheep along Colorado 14 while driving back to Boulder from Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge. Soon after I stopped and started taking pictures with a big lens, several other vehicles also stopped. As soon as the crowd started getting out the Big Horns all turned around and showed their rear ends. Hard to believe, but one day later I was in Hawaii attending a workshop run by Thom Hogan.


Big Horn Sheep Along Colorado 14 near Sheridan in Roosevelt National Forest. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs and 200-400 mm lens (ISO 200, 200 mm, f/8, 1/750 sec) (David J Mathre)
Big Horn Sheep Along Colorado 14 near Sheridan in Roosevelt National Forest. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs and 200-400 mm lens (ISO 200, 200 mm, f/8, 1/750 sec) (David J Mathre)

Five-Years Ago (16-November-2012) — New Jersey

Backyard Autumn Night Sky in New Jersey: Star and Leonid Meteor Trails.

The sky was clear so I put a couple of cameras out with wide-angle lenses to try to capture some Leonid meteor trails.

Late Fall Night Star Trails and Leonid Meteor Trails over New Jersey. Composite of 35 Images taken with a Nikon D800 and 16 mm f/2.8 fisheye lens (ISO 100, 16 mm, f/2.8, 1 min). (David J. Mathre)
Late Fall Night Star Trails and Leonid Meteor Trails over New Jersey. Composite of 35 Images taken with a Nikon D800 and 16 mm f/2.8 fisheye lens (ISO 100, 16 mm, f/2.8, 1 min). (David J. Mathre)


Five-Years Ago (15-November-2012) — New Jersey

Indoor Autumn Nature in New Jersey.

Be not afraid. These guys eat other insects and spiders. They are very fast, and are not normally out during the day.

House pet (Scutigera Coleoptrata) hunting for a meal. Indoor nature in New Jersey. Nikon D3 + 105 mm f/2.8G VR macro + SB-700 flash (ISO 200, 105 mm, f/22, 1/250 sec). (David J Mathre)
House pet (Scutigera Coleoptrata) hunting for a meal. Indoor nature in New Jersey. Nikon D3 + 105 mm f/2.8G VR macro + SB-700 flash (ISO 200, 105 mm, f/22, 1/250 sec). (David J Mathre)

Tuesday (14-November-2017) — New Jersey

Indoor Succulent Plant with Tiny Red Flowers.

This is the second one of my indoor succulent plants to send up a shoot with tiny red flowers. I think the succulent may be some type of Sempervivum (Hen & Chicks). I have been told that once a Hen blooms, that it will die, and the Chicks will take over.  In addition to the image of the full plant, I have blown up (cropped) the image for a closer view of the flowers. I will try to do some macro images of the small flowers.

Succulent plant with a stalk and small red flowers. [Semlpervivum, Hen & Chicks?] Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro (ISO 200, 105 mm, f/16, 1 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro. (David J Mathre)
Succulent plant with a stalk and small red flowers. [Semlpervivum, Hen & Chicks?] Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro (ISO 200, 105 mm, f/16, 1 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro. (David J Mathre)
Succulent plant with a stalk and small red flowers. [Semlpervivum, Hen & Chicks?] Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro (ISO 200, 105 mm, f/16, 1 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro. (David J Mathre)
Succulent plant with a stalk and small red flowers. [Semlpervivum, Hen & Chicks?] Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro (ISO 200, 105 mm, f/16, 1 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro. (David J Mathre)
Succulent plant with a stalk and small red flowers. [Semlpervivum, Hen & Chicks?] Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro (ISO 200, 105 mm, f/16, 1 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro. (David J Mathre)
Succulent plant with a stalk and small red flowers. [Semlpervivum, Hen & Chicks?] Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro (ISO 200, 105 mm, f/16, 1 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro. (David J Mathre)