One-Year Ago (30-July-2013) — Iceland

Gone to See Iceland 2013 Photography Safari with Mike Hagen. Day 1: Golden Circle Tour.

One of our stops for the day was to see Strokkur, a geyser in the Haukadalur geothermal area beside the Hvítá River in southwest Iceland. The geyser erupts every 6-10 minutes, and you can get much closer than Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park. It should be noted that there were several tour buses stopped at the site, and lots of folks queued up to view the geyser. I found a spot a bit back on the other side and sent up a tripod to take a series of images with a Nikon D4 camera and 80-400 mm VRII telephoto zoom lens (ISO 100, 80 mm, f/11, 1/320 sec) that were then combined to create a GIF motion video of the bubble bursting.

Six-Years Ago (26-July-2008) — Colorado

Summer Nature in Colorado. Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge.

Duckling Nursery in a Marsh at Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge located in North Central Colorado. Image taken with a Nikon D300 camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/8, 1/500 sec).

Duckling Nursery in a Marsh at Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge located in North Central Colorado. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/8, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)
Duckling Nursery in a Marsh at Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge located in North Central Colorado. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/8, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)

One-Year Ago (21-July-2013) — New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

Paper wasps working at the nest. Eggs and larvae at various stages of development.  Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 105 mm VR macro (+ TC-E 20 III) [ISO 100, 210 mm, f/40, 1/60 sec] plus SB-910 flash.

Paper Wasps Working at The Nest. Eggs and Larvae at Various Stages of Development. Backyard Summer Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 105 mm VR macro (+ TC-E 20 III teleconverter) [ISO 100, 210 mm, f/40, 1/60 sec] plus SB-910 flash. (David J Mathre)
Paper Wasps Working at The Nest. Eggs and Larvae at Various Stages of Development.  Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 105 mm VR macro (+ TC-E 20 III teleconverter) [ISO 100, 210 mm, f/40, 1/60 sec] plus SB-910 flash. (David J Mathre)

One-Year Ago (18-July-2013) — New Jersey

Backyard Summer Nature in New Jersey.

Grey Catbird singing to me on the deck. Backyard Summer Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens (ISO 1600, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/40 sec). Hand-held, the vibration reduction on this new lens is good for an exposure this long.

Grey Catbird Singing. Backyard Summer Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D4 and 80-400 mm VRII lens (ISO 1600, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/40 sec). (David J Mathre)
Grey Catbird Singing. Backyard Summer Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D4 and 80-400 mm VRII lens (ISO 1600, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/40 sec). (David J Mathre)

Three-Years Ago (02-July-2011) — New Jersey

Summer Nature in New Jersey. Sourland Mountain Preserve.

Kermit the Bullfrog in the pond at the local Sourland Mountain Preserve. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 500 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 400, 500 mm, f/4, 1/400 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, Nik Define, and Photoshop CS5.

Kermit the Bullfrog at the Sourland Mountain Reserve. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 500 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 400, 500 mm, f/4, 1/400 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, Nik Define, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre)
Kermit the Bullfrog at the Sourland Mountain Reserve. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 500 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 400, 500 mm, f/4, 1/400 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, Nik Define, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre)