Cicada Invasion. The last few weeks it has been very loud as the male cicadas sing their song. I can hear them, but have not climbed high enough in the trees to get some images. I did notice a large number of holes in the ground below one of my Maple trees. Following up the tree trunk, I did find a number of cicada exoskeletons from their final molt. Based on the dried mud on the exoskeleton, they must have climbed out of the ground just after the last rain storm.
Cicada Exoskeleton Post Final Molt. Image taken with a Nikon D700 camera and 28-300 mm VR lens (ISO 1600, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/30 sec)Cicada Exoskeleton Post Final Molt on a Maple Leaf. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro + TC-E III teleconverter (ISO 100, 210 mm, f/45, 1/60 sec) and SB900 flash.Cicada Tunnel Exit. Image taken with a Nikon D700 and 28-300 mm VR lens (ISO 1250, 145 mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec).Cicada Exoskeleton Post Final Molt. Image taken with a Nikon D700 and 28-300 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 300 mm, f/511, 1/60 sec) and pop-up flash.Cicada Exoskeleton Post Final Molt. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro + TC-E III teleconverter (ISO 100, 210 mm, f/22, 1/60 sec) and SB900 flash.
This is the doe that was on the other side of my car last evening when I was taking the pictures of the fawn. I actually took this image while still sitting in the car with the Leica D-Lux 5 point & shoot after lowering the window. The quality is OK for recording the moment, but is not the same as the images of the fawn taken with Nikon D700 DSLR camera.
The tomato plants on my deck were looking much better after being watered last night and the light rain this evening. The big plants now have flowers, but have not set yet. The grape or cherry plants have many green tomatoes that have set. I didn’t get images today to show the progress of the plants because it was raining, but will try tomorrow.
Wary Doe Looking at Me. Summer Backyard Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Leica D-Lux 5 camera (ISO 200, 19.2 mm, f/3.3, 1/125 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6 and Photoshop CS5.
I was just reminded Monday by one of my VP’s at work that just got a Nikon D700 camera of a comment “The Best Camera is the Camera You Have With You”. I’ve seen similar comments elsewhere, and I think there is a book with this as the title where all of the images were taken with a iPhone.
I try to keep a camera with me at all times. Some times it is difficult with restrictions of having a camera at work (but then how many folks now have cell-phones with a camera). Not counting my phone, I like to have a Leica X1 or Leica D-Lux 5 for a small camera, and a Nikon D300 camera with a 18-200 mm telephoto lens or a Nikon D700 camera with a 28-300 mm telephoto lens (with or near me at all times). There are issues with keeping even a digital camera in a car during the summer when the interior temperatures can get very hot. I have considered using a cooler (but worry about condensation). There are also electronic coolers, but I need to figure out how they can process and send excess heat out side of the vehicle. Maybe during the summer I need to be driving my RoadTrek White Ram more often.
I am glad that I had the Nikon D700 camera with the 28-300 mm telephoto lens with me today. Just as I got home and started down my driveway I saw a Doe on one side of the car and a young Fawn with spots on the other side. I slowly got out and got the following images of the Inquisitive Fawn. I kept looking behind me to make sure that the Doe didn’t think I was getting too close and charge me. These may not be the highest resolution images that I could have made with a pro D3/D3s/D3x camera and 400/500/600 mm lens and tripod — but were what I got with the camera with me.
Inquisitive Fawn. Image taken with a Nikon D700 and 28-300 mm lens (ISO 800, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define 2, and Photoshop CS5.Inquisitive Fawn. Image taken with a Nikon D700 and 28-300 mm lens (ISO 280, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define 2, and Photoshop CS5.Inquisitive Fawn. Image taken with a Nikon D700 and 28-300 mm lens (ISO 720, 98 mm, f/5.3, 1/60 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define 2, and Photoshop CS5.Inquisitive Fawn. Image taken with a Nikon D700 and 28-300 mm lens (ISO 560, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define 2, and Photoshop CS5.Inquisitive Fawn. Image taken with a Nikon D700 and 28-300 mm lens (ISO 640, 105 mm, f/5.3, 1/60 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define 2, and Photoshop CS5.Inquisitive Fawn. Image taken with a Nikon D700 and 28-300 mm lens (ISO 1400, 150 mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define 2, and Photoshop CS5.
Going from sunspots to startrails. The view is from my back deck over the roof. A tree in my front yard just blocks the north star. The image is a composite of 326 30-second exposures combined using the Startrails program. There are at least four jet trails, and a couple of meteor trails. The meteor trails are too faint in the composite, so I included a crop from a single image showing a meteor trail. I’ve also added a version of the startrails in B&W, converted using Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.
North View Star Trails. Summer Night in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 24 mm f/1.4G lens (ISO 400, 24 mm, f/4, 30 sec). Composite of 326 images combined using the Startrails program.Meteor Trail. Summer Night in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 24 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 400, 24 mm, f/4, 30 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Nik Define, and Photoshop CS5North View Star Trails. Summer Night in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 24 mm f/1.4G lens (ISO 400, 24 mm, f/4, 30 sec). Composite of 326 images combined using the Startrails program. Converted to B/W with Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.
Backyard Summertime Sky Over New Jersey. Solar Disk and Sunspots.
One of the websites that I follow for sunspot and auroral (northern light) activity is SpaceWeather.com. I noticed yesterday and today that there are three new sets of active sunspots (1260, 1261, and 1263). My telescopes have solar filters to allow safe viewing of the solar disk. The following images were taken with a 3.5″ and 7″ Questar telescope and clearly show the sunspots. The third image has some clouds passing in front of the solar disk. The solar filter for the 3.5″ telescope is darker (lets through less light) than the filter for the 7″ telescope. This required increasing the ISO and decreasing the shutter speed for the smaller telescope. Another issue with the smaller telescope is that it is much more sensitive to mirror slap and shutter motion. In order to get a sharp image, I used the mirror-up feature and waited 30 seconds to let the entire system stabilize. With the larger telescope this is still a problem, but attenuated due to the overall extra weight of the telescope relative to the Nikon D3s camera. The higher magnification of the larger telescope however, increases the effect of vibration. Focusing was done viewing the image through the camera using LiveView — and using a HoodMan to be able to view the LCD screen. After shooting images (and videos) for about 30 minutes, I did get a sensor over heating warning (which then turned LiveView off).
Sun with Sunspots. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and Questar 3.5 inch telescope with solar filter (ISO 640, ~1500 mm, f/16, 1/250 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define 2, and Photoshop CS5.Sun with Sunspots. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and Questar 7 inch telescope with solar filter (ISO 200, ~2500 mm, f/16, 1/2000 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define 2, and Photoshop CS5.Sun with Sunspots and Clouds Passing in Front. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and Questar 7 inch telescope with solar filter (ISO 200, ~2500 mm, f/16, 1/2000 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define 2, and Photoshop CS5.
