Friday (18-March-2011) — New Jersey

Backyard Late-Winter Nature in New Jersey. Three Days to Spring — Daffodils in Bloom.

I’ve been busy at work while trying to get ready for a photography workshop in Death Valley. I did have a chance to photograph the daffodils blooming across the street when I got home. It was actually 79°F outside, and I was able to open windows and let some fresh air into the house for the first time since last year.

Daffodils in Bloom -- Three Days from Spring. Image taken with a Leica X1 (ISO 160, 24 mm, f/2.8, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)
Daffodils in Bloom — Three Days from Spring. Image taken with a Leica X1 (ISO 160, 24 mm, f/2.8, 1/1000 sec).

Saturday (12-March-2011) — New Jersey

Backyard Late-Winter Nature in New Jersey. Spring is Near.

As Promised, Snow Drops (and more Purple Crocuses). This morning the sun was out and lighting up the flowers across the street. Snow Drops, a field of Snow Drops, Snow Drops in a field of Purple Crocuses, a field of Purple Crocuses, etc. Spring is Coming!

Snow Drops -- Spring is Coming. Image taken with a Leica D-Lux 5 (ISO 100, 14.9 mm, f/8, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)
Snow Drops — Spring is Coming. Image taken with a Leica D-Lux 5 (ISO 100, 14.9 mm, f/8, 1/320 sec).
Field of Snow Drops and Purple Crocuses -- Spring is Coming. Image taken with a Leica D-Lux 5 (ISO 100, 14.9 mm, f/8, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)
Field of Snow Drops and Purple Crocuses — Spring is Coming. Image taken with a Leica D-Lux 5 (ISO 100, 14.9 mm, f/8, 1/320 sec).
Field of Purple Crocuses -- Spring is Coming. Image taken with a Leica D-Lux 5 (ISO 100, 14.9 mm, f/8, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)
Field of Purple Crocuses — Spring is Coming. Image taken with a Leica D-Lux 5 (ISO 100, 14.9 mm, f/8, 1/320 sec).
Purple Crocuses Bloom -- Spring is Coming. Image taken with a Leica D-Lux 5 (ISO 100, 19.2 mm, f/8, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)
Purple Crocuses Bloom — Spring is Coming. Image taken with a Leica D-Lux 5 (ISO 100, 19.2 mm, f/8, 1/320 sec).
Field of Purple Crocuses -- Spring is Coming. Image taken with a Leica D-Lux 5 (ISO 100, 14.9 mm, f/8, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)
Field of Purple Crocuses — Spring is Coming. Image taken with a Leica D-Lux 5 (ISO 100, 14.9 mm, f/8, 1/320 sec).

Friday (11-March-2011) — New Jersey

Backyard Winter Nature in New Jersey. Purple Crocuses Blooming — Spring is Coming!

These images of Purple Crocuses Blooming were taken across the street from my home. Weather permitting I will try to get some macro images of the Snow Drops tomorrow. The Daffodils are only a week away from blooming.

Purple Crocuses -- Spring is Coming. Image taken with a Leica D-Lux 5 (ISO 100, 7.5 mm, f/2.8, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)
Purple Crocuses — Spring is Coming. Image taken with a Leica D-Lux 5 (ISO 100, 7.5 mm, f/2.8, 1/320 sec).
Purple Crocuses -- Spring is Coming. Image taken with a Leica D-Lux 5 (ISO 100, 19.2 mm, f/4, 1/400 sec). (David J Mathre)
Purple Crocuses — Spring is Coming. Image taken with a Leica D-Lux 5 (ISO 100, 19.2 mm, f/4, 1/400 sec).
Purple Crocuses -- Spring is Coming. Image taken with a Leica D-Lux 5 (ISO 100, 19.2 mm, f/4.5, 1/800 sec). (David J Mathre)
Purple Crocuses — Spring is Coming. Image taken with a Leica D-Lux 5 (ISO 100, 19.2 mm, f/4.5, 1/800 sec).
Purple Crocuses -- Spring is Coming. Image taken with a Leica D-Lux 5 (ISO 100, 7.5 mm, f/8, 1/160 sec). (David J Mathre)
Purple Crocuses — Spring is Coming. Image taken with a Leica D-Lux 5 (ISO 100, 7.5 mm, f/8, 1/160 sec).

Thursday (03-March-2011) — New Jersey.

Backyard Winter Nature in New Jersey. Spring is Coming!!!

There is hope for spring. I saw these purple crocuses starting to bloom across the road when I got home tonight. The snow has mostly melted, but the temperature keeps going up and down. This morning it was 17° F when I left for work. Tomorrow if the weather is good I plan to go out with a macro lens. After taking the pictures, I walked the backyard for the first time since last December, and see that I have a lot of work to clean up more trees and branches down. Presumably the damage happened during the ice storm.

Purple crocus blooms peaking above the fall leaves. A sure sign that spring is coming. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 85 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 85 mm, f/2.8, 1/200 sec). (David J Mathre)
Purple crocus blooms peaking above the fall leaves. A sure sign that spring is coming. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 85 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 85 mm, f/2.8, 1/200 sec). (David J Mathre)

Thursday (30-December-2010) — Argentina

Gone to See Patagonia 2010/2011. Photography Workshop with Thom Hogan. Day 4: Estancia Helsingfors.

This was our first full day at Helsingfors. We started out by getting up early (before sunrise) to see if Fitzroy would be visible, and if there would be any interesting colors. Since this is summer in the southern hemisphere – getting up early means before 4:30 AM. Helsingfors is right on Lago Viedma so we didn’t have to walk far. Fitzroy presents a side view from Helsingfors, and can potentially be seen lit up both at sunrise and sunset. This morning it was not very visible being hidden behind clouds. I did get a panorama of the mountain right across the lake. Later, when it was light I took some images of Lupines with the lake and the mountains to the north. Before lunch, the group worked on techniques for taking images of Horses. A local Gaucho rounded up a small herd of horses and we got to photograph them in the corral, running in a field, and crossing a small stream. In the afternoon, the group went on its first short hike to a point just beyond the Helsingfors property in the National Park. On the way I found a small waterfall and spent some time with Thom working out how to best capture the image. The wind was very strong at the point. Coming back from the hike we found many examples of the local Green Orchid, which we tried to capture with macro lenses. The sun doesn’t go down until late, and it is after 10 PM when we are trying to capture some images of Fitzroy lit up as the sun goes down. All in all, a very long day but well worth every minute.

Sunrise Panorama across Lago Viedma from Estancia Helsingfors. Composite of 7 images taken with a Nikon D3x and 50 mm f/1.4G lens. (David J Mathre)
Sunrise Panorama across Lago Viedma from Estancia Helsingfors. Composite of 7 images taken with a Nikon D3x and 50 mm f/1.4G lens. (David J Mathre)