Sunday (06-January-2013) — Florida

Gone to See Florida 2013 Road Trip. Day 3: Foggy Morning in St. Petersburg.

When I woke up this morning and looked out from the balcony of my room at the Vinoy hotel it was foggy. I couldn’t even see the St. Petersburg Pier that I had been taking images for a time-lapsed video the previous night. I had hoped to go to Fort De Soto park for both sunrise and bird photography today — but it was way too foggy. Initially I could barely see the palm trees. At 11 AM, I still couldn’t see the Pier.

Foggy Morning in St. Petersburg from a Balcony at the Vinoy Hotel. Image taken with a Leica X2 camera (ISO 100, 24 mm, f/3.5, 1/80 sec). Converted to B&W with NIK Silver Efex Pro 2. (David J Mathre)
Foggy Morning in St. Petersburg from a Balcony at the Vinoy Hotel. Image taken with a Leica X2 camera (ISO 100, 24 mm, f/3.5, 1/80 sec). Converted to B&W with NIK Silver Efex Pro 2. (David J Mathre)

One-Year Ago (27-December-2011) — Florida

Gone to See America. December 2011 Florida Road Trip. Day 8: Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Roseate Spoonbill in Flight. Black Point Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 200, 600 mm, f/4, 1/2000 sec).

Roseate Spoonbill in Flight. Black Point Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 200, 600 mm, f/4, 1/2000 sec). (David J Mathre)
Roseate Spoonbill in Flight. Black Point Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 200, 600 mm, f/4, 1/2000 sec). (David J Mathre)

One-Year Ago (27-December-2011) — Florida

Gone to See America. December 2011 Florida Road Trip. Day 8: Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Wood Stork in Flight. Black Point Wildlife Drive in Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 500 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1000, 500 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 sec).

Wood Stork in Flight. Black Point Wildlife Drive in Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 500 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1000, 500 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 sec). (David J Mathre)
Wood Stork in Flight. Black Point Wildlife Drive in Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 500 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1000, 500 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 sec). (David J Mathre)

Monday (24-December-2012) — New Jersey

Backyard Nature in New Jersey: Small Winter Birds on Christmas Eve.

I attached a 600 mm f/4 VR lens to the Nikon 1 V2 camera using the FT1 adapter. This was then set up on a tripod with a Gimble head on my back deck. Because of the small size of the digital sensor on the N1V2, this combination has a field of view (FOV) equivalent to a 1620 mm lens on a full size (35 mm) digital sensor. I wanted to see what type of images I could get, especially of small birds. There is more noise with the small sensor (and I think more noise with the N1V2 than the N1V1).

Dark-eyed "Slate-colored" Junco. Backyard Winter Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 280, 600 mm, f/4, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)
Dark-eyed “Slate-colored” Junco. Backyard Winter Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 280, 600 mm, f/4, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)
White-throated Sparrow. Backyard Winter Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 160, 600 mm, f/4, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)
White-throated Sparrow. Backyard Winter Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 160, 600 mm, f/4, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)
White-throated Sparrow. Backyard Winter Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 720, 600 mm, f/4, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)
White-throated Sparrow. Backyard Winter Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 720, 600 mm, f/4, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)
Downy Wookpecker. Backyard Winter Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 160, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)
Downy Wookpecker. Backyard Winter Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 160, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)

Friday (21-December-2012) — New Jersey

Winter Soltice and The World Didn’t End.

I used the day to put together a time-lapsed video of the Hot Air Balloon ride that the Nikonians ANPAT 12 folks took earlier this year in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This was two days after the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta finished. I’ll have another time-lapsed video of the mass ascension of over 500 balloons on the final day of the Fiesta.

The World Didn't Come to an End. Nikalien in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 16 mm f/2.8 fisheye lens (ISO 6400, 16 mm, f/3.2, 1/30 sec). (David J Mathre)
The World Didn’t Come to an End. Nikalien in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 16 mm f/2.8 fisheye lens (ISO 6400, 16 mm, f/3.2, 1/30 sec). (David J Mathre)

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