Photography
laelaps | April 24, 2009
A giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), photographed at the National Zoo.
sb admin | April 23, 2009
Nature photographers William & Matthew Burrard-Lucas explain the magic behind some recent images of mosquitoes emerging from their pupae.
While they list the equipment and lighting they used for the session, the key factor seems to have been the determined patience with which they watched pupae develop over two weeks so that they'd be able to catch the event in the scant 5 minutes it took to complete. Although the gadget industry does its best to convince us that photography is all about owning the latest and best gear, it remains true that the best images come from the most skilled…
grrlscientist | April 23, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Dahlias.
83rd and Amsterdam Avenue (Upper West Side of Manhattan).
Image: GrrlScientist, 23 April 2009 [larger view].
grrlscientist | April 23, 2009tags: Brown Creeper, Certhia americana, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Brown Creeper, Certhia americana, photographed at the Big Sioux Recreation Area near Brandon, South Dakota. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Terry Sohl, 30 December 2007.
Photo taken with a Canon 20D, 400 5.6L.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
sb admin | April 22, 2009
Ectatomma edentatum, Argentina
Equipment details: Canon EOS 20D, using an MP-E 65mm 1-5x lens (at 5x), lit with an MT-24EX twin flash diffused through tracing paper.
Several years ago, before I became serious about photography, I shot the same species in Paraguay with a little Nikon Coolpix 995. Here's the result:
grrlscientist | April 22, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Bleeding Heart, Dicentra spectabilis.
124th and Broadway (Harlem) in Manhattan.
Image: GrrlScientist, 21 April 2009 [larger view].
grrlscientist | April 22, 2009tags: Black and White Warbler, Mniotilta varia, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery birds] Black and White Warbler, , photographed in Quintana and Beach, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 20 March 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with tsn-pz camera eyepiece 1/320s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | April 21, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Buttercup, Ranunculus sceleratus.
124th and Broadway (Harlem) in Manhattan.
Image: GrrlScientist, 21 April 2009 [larger view].
grrlscientist | April 21, 2009tags: Black-throated Sparrow, Amphispiza bilineata, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Black-throated Sparrow, Amphispiza bilineata, photographed in Arizona. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Richard Ditch, 18 May 2005 [larger view].
Date Time Original: 2005:05:18 08:27:35
Exposure Time: 1/249
F-Number: 16.00
ISO: 400
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
sb admin | April 21, 2009
A Brazilian leafcutter ant (Atta sexdens) harvests a leaf while her little sister stands guard against an intrusive photographer.
(Incidentally, image searches for this genus return an unnerving mix of terrorists and ants.)
Photo details: Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon EOS 20D. ISO 100, f/13, 1/250 sec, twin flash diffused through tracing paper.
grrlscientist | April 20, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
A friendly face in Manhattan.
West 79th Street between Amsterdam and Broadway Aves; UWS, Manhattan, NYC.
Image: GrrlScientist, 19 April 2009 [larger view].
sb admin | April 20, 2009This clumsy photoshop job over at Pharyngula puts me in mind of one of my favorite blogs, Photoshop Disasters.
Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for the hours of time you will waste over there.
grrlscientist | April 20, 2009tags: Black Vulture, Coragyps atratus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery birds] Black Vulture, Coragyps atratus, photographed in Tom Bass Park, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 20 March 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with tsn-pz camera eyepiece 1/400s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
laelaps | April 20, 2009
A garter snake (Thamnophis sp.) getting away through the undergrowth. It was sunning itself on the middle of the trail but my camera battery was too low for me to take a picture. By the time I changed it the snake was getting away.
sb admin | April 19, 2009Compare these two images, both of the same swarm of mating ants:
What's the difference?
The lighting, of course. In the first image I stood facing the rising sun so that the insects' translucent wings glowed, while in the second I moved to shoot the swarm from another angle, the sun hitting them from the side. A much plainer result, to my eye.
Managing light is the most important aspect of photographic composition. Entire books (as well as some fantastic blogs) have been written on the subject. I can't compete with that level of detail in a short blog post, so let me instead distill the…
grrlscientist | April 19, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Springtime in Manhattan.
West 78th Street and Columbus Ave, looking west towards Amsterdam and Broadway Aves; UWS, Manhattan, NYC.
Image: GrrlScientist, 12 April 2009 [larger view].
laelaps | April 19, 2009A few photos from yesterday afternoon;
A raccoon skull I found on a hike yesterday. It is now a part of my bone collection.
A white-tailed deer leg found on the same hike. It was a little gooey still so I decided to leave it alone.
Hayley, an Australian cattle dog belonging to my in-laws.
I do not know what kind they were, but there was an explosion of these flowers along the trail.
Three new foster kittens. Caption this one as you like.