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Big Cypress National Preserve Lightning

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Took a day trip over to Everglades City in hopes of photographing a Royal Poinciana Tree someone had told me about.  I have been trying to capture a Royal Poinciana Tree next to the water for some time but without any luck.  This day would not be any different.  The tree I went to shoot was not yet in full bloom and I needed a boat to get the shot I was envisioning.  I will have to plan another trip in the near future and try again.

Since I was already over on the west coast I decided to spend some time in Fakahatchee Strand and the Big Cypress.  I went back to Fakahatchee to check on my ghost orchids.  One was still in bloom with another still budding but not yet flowering.  I took a few shots before having to walk back out to the truck due to rain and thunder.

After leaving Fakahatchee I went over to Wagon Wheel Road and Turner River Road to try and see if I could get some lightning shots across the vista.  I got a few good strikes from a storm on Birdon Road but did not have a great foreground.  The stroms were fluctuating from producing lighting and just rain for the better part of a few hours.  In between storms I would drive the road looking for wildlife.  I saw numerous deer feeding after the cooling rains.  I took a few shots but none I thought were worth anything.

Another storm started producing lighting and this time I was near a field of blooming lilies.  I set up my shot with as many of the lilies as I could in the foreground and hoped the lighting would cooperate.  The best bolts were out of my frame but I did manage to get a few decent strikes to complement my scene.  I would have preferred more dramatic skies or closer/branched lighting but all in all I am happy with the shots.

On my way home I noticed the sky starting to turn color and pulled over at a boat ramp location I had shot before.  In my prior shot it was winter time and the grasses were brown and trees were losing thier leaves.  This time everything was green and the skies were very colorful and reflecting off the smooth water.

I did not accomplish my original goal but still managed to capture a few unique shots.

Big Cypress National Preserve Rattlesnake and Whitetail Deer

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After my Orchid Adventure I stopped by Wagon Wheel and Turner River Roads on my way back home.  I found a couple of snakes sunning themselves in the late afternoon sun on the gravel road.  I came across two Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes, two Water Moccasins and one Garter Snake.  The largest rattlesnake was around 5 foot or so.

I also saw a few deer grazing in the sawgrass on the blooming string lilies.  I walked out in the sawgrass to capture one that had bedded down among the flowers.  Before I got in camera range the deer heard me and stood up.  Luckily a red winged black bird happened to land on the deer giving me a decent and unique photo.  Unbeknownst to me there was another deer that had bedded down nearby as well and it jumped up and sounded the alarm causing both deer to sprint off in to the distance.  Either way it resulted in a few good shots.

Ghost Orchid Adventure

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This past week I took a trip out to Fakahatchee Strand to see if the elusive Ghost Orchids had started to bloom this year.  To my suprise one of the Ghost Orchids that I know about was already in full bloom and another one had put out a bud.  The rest of the Ghost Orchids had not yet started to bloom or will not bloom this year.

For those not familar with the Ghost Orchid, they are a rare species of orchid that only grow in a few very limited areas.  Fakahatchee Strand is one of these areas.  The orchids grow on trees surrounded by swamp water under a canopy of densely growing trees.  To get to the Ghost Orchids requires walking through sometimes chest deep water full of alligators and snakes and surrounded by a swarm of mosquitoes for the off chance that when you get there the orchid is in bloom.

The Ghost Orchid that I found that was in bloom was about 7 feet off the ground making shooting it a little difficult.  It also was in tricky light and the wind was blowing just enough to make it hard to capture a sharp shot.  The lighting was difficult because the canopy of trees block most of the light requiring longer shutter speeds.  However, there are bright spots that result from small holes in the canopy, causing a spotlight effect and making it difficult to properly expose the photo.  The light wind compounds the longer shutter speeds, sometimes resulting in motion blur of the orchid.

After getting home and processing my shots from the day I was not thrilled with the results.  I would have preferred to get closer to the flower so that the orchid seemed bigger in the scene.  Being that the orchid was higher off the ground made it difficult to achieve the shot I wanted.

I will plan to go back and try again with the other orchid that is getting ready to bloom in a few weeks.

 

 

Everglades National Park Afternoon Photography Trip

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After work yesterday I ran out to Everglades National Park with my camera to check on the water levels after all of the recent rains we have been experiencing here in South Florida over the last 3 weeks.  I found that the water levels have risen a good bit since I was out there last but still not at there normal rainy season levels.  Either way,  I found alligators everywhere.  They were crossing the park road, sitting in puddles, and occupying the walking trails that are now underwater.  I found a five footer in a deep spot in the middle of one of the trails I was hiking.  Luckily the water was clear and I saw it before I stepped on it.

I did get a few good shots of the blooming string lilies despite the windy conditions causing the saw grass and flowers to move back and forth.  Although, I did have to hike a couple hundred yards out into the saw-grass to get the shot I envisioned.  The water was about thigh deep but clean and clear.  I also captured some good rainbow pictures from some storms that were offshore in the Atlantic.

Everglades Association Board of Directors Appointment

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I was recently appointed to the Board of Directors for the Everglades Association, a not for profit 501(c)(3) corporation and subsidiary of the Florida National Parks Association, Inc.  The Everglades Association is the official not for profit arm of the Everglades, Biscayne, Big Cypress and Dry Tortuga’s National Parks Service and was founded in 1951.  The purpose of the Everglades Association is to help raise money for educational and conservation programs related to the associated National Parks and Preserves.

Through my photography I have developed a passion for the Everglades, Big Cypress and Biscayne National Parks and want to ensure that the natural beauty is preserved for future generations to photography and enjoy.  By becoming a part of the Everglades Association I can directly help work toward this goal to preserve and educate the community about the wonders and beauty found in South Florida’s National Parks and Preserves.

Lightning Over Downtown Miami

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I had a meeting in Downtown Miami yesterday afternoon I had to attend.  Luckily I had my camera equipment with me in the car because a good lightning storm started building over the city about the time my meeting ended.

After assessing the radar and the storms position, I drove to the bridge that leads to Key Biscayne and parked under it to stay dry.  The storm was very active and producing lightning bolts every few seconds.  I wanted to try to capture some shots of lighting with the city in the background or foreground.  Unfortunately, most of the lightning occurred out over the bay or beach and not over Downtown Miami.  I still managed to capture three OK shots, but not what I was looking for.

I did miss a good shot when lightning struck one of the skyscrapers.  Of course it struck one of the buildings not within my viewfinder.  Eventually the wind and rain overtook my vantage point and I had to seek shelter.

I did get some funny looks as people drove or passed by as I was standing there with my camera and tripod shooting the storm still dressed in my business suit and tie.

Everglades Supermoon and Sunset

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I wanted to try and catch the Supermoon rising over the sawgrass and cypress trees of Everglades National Park.  I decided to go to a remote area of the park where I was less likely to have any compeition from fellow photographers also trying to photograph the Supermoon.  While waiting for the Supermoon to rise I also managed to capture a bonus sunset over the marsh and cattails.  The only problem with both efforts was the strong winds which caused all the sawgrass and trees to blow around making it hard to capture a crisp shot that did not have some blur associated with it somewhere.

Pine Glades Lake Everglades National Park

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It has been awhile since I have been to Pine Glades Lake for a sunset.  I went out last night for a quick photography trip to Pine Glades Lake to see if the water had returned to normal levels.  With all the rain we have gotten over the last two weeks the lake had not only returned to normal levels but was overflowing its banks in some areas.  I prefer the water level high at Pine Glades Lake as it enhances the reflections of the clouds and sunsets better than when it is low as you can set up your camera closer to the waters edge.

The sunset was not exceptional but the afterglow lasted for a good 30 minutes or more.  I tried a different perspective then usual for a few of the shots and liked the way the came out.

Everglades Building Thunderstorm

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After shooting a sunset one morning I noticed some building clouds on the drive home.  I decided to pull over and watch them for a little while to see if they continued to build.  After about 15 minutes or so they continued to climb skyward and then started producing some rain.  They never did produce lightning or thunder but still made for some dramatic skies over the sawgrass prairies.  I also decided to try an HDR shot of the storm in order try and capture the dynamic range of the clouds.

Christian Point Trail Everglades National Park Sunrise

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Planned a trip to Christian Point Trail with a photographer friend of mine this week.  We decided to try and capture a sunrise from the end of the trail overlooking snakebight.  Unfortunately, this required leaving the house at 4:45 AM in order to get to the trail head by 5:45 AM.  The hike to the end of the trail takes about 45 minutes and since we were making this trip in the dark we left ourselves a little extra time for any wrong turns or unforeseen events.

Christian Point is a 1.8 mile hike through varied terrain and ending at the waters edge overlooking Snake Bight.  The shoreline faces due West making this an ideal sunrise location.  The trail starts by going through a mangrove forest before opening up into a small marl prairie.  After the first marl prairie you enter a large hardwood hammock where the trees are covered with epiphytes such as bromeliads, orchids and wild pineapples.  The hardwood hammock eventually thins out and the trail emerges into a large marl prairie that is about .5 miles long and full of dead buttonwood trees from past hurricanes.  At the end of the prairie is another thin clump of mangrove trees ending at the waters edge.

Unfortunately, the shoreline is densely covered in Mangroves leaving little in the way of options for choosing a photography location.  One is limited to the opening at the end of the trail.  The sunrise view is great however the composition options are limited.  I was able to get an OK shot using the surrounding mangroves trees and overhanging branches silhouettes to frame the sunrise.  In order to accomplish this I had to use a wide angle lens causing the sun to look small in the picture.  I did take a few with a long lens before the sun came up but quickly realized the sun was going to rise away from the subject I had chosen in the distance.

I did not have time to explore to see if other openings existed farther down.  I will try to plan a return trip when I am not in a hurry.

I found Christian Point Trail in Everglades National Park to be one of the more interesting designated trails in the park.  The varied landscape created multiple photographic subjects.  One could do landscape shots in one area and then switch to macro or plant specific shots in another.  I also saw a good number of raptors flying overhead or perched on the dead buttonwood trees.  However, be warned that the mosquitoes can be very thick in the mangrove and hardwood hammocks.  When I was there they were not to bad but the temperature was in the 60’s in the morning.  As the temperature started to warm up they started to become more plentiful.

I do not know if I would hike the trail again only for a sunrise as I think there are better sunrise locations within the park that do not require as much work to shoot.  However, I will definitely return to Christian Point Trail for other photography subjects that are available on the trail.