Tag: stephen shelley

An Old Favorite: Pine Glades Lake

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I decided to take a trip into Everglades National Park and visit an old favorite photography location of mine, Pine Glades Lake. This lake is where I honed my landscape skills and spent many sunset playing with camera settings and watching lightning storms in the distance. I even shot a few starry nights and lunar eclipses here. Therefore, it felt fitting to end my photography drought by visiting this once frequented location. I noticed that some of the trees in the distance had died off either from disease or from damage sustained years earlier by Hurricane Irma. These missing trees changed the feel of the lake and possible compositions. These trees always provided an interesting distant subject matter and silhouette against colorful skies. Without these trees I decided to see what else I could use to create a captivating and interesting photo. Ultimately, I ended up using some foreground trees and a short path that fisherman used when fishing the shoreline of the lake. Also, thankfully, the skies lit up in captivating colors that were reflected off the lakes calm surface. Overall, I captured a nice image and enjoyed the serene surroundings and the feel of camera in my hands again.

Dixie Vodka Homestead Miami Speedway 2020

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This years NASCAR race had a different feel with the many COVID 19 protocols in place. Gone were the fan experiences and driver interactions replaced instead by social distancing. Also, only a limited number of fans were allowed to attend making for nearly empty grandstands and less overall excitement. Despite these restrictions the racing was just as good.

Perseid Meteor Shower 2015

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The conditions for the Perseid Meteor Shower this year were ideal so myself and a photographer friend, Robert Chaplin, ran out to the Everglades to see if we could capture some in photographs. It turned out we could.

For this meteor shower we had planned to head over to the Big Cypress National Preserve but due to less than ideal weather conditions made a last minute call to head south to Flamingo in Everglades National Park instead. Except for the mosquitoes it turned out to be a good decision that resulted in some good images. I even managed to capture a lightning bolt to go along with the milky way and meteors.

The Flamingo campground area provided a good variety of foreground subject to use to anchor the vast sky and compliment the shooting stars. The meteor shower peaked between 3 and 4:30 in the morning. During the peak I was seeing a meteor almost every second with numerous bright fireballs.

It was definitely worth the mosquito bites and the lack of sleep. I am already looking forward to Decembers Geminids.

Palm Island Cape Haze, Florida

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This year my family and I took a much needed vacation to Palm Island Resort in Cape Haze, Florida. Palm Island is a beautiful and quiet destination with miles of undisturbed beaches and plenty of sea shells. I brought my camera with the hope of capturing some vivid west coast sunsets. The first 3 days or so did not cooperate with cloudy and raining skies. However, the last few days made up for the first few days with some great sunsets.

The only problem I had was trying to compose the shots with something interesting in the foreground so that the image would be more dynamic. I had to get creative as nothing jumped out at me. To make it harder I was also trying to keep an eye on my one year old while trying to set up my shot. All in all I am happy with the results.

On this trip I also had an opportunity to use my Outex cover some more. I really like this cover as it gave me the opportunity to create some unique photos that would have been impossible without it. I am still figuring it out but I am making progress.

Keeping Lens Filter From Binding Onto Camera Lenses

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I frequently use lens filters with my lenses for my landscape photography such as circular polarizers, neutral density filters and step up rings. Inevitably they always seem to get stuck on my lenses at the most inopportune time. I then spend the rest of my photo shoot trying to get the lens off or, if I just leave it on and try to work around it, frustrated that the lens filter is stuck.

Luckily, I have always eventually been able to remove the stuck filter. The same cannot be said for some other photographers I have spoken to. Some of them have had filters on their lenses that have been stuck for years. After the most recent occurrence I started thinking there had to be some way to keep this from continuing to happen. After spending some time researching I finally found a solution that works and thought I would pass it on to my fellow photographers.

From my research there were two (2) primary approaches to keeping lens filters from remaining stuck in perpetuity. The first was using tools to remove filters after they were stuck, the second was taking preemptive action to keep them from getting stuck in the first place.

For removing already stuck lens filters it seems the best tool for the job is a lens filter wrench. These cheap accessories apply equal pressure to the filter and from all accounts easily remove the filter from the lens. The lens wrenches usually come in packs of two (2) and can be had for less than $10.00 at your local photo supply store. Even if you take preemptive actions it is not a bad idea to own and carry this item with you on your photo excursions.

To keep lens filters from becoming stuck in the first place, the best solution is to use good old pencil lead. Turns out pencil lead is primarily made from graphite. Graphite is a great dry lubricant and does not cause a mess, smear on the lens or attract additional dirt and grim that is likely to cause the lens to get stuck even more frequently. Without getting into to much detail, pencils are labeled based upon the level of graphite they contain. The softer the lead the more graphite it contains. The softest pencil available is a 9B the hardest is a 9H. These pencils are typically only found at your local hobby store. However, many people use the standard No. 2 pencil as well. Here is a link to a more detailed explanation of pencil hardness http://www.cultpens.com/pencyclopedia/lead-hardness.

For me I went to my local hobby store and picked up a 6B which happened to be the softest they had in stock at the time. When I got home I proceeded to rub the lead on the threads of my lenses and my filters. I then blew off any excess powder than did not stick to the threads. I am happy to say that I have not had any stuck filters since taking this preemptive action. I also now carry a lead pencil in my photo bag with me and occasionally add a new layer of lubrication to the filters.

Milky Way Landscapes Everglades National Park

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I took advantage of the new moon last week to head out to Everglades National Park to try my hand at capturing some unique Milky Way Landscape shots. Everglades National Park is one of the few dark sites here in South Florida where one can actually see the Milky Way with the naked eye. I wanted to try and use the Milky Way to compliment the overall scene.

To accomplish this I took two (2) photos with an aperture at f/2.8. One focused on the foreground subject and the second focused on the night sky. I then combined the two (2) images together to ensure that both my foreground subject and the Milky Way were sharp and in focus. The exposure times were around 25 seconds. I used a handheld flash to illuminate the foreground during the exposure.

Click on Thumbnails for full image.

Everglades National Park Thunderstorms June 2015

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June is typically the wettest season in South Florida which also means one of the best times to chase thunderstorms. Unfortunately, this year has been very dry and the thunderstorms have primarily been rain showers. On my last trip out to try and shoot lightning I only managed to capture some nearby solitary rain showers and dramatic clouds. Although I still liked the resulting dramatic images, they would have been much better had I also had a bolt of lighting in the field of view. Hopefully, the storms will become more plentiful as the summer goes on.

I also manged to capture a close up image of a screeching hawk just prior the storms arrival.

Highland Hammock

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I stopped by Highland Hammock after a friends wedding this past weekend. They had recommended this as a great place for photography so I wanted to drive through and check it out. I did not have time to do much exploring as I had my family with me, but we did get to walk a few of the boardwalks and drive some the trails. It was a very unique place that I will definitely return to when I can spend a day or so catching the right lighting conditions. We also saw some wildlife including deer and some gopher tortoises.

Corkscrew Swamp Sancutary

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I tagged along with fellow photographer Robert Chaplin to the west coast of Florida for a quick scouting trip of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Corkscrew Swamp has been on my list of places to check out for sometime. Unfortunately, it was toward the end of the peak season and it was a little hot and the birds had already started to head back north. However, I did enjoy the walk through the boardwalk and will plan to return again when I have better conditions.

Milky Way Over Rare Cowhorn Orchid in Everglades National Park

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There is a Cowhorn/Cigar Orchid in Everglades National Park that is growing out of an old tree stump. The orchid is a very rare specimen as it is more than 5 feet wide and 8 feet tall. It is one of my favorite orchids in the park to see in full bloom. I have been trying to capture a captivating image of this rare Cowhorn Orchid in Everglades National Park for the last three (3) years. However, each time the images come out boring or to busy.

This year I decided to get creative with my efforts and visit the orchid in the middle of the night. I envisioned using the dark starry sky as my backdrop to contrast the vibrant orchid and cause it to stand out in the image. I used a flash to illuminate the orchid and some of the foreground. I was also rewarded in that the milky way was positioned in an ideal location to compliment the scene.

I am happy with this effort and believe I finally got a photo of this orchid that is unique and captivating. I also captured a few sunrise photos before I left, however I had a little problem with my lens fogging up right before the sun rose above the horizon.