Tag: stephen shelley

Comet 209P/LINEAR

admin

I read about the earth passing through the Comet 209P/Linear dust trail and the prediction that it would to be a meteor storm with potentially up to 1000 meteors an hour.  Of course I decided to grab my camera and plan a trip out into the Everglades to find a nice dark site to witness this once in a lifetime meteor shower.  Unfortunately, the meteor shower was a complete dud.  I might have witnessed 5 meteors the whole night.  However, one of the meteors was the best single meteor I have seen to date.  It lit up the sky like a fireball and remained very vibrant for at least 10 seconds before exploding as it neared the horizon.

The bad news was that I had my camera pointed in the completely opposite direction.  Either way it was still fun to get out of the house and go see the stars and the milky way.  I took a couple of images of the milky way before heading home around 4:00 AM.

Everglades Milky Way

Lunar Eclipse/Blood Moon

admin

The last time I observed a lunar eclipse I was in high school which by now is many many years ago.  Therefore, I decided not to miss this mornings lunar eclipse despite the middle of the night timing.

I met up with some photographer friends of mine in Everglades National Park around 1:00 AM to try and capture the lunar eclipse on digital film.  We started our adventure at Pine Glades Lake and then decided to venture out into one of the cypress domes to try and shoot the eclipse through the forest of trees.

The cypress dome did not produce any useable images.  However, I did capture a good image of a lone cypress tree with the moon above it.  I used a flashlight to paint/illuminate the tree during the exposure.  I also took two images and combined them into one.  One image exposed for the night sky and the other exposed for the moon.  For the moon exposure I also changed to a longer lens.  Using my 16-35 causes the moon to look miniscule in the image.  Whereas with my longer lens I can capture a moon that looks closer to what I perceive in real life.

One of the more interesting images I captured was of the lunar eclipse just before it was completely blocked by the earth’s shadow.  I captured this image at Pine Glades Lake just as a layer of fog had started to develop above the lake.  I used some rocks as a foreground subject.  During the exposure I flashed the high beams of my truck to illuminate the fog in the distance as well as the rocks.  The image looks as if the bottom of the moon is illuminating the fog but it is not.  I also converted this image to black and white.

It was amazing to witness the eclipse from beginning to end.  This was especially true of the effect the eclipse had on the night sky.  Prior to the eclipse the moon was causing too much light pollution to see anything but the brightest of stars.  During the peak of the eclipse the stars became instantly visible and thousands were visible all at once.

I had a good time observing nature and trying to photograph what I was witnessing.  Here a few images from this morning.

Reddish Egret Dance at Eco Pond

admin

I decided to head back down to Eco Pond on Monday morning to spend some more time trying to photograph the birds.  Last time I was there I had to rush off and leave before the birds had really become very active.  This time I could stay until it got too hot or the birds left whichever happened first.

Just like on Saturday, there were about the same number of birds and variety of birds.  Although this time I also saw a pileated woodpecker.  The pileated woodpecker looks like woody woodpecker the cartoon with the tall triangular pointed red head.  I would have like to have captured him in flight but he never got close enough.

I did get some more shots of the lone reddish egret fishing/dancing across the pond.  The reddish egret was very active this morning and was using all of his fishing tricks to catch breakfast.  He did his dance across the water as well as his raised wings pretend shade trick.  It was if nothing else entertaining to watch.

The roseate spoonbills still were not very active and just sat across the pond on the dead branches before eventually just flying away.  I will give it a few more weeks before trying back to see if more birds have arrived and the activity level increases.

Before heading home I also walked some of the Coastal Prairie Trail at the south-west end of the flamingo campground.  I plan on coming back when I have the time and energy to walk the entire length.  All in all it was a good morning of photography and time spent in the Everglades.

Click on the thumbnails for the full image.

Everglades National Park Eco Pond 2014

admin

Had the pleasure of being asked to give a presentation to the Focus on Parks Miami Dade youth group about my photography and passion for Everglades National Park.  The presentation took place at the Anhinga Trail in Everglades National Park.  The group consisted of about 20 middle school children who were going to be spending the next two (2) days in Everglades National Park learning about the ecosystems, conservation and photography.  This was many of the children’s first time visiting the Everglades and they were excited to see the birds, alligators and other wildlife up close and personal.  The Focus on Parks Miami Dade is a six (6) week program that visits various parks throughout Miami-Dade County and gives each child a camera in which to capture their experiences and teach them about photography.  I am glad I got to be a part of their first visit to Everglades National Park.

I have not had time lately to make it out to the park so I decided to take advantage of my time in the everglades by running down to Eco Pond around sunrise prior to meeting with the kids at 10:00 AM.  Last time I checked on Eco Pond was back in December and there were almost no birds to speak of.  This time there were a good number of Roseate Spoonbills and snowy egrets, with the occasional cormorant, tri-color heron, reddish egret, king fisher, ibis, duck and osprey.  However, the birds have still not shown up in large numbers as they have in years past.  Hopefully, they are just late this year due to the warmer weather and higher water levels.

Unfortunately, I did not get to stay very long and due to the cooler morning the birds were not very active.  The Roseate Spoonbills for the most part sat stationary on the nearby driftwood.  The Reddish Egret was the most active bird in the bunch and as a result I was able to get some good shots of him flying around and fishing.  In order to make it back to the Anhinga Trail I had to leave  just as the birds started to become more active and start feeding.   Captured two decent shots of some birds in flight.  I really like the reddish egret shot.  I have a few more I may go through and post later.

 

Everglades City Museum of the Everglades Photography Exhibit

admin

I am excited to announce that I will be exhibiting my work at the Everglades City Museum of the Everglades during the month of February 2014.  I will be hosting a meet the artist reception on February 8 from 1:00 PM until 3:00 PM.  The title of this exhibit will be “Favorite Times in the Glades” and display many of my images from my adventures throughout the Everglades Eco System from Fish Eating Creek south to Flamingo.  I will have a handful of new pieces that I will be displaying for the first time as part of this exhibit.

The Everglades Seafood Festival will take place in Everglades City from February 7-9 and features live music, great food, vendors and arts and crafts.

The Marjory Stoneman Festival will also take place in Everglades City from February 18-22.  I hope you will put both of these fun events on your calendar and stop in and see my exhibit while you are there.  You can visit my online gallery at www.stephenshelleyphotography.com.

Photography to be sold at RF Orchids

admin

I am excited to announce that my photography will be available for sale at RF Orchids in Homestead, Florida.  RF Orchids address is 28100 SW 182nd Ave  Homestead, FL 33030.  RF Orchids sells high quality orchids of every variety in addition to fine art.

Presently, I have on display four (4) photos printed on canvas and gallery wrapped.  There are two birds/avian photos, one roseate spoonbill and one great blue heron, and two (2) flower photos, one ghost orchid and one cardinal air plant/bromeliad.

Roseate Spoonbill 16×20.  Great Blue Heron 16×24.  Black and White Ghost Orchid 10×20 limited edition #23/120.  Hybrid Cardinal Air Plant/Bromeliad 16×24 limited edition #21/120.

Everglades National Park Photography Exhibit

admin

For the month of July I will be showing my photography at the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center in Everglades National Park.  I completed setting up the exhibit this afternoon.  The title of the exhibit is “The Majestic River of Grass.”  I have images from throughout this vast ecosystem from Fisheating Creek, Fakahatchee Preserve, Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park.  My goal is to convey the beauty that I see in this ecosystem and promote preservation and conservation of this natural wonder for future generations.  I encourage you to stop by if you get a chance.  Make sure to sign the guest book if you do.

I currently do not have a dedicated photography exhibit.  Therefore, I had to borrow my personal photographs from my various offices to display.  As a result, the frames do not match and the presentation is not uniform.  I hope to put together a formal traveling exhibit that I can use to display my work in various venues and locations.

 

Everglades Coalition Conference 2013

admin

I had the opportunity to attend the 28th Annual Everglades Coalition Conference this past weekend in Coral Gables, Florida.  The Everglades Coalition Conference is a three (3) day conference dedicated to discussing legislative initiatives related to the Everglades ecosystem as well as initiatives related to Everglades restoration, conservation, preservation and management.  There were representative profit and non-profit organizations from the National, State and local levels in attendance at the conference.

Although I did not engage in any photography while at the conference, I found the topics discussed to be very educational and enlightening.  Guest speakers and panels discussions had individuals from the Water Management District, Army Core of Engineers, Federal and State Congressmen and women, fishing guides, scientists, agriculturalists and sportsmen.  Each presenter brought a different perspective and different methodologies to the conversation but the underlying goal was the same, preserve the Everglades and the animals and plants contained therein for future generations enjoyment.

The primary message I got from the conference was that although we have made great strides in Everglades restoration, preservation and conservation we have a long ways to go before we can declare victory.  Through my many hours spent driving, walking, fishing, camping and photographing the Everglades I have developed a great love and respect for this ecosystem.  However, it would be more enjoyable without the millions of mosquitoes.  I plan on doing my part in getting out the message and working toward restoring and preserving the Everglades for my children and grandchildren.

Wings Over Homestead 2012

admin

I attended the Wings Over Homestead Air Show back in early November.  I spent most of my time entertaining guests who had come to see the show but did find a little free time to take a couple of shots of the show itself.  This year the Thunderbirds were the final act and put on a great show.  I just got around to going through my images today.

Until I logged in to upload these photos, I did not realize it had been since the first week of September that I had last taken any photos or uploaded any new content.  It is amazing how fast time flies sometimes.

I have a few photography adventures planned over the Christmas Holiday and New Years.  If any of them produce any worthwhile images I will post them to my blog.