Nikographer

2010-07-27T18:30:00.000-07:00

Photographers on Charlie Rose - 9/11 photographers.

A conversation with photographers who captured 9/11 and its effects with
Richard Drew, David Handschuh, Jay Maisel and Thomas Hoepker

2010-06-27T18:47:00.000-07:00

Banned from Flickr's Explorer

Well, almost banned you might say. I've had just one image pop in to Explorer since the one I had on 2/23/2010. I wondered what it was when I didn't get anything in for a few days, then weeks, then months.

I posted something here after googling it about the ban and wondering why.

No body but someone on the inside would know for sure, so this is just from pure observation of stats and then guessing as to why or how...

Background
For years people have gamed the system trying to get photos in to Explorer. For the uninitiated Explorer is a way for flickr to promote images via a common area on the site, not just a users page or stream. It used to be easy to trick the system by posting to lots of groups, or the comment trading groups, etc. Over time things have evolved and the flickr admins learned how to prevent abuses. The users also adapted to the changes and the war raged on.

A couple years ago they made it so posting to more than a few groups penalized images, and in general the system got smarter.

I stopped doing invites almost completely (both giving or responding). And I stopped posting to more than a few groups per image. I wasn't trying to game Explorer, and I wasn't trying to pimp my images. Some folks put their images in comment of other ppl to gain views, or email all their contacts.

Anyway, my low key approach actually worked pretty well and I have over 500 images pop in to Explorer in around 4 1/2 years (from Aug2005 to Feb2010). By not trying to trick the system I was allowed to have many of my images bubble up. Sometimes 1 in a week or two, some times 5 or 6 or 7 in a couple weeks. (And they'd mostly drop out too, but they did pop IN.)

Then in late February they changed something, right around 2/24/2010. Since then I've had just one image pop in to Explorer. I'm not saying my stuff deserves to be in there. Or that I shoot for explorer, but, the change was like a light switch on then off, except for one image after the switch went to off.

And I have a new theory on that part after a bit of research in to other popular photographer's scout pages.

Many people seemed to have a fall off from Explorer right after 2/24/2010 too. Then a number of the most popular photographers that were out, made it back in, and all their dates seem to be similar. This leads me to think maybe the "ban" from flickr was lifted in a such a way as to let the new algorithm do its thing, and ban the old blood / popular old times except for the "whitelisted" few. And the rest were allowed to have just an extremely minor presence going forward so it wouldn't appear as an outright ban, just a change in the logic, that almost always excluded them.

Here's a list of photogs that I think got added back (starting) around 3/2/2010 or so, (*updated - since they had to add folks back the dates aren't all one date, but appear to start on 3/2/2010):
Imapix 2/22 last, next was 3/2
hvhe1 1/24 last, next 3/2 - (she doesn't post daily)
MikeJones 2/23 last, next 3/2
James Neeley 2/27 last, next 3/9
StuckInCustoms2/24 last, next 3/15.

My last was 2/23, with just one since then - I wasn't "whitelisted".

Why post this?
Well, for one they obviously changed their criteria for explorer. No one can deny that or call observant photographers crazy for noticing that. Late February 2010 it changed.

And because I've read a few times now about people wondering, and I felt like I might have been banned or burned myself by it too.

And because the people I follow, and mentioned above, shoot roughly what I shoot - nature, wildlife, landscapes, colors, earth, wind, fire, the beauty of the world. So these things haven't gone out of style, and are still able to bubble up in Explorer.

I doubt anyone with knowledge from the inside of flickr will read this. If they do, doubt they comment. And further if those 2 things were to happen, the magic of Explorer is a secret so I'd expect anything said to not be honest if it purported to explain it in good faith.

added from orig post
(or maybe to be more accurate I mean if they said no you were not banned or banned 99.999% while others with similar photos and criteria were not affected at all - would be uninformed or untruthful. Someone with API data access and the skill to look at Explorer contents from roughly the last year could detect the change easily in users and then the drop off of all old users, and then the minor addition of certain folks back in... I don't have the time or skill to do that work. fd?)

I've learned a lot from flickr and my fellow members, it has been great. And explorer helped to promote my stuff, and for me to find new people and make new connections. Photography will be my passion regardless of Explorer. And plain as day Explorer changed around 2/24/2010 and did a soft ban on many of the most common photographers found there. A week later or so, some members appear to have gotten exempted from the new way of removing users from explorer.

I guess it is just too bad for me that I got the short end of the stick.

p.s. I waited about 4 months to say anything other than a little post in that thread. I didn't go off whining right away, I'm not leaving flickr, etc. I wanted to see how long it went on for, if it was real or if it would get tweaked again and let me back in....

p.p.s. some have said it is just a change to the algorithm and no users were targeted (and I'd infer targeted with removal of the new math for just them), and to that I say if it were still pure chance, a huge mathematical equation, without special rules for users, and the odds were fair for all then I'd have more than one image in 4 months compared to previous numbers. That fair chance would have not made me change from my old stats to 1. And I say fair not because flickr should be fair to ME, but because some say "flickr isn't singling out users when they change explorer". I basically call shenanigans on that.

These are all vertical shots...

-- commenting here made me turn this in to a post.

p.p.p.p.p.p.p.s. - Maybe I'm just totally mistaken. Maybe someone just stole my mojo. I looked at a few other "explorer" stars' stats and it was harder to find ones that matched the pattern. But I do know that other folks felt the same thing happened to them this time. In 4.5 yrs I averaged 1 image every 4 days or so, now in 4 months 1 image. IDK, night and day or is it day and night...

Whatever.

2010-05-18T15:51:00.000-07:00

US National Zoo's Lion Cub Cams:

Updated 5/21/2010: I just got the news that the new Lion Cub has passed away. The zoo sent out this message regarding what happened.

---

May 21, 2010

Dear Jon,

It is with great sadness that we share the news that our African lion cub, born Tuesday, died last night. Our keepers had been monitoring the progress of the cub on our web cam, and late yesterday afternoon noticed the cub was not responsive to his mother. Shortly after 5 p.m., keepers were able to shift Nababiep, the mother, outside in order to retrieve the cub, a male. Our veterinary team confirmed his death.

The veterinary and pathology teams examined the cub last night and discovered a straw awn (the sharp tip on the blade of a straw) was in his lungs, which led to pneumonia and was determined to be the cause of death. The use of straw bedding for animals, including great cats, is common in zoos, and the National Zoo uses only organic material in the lions' dens.

This was a one-in-a-million fluke and we know as members and supporters, you share our devastating loss. Our animal care team and all of our Zoo and FONZ staff are consummate professionals and we know they've learned a tremendous amount from creating the pride, breeding the lions, and getting Nababiep through her first birth. While we mourn, we will also keep our focus on the best care for our lion pride and the conservation of this endangered species. Nababiep is doing well and has rejoined her sister, Shera, and keepers plan to reunite the females with Luke, the male, very soon.

While the birth of the cub was a short-lived victory, we have all learned a lot and have every hope that we will have lion cubs in the near future. Thank you for your continued support of the Smithsonian's National Zoo.

Sincerely,
Robert Lamb
Executive Director
Friends of the National Zoo Dennis Kelly
Director
Smithsonian's National Zoo

2010-04-10T03:58:00.000-07:00

Convert your Nikon camera strap in to a Flickr camera strap.

Ok, This was just way cool - simple but effective.

I have replacement straps on all 3 of my working Nikon bodies, but I might experiment with one of the original straps.

2010-01-01T14:19:00.000-08:00

2009 Year in Review

A look back at some of my images from 2009 (slideshow) that stand out. big

Also: [2008], [2007 explorer]

I think my favorite subject(s) of 2009 were the Black Skimmers from the beach.

-Jon

2009-12-07T18:33:00.000-08:00

New D300s as of December 2009

I was really resisting this camera so well. I had blogged I would NOT be getting another new camera, not this year, and that I was going to wait for the D400 or something like that next year (2010).

And then my D300 broke. It was hit with the glitch where the mirror doesn't go back to the down position after taking a shot. It came on gradually over a couple days. It would occasionally get stuck in the up position. Then I could use the focus lock button and take a shot, and almost all the time it would come down, and stay down.

Then it got worse and it became a VERY annoying problem. It kept happening to me the day I was shooting the cheetahs at the zoo hoping to get motion blur shots.

After a while that day I shot exclusively with my Fuji S5 *( S5's similar to a D200 but only shoots 2.5fps, but has higher dynamic range).

And finally it wouldn't come down at all, the mirror would bounce down during part of the shutter sequence, but would end up resting at the end in the up position.

I've got a couple other sort of functional dSLRs so I decided to go shooting the day after the zoo day with my Fuji S5 as well as my D200. The fuji is slow and behaves much like a 6MP camera, even though technically it is a 12MP camera. The D200 was my faster, better, backup camera. But it has its own issue after taking a beating and shooting over 160,000 or 170,000 shots. The grip was falling off until I glued it back, but the real pain in the butt was that the rear wheel is broken so changing settings like ISO, exposure, are hit or miss and mostly miss. And when any kind of action requires a fast change, it was useless.

After a frustrating day shooting with those 2 cameras I ordered the D300s. I didn't want to, really, I have enough cameras! Later I realized that I did have the D300 for nearly 2 years, and have taken something like 75,000 shots with it. And I WILL get it fixed. I googled the glitch with the mirror and it can be fixed for under 200$ I think, some sensor goes and it's not that big a deal to correct. When that's fixed, and if I get the rear-wheel fixed on the d200 I'll be setup nicely, and might convert one (d200 probably) to infrared...

The addition of video in the D300s will be good to mess around with. I got a boom mic that mounts in the flash hot-shoe on the camera and allows for stereo audio vs. the on camera mic that's just mono. I also plan to use that mic with the little marantz audio recorder I got, but which I don't use much since the built in mics are not that good, this mic should really help improve the sound quality.

Here's my first video done with the D300s that I've posted. I have taken a couple others but it took a little experimenting to get a decent clip out of it. The rolling shutter problem is annoying when the camera moves, or if the subject moves and you need to track it, and adjusting focus is tough. I also didn't know how to adjust the exposure of the video but someone at the zoo showed me ;) (thx Simba!)

The video is a much lower resolution than the still images, so when I added the 1.7x TC to the lens the quality of the video really didn't seem to suffer (used on above video).

The other cool thing is the 2nd card slot. I put the video on that card. I might change it to write backups there, or IDK maybe just overflow.

Finally, I've had focus issues, and have wondered if it was my copy of the D300 or just the normal performance of the camera, etc. Plus I think my camera was bounced off the floor at my local camera shop during the return trip from a cleaning/tuning, etc. (Grrrr). So a nice new fresh from the box camera, with supposedly improved focus over the D300, will be at a minimum assuring to me and I will wonder less. Now I can focus a little more on the results I'm getting and then see if I need to go to manual focus for certain tracking situations, or tweak settings like focus-lock, or focus point counts, etc.

-Jon

Flickr 4 Year Anniversary

2009-08-31T18:48:00.001-07:00

Flickr 4 Year Anniversary
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon]

I joined flickr 4 years ago today. All I can say is what a 4 years it has been. Flickr's been awesome. Thank you!

500,000 stream views, almost 3* million photo/video views (~4* million combined), hooked up with Getty Images.

Here's to the future.

interesting on flickriver

DNA

Flickstr #304

DC Sunset

2009-08-03T20:24:00.001-07:00

DC Sunset
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon]

Tonight August 3rd 2009. Sunset was at 8:17pm today - summer's latest sunsets are behind us. The days are getting shorter, sunset is later too now after 6am.

I went out tonight to shoot with my Fuji S5 and a few shorter lenses, and a tripod. This one was shot handheld since the park police frown on tripod use on the momument themselves, the stone parts...

This photo has been fully tweaked in case you are wondering weather it is right from the camera or not. It's not. 1 RAW/RAF file processed through jpgs at different exposures and then Photomatix, and then again in Photoshop adjusting levels and contrast. I usually accomplish that with layer copies and masks and adjusting blending mode.

2009-08-02T14:57:00.000-07:00

Things I didn't know about dSLR photography

#1) I really didn't know just how easy it was to get dust and junk on the sensor of a camera.

Using puffers, and cleaning material, it all seems like a failed attempt.

Dust has a way of winning. So be extra careful, I wish I had been more careful when I got started w/ dSLR photography.

2009-07-29T15:42:00.000-07:00

Nikographer 1h2009 - mid year update

I just worked on my mid-year review at my day job so I thought I'd look back on my photography from the first half of the year as well.

An easy first thing to do is look at what Scout found.

Here's what is currently in flickr Explorer:

That's 12 shots from 2009 currently in. 5 are fox photos - 3 from Bombay Hook and one from a 2009 secret osprey spot, and one from last year at Blackwater Refuge. Another is an Osprey from my secret osprey spot, a paddler at Great Falls, a Black-crowned Night Heron from the DC Zoo, Snow Geese from Bombay Hook, A GBH from Blackwater, Kibibi and Mandara from the DC Zoo and finally the rocket bus from the Patuxant Naval Air Station Air Show / Expo.

From those stats I'm happy that a couple of spots that are new to me in 2009 have resulted in some photos that were liked by others, and trickled up via flickr.com's Explorer.

This is the secret osprey spot's Osprey shot:

And here's another from a new/secret spot of a mother fox - she was with her 4 kits pretty well hidden when I spotted them. She walked across a little road and then in to the field and stopped to look back at me a couple of times:

I am not happy about having "secret spots", but a crowd can ruin things. And I don't just mean that shots might not be unique because of other photographers. It is really not that at all- it is that when out alone at a nature/wildlife spot exploring or watching you can see more and disturb less.

When I run in to people that I know, or am about to get to know, it is natural to talk and shoot the breeze and pass the time. But at some point I often catch myself, and want to shoot more and talk less.

What else about 2009?

I shot the 4th of July in Washington D.C. for just the second time. I've been around DC now for over 10 years. Around 10am I met up with Clyde at Roosevelt Island. We wandered around DC all day and then around 5pm settled in to a spot along the Potomac River's VA side just up from the Memorial Bridge:

I took a ton of shots, and the day was too long, but I am super glad I went and made parking and the logistics a done deal by going so early. In 2006 when I shot before I got to the river late and was forced to a non-ideal spot down river from the airport/ DCA.

What else for 2009?

I got the grip for my D200/Fuji S5 and ALSO got a grip and uber battery for my D300. The grips add a nice chunk of weight which adds balance/inertia, and also make battery life on a single day a non issue if fully charged to start.

And I've sent my D300 back for repair of focusing/sharpness AGAIN. I had issues with focus going slow and not locking on birds, tried my d200 the next day and it performed much better so - realized that the d300 was acting up again.

This shot should really have been sharper, and other shots were missed due to trying to lock focus.

This on the other hand shot with my D200 looks way better!

What else for the first half of 2009?

The BCNH's at the DC Zoo have a dark side.

A long drive on a snowy day is worth it if you plan and gamble right.

Left to Right is better than Right to Left - thanks Wayne ;).

I did finally get a good shot of a Baltimore Oriole!

I discovered this multipanel thing on flickr and posted some of my own multi-post images...

*Ok. I might come back and update this, but for now that's a good post.

2009-07-21T17:42:00.000-07:00

My Fav Photogs #1

There's no way I will include everyone.

I have like 1400+ contacts on flickr, and I added them because I like something they did or lots of somethings they did.

In no particular order here is my first pick-

These are some images from some folks photos on flickr that I really admire, like, wish to emulate, wish some of their work was mine, etc, etc, etc..........

James Neeley and his awesome HDR work:

2009-07-06T15:48:00.000-07:00

Hawks take baths, who knew!

A Juvenile Red-Shouldered Hawk takes a quick bath...

In the past I've seen eagles taking a bath in the Potomac River:

But I'd never seen a hawk take a bath...

-Jon

2009-07-01T16:58:00.001-07:00

New PC - AMD 3.0G QuadCore via Newegg.com

I had a little bit of trouble with my 4+ year old PC, and spent a few hours trying to fix things, and then just ordered a bunch of parts from www.newegg.com to build a new, faster PC.

My old computer was a Pentium 4 2.8Ghz (single core, with hyper-threading). I have a ton of hard drives in it, and that was what went wrong, all but the OS drive seemed to fail. I've got backups of all the data, so nothing was lost, and I've gotten some of the hdds to work since but, it was time to build a new fast PC. I've spend thousands recently on cameras and lenses, and it was time to let my PC catch up.

The quick description of my new pc (order Saturday, parts arrived Tuesday, and it's now built already) is:
AMD Phenom II 3.0 GHz Quad-Core - uber fast, rocks!
4 GB RAM (I've already ordered another 4GB since it was just 50 bucks)
1 x 1TB HDD for OS install/C drive
RAIDMAX case with 500 watt powersupply - N82E16811156062
EVGA 512-P3-N841-AR GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
cpu gel

And finally the motherboard, that supports a bagillion USB and SATA connections:
GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

The above all cost under $700. I've since added 4GB more of RAM, plus now a DVD writer, 2 more 1.5TB HDDs, and a copy of Vista 64bit which came with a free upgrade to Windows 7 64bit.

This new computer is so friggin fast compared to my 4+ year old PC it is amazing.

-Jon

2009-05-26T20:28:00.000-07:00

Overdisk - report file system usage

Overdisk

This tool and others for macs was mentioned on TWiP. I just installed overdisk and it seems cool.

twip-podcast-87-defining-photographic-conception

-Jon

2009-05-13T17:53:00.000-07:00

A word or two about me and what goes through my head.

I like to shoot nature and wildlife. Sometimes I go to the zoo too for the captive animals. You get to know the animals a little, they're often exotic, and not the kind of thing you can see in the wild just anywhere.

The above photo is one that I took at Centennial Lake a couple of years ago. Here's another:

These shots show off something in how I view the world. Anything can be amazing and photo-worthy. Even if it is not what I set out to shoot. This day I was looking for birds, eagles, maybe a landscape image.

I saw the father and son moment happening, the perfect light, and snapped a few shots. A bit later I approached his wife, his mom and we spoke for a while. We traded info, and I eventually sent them a few images and it became (according to them) an awesome Father's Day gift to the dad in the photo and his dad, and the in-law's dad/folks I think.

All that because I went shooting, saw something, took a risk shooting it, took a risk approaching them, etc, etc.

The reason that I decided to post about this now is two fold: 1) I was recently back at Centennial Lake in Maryland (May 2009) and walked fully around the lake, for what turned out to be OK for bird photography but not great, and good for some exercise (it's a couple mile loop). And 2) because as I was wrapping up my walk I passed a different husband and wife and child and decided to take a risk.

Picture this section of the lake:

As I was walking I saw the family of 3 and the dad was taking a photo of his little girl. They were all on the paved pathway, and he was shooting looking down towards his girl, with the pavement in the shot. I made a decision as I was about to walk past them to take a risk.

I said "you should take that shot again of your little girl, but walk down the hill 10 feet first". He had what looked like a nice point and shoot, and I had nearly 8 thousand dollars of lens and camera hanging over my shoulder, and he paused, and as I kept walking, I think it clicked for him, and me, and it was worth it.

As I kept on walking, I looked back a number of times. He did walk down the hill a little, his girl started to follow him and both parents urged her back to the path, so he could try the different angle/shot. Then a moment later his wife sat down next to their child, and that's when it was best for me. Why?

I turned a passing thought, how to take a better image, remove the pavement, add some perspective, change the angle, to their snapshot, and they were receptive even though it was only a sentence or two from me as I kept walking past them, not stopping for a beat, but offering a "knowing" bit of advice. And it was all worth it because even if the shot didn't turn out better (it must have!) I might have imparted something that could stick with them. DON'T JUST TAKE SNAPSHOTS. Take a moment to see it, plan it, reposition, etc. That little girl will only be that little girl once.

What I hope happened but will probably never know is, will that be the image they love the best? Will the message have been lost in long run? IE will that change of angle, of perspective yield for them the single image that sticks with them for ever? IDK, I hope not. I hope it turns in to a great image in a long line of great images as they all get older.

And I thought as I kept walking, should I take a shot of them? Some way to know who I spoke to, to record the moment, and for me I knew I did the right thing. I did NOT take their image. The moment was theirs, not mine, and the risk was just in what I did and it paid off...

-Jon

2009-04-01T17:57:00.000-07:00

I spotted this officer riding through the drained reflecting pool, and did my best to document the scene. The sun was setting, and made for some awesome light as he approached. I bracketed all the shots at 3 shot and 1 stop per shot (-1,0,+1) and I'm glad I did.

I've posted a couple to flickr and the rest are here.

-Nikographer/Jon

2009-03-10T17:35:00.000-07:00

How to make a flickr badge.

Flickr lets you search your photos and make an html or flash based badge of your images.

http://www.flickr.com/badge.gne

Here's one of mine:

february / html

www.flickr.com

More of Nikographer [Jon]'s stuff tagged with February

2009-01-14T18:01:00.001-08:00

Rest In Peace - Jean Keene
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon]

larger
Jean Keene (wiki) passed away yesterday at age 85.

I saw the news on Gregg's photo.

From wiki:

Keene's career as the "Eagle Lady" began shortly after her arrival in Homer, when one morning she noticed two bald eagles on the beach near her motorhome. Keene saw offering food to the eagles as a natural extension of her practice of keeping bird feeders filled with sunflower seeds for wild songbirds. She began to bring home surplus fish from her job in a bucket, and each morning would throw some fish to the eagles over the short driftwood fence she had made around her motorhome. By the end of that spring, a half-dozen eagles were showing up for breakfast.

Here's Gregg's photo tribute:

And here's a couple of Woody's photos from his trip to Alaska and the Eagle Lady's place.

-Jon

2009-01-11T14:14:00.001-08:00

Western Low Land Gorillas at the US National Zoo - baby born January 10th 2009.

Mandara's new baby was born yesterday (1/10/2009) at the National Zoo in Washington D.C.

All the Gorillas are still on exhibit, including the 1 day old baby.

I'm going to post one image to flickr, and a bunch just here.

(flickr)

(here only)

-Jon

2009-01-06T15:10:00.000-08:00

Podcasts and advertising... Please give it a break.

I listen to a bunch of podcasts. Some of them have pre-roll and post-roll ads, and some have quick breaks to cut to an ad and then come back to the show. Those are all tolerable because they are quick ads, and are clearly just that, ads and not the content of the show.

Today I was listening to This Week In Photography (TWIP - 1/4/09 episode). They're sponsored by Drobo, and have the pre-roll ad. But what finally bugged me today was that it seems like every recent episode now contains a segment where they pimp the Drobo as part of their content. I can see mentioning them every now and then, but it has pretty much become a regular component of the show where they try to talk candidly, relay stories and the status of their Drobo's and it has finally reached a point where it bugs me. If I want to listen to a Drobo Podcast I will go searching for one. I want to know about photography.

I think I'm going to change my links to their site to This Week In Drobo.

I probably wouldn't be as bothered by it all, but I listen to This Week In Media too (TWIM), where advertising in podcasts was discussed not too long ago, and they talked about how much better the candid discussion of products is better than the short taped ads. If it was done in moderate amounts it wouldn't bug me, but I think they've finally gone too far with it all.

:/

2008-08-14T19:39:00.001-07:00

Red Fox Mates @ BBH NWR DE
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon]

Red Fox Mates @ BBH NWR DE

I'm coming up on my 3 year anniversary on flickr, which is basically my anniversary of getting my first digital SLR (Aug 2005).

The way I first started shooting and posting was to take lots of shots, edit them, and try to learn from what worked well technically as well as what worked best on flickr.

Flickr is a brutal judge in some regards. If someone likes an image they will view it, and if they like it more they'll comment or fav it (or post an invite).
Posting things and getting little or no response is a real measure of how an image can evoke response. I'm not saying it's a measure of quality. It could be, or it could be some thing else entirely. But if an image doesn't go over well, the budding photographer should wonder why. And I did, and I think I've managed to learn a bunch about photography at an accelerated pace...

Fast forward a couple of years and here's how I generally shoot, edit and then post.

When I am out shooting I can usually get the camera settings right, not always, but most of the time. Lower light and I will boost ISO. I use a tripod a lot now. White birds and I compensate down. Overcast days and I adjust WB and don't protect the highlights (no harsh light = no harsh highlights). So, lots of lessons learned over the past few years of shooting digital.

Then I wind up with a lot of ok images, and I edit sometimes 50% of them, cropping and adjusting levels mainly.

During this initial edit session I usually have an image or two catch my eye immediately and I post one. But in this batch can be tons of good images technically.

Because I shoot so much, sometimes it is just this first pass that I end up doing in a timely manner. But later I look at the originals again (hopefully), and for sure I look at the images I've edited a second or third time.

By taking time to let a set of images soak in, and coming back to them repeatedly, I think I've managed to learn to be critical, and focus on what really makes an image work, for me at least.

And all too often it is behavior in a subject (animal) that makes something hit a nerve. Part of the problem of making all those judgements right after the images were taken is that as the photographer there's a huge amount of context already in your mind's eye. Images are but a moment in a timeline of a day or encounter. And seeing an image shortly after it is taken makes me recount the day and all of the context.

By letting time pass, and revisiting images, I think I've developed a more keen eye for what is in the image vs. what I recall from the encounter.

My goal is to tell stories, and provide glimpses in to nature and understanding of animals, so I can appreciate this place we all call home, and if I can share that moment with others too then all the better..

---

It's with all that context that I post an image from around 6 months ago from the foxes mating day at Bombay Hook NWR in Delaware. I've already now posted around 13 images, and this one caught my eye tonight. I had tried to crop it and make it work but something didn't feel right. It wasn't quite sharp enough for a close up crop, and the story of the moment seemed to be lost. So, this is the full frame version and I think I am finally happy with the image.

-Jon

Location, Location, Location - Osprey @ Belle Haven Marina

2008-07-20T13:07:00.001-07:00

Location, Location, Location - Osprey @ Belle Haven Marina
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon]

big
So much of what I see and photograph is made possible by location. This spot at the marina, brought to my attention by Kim, is a great example of location at work.

In the second half of the day, the sun gets lower and is to the west (duh) while the action is to the east. This creates a very predictable good setup for light.

Another thing the location has going for it is that the osprey nest is in a fairly high traffic part of the Potomac river. There's a boat launch, and docks right near the nest. This gets the birds more accustomed to people and tolerant of them. Another good example of this is with the Hawks I've photographed at the national zoo, as well as the Black-Crowned Night Herons there too.

From the animal's perspective in all those cases, they see tens or hundreds of people on a given day.

Comparing that to a animal or bird, that might see one or two people a day (or none) the odds of getting a good encounter are much much lower with the isolated subject.

Part of why I wrote the above was to encourage other people to keep venturing out to new and different locations in search of better encounters and photos. Flickr has a been a great resource for me when it comes to discovering locations, most places I go are a result of flickr searches, contacts, etc.

Above cropped for effect, I had the entire bird in frame, and select sharpening was used (ie only the bird part of the photo was sharpened, not the sky). Taken with D300 and 80-400mm VR f/4.5-6.5.

I've been happy with the 80-400mmVR lens, but I want more. Kim has gotten me jealous of her gear, but I don't think I will be happy with a huge lens that requires a tripod. So, I think I might be looking in to the 200-400mm f/4 Nikkor lens. The only person I know on flickr that uses this 200-400mm lens if Michel and his work is amazing, inspires me, etc. If you're not familiar with his photos, start by checking out his girl friend.

Here are some photos and videos from Belle Haven Marina.

-Jon

2008-07-10T07:08:00.000-07:00

I just heard about the Gettyimage / flickr thing. There was a post on strobist about it, and then a link to probably a better more informed take on it from Photoshelter. (And I read this too - You just have been Flickered (updated)
. This was interesting too, from 2006, strobist's take on photography, stock, etc.

My barely informed opinion on the flick/getty alliance after reading those... Gettyimages is not going to make us all rich. They won't even make a bunch of us rich.

If they were to contact me I'd be flattered I suppose, but would probably not pursue it. I'm planning to setup a site to sell prints, and have started the work on picking the images out from the nearly couple hundred thousand I've taken in almost 3 years.

I've sold a handful of images through flickr (someone emails me in flickr) that were used a couple of different ways (ie not a print for personal use). I've also given away tens if not a couple hundred images to good causes for free (educational or promoting nature or the environment).

That said I submitted a request for a free photoshelter account. I may or may not use it. I know someone that has some images on istock I think, and they make a few bucks from it. I don't think I'd want to give away some of the photos that mean a ton to me for potential sale at a cheap price for commercial use. So, I might just try to shoot specific images for photoshelter, or submit only a certain type of image (ie not my personal favs, etc). If I have a photo that I can sell individual prints for $50 or $100 or more, why would I sell someone the image for 10 bucks so they can sell prints, or use it in an ad or whatever???

There's just no way I'd part with these on the cheap:

2008-05-31T15:59:00.001-07:00

Portland Head Light, Cape Elizabeth, ME
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon]

The boat: Bagheera

Shot from Spring Point in South Portland Maine. These were my manual settings. I was using manual on the Osprey, and kept shooting afterwards with M-mode...
Exposure: 1/1000
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 185 mm
ISO Speed: 400

D300 and 80-400mm, not cropped I think:

-Jon

Gerber Daisy, from my Mom's Garden

2008-05-20T18:55:00.001-07:00

Gerber Daisy, from my Mom's Garden
Originally uploaded by 0 W8ing

Such an eye catcher, had to blog it for y'all.....

JSOH / Joint Service Open House / Air Show 1 Week Away

2008-05-09T17:12:00.001-07:00

Help Wanted: Exhaust Detection Specialist, No Experience Required.
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon]

The air show at andrews AFB in Maryland is one week away! Make your plans to go now....

Here are a few from the last two years.

Help Wanted: Exhaust Detection Specialist, No Experience Required:

*Protection* - Joint Service Open House (JSOH) 2007 @ Andrews AFB, MD

Joint Service Open House 2007 - SkyTypers

And here's a video from of the A-10 I took....

Visit the web page for the Air Show here:
http://www.jsoh.org/

-Jon

Red-Tailed Hawk Encounter

2008-04-16T05:29:00.001-07:00

Red-Tailed Hawk Encounter
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon]

My first Video on Flickr... It's a series of still images with some commentary by me...

For all those "purist photographers on flickr" that hate this video thing, i say: "embrace an extension to the format you already love....."

Red Fox Kits - Blackwater NWR, MD March/April 2008

2008-04-06T17:03:00.001-07:00

Red Fox Kits (3) - Blackwater NWR, MD
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon]

Photos from 3/29/2008, 4/2/2008 and 4/5/2008 at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland.

2

3

4

5

6

Mating Red Foxes at Bombay Hook NWR, DE January 2008

2008-04-06T16:57:00.001-07:00

Model Citizen
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon]

Red Foxes at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware.

This day was just so awesome. My second trip to Bombay Hook NWR and I can't believe it.

It was supposed to be cloudy all day, and on Friday I was expecting Saturday to be a wash. But I went, and it was actually partly cloudy early. You just can't trust the weathermen that much.

Foxy!

It was in the 20's and a lot of the water was frozen over. I saw numerous foxes on the ice, a lot of them. According to Doug, who has gone here a bunch, the foxes were extra active and he saw around 8 or 10 of them early in the day.

I also ran in to Robert and Barry and his dad.

On the prowl - Red Fox at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge

Early morning consisted of a number of foxes working the marshes and ice. In between periods of being active a couple times we could see them lay down, and rest, and clean themselves some.

Then this one made some good time along the edge of the ice, and stopped a few times to scent mark... In the above she (?) scent marks just before running across the road to a different patch.

Scent Marking - Red Fox at Bombay Hook NWR, DE

Having just scent marked the fox crosses the road and takes a moment to look behind her. Her plan is starting to come together.

Red Fox checks the trail she has set

(Red Fox at Bombay Hook NWR, DE)

Unable to resist her charms he follows his nose, it always knows... (lol, couldn't resist)...

He's hot on her trail

Red Foxes at Bombay Hook NWR, DE

The female made it in to the marsh/woods and he followed her in. A minute later the two of them came racing out. You can see her slightly submissive posture in the above...

The time draws near

Red Foxes Mating - Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Delaware

Having lured in the male with her charms, they began to mate, and actually mated continuously for the first hour or so! They then each settled in to the grass and slept for a while....

There had to be 7 or 8 photographers around for the much of the early activity, but most moved on including myself once they went to sleep. But this story doesn't end here...

Love is in the air....

Red Foxes Mating and Bonding at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge

...when you're happy it shows. He's so happy I think he's dancing.

After initially mating for about an hour, they rested and then over the course of another hour or two mated and played a little. I'd have to guess that they were afraid of each other before they first got together. And with that out of the way they seemed to be more at ease with each other.

I'm really looking forward to going back and hopefully seeing some kits! I read a bit this weekend and learned that the males will stick around and help feed the female while she's pregnant (wiki)..

I have a hunch that when she marked the trail and he followed it was to where she has her den picked out. Had that been where she wanted to mate they would have never left the wooded area and come back in to our view along the marsh.

A Thousand Words

Together, they rejoiced!

Flickr and Animations - How to upload, and some samples

2008-02-20T15:28:00.001-08:00

The King
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon]

To create an animation I use Photoshop and then ImageReady.

The trick to uploading them on flickr is that only the original sized version will have the animation. I create versions that are around 500 pixels wide and upload them as private. Then I take the html code from the original sized version (all sizes link) and place the animation in a comment of a public photo.

Here are some of the ones I've posted in the past.

King Vulture in flight

Bald Eagle landing

Hunting Osprey

Cartwheeling Bald Eagles

Black-Crowned Night Heron take-off

Upside down Juvenile Bald Eagle

-Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

American White in Golden Light (pelican)

2008-01-03T18:30:00.001-08:00

American White in Golden Light
Originally uploaded by Jerry Ting
I wish this were mine!

-Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

You Will Be Assimilated!

2007-12-29T16:05:00.001-08:00

You Will Be Assimilated!
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon]
I've had my D300 for a couple weeks now and I like it a lot.

I wrote my first impressions here for the D300:

D300 highlights for me so far are: smoother shutter action, higher fps, reduced chromatic aberation, and increased focus points, and better higher iso.

In the first couple weeks I made it to the Zoo for a couple hours on day one, then to Conowingo Dam for a day a few days later, and then Maine for a week. In Maine I shot the Portland Head Light House, and a bunch of different things in my Brother's yard (birds and squirrels).

Here are my first posted D300 shots:

-Jon

posted - 12/29/2007.
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Mister Coyote

2007-12-04T18:20:00.001-08:00

Mister Coyote
Originally uploaded by LeFion
I don't usually blog other people photos but this one just totally jumped at me and grabbed me! It's just so awesome.

Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

The Colors of Fall - 2007

2007-11-08T10:51:00.001-08:00

Foliage 1 of 2 @ Patuxent Research Refuge
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon]
Assorted recent images I've taken in the Maryland and Virginia area.

-Nikographer / Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

2007-11-01T18:00:00.000-07:00
photo use - please read

Nikographer 11/1/2007

I often get asked by someone regarding the use of my images. Here's my take on all that, and guidelines for requesting use.

Background
I take photography fairly seriously, and devote a lot of time to get the images I share on my web site. I've also spent a substantial amount of money to buy my photo gear.

Professional Photographers
Professional Photographers rely on work to make a living. Sales of images put food on the table, etc.

Stock, Microstock, etc
These days images can be purchased for very small amounts of money. There are numerous web sites that sell limited use, unlimited use, photos for nearly nothing.

Free Images
There's also a fairly large amount of work out there that can be had under the creative commons license model, with varying conditions, for free. The most basic condition being attribution, noting where the image came from.

My Take
I'm open to selling my work. I've made a few sales, and been happy to do so.

I've also given away some of my work. However, I only give my work away to non-profit, conservation or education efforts. So, I support nature conservation, education, and well intentioned efforts that probably cannot afford to purchase rights to a photo, let alone afford to hire a photographer to shoot something for a specific purpose.

Your Request
If you are requesting an image of me, and you are a for-profit venture, please specify what you are willing to offer in payment for limited use rights to my work. Failing to specify anything regarding payment will tell me you are looking for something for free, and I will not be interested.

If you fall in to another category, say non-profit, conservation or education organization, please provide me with a link to your web site so I can research you request. I am usually very open to this type of request. If you are from a for profit agency working on one of these types of projects, I will have to think more about it.

In Summary
I don't spend time taking photos to help others profit for free from my work. I imagine there are quite a few people that think use of an image is honor enough, regardless of why and where it is being used, but for me, the context matters greatly.

Thanks and please respect the working photographers of the world, and offer payment when you want to use something in a commercial way.

Note: I retain all rights to my photos, and no one is authorized to use my photos without prior consent.

-Nikographer / Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Great Falls National Park, September 2007

2007-09-27T05:59:00.001-07:00

Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon]
I visited Great Falls National Park a bunch of times in September 2007.

Going exclusively to the Maryland side for over a year, I worked the overlook with some new ideas, and captured some new things. I combined the motion blur of the water falls using a long exposure, while also capturing a near motionless Great Blue Heron for some neat results...

I also took a handful of sunset photos, and even witnessed a rescue of a kayaker that had dislocated their shouldered while having fun on the river.

Then I decided to check out the Virginia side of the Falls and I was really impressed. Here are a couple of HDR's from the Virginia side.

-Nikographer / Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Tioga - Bald Eagle

2007-09-27T05:53:00.001-07:00

Tioga
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon]
A few shots of Tioga, the male bald eagle at the US National Zoo (http://www.fonz.org/)

Eagles at the National Zoo.
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Blackwater Visit 8/11/2007 - Assorted sights

2007-08-14T16:39:00.001-07:00

Great Horned Owls at Blackwater NWR, Maryland (+video)
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon]
I went out to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge again, probably about my 12th or 13 visit during the past 9 months.

While the Wildlife Drive is a great area to see a good variety of birds and wildlife, I enjoy venturing out in to the neighboring area, specifically along Maple Dam Road.

During this visit I spotted Eagles, Osprey, Herons, Egrets and a few others along the Wildlife Drive.

While on Maple Dam Road I spotted numerous Bald Eagles, a few Snowy Egrets, and the highlight of the trip a pair of Great Horned Owls! The only other wild owl I've EVER seen was another Great Horned Owl along this same road a few months ago.

Here are some of the 800+ photos I took and a short video clip, hosted on youtube.com.

This is the second bird in the same tree.

and then it was gone... but I saw it again later in another tree with its mate in another tree down the road ;)

I'd say it was a great day to observe wildlife, and in addition I got some sweet photos. The owls were like icing on the cake.

-Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Eat with your mouth open!

2007-08-09T18:40:00.001-07:00

Eat with your mouth open!
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon]
I've been shooting a lot of the Golden Headed Lion Tamarins lately.

Here are a bunch of photos, all taken with off camera flash (Nijoin D200 with SB-800 and a Tamron 18-200mm.

-Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Frog photos with double off camera flash (SB-800's) and video

2007-07-17T18:21:00.001-07:00

From the 3rd night of shooting this frog (+video)
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon]
This frog was so cool. It spent hours calling out in to the night.

I took photos of him on three nights in a row, and quickly setup to remote flashes on the first night and went to town. I triggered the flashes remotely with the on camera flash on commander mode. I experimented with TTL and manual modes on the flashes and mostly shot in manual mode at outputs of about 1/8th to 1/2 power. It wasn't until the last night that I moved one of the flashes towards the front of the frog. I also tried shooting at the higher power on the flashes and lowering ISO to still get a good exposure, and decent shutter speed and f/stop. I realized if I am providing all the light for the photo, and I am shooting under-powered flashes and higher ISO I am doing something wrong! Why shoot at 1/4 power flash and ISO 400 when I can shoot at 1/1 (full power) flash and ISO 100 and get the same light and exposure?! So I tried some light that. After a while I raised the ISO in favor of wearing down the batteries on the flash unit any more than I already was and I was swapping batteries a lot over the days I shot these.

Some lighting shots. My brother's pond is maybe 12 feet wide and 9 or 10 feet deep. Mostly I had the flashes near eachother and behind the frog on the right and left.

For some I used the on camera flash too as a third light source, it may be the source of the reflection on the frog here

Here's one with the side lighting

And finally here's a 5 minute video of still shots and the audio from the pond and the frog's calls. I didn't take the time to synchronize the images of calls with the sound of calls... The sound is just for that added flavor or feeling of the frog and the pond.

-Jon

Tags: Maine, ME, Pond, Frog, Water, Video, Audio, Flash, Lighting, Nikon, D200, SB-800, CLS, wireless, remote off camera flash.
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

2007-07-16T21:44:00.001-07:00

From the 3rd night of shooting this frog
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon]
Here's a video of the shooting action!

-Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Humpback Whale - Whale Watching in Maine - 7/2/2007 (odysseywhalewatch.com)

2007-07-02T16:21:00.001-07:00

Humpback Whale - Maine - 7/2/2007
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon]
I went on a whale watching boat ride today, and we saw Whales! I got some good shots, and had some fun. A great day.

I took a boat out of Portland Harbor. Visit their web site here:
www.odysseywhalewatch.com/

Here are the two shots I've decided to post so far, while still on vacation and having limited access to editors, etc.

-Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Red-Shouldered Hawk (redux)

2007-06-26T16:56:00.001-07:00

Red-Shouldered Hawk (redux)
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon]
A shot I took over a year ago, done with a better edit...

I recovered detail from the shadows. I also imported it using the embedded color profile this time, vs what I used to do which is convert it to the working color space of my pc. And of course some Unsharp Mask.

Here's the new version

Here's the old version

-Jon
tags: nature, wildlife, red-shouldered hawk, RSH, bird, animal.

Technorati find me darn it!!!
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

A bunch of recent flash photography I've done.

2007-06-19T17:28:00.001-07:00

Eye Reflected!
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon]
Lately I've been reading Strobist and thinking more about flash. A couple weeks ago I got my second SB-800, and have continued to experiment with off-camera flash.

The D70s I have will control a single channel and group (3A), and the D200 will use any channel, and groups A and B with different settings for each. Both cameras can trigger the flashes remotely via the on camera flash. It's a pretty cool technology, because it has to transmit ISO, shutter, F/stop and distance info. Also, from what I've read the remote flashes will prefire so fast you can't see it, and they will assess the amount of light hitting a subject (at the flash? at the camera?) and adjust output accordingly. I don't know if that's 100% accurate or not, but it works pretty well.

One case where I had trouble was when the flashes weren't in the line of sight of the camera. Sometimes the remote flash would fire, sometimes it wouldn't, If I were a pro, I'd consider getting the Pocket Wizards to control them flawlessly via RF (visible light).

Anyway, here are a bunch of recent shots I've taken with flash.

Eye Reflected!

Veiled Chameleon

also

Green crested basilisk

Tokay Gecko (Gekko gecko)

Meerkat Baby

Wattled Crane (shot w/ Snooted Flash)

The setup

Strobe on a rope - Golden-Headed Lion Tamarin
See: strobe-on-rope.html

Snooted-Flash - Red-Capped Crane
See also:lighting-101-cereal-box-snoots-and.html

Flashed Meerkat

And the less than perfect shot I was trying for...

Having started to use flash regularly, so much more is possible. The ability to take low light photos is just part of it. Flash, and light in general, can become a very important part of a (good) photograph.

One thing I've been burned by more than once is that the SB-800's will throw their flash at below parallel with the lens when set at 90 degrees on the flash head and on camera. This is to provide flash better to close subject. However, when you have a good telephoto lens and you're trying to light something far away, the flash's light will fall too close. When using a better beamer and 300mm or 400mm on a far bird, you won't even HIT the subject.

I noticed that with the Snoot on flash, if you jam it all the way down the flash head, it will prop up the flash head and make it work at good distances. I plan to make some snoot like shims for my flashes to correct for this low angle problem.

-Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

A-10 Thunderbolt @ JSOH 2007 (+video)

2007-05-24T08:25:00.001-07:00

A-10 Thunderbolt @ JSOH 2007 (+video)
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].

Nearly a ten minute video from the Air Show at Andrews AFB this past weekend 5/20/2007.

Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

F/A-18F Hornet and F-22 Raptor @ Joint Service Open House 5/19/2007

2007-05-23T19:27:00.001-07:00

F/A-18F Hornet @ Joint Service Open House 5/19/2007
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
I've processed and post a couple more photos.

The light/clouds were better Saturday I guess, and most of the shots I like (and posted) have been from Saturday.

F/A-18F Hornet @ Joint Service Open House 5/19/2007

F-22 Raptor @ JSOH 2007

I've still got over 3,000 other shots not posted so stay tuned. I also have some video, about 30 minutes almost, and think I will post something good to youtube soon, maybe the A-10 demo.

-Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Thunderbirds @ Joint Service Open House 5/19/2007

2007-05-21T20:02:00.001-07:00

Thunderbirds @ Joint Service Open House 5/19/2007
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
I've posted more from the Joint Service Open House (JSOH) 2007...

Thunderbirds @ Joint Service Open House 5/19/2007

F-15c Strike Eagle:

USAF Heritage Flight:

B-1B Bomber:

-Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

*Protection* - Joint Service Open House (JSOH) 2007 @ Andrews AFB, MD

2007-05-20T15:23:00.001-07:00

*Protection* - Joint Service Open House (JSOH) 2007 @ Andrews AFB, MD
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
A couple from the first day at the Joint Service Open House 2007.

I went both days, and took a ton of shots, somewhere around 20GBs worth or 3500 photos.

-J
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Goodnight - bigger isn't always better or required.

2007-05-17T19:08:00.001-07:00

Goodnight
Originally uploaded by imapix.
I posted this in the comments of imapix's photo.

Funny thing about your image (vs. mine)... I never feel a need or want to see a larger/huge version. It's not about resolution of the image I'm viewing with you. So, I wish I could take a photo and like it small, like I do yours. ;) Yours are just stronger, better.

He's much better than me at seeing, crafting, and everything else I can't do at his level.

Time to keep learning from a seasoned master imo.

-J
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Flickr = Censorship

2007-05-16T08:43:00.001-07:00

Flickr = Censorship
Originally uploaded by Thomas Hawk.
So sad. May have to rethink being on flickr.

Zoomr sounds good... or pbase or photo.net. IDK. I've had my own strife regarding flickr a lot lately.

-J
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

2007-05-14T19:10:00.001-07:00

stealing IS a crime, right?
Originally uploaded by _rebekka.
Rebekka (Rebekka Guðleifsdóttir) wrote:

I have a LOT on my mind right now.. to be honest, i've rarely been so royally pissed off as i am today.
The photos shown above all have one thing in common (besides being rather lovely landscape photos):

They were all taken , without my permission, by the London based print-selling company Only-Dreemin. This company prides itself on offering its customers only the best quality canvas prints of the finest photos , by top artists.

What they fail to mention is that some of the photos they're selling prints of have been illegally obtained, and are being sold without the artists consent or knowledge.

*snip*

-----------

I hope she's cleans their clock.

See also:
photography-thieves-are-out-therewatch-out

and

only-dreemin-fine-art-thieves

and

digg rebekka's photo here:
http://digg.com/tech_news/Stealing_IS_a_crime_right

-Nikographer/Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Bald Eagle (near Conowingo Dam)

2007-05-01T19:56:00.001-07:00

Bald Eagle (near Conowingo Dam)
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
This new spot near Conowingo Dam is so cool to go to. The pair of eagles do so much. They fish, defend their territory, and work on the nest bringing in new grass and twigs. No doubt they're also feeding their 2 chicks but that isn't really visible from the spotting location.

Bald Eagle (near Conowingo Dam)

Gear Down, and Coming In

Momma Eagle bringing in some nesting material.

-Jon

(keywords: Photography, Bald Eagles, Nest, Maryland, Susquehanna River, MD, In Flight, American Bald Eagle, Bird, Birds Nature, Wildlife, Delmarva)
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Cheery Blossoms in Washington DC 2007

2007-04-24T16:52:00.001-07:00

Blossoms
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
The little shot to the right isn't cherry but it was cool. Here are some of the Cherry Trees. This was my first year making it down to the Tidal Basin to check them out. I'm real glad I went, especially when I did, because just a day later it rained like mad in DC and probably washed away a lot of the blossoms. I'd guess the day I went was the last best day...

-Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Maryland Bald Eagle & Blackwater Sunset

2007-04-13T08:08:00.000-07:00

Blackwater Sunset
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
Here's a sequence of one of the Bald Eagles at Blackwater, from behind the visitors center. The bird was sitting on the tree branch and was disturbed and flushed out by another photographer that saw the eagle and bounded out of their car to get a tripod and camera setup. Needless to say they missed the shot(s).

-Jon

(nature, wildlife, photography, maryland, md, bird, birds, in flight, flying, takeoff, eagle, sunset, orange, reflection)
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

2007-04-11T18:16:00.000-07:00

Eagle!
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
And now for something different! I got an iPod - photo is Tioga, the National Zoo's bald eagle.

Here are some iPod photos, just messing around, I used my D200 and SB-800 (remote) flash.

img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/173/455997147_97813a9002_o.jpg" width="400" height="267" alt="2007_0410_D200_71473" />

-Jon

(bald eagle, ipod, photos, flash, sb-800
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Maryland Bald Eagle (s)

2007-04-09T19:26:00.000-07:00

Bald Eagle @ Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, MD
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
Bald Eagle @ Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, MD

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've been on the hunt for Bald Eagles now for about a year. I like in Maryland, not too far from Washington D.C. I know about a handful of locations where there eagles, practically in every direction! Great Falls to the west, Mason Neck to the south, Centennial Lake and Conowingo Dam to the north, and Blackwater and the rest of the eastern shore to the east...

Here are a bunch of shots from 2006-2007, roughly my first year trying to photograph bald eagles, these are almost all from Maryland (MD):

-Jon

(Photographing Bald Eagles in Maryland. Nature, wildlife, birds, nikon, bird of prey, nikographer)
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

CafePress store "Grand Opening!"

2007-04-06T16:13:00.000-07:00

Blue Bird @ Blackwater NWR, MD
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
Blue Bird @ Blackwater NWR, MD

I setup an account on Cafepress.com and opened a few of the free shops. The free ones are pretty limited. There are a variety of product templates (like a mousepad, or journal, or mini-poster) but you can only have a single product of each type per free shop.

This limit means to have two mousepads (ie two different images on a mousepad) you need to open two free shops! I've opened 3 free shops so far, and you can view all the products together at this url: http://www.cafepress.com/nikographer,nikographer2,Nikographer3.

If I get anything sold I will most likely upgrade to a pro-shop where the single product limit is removed.

I've set the markups pretty low (a couple bucks) on all the stuff except the small and large posters, which are marked up about 60-100% of the cost of the poster to me...

I hope this takes off, but in the world of millions of photographers, I wonder if there's much demand. We'll see.

-Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Osprey Pair, Washington Monument, Airplane taking off - (from) South of Reagan National Airport (DCA)

2007-03-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

Osprey Pair, Washington Monument, Airplane taking off - (from) South of Reagan National Airport (DCA)
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
So, I've been hitting some of my old spots lately. It can be frustrating because I haven't been interested in this stuff for long, just over a year, and a bunch of trips have been pretty fruitless. Spots that weren't working much when I've been over the past couple of months include:
Great Falls MD
Centennial Lake MD
Rocky Gorge MD (Scott's Cove)
Brighton Dam MD
Greenbelt Lake MD...

Lucky for me though, today I hit Mason Neck State Park in Virgina, Great Marsh VA, Gunstan Hall (George Mason's Plantation) (it was sort of a let down for the 7$), then the Washington Boat Club / Indigo Landing and here I found the Osprey had returned. I saw two active nests and possibly 5 Osprey so there's probably another nest I didn't see.

Here's a very similar shot from last year that includes some young from this same nest.
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Some new and some old

2007-03-25T17:19:00.000-07:00

Cute 2.0
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
The Tai Shan photo is from January 2007. He was up close to the big glass window, and was eating his bamboo.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This Black-Crowned Night Heron is from last summer. I'm looking forward to them returning anyday now at the National Zoo in Washington D.C.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are some newer photos.

Caracal Lynx

Cheetah:

Samantha - Bald Eagle

Luke the Lion:

Tiger Cub!

Luke Moving:

Red-legged Seriema:

-Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Golden-Headed Lion Tamarin / Flickr Explorer Pix

2007-03-19T19:45:00.000-07:00

Golden-Headed Lion Tamarin
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
Here's a collection of photos that hit explorer recently...

-Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Soy (+video w/ cubs)

2007-03-15T16:37:00.000-07:00

Soy (+video w/ cubs)
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
I put together a video with some assorted clips of the cubs and Soy with the cubs...

Here are some other photos of them all...

Some Cubs Chasing Soy Action:

-Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Bald Eagles Cartwheeling at Blackwater National Wlidlife Refuge 2/10/2007

2007-02-14T17:55:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day (w/ animation) :D
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
Eagles cartwheeling animation:

The full dance.

Some comments I made on the flickr photo
------------------------------------------------------------

@ drewbilizer! I know, I know! (I wish they were sharper/more in focus)

These were all shot hand-held, through my car's sunroof, and I was goofy just trying to get them in view of the camera...

Next time I will have higher ISO, and be more ready. If that's possible...

These shots came out much better:

The thing I learned regarding photographing this behavior: Panning doesn't work when the subject is SPINNING!!!

Thanks so much everyone. It was awesome to see, and I'm glad to share it.

@planephotoman - I was shooting with a 400mm lens, and if you shot birds of this size with a 400 you know that at a certain distance it's not worth taking the pix, or more than a couple. These two were a bit closer then that when they started their cartwheeling. Maybe they were 300 feet up? 400? And when they let go I'd say they were 100 feet above the ground, and a 150 feet away from my spot on the ground.

I got to see, probably this pair exclusively, lock up 4 times! Once I thought that a bird landed in the marsh after letting go. I actually thought both might have hit the ground, but when only one flew up from the ground, I scratched my head, and I was sort of lost in the moment for that sequence, and didn't get much in the way of photos.

I've only ever seen this cartwheeling behavior about 4 other times all at Conowingo Dam. The one sort of ok shot of it from then and there is this one:

Like I said on my first photo posted from this Saturday, I set my alarm clock for 4am, and woke up at 3:30am. I was that psyched to go, and it was so worth it. Just excellent.
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Luke!.............................. Lion at US National Zoo +video

2007-01-29T08:12:00.000-08:00

Luke!..............................
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
Luke is one of the National Zoo's new Lions. He's such a playful little bugger...

Here are a couple more photos and a video:

-Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Butterstick - 1/27/2007 with Video

2007-01-28T17:27:00.000-08:00

Butterstick - 1/27/2007
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
So, I've recently added a camera that does video to my bag. It's a small Nikon point and shoot, with video and VR (S7c).

Here's a video of Tai Shan and Mei Xiang from 1/27/2007:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mC36uMq3-s

-Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Emotion, Color and Movement

2007-01-16T19:48:00.000-08:00

Cooper's Checks me out
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].

Color

Movement, I like blur for that, but not always:

I've come to realize that the things that catch my eye, the photos that stand out are the ones that contain one or more of the following: emotion, movement and color.

I've been getting more and more in to podcasts on photography, the latest of which is "the candid frame". http://www.thecandidframe.com/. There's some really great stuff to listen to there.

-Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

2007-01-09T06:19:00.000-08:00
Made it back to Blackwater and it was great. There were Bald Eagles, Great Blue Herons, Hawks, Ducks, While Pelicans, and much more...

GBH pre-sunrise:

Here Comes the Magic (pre-sunrise):

Thousands of Red-Winged Blackbirds!

A pair of mature Bald Eagles in a tree watching the sunrise...

About 20 White Pelicans:

-Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Another great end to a great day @ Blackwater NWR, MD

2006-12-17T17:48:00.000-08:00

Another great end to a great day @ Blackwater NWR, MD
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
I was there from sunrise to sunset. An amazing day, one of my best in a while...

This was the sunrise

There was a mature Bald Eagle perched along Wildlife Drive

Here's another, not posted except here on my blog

Blackwater rocks!

-Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Two Bald Eagles (1) @ Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland

2006-12-10T17:58:00.000-08:00

Two Bald Eagles (1) @ Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
I took my first ride out to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge this weekend. It was great. So many eagles, and other wildlife. Here are the first other posted shots I have.

Blackwater's Web Site:
http://www.fws.gov/blackwater/
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

My First Readable Band, V34! Banded Bald Eagle from NY @ Conowingo Dam, Maryland - December 2nd 2006

2006-12-05T20:52:00.000-08:00

My First Readable Band, V34! Banded Eagle from NY @ Conowingo Dam, MD
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
Larger

This was my first photo with a readable band!

A few others got photos of him(?) too and researched it, and he's from NY and was banded in 2002 as a chick (assuming I remember the story correctly). NY uses two bands: silver and blue I think...

2006_1202_D200_36102-cs1 v34-banded

Here are a couple more from this weekend:

Juvenile Bald Eagle In Flight

Juvenile Bald Eagle Landing

Perched Juvenile Bald Eagle

tags: Conowingo Dam, Maryland, MD, Bald Eagle, Nature, Wildlife, Migration, Susquehanna River, Photography, Ornathology, Birding, Bird Watching, American Bald Eagle, December 2006, Power Generation, Nikon, dSLR, D200, Nikkor, Sunrise.
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

2006-11-20T17:52:00.000-08:00
Portland Head Lighthouse.

Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

150,000

2006-11-15T19:34:00.000-08:00

150,000
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
I just hit the 150,000 mark on stream views.

Flickr has been great, really pushed me forward.

Thanks flickr.
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Weekend photo travels (Zoo and Susquehanna River)

2006-11-06T17:27:00.000-08:00

Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
After a nice adventure on Saturday, trying to photograph eagles (I did), I went to the zoo on Sunday.

I think I had much more success at the zoo, photo-wise.

But being up at 4am Saturday, and on the road by 5am, and at the location nearly 3 hours after I woke up, seeing the sunrise was worth it. :D For some reason I was just super motivated to get there early.

This was at the river as the sun came up over the trees, there's an eagle in the fog...

There were also some action and perched eagle chances, but I when I got to looking at the images, I hoped they would have been better.

(from jpg, raw not done, could have fixed some chromatic aberation around the head, but didn't bother...)

So, I went to the zoo and had fun.

I actually often prefer the results of the jpg vs. the raw + time and (often lacking)required skills. I tried shooting in just jpg (again) for part of the day Sunday, and combined that with exposure bracketing. I think that will be my new "plan"...

I'd heard a while back that Nick Nichols ONLY shoots while bracketing each shot. And he shoots FILM! (yes he shoots digital too, but I've read mostly for camera traps.) His web site is below, he's a famous National Geographic photographer, and covered the National Zoo's Panda cub, for the article titled "Panda Inc."

...

www.michaelnicknichols.com

-Jon
11/2006
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

2006 - Maryland Foliage

2006-11-01T17:11:00.000-08:00

Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
So shots from the past couple days in Maryland.

Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

US National Zoo 2005 - 2006

2006-10-31T19:22:00.000-08:00

US National Zoo 2005 - 2006
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
After about a year of going to the zoo, I've got this collage to show off...

I've taken thousands if not tens of thousands of photos, so it's hard to choose from the keepers, but these are all ones I like a lot.

-Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Bald Eagle with a fish @ Conowingo Dam, Maryland

2006-10-19T10:11:00.000-07:00

"Catch of the Day"
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
"Catch of the Day"

I am so looking forward to more chances to see Eagles at this location. I've only been there once so far.
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Eagle Injury and Rescue @ Conowingo Dam - 10/15/2006 - 6 of 6

2006-10-16T08:05:00.000-07:00

Eagle Injury and Rescue @ Conowingo Dam - 10/15/2006 - 6 of 6
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
Once on dry land, we took a look, he was exhausted for sure, and barely moved

Today was my first trip to Conowingo Dam, in Maryland, and it was quite a place. So many eagles, and some really great chances to photograph them

However, this particular drama was not so fun to see. This adult eagle must have hit the power lines, and spiraled down in to the water. It must have broken a wing or something. It couldn't get back out. It made many attempts to fly, but just couldn't.

It was floating down the river, and eventually made it out of the water on to some rocks probably 1,000 or more yards from where it hit the water.

He was joined by some other eagles, and they guarded him I supposed. But after a while, they left him, and I thought he was a goner.

But he held on.

DNR was called and some hours later they showed up with a boat and the eagle was rescued!

About a dozen people helped launch the boat due to the low water levels, and also assisted recovering the boat. I chipped in too.

It was sad to see, watching the eagle struggle so much, but in the end he was saved, and could even one day return to the river (depending on the extent of his injuries, I really don't know.)

2006_1015_D70_46565

See my "photo essay" in Voice in the Wilderness, with the above text and a little more, with the images inserted.
www.flickr.com/groups/voices/discuss/72157594330137698/
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Red Fox @ Mason Neck, Va

2006-10-15T04:09:00.000-07:00

Red Fox @ Mason Neck, Va
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
The bay was still pretty socked in with Fog, and this little fella was cruising the beach.

Within about 10 minutes of my arrival at Mason Neck, I'd already seen: Red Fox, 2 Adult Bald Eagles, 1 Juv Bald Eagle, a Beaver, and a Great Egret. :D Was a great day.

Also from this morning, 10/14/2006:

Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Bald Eagle takes a drink @ Great Falls, Maryland

2006-10-10T19:43:00.000-07:00

Bald Eagle takes a drink @ Great Falls, Maryland
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
I've update my blogger logo, and added some links....

Great Falls is such a great location, in my top 4 for sure. The blogged photo is from June 2006.

I've been back to Great Falls a few times in the past month and I think that this particular Eagle Family has moved on for the year. I've seen another single adult Bald Eagle, but the markings didn't match up the first time, and the second time the eagle I saw was alone and didn't appear to be 'like the others'...

If I had to guess, the resident pair (and juv) took off around 9/20/2006. I guess I can check, but that's roughly when I think I saw the pair in a single tree for the last time this year.

-Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Great Falls - Summer 2006

2006-09-25T18:06:00.000-07:00

Great Falls - Summer 2006
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
A photographic look back at my visits to Great Falls National Park during the Summer of 2006.

Here are some others:

Bald Eagle gets a drink:

The Tavern:

Bathing Eagle, one of my favorite sights of the entire summer:

"Doggie Bag":

Bald Eagle with his Prey:

Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

What duck?

2006-09-24T04:38:00.000-07:00

What duck?
Originally uploaded by ~Misty~.
Too funny!!!
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

World Trade Center - 1970's

2006-09-11T17:28:00.000-07:00

World Trade Center - 1970's
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
5 years after the towers came down I post this image, from roughly 1970... I have the slide in my boxes of family stuff, and rescanned it today.

So sad...
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Mugged!

2006-09-10T13:49:00.000-07:00

Mugged!
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
One of the Sumatran Tiger Cubs mugged their mom! :p

Shot taken at the US National Zoo in Washington DC. The cubs are abotu 3 1/2 months old here (September 2006).
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

My First Year On Flickr! Some photos...

2006-09-07T19:21:00.000-07:00

My First Year On Flickr! Some photos...
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
I've been flickr just over a year now.

I meant to post something for my one year flickr anniversary, but I missed it. My earlest photos are from August 31st 2005. Flickr has been 99% great, and I am truely thankful for all it has offered. Knowledge, feedback, growth, friends, inspiration, motivation, and on and on...

The above are some of my favorite images, not my most popular, some are, but I tried to pick some from a variety of locations, each of which were really good from that place, be it the National Zoo, Mason Neck State Park in Va, or Centennial Lake in MD, or Great Falls in MD, or an Airport (DCA, BWI), etc....
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Return of the Red-Shouldered Hawks - 8/24/2006

2006-08-24T20:58:00.000-07:00

Return of the Red-Shouldered Hawks - 8/24/2006
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
full size

So, I used to spot a Red-Shouldered Hawk Family (2 adults, and 1 Juv I think) near my work in Maryland. About 4 months ago they vanished. Around that time I switched buildings where i worked so at first I wasn't sure if I stopped seeing them because of that or not. But, I only moved a 1,000 yards, and their nest was nearer to my new location, I think... Well, about 4 months passed without seeing them until today!

The above is one bird, the first one I saw. I ran to my car, got my camera and snapped off a few as this one was gaining altitude. Later I saw as many as 3 or 4 possibly. And still later I distinctly heard a RSH call.

They must have migrated or moved, and just came back, possibly TODAY. I'm outside enough that I'd have seen or heard them if they were already back. At one point today I may have seen 4 of them. But at a distance it isn't easy to for me to tell them apart from the other birds in the area.

(200_7303-RSH_08242006_01)

Lately I'd not post images of this quality, because I know I can take better ones, but the occasion of them returning I think TODAY requires me to document the day...

Here are a few of my previous photos of the family, err, at least the family I previously used to spot outside my work...

Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Daffys Bath!

2006-08-24T07:30:00.000-07:00

Daffys Bath!
Originally uploaded by bluemist57.
This just cracks me up!
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Soyono takes a break from her cubs! - Washington DC / National Zoo 7/30/2006

2006-08-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

Soyono (Soy) - Sumatran Tiger @ Washington DC / National Zoo 7/30/2006
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
Soyono takes a break from her cubs!

Soyono (Soy) - Sumatran Tiger @ Washington DC / National Zoo 7/30/2006

bigger

Soy walking down the steps towards the door and the location closest to the cubs that are inside. Here she shows her intense urge to be near them, in her eyes and her stride.

She walked to the bottom of the steps a few times and called out to the cubs. After a few minutes she would walk through the outdoor exhibit for a while, only to return here.

She wasn't stuck on calling out to them, she had a bunch of moments when she surely was enjoying her time away from the cubs... But she also seemed at times to want nothing more than to be inside with them again. She was outside (and away from the cubs) for about an hour on Sunday 7/30/2006.

(2006_0730_D200_23131)
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Thanks for all the visits! (100,000 Views)

2006-08-01T11:07:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all the visits! (100,000 Views)
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
Thanks for all the visits!

BTW, I hit 50,000 on April 24th, 2006.

Here are a few of the tags that I've got some "interesting" photos for:
Zoo, Washington DC, D70, D70s, National Zoo, D200, Maryland, Osprey, Hawk, Animals, 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D VR.

(100K_Fireworks1)
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Shooting RAW+JPG or JPG - and considering space constraints

2006-07-27T19:33:00.000-07:00

Cruisin
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
When I first got a dSLR I shot in JPG, then did some RAW, and probably shot mostly in JPG with that camera.

In March 2006 I sent my D70 in for repair and a few days later got a D200. With that I shot a lot of RAW+JPG. Occassionally I'd shoot just jpg. I got stuck on a location and time that didn't offer much good light, and was almost always shooting at long distance (Eagles at Great Falls, MD in the evening). It was very hard to get a good image here. I went over 20 times afer June 11th 2005 (and before July 22nd) but a single day stands out, June 18th, 200. The light was great, I was there mid-day, not just later, and I saw some great action. I shot almost all of these trips in RAW+JPG, maybe 30 or 40 GBs of pix/files.

In regards to shooting in JPG only, I shot the above Osprey in JPG, and shot that day in JUST JPG all day. The light was perfect, and the encounters kept on coming.

RAW can help, but there is no making up for conditions and encounters. I've also learned to tweak my camera and adjust for a lot, some of which the RAW format allows for after the shooting, like exposure comp. With these Osprey and good light I lowered my ISO a good bit. When I was on the boat I raised it some to avoid having the motion of the boat blurring every image. Half way through that boat ride, it was so good, I switched to RAW+JPG.

After nearly a year of shooting, almost 70,000 pictures between my D70 and D200, space has become a problem on my computer and DVDs that I make backups to. I think I've got about 300+GBs of pix. I've made about 100 DVDs of backup copies and keep two copies on HDDs when I am caught up in all my steps for backups.

Disk space being what it is, and the curve I've been on for learning, I think it might be time to start deleting at least some copies of images I've taken. I don't need 3 copies of the 20 pix it took to get the one good shot, or the 100 it took to get the 1 good shot.

To put it bluntly, the quality of an image is not determined by the format it is recorded in, be it JPG or RAW. Sure you can crop and enhance much better from a RAW file, but if the light is poor, subjects far off, is it worth it to take tens or hundreds of pix at RAW+JPG and keep buying DVDs and HDDs to protect this data?

I'm currently of the mind that I can now shoot 90% of the time in JPG only and get the best (or nearly the best) results I can and still keep my storage loads to a modest amount. When a spot is rockin' I will switch to RAW+JPG, but otherwise I don't think I will.

-Jon/Nikographer...
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Mentos and Diet Coke

2006-07-26T12:44:00.000-07:00

Try #2 - The best it got
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
Try #2 - The best it got

Lol, we tried it and it worked!
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Photography and Flickr

2006-07-21T21:09:00.000-07:00

Happy to meet you OR happy to eat you?
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
I've been reading the writings of some famous photographers lately.

One article I read recently was by Galen Rowell. He worked for National Geographic, and is a wealth of information. His articles are here: Galen Rowell's Articles.

In his "Grand Illusions" article he talks about how an image should inspire a mental response, and how analyzing a photo on its technical merits can break the spell or vision the photo created.

I've recently been trying to find the best way to present an image on flickr, and, when it is one that I think tells its own story I need to lay off the long commentary and let the image do the talking...

This osprey photo is one of those photos I think, and I just made a title: "Happy to meet you OR happy to eat you?"

-Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

2006-07-19T19:32:00.000-07:00
Flickr's down, OM*G!@#$!

Lol, ok, not the end of the world...

I worked today, and then went to Great Falls afterwards, for about my 24th or so visit since June 11th 2006. Not sure, but I think that's a bit more than every other day since I first went.

Going in the evening after work is more about the experience than the potential photographs. Sure there might be some nice sunset light, or even a nice sunset, but the main thing I go for is the eagles. The eagles are situated in evening shadow with the sun setting directly behind them. Possibly the worst conditions... I guess it could be pitch black, and that'd be worse.

I like to go to a newly discovered place up until the point where it doesn't keep offering new sights and experiences. With the DC Zoo that took about 25 visits from roughly Oct 23rd 2005 to March 2006. Since then I've still gone, maybe every other weekend or a bit less frequently. I think I've been about 35 times now as of mid-July 2006.

Anyway, back to Great Falls and going a lot.

So I've been now 20+ times, how can there be new stuff? Well, last weekend there was a Kayaking competition. I photographed some of the first run they had on Saturday through the main falls. Probably a couple hours worth of shooting. This was fun, and I ran in to someone I know from the DC Zoo's photoclub. We walked up to the area where you can spot the eagles, and did see one of the adults, but the adult stayed in a tree across the river... Later this day I had my first encounter with the Red Fox that lasted more than a half second. I've seen the fox twice before this day and each time for not even a split second... The fox encounter was really awesome. To see him in his natural environment, and either unaware or unconcerned with my presence was a gift. I later left rejuvinated from the experience...

Last night I went, and took a few photos, some eagle shots of the eagle in a tree, and the other adult in the river (drinking/cooling-off), and some sunset photos, but nothing came out that good. I need to learn to shoot photos better in lower light. Be it a tripod and much lower ISO, or flash and different areas in Great Falls, I don't know what will work. When I was there mid-day over the weekend the light was excellent.

Wow, looks like flickr is up, just checked and it is somewhat responding. They must be getting crushed right now.

I used the time to post this, and to start some much needed backups of the stuff I've shot since 7/1/2006. I almost never get this behind, and now I've got to burn about 7 DVDs worth of data (to make it fit right most of the disks have between 3 and 4GBs of data...)

Happy flickring now that it's back up.

-Jon/Nikographer ;)

p.s. it appears that almost none of the images are being served right. I'd guess that most of the recent photos are there and available, it's just that the servers are being overloaded at the moment......... so DON'T hit refresh a million times, you'll make it worse. Give it a bit and then check back :D

Flickr Outage Message Posted here for this one:
http://blog.flickr.com/flickrblog/2006/07/temporary_stora.html
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Melanie Mason Performs @ Lake Kittamaqundi, Columbia Maryland 1 [2]

2006-07-13T20:20:00.000-07:00

Melanie Mason Performs @ Lake Kittamaqundi, Columbia Maryland 1 [2]
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
I went to another concert, this one at Lake Kittamaqundi. Melanie Mason performed.

Here's photos:

The other concert I went to was Dani Cortaza @ Centennial Lake in Howard County Maryland on July 12 2006, yesterday...

-Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

This week I learned to cast aside pixels and long lenses.

2006-07-01T19:58:00.000-07:00

American Airlines landing at Reagan National (DCA) 7/1/2006
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
American Airlines landing at Reagan National (DCA) 7/1/2006

So, I've been shooting lately with a lens OTHER THAN my 80-400mm VR one. I've used my 18-200mm Tamron, as well as today when i used the nikkor 18-70mm on my D70s.

The week I also experimented with fill-flash. Here's one where I think it helped, but I wish I could have dialed it down just a bit more.

Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Juvenile and Adult Eagles @ Great Falls

2006-06-22T20:47:00.000-07:00

Juvenile and Adult Eagles @ Great Falls
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
Today was the first day that I've seen the Juvenile Bald Eagle at Great Falls National Park in Maryland out of the nest and flying! It was awesome.

This image is a collage of one of the adults and the juvenile playing follow the leader or something... The background is a GBH that was just handing around ;) I probably took 200 shots today and only 15 weren't of eagles.

This was my first glimpse of Jr flying:

Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

First Day of MY Summer (2 Bald Eagles, 2 Great Blue Heron)

2006-06-21T19:20:00.000-07:00

First Day of MY Summer (2 Bald Eagles, 2 Great Blue Heron)
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
From Great Falls National Park in Maryland. What a start to summer!
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

The one in the tree makes me laugh

2006-06-15T20:02:00.000-07:00

The one in the tree makes me laugh
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
Lol. Another photo of Great Blue Herons from Great Falls National Park in Maryland.

-Jon
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Bald Eagle(s) at Great Falls National Park in Maryland

2006-06-11T17:58:00.000-07:00

Bringing Junior His Lunch (1 of 2)
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].

So, I found a new place to visit and take photographs. I've been going to a hand full of places during the past few months (Mason Neck Va, DC Zoo, Centennial Lake, Greenbelt Lake) and decided to venture out to a new location.

I'd heard of Great Falls, but never realized how close it was to me (about 20 miles) and how cool it is. There are hundreds of Great Blue Heron. The three eagles, and also many geese, ducks, and even some Black-Crowned Night Herons.

Yesterday I saw all three eagles, the 2 parents and one the youngster. Here's one of the parents about to land in some shallow water to cool off and take a bath. He stayed in the water for what seemed like 25 minutes.

I plan to probably go here a lot in the next weeks and months. The eagles nest is a couple hundred yards away, and I don't think that Junior has left the nest yet. Junior did however eat the fish on his own.

My other photos from Great Falls are in (and will be added to) this flickr photo set
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

F-15E Strike Eagle @ Joint Service Open House 5/21/2006

2006-05-21T17:41:00.000-07:00

F-15E Strike Eagle @ Joint Service Open House 5/21/2006
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
I made it to the air show this weekend and it was well worth it. Really excellent to be at one for the first time. The Joint Service Open House 2006 event was well run and I was thoroughly impressed with the entire setup, even though the hamburgers were way overcooked and charred. :/

A few other cool shots from this weekend are here:

Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Bald Eagle gets his Prey

2006-05-03T18:12:00.000-07:00

Bald Eagle gets his Prey
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
This was so awesome to see and get a chance to photograph.
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography

Shooting info (some from flickr profile)

2006-05-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

Osprey at Centennial Lake in Maryland (HDR)
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].
Osprey at Centennial Lake in Maryland (HDR)

This is a multiexposure shot, 4 exports from a raw file, merged in Photomatrix.

Someone at work said it looked like an x-ray. I'm really happy with this shot.

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About Me
I like taking pictures. I've had a Casio QV-3000 since 2000, and just got a Nikon D70s in August 2005. Most of my nature (non-zoo) pictures are from Maine. I live in Maryland, and have a lot of pictures from BWI, DCA (airports), and the National Zoo in Washington D.C.

Planes
After I got the D70s I went on vacation, took some pics in Maine, and it was fun. I also started to take plane pics. Jets taking off and landing at the airport (BWI), then later went to Reagan National (DCA). This fun, but after so many trips in a couple months I grew tired of it.

Zoo
Lately I've been hooked on going to the Zoo in Washington D.C. which is only about 10 miles from me. I've been 12 times as of 12/25/2005. One time was incredible, the Tigers were so active and playful. A picture from this day of 3 tigers running, 1 in the water half swimming, made it in to the flickr interestingness stream. I think was my first ever. It's a pretty good pic, and I managed to get a few other ones I like of it too. If you've been to the Tigers before, and they didn't do anything and were sleeping, this past Sunday (early Nov. '05) was the exact opposite. Take a look at the photos I've uploaded from 11/06/2005.

Pictures from One Day @ Zoo ~1200
See this for just how far I've gone off the deep end:

I've taken anywhere from 500 photos to 1800 in a single day. It depends on how long I'm there and how active the animals are. I have 3 compact-flash cards (512-u2/1GB-u2/4GB Microdrive) and have only ever come close to being out of room once. I shoot most of my shots in JPG mode, Large, Fine, and "compensation" set to custom and zero'd out. I only recently made that change, after reading about it on flickr in the d70/d70s group. I can do all the sharpening and compensations on my pc already, I don't want the camera to make any changes beyond the settings I pick: program mode(P/Auto/M/etc), compensation (+/- fstops), iso (&iso-mode), flash, etc, etc...

A few tips:
Always carry 2 sets of batteries, and charge them.
Keep your lense clean, with a cloth or air puffer, just clean it.
Don't be afraid to take a bad picture. Take so many pictures that you stop thinking about if this or that is "worth" taking a shot of. With digital, there is no cost. 1 picture cost as much as 100 pictures.

This will probably sound corny, but you take your camera on a journey, and it remembers extremely well, but only when you press the shutter. The more pictures you take, the less you will say to yourself, I wish I had this or that shot.

National Zoo Timing and Activity

I've been to the National Zoo 6 times this fall, in 2005(12 times as of 12/25/2005). What I noticed might help fellow or future zoo goers. Here are my impressions. I've walked the zoo 2 or 3 times each trip, so I'm sure there are gaps when I missed stuff at times I'm not recommending.

Parking has been tight every weekend day I have been there (mostly October/November). I've managed to park there, sometimes waiting or circling for as much as 40 minutes. Get there early. Check on the big cats early and then procede to walk the rest of the zoo

Big Cats (Lions and Sumatran Tigers) - Best late afternoon until they get fed and go in for the day. 2pm-430pm. Late in the day I've seen the three brothers running, swimming, and playing rough.

Cheetahs - Active midday to 3(updated, they are most active early as in the morning 8-11am), I think they shuffle the animals around from habitat to habitat in the afternoon. There are 3 groups of cats that I know of, the mother and her cubs. The older cats, a year old I think, and then the dad which stays alone (not sure he's the dad, he's in the "middle" habitat).

Pandas - I've had bad luck with these guys, the male and female, seem to not come close to the main viewing area much. I've checked about 10 times in 5 trips and only once was Tian Tian up front and personal (and really cool). There are big lines around noon or one, and it closes at 4pm I think.

Bald Eagles - I've had success between noon and 2pm. I've missed the feeding they do supposedly around 2 or 3. Lighting is more directly behind the birds later in the day.

Elephants and Giraffes - midday was the best, there was an elephant show with commentary and some grooming tasks for the elephants. The giraffe I saw outside was walking around and eating from the up high feeder. You pass the giraffe side by the Panda exhibit enterance.

Times I got best shots, if I recall correctly:
2:30-4:30pm - 3 Sumatran Tigers playing in water
11-2pm - Gorilla Family including momma, silverback dad, and 2 kids.
1-4pm - Cheetahs moving around as the keepers do stuff and shift the groups around.
12-3 - Giant Pandas out and moving around. Mom has access to her cub inside and isn't out all the time during the day. Tian Tian is out most of the day but I've only seen him poser it up once around 2pm.

Some Cool Things
Check out fdtools for fun stuff you can do with flickr photos, I made some calendars.

Find your interesting pictures! Here's a google search for my interesting pics. I found two. Just replace nikographer_jon with your username.

I also found this mappr thing which is cool. Put in your username or a tag.
www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=60675944&size=l

Shoot in Manual Mode
This page describes using incident metering vs. through the lense (TTL) metering: Benefits Of Incident Metering Notice in that page, the incident metering just uses locked in settings for all three plates. If you take a picture in automode (in the same lighting of the scene you're about to photograph) of some grass, or the back of your hand, or ideally a gray card, you can see what the camera chose for fstop and shutter speed. Once you completed the test shot, switch to full manual mode (M) and set the same shutter speed and fstop as was used in automode when taking your test shot.

I also found this thread useful, and it's where I found the metering link. You really need to see this page to understand!

Shoot in P mode
I've actually mostly been shooting in P mode at the Zoo. In P mode, the camera auto meters and lets you adjust the shutter speed or fstop, and it will make the other setting "correct". I've also toyed with and liked the results of adding auto-ISO when in moderate to poor lighting. High ISO is to be avoided, but if the shoot would have been blurry if you kept it at 100 or 200, it's worth adjusting higher. Leaving it on auto and as with my camera, settings it to try to guarentee 1/60th of a second minimum shutter speed, it worked pretty well. The Tigers at the DC Zoo are most active late in the day and that makes for some challenging lighting. When there is bright clear sunlight I tend to add an Exposure Compensation of about -.3 to -1.0 depending on how bright it is in the shot.

Here are a few of my favorite pics:

Taken with Nikon D70s with either Tamron 18-200mm or Nikon 70-300mm lenses

Taken with Casio QV-3000 3.3 Megapixel 3x opti zoom

I use Picasa mostly for managing and editing my pics.

Bonus Video
If you made it this far looking through my profile, here's a treat. This is a clip from PBS and it has the first clear footage of a sumatran tiger in the wild. Enjoy.

-Nikographer
Photograp, Nature, Wildlife, Zoo, Nikon Photography