Perspective

Prop roots of a Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) at low tide, Key Largo, Florida.

We are constantly challenged to create unique images.

How can you make your photography stand out in the crowd? A fresh perspective on a common subject sometimes does the trick.

In this case, instead of laying down in the wet low tidal zone, I lowered the camera to the ground and without even looking through the viewfinder shot a series of images with the Canon 10-22 lens at 10mm. hoping to get some relatively straight horizon lines which I could crop straight.

Daybreak Fun

We live on a small island (Plantation Key, Florida) and we keep scouting for new locations.

It's quite a challenge, as most of the waterfront land is privately owned and inaccessible.

We found this site a few weeks ago and thought we would give it a try this morning.

Three shot HDR merged in Photoshop and post processed in Photomatix.

Shooting An Earth Science Textbook Cover in Florida?

5:00 A.M. alarm clock wakens us to a 65 mile drive south through several rain downpours in the predawn darkness.  Thirty minutes before sunrise we arrive at our destination: the bare, weather eroded limestone that is the remnant of a fossilized coral reef.  Low tide is on our side, the 20 knot wind is not.  We get to work cautiously scouting locations on the slick rock among the tide pools. A wonderful red mangrove will make a fantastic backdrop, but we realize that HDR isn't possible in this wind.  We photograph it anyway, knowing we can utilize some digital post processing magic to make the image work. Thirty minutes later, it's over and we've captured nearly 1 GB of camera RAW images. Black coffee tastes really good!

The impetus for this photo journey?  For their Florida Adoption a textbook publisher needs a Florida location with obvious Geology for an Earth Science textbook.  This photo need has plagued them for weeks.  Florida is not a state known for dramatic geological features.

P.S. The mangrove photo is a "manual" HDR made from two frames, one 2 stops underexposed and the other 2 stops overexposed, combined in Photoshop, then processed through Photomatix

We shot both vertical and horizontal as we were told there was a possibility of a wrap around cover.

Horizontal and Vertical

A couple more shots from New Year's morning shoot at Everglades National Park.

I absolutely love creating images like these. Unfortunately years of photo marketing experience has taught me that there is not much sales potential for these in the world of publishing. Fine art prints? Perhaps, but we don't deal in that realm much.

Whatever. Sometimes it feels absolutely wonderful shooting creatively instead of constantly being concerned about "what sells". Nevertheless, I did learn a long time ago to work a subject both horizontally and vertically, always forcing myself to recompose in the viewfinder before walking away.

So even if shooting these for enjoyment, I'm no fool. I cover my arse and compose several verticals as well.

Covers photo sales pay more.

Canon 100mm macro lens, ISO 100, exposure 1/200 at 6.3.

New Year's Morning

We've long held a New Year's Day tradition, photographing a location in Everglades National Park at daybreak. It's wonderful as we set our alarm for 4:30 AM and depart at 5:00 AM. There's no one on the roads and we have Everglades National Park nearly to ourselves. This was taken at dawn, January 1, 2010 near the Long Pine Key campground area.

Camera on a tripod with shutter release cord and mirror lockup to minimize vibration. Canon 10-22mm lens at 22mm, ISO 100, exposure 1/100 at f8.

Mangroves

We've been hard at work on a Mangrove assignment and in so doing have learned much about these fascinating plants.

Top photo: Red Mangrove flowers, Rhizophora mangle, flowers are either self pollinated or wind pollinated and less than one inch in diameter.

Second Photo: Propagules of Red Mangrove, Rhizophora mangle. When ripe, these young seedlings detach from the parent tree and float in the Florida Bay until a suitable substratum is contacted.

Third Photo: Underwater view of the Prop Roots of Red Mangrove, Rhizophora mangle, which serve as a host for algae, sponges and other marine life.

Yet Another Reason Why Photography Is Wonderful

Therisa found this amazing creature in our yard the other day!

After doing a little research with the help of knowledgeable friends,

she was determined to be a female Florida Bagworm (moth),

Oiketicus abbotii, female in sack.

This is the only bagworm species in the U.S. that arranges twig pieces transversely.

Photographed with a Canon 100mm Macro lens and Canon MT-24EX Twin Flash, 1/250 f14