Once the magic smoke comes out, things don't work any more.
John Kasunich
jmkasunich@fastmail.fm
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Sat, 18 Dec 2010
After three years with my Pentax K10D and two lenses (18-125 and 70-300 zooms), I've been wanting to expand my lens horizons. However, I realised that choosing Pentax limited me quite a bit. After thinking it over for a month or two, I bit the bullet and switched to Nikon. For the moment I have less flexibility than I did before - I have only one lens, an 18-200 zoom. But in the long run, the wide selection of Nikon compatible lenses is a win.
I was going to get a D90, but we got an end-of-year bonus this year, and I decided to step up to the shiny new D7000. So far I'm thrilled with the results. The Pentax had a back focus problem - if I focused on a bird, it would often be blurry, but the tree 4-6 inches behind it would be sharp. The Nikon has no sign of that problem - when focus is off, it has been my fault, not the camera.
On Thursday I took the new camera to the North Chagrin Metropark, and got
these photos (click for larger):
(posted: 18 Dec 2010 21:21) (permalink)
I've had Buddy for about six years, and always figured I'd be a one-dog person. But in late August, a woman who fosters dogs for the local APL brought two puppies to the dog park. One of them looked almost identical to Buddy, and I fell in love. I had to think it over for a week or so, but on September 11, 2010, I adopted Buddha.
Here is Buddha with his big "brother" Buddy, the day I brought him home.
The resemblance is really amazing, considering that they are both mixed breeds. (Buddha
wouldn't sit still for this photo.)
More first day home photos:
About a month later:
And now, about three months later and 6-1/2 months old:
(posted: 18 Dec 2010 20:57) (permalink)
Sat, 03 Jan 2009
I haven't posted any photos from the Metropark lately, because I've been taking the dog instead of the camera. Today I decided to see if I could manage both at the same time.
The last photo is a bit blurry, but I like how it somewhat captures his enthusiasm - it was snapped a split-second after I released him from sitting with a "come!".
(posted: 03 Jan 2009 20:27) (permalink)
Sun, 21 Sep 2008
Never pass up an opportunity to go sailing....
The heron was on the side of the river that runs from the dock area to Lake Erie, the other pics were out on the lake itself.
(posted: 21 Sep 2008 11:52) (permalink)
Sat, 02 Aug 2008
I took a break from my grinder reconditioning project and went to the North Chagrin MetroPark this evening. I spotted some thistles blooming along the path to the pond:
In the sunny area next to the pond, milkweed pods are getting ripe - soon they'll break open and the seeds will float away.
The pond itself is just about covered with lily pads, and their flowers are starting to bloom.
There is a "resident" blue heron who usually hangs out on the side of the pond that is least accessible from land. It is far enough from the walkway across the pond that you can't realy get a good look at him. When I arrived he was in his usual spot, but just as it was starting to get dark, he went flying across the pond. I shot several pics as he went by, but light, focus, and all the other factors were against me. The best one is this blurry shot of him skimming over the lilypads.
Once he got to the other side of the pond he started hunting. That area is much more accessible, and I slowly and quietly got as close as I could, before shooting these photos.
He caught something at least three times while I watched, including what I think is a frog in the following picture. The photo is blurry because he was tossing his head back to swallow it. By this time it was quite dim, and my shutter speed was down to about 1/8 second. The only reason the three pics above aren't blurry is because a hunting heron stands very still.
As the heron walked through the water I moved to a better vantage point. That's when I noticed another pond resident I've never seen there before. A beaver was a few feet in front of the heron, munching on lilypads.
(posted: 02 Aug 2008 23:37) (permalink)
Thu, 08 May 2008
I went to the park Sunday. Spring is finally here to stay I think. There were lots of small flowers (most less than 3/4" across) and I had fun with my 70-300mm macro lens.
One of the neatest sights was leaves just getting ready to explode out of their buds. This is one of my favorite photos - the fine silky fibers make the leaf seem almost like a butterfly trying to break out of its cocoon.
On another branch I got several leaves in various stages of blossoming.
A little way down the path I was surprised by a large dragonfly - I think of them summer insects. It settled on a plant just long enough for me to grab a quick shot, then went flying again. Another one joined it, a mating dance maybe? In any case they never stayed in one place long enough for me to get another shot.
After a couple hours I wound up beside a pond not far from where I parked. I noticed a turtle had climbed out of the pond onto a log to bake in the sun:
While I was taking its picture, another one climbed out:
And then a third (the first one is out of the picture to the left).
Turtle number three hadn't even made it out of the water when number four showed up:
And then there were five:
Still an empty spot on the log, so turtle number six made himself comfortable:
I like this shot - I'm not sure why they are sticking their necks out and up, but it looks funny.
(posted: 08 May 2008 23:19) (permalink)
Mon, 31 Mar 2008
March in northern Ohio is still winter, but bird activity is starting to pick up. I took a couple walks in the woods over the weekend and got some nice pictures.
One tree was very popular with woodpeckers. Both male and female Hairy and Downy woodpeckers. I don't know which these are - I got photos of both but the others didn't come out so nice.
In addition to birds, I saw some ferns clinging to a steep hillside, and some kind of seeds left over from fall.
I think the last photo is my favorite
(posted: 31 Mar 2008 21:40) (permalink)
Tue, 25 Dec 2007
Christmas day was cold but sunny, so I went for a walk in the woods in the North Chagrin Metropark. This time of year most things are shades of gray and brown, but not everything. Below is a close up of the moss growing on a dead log. The purple pods on red stalks are spore capsules - the closest thing moss has to flowers. The stalks are only an inch or two high, but with the bright green moss they made a nice show of color on a drab background of dead leaves.
Winter in Ohio means bright red male cardinals. This one was shy, and wouldn't move out of the deep brush. But I like this shot anyway.
The obligatory icicle shot, to prove that yes, it is cold
Someone had built a small lean-to of branches a little way off one of the paths, facing a stand of dense brush. I sat down there and waited quietly, and was rewarded by a pair of deer who walked past less then fifty feet away. They alerted to my movement when I aimed the camera, but seemed more curious than worried.
As I was leaving the woods, I noticed a lump up in a tree. At first I thought it was a squirrel nest - a blob of twigs and leaves. But it was too smooth, and as I got closer I realised that it was a hawk, with his head hunched down and his feathers fluffed up to keep warm. As I took a couple shots, he seemed to wake up, and eventually flew off. This was the best one.
(posted: 25 Dec 2007 21:30) (permalink)
Sun, 14 Oct 2007
I went to the North Chagrin Metropark this afternoon. I was hoping to get pictures of squirrels or some other critters. I wandered for a while without seeing anything - there were a lot of people around, and mid-day isn't ideal critter time. I did get a nice picture of some leaves on a ledge at Buttermilk Falls.
I eventually made my way over to the pond. There is always something there, and today it was ducks. Mallards, of course (this one just finished splashing water all over himself):
And wood ducks, female:
and male:
I got lucky and captured a few "action shots", one duck apparently scratching his chin, and another stretching his wings.
Later I spotted a much bigger bird. The Great Blue Heron was on the far side of the pond, but I did get one decent shot.
(posted: 14 Oct 2007 23:54) (permalink)
Fri, 28 Sep 2007
The sun was shining and I wanted to go take some pictures, but where? I fired up Google Maps and looked for a green spot not too far from home. I found Kenneth J. Sims Park in Euclid. On the way there I saw a pretty sky and stopped to take a few shots.
I got to the park as the sun was going down. There was a pretty strong breeze, so the lake was quite lively. I took the usual shot after shot after shot, then picked a couple nice ones for here.
(posted: 28 Sep 2007 22:50) (permalink)