John Hark Photography

Surf's Up!

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:19:21 -0800

Gave my Nikkor 70-200 2.8 VR II a workout with some surfing shots in Galveston, Texas. B&W seemed to fit this shot well.

Had a great vantage point.

Miami

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 16:22:12 -0800

Captured this SP with my 50mm prime while on a business trip to Miami during the Superbowl week. Had a decent view of Downtown Miami from where I was.

Night Shift

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:33:06 -0800

I continue to work with my self portrait project and captured this shot out at the airport during a very late night loading of one of our IL-76's. This was taken just after 2am and the temp was close to freezing.

We finished around 0300.

Russian Metal - Part 2

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 18:50:53 -0800

Here is another shot of the impressive Russian Ilyushin IL-76. Captured this with the Nikkor 12-24mm lens from a pretty low angle. The windows you see here are actually for a station below the cockpit.

Hope everyone has a great week.

Russian Metal

Mon, 8 Feb 2010 21:52:22 -0800

The Ilyushin Il-76 is cargo plane built in Russia and it is quite a machine. We loaded this one out to Russia this past Saturday night here in Houston, Texas. The night loading gave an opportunity for some cool shots.

Big Sky

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 10:30:43 -0800

Here is another shot from my self portrait project. I have also started doing more with my SB800 and SB900 Nikon flash units. Captured this shot with my Nikkor 12-24 and had the SB900 off camera to the left. A couple of friends helped me out with holding the flash and giving me the go command on the airplane timing. We had only 3 planes come in while we were at this spot and so only had 3 chances.

Last Sunset of 2009

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 22:24:17 -0800

A belated Happy New Year to everyone. We ended up with this great Sunset here in Southeast Texas on the last day of 2009. Captured this shot with my Nikkor 50mm 1.4.

Look forward to seeing lots of great images from everyone in 2010!

Morning Mist

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:56:05 -0800

Captured this on a recent morning while en route to work. The low air temp and relatively warm water created some great mist over Lake Woodlands at Sunrise.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 19:06:46 -0800

The latest shot from my project of self portraits. With all my traveling this year, I thought the Holidays and a home theme would be perfect.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone.

Captured this shot with my Nikkor 50mm 1.4 and used only the light from the house and Christmas lights.

Galveston Supply Boats

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:01:22 -0800

Sticking with the evening theme on the Galveston Ship Channel, this is a shot I captured on Monday evening before heading to class. Taken with the 50mm 1.4

Galveston Ship Channel

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:31:20 -0800

Used my Nikkor 50 mm 1.4 to capture this night shot of the Southwest Shipyard in Galveston Texas. Had been waiting for a good night to get this image. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

“Opportunities are like Sunrises -- if you wait too long, you miss them.”

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:12:01 -0800

Captured this self portrait at Sunrise this morning in Cape May, NJ. The forecast was for rain, 40mph winds, and a wind chill near freezing. We made the 160 mile trek anyway with a 0300 departure and were rewarded with this great Sunrise - did have 40mph winds and a near freezing wind chill factor. Pays not to listen to the weatherman all the time. The clouds broke up just as the Sun was rising.

Looking West

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:40:01 -0800

Taken this past Monday evening on East Beach in Galveson, Texas. Thought it was a good view for the 12-24mm.

Big Sky

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:50:30 -0800

This was the great Sunset last weekend Southwest of Houston. I was just waiting to drive by a field that would give me a great view of the sky and this spot even had a typical Texas barbed wire fence.

Heading Out

Sun, 8 Nov 2009 20:32:50 -0800

Captured this shot last Monday evening. That's the Moon rising in front of the vessel as it departs the Galveston Ship Channel. Thought the treatment fit the scene.

Aegean Highway

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 19:32:32 -0800

The MV Aegean Highway had just berthed when I captured this shot of her on Monday evening in Galveston Texas.

Houston-Bogota

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:17:53 -0800

This was the view this afternoon shortly after take off from Houston - en route to Bogota, Colombia. Our afternoon storms made for a great sky.

Fancy Antennae

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:34:05 -0800

More creative use of my 50 mm 1.4. I never realized the antennae were striped until seeing the results of this shot captured right in my front yard. Had to get pretty close with the 50 to get this type of capture.

Bosphorus Bridge

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:10:51 -0800

The Bosphorus Bridge connecting Europe with Asia. Had to get creative on this shot and used a windowsill as a tripod at an Istanbul restaurant and then used the timer on the D300.

Istanbul

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:53:04 -0800

I am lucky to be in Istanbul this week for some company meetings. This is the great view of the Bosphorus from my hotel room. Captured this shot with my Nikkor 50mm 1.4

H2O

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:30:27 -0800

Captured this shot after a recent evening rainstorm here in Houston. We went pretty much all Summer without rain and have finally started getting some. Captured this shot handheld with my 18-200VR and Kenco extension tubes. Used the D300 on camera flash.

Timeless

Sat, 3 Oct 2009 07:52:01 -0800

I captured this scene in South Texas about a month ago. What caught my eye was the timelessness of the scene and that it probably looks now as it did when that old Scout was new. You don't see that too often these days.

Simplicity

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:27:48 -0800

Captured this shot while out hiking with my daughter over the weekend. Looked like a perfect candidate for my 50mm 1.4. I really like the 50mm prime and have been trying to use it as much as possible lately.

Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:29:46 -0800

I continue to be impressed with my Sigma 150-500. Photographed this Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron on the East end of Galveston Island earlier this week.

Sunset Paddle

Wed, 9 Sep 2009 21:17:54 -0800

We spent the Labor Day weekend at Toledo Bend Reservoir in Louisiana. I was able to get my nephew out for a Sunset paddle and captured some good shots. I really like the perspective on this capture with him taking in the scene.

Trick or Treat

Tue, 1 Sep 2009 13:33:07 -0800

I went out on Sunday for some hiking with my 6 year old daughter and tried to only use my 50mm 1.4. This Halloween Pennant Dragonfly looked like a good subject to capture. I had to lean out over a railing (over water) and then hold the camera out in front of me, barely able to see the focusing square in the viewfinder to put it on the dragonfly.

Continental 591

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 19:50:11 -0800

I recently captured this shot over the Gulf of Mexico - en route back to Houston from Lima, Peru. This is an overnight flight and I had just woken up to see the sun just starting to lighten the night sky. Grabbed the G9 and snapped off a couple of shots in the very low light. Terrible conditions to shoot in (low light and bumpy conditions), but I think it provided an interesting and almost abstract image nonetheless.

Speed

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:20:24 -0800

Here is another shot from the Three Palms Motocross track. This shot is from the South Texas Dealer Series race. What I like about this shot is the sense of speed as the riders head into the first turn.

"The Life"

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 13:52:50 -0800

Amazingly, I have not shot many photos of our 1 1/2 year old Australian Labradoodle, La'Lou. This is a great breed of dog (cross between a Labrador and a Poodle). They have been around for about 20 years and started in Australia as guide dogs. I captured this the other night with my 50mm 1.4 and used the D300 on camera flash. I shot quite a few exposures working to get the dof and composition just right. I am pretty happy with the way this one came out. She is looking right into the camera.

Galveston Tricolored Heron

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:06:25 -0800

Here is another shot of the same Tricolored Heron that I captured in flight - this time stalking the marsh on a mission for breakfast.

Texas Motocross

Wed, 5 Aug 2009 15:45:22 -0800

Here is another shot from the Three Palms Motocross track. I am looking forward to getting some shots at an upcoming race. These guys are pretty incredible.

Clapper Rail

Sat, 1 Aug 2009 19:35:32 -0800

Captured this shot of this Clapper Rail in the marshes on the East End of Galveston Island. This guy was cruising the shallows looking for breakfast and I have to admit that I had no idea what type of bird it was until I looked it up.

Serious Air

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:35:46 -0800

I recently made a couple of visits to the motocross track near my house. It is pretty exciting to be up close to the action and it is a fun sport to shoot. Hope to get back when an actual race is going, but did get some decent shots of the guys practicing. After a couple of visits, I already have some different ideas of other ways to shoot the action and look forward to going back.

Tricolored Heron

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 21:17:04 -0800

Made an early trek to Galveston (departed at 0515) on Saturday and was rewarded with some decent shots. I photographed this Tricolored Heron on Galveston's East End. This used to be a pretty natural area, but developments and condos are moving closer.

Young Ibis

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:59:18 -0800

Captured this shot of these two young White Ibis feeding the same morning I shot the two in flight.

Ibis

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:24:54 -0800

I was recently surprised one morning to find 20+ White Ibis feeding in the freshwater marsh down the street from my house. Have seen these guys on the coast in Galveston, but never saw them inland in this area.

Blue Heron Bokeh

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:31:20 -0800

I captured this shot this past Saturday morning with my Sigma 150-500. This was an attempt at some more creative work with the Sigma and I am pretty happy with the way it turned out. The bird in the background is a Little Blue Heron and I caught the shot at my favorite pond just down the street from my house.

Cape May

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 18:34:57 -0800

I have shot this fleet at Sunrise, during the day, during a rainstorm, and now finally got a decent night shot. The previous Sunrise shot was taken from the same vantage point. You need to catch the scene with some boats running their lights. The previous nights I had tried this shot the boats were not running their lights. These boats are actually lit up by boats over to the left.

Commercial Fleet

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 19:28:28 -0800

Sunrise over part of the Cape May New Jersey commercial fishing fleet. This was an early start with Sunrise at 0538. Worth getting up early.

Cape May NJ

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:14:19 -0800

This was the Sunset over the Cape May harbor at the Southern tip of New Jersey. What caught my eye were the colors and reflections. Thankfully, this quiet shore town has not changed much over the years.

Attitude

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 05:41:17 -0800

Spent some time yesterday in the forests of Northwestern New Jersey. Captured this Heron feeding in a forest stream in Stokes State Forest. The cloudy skies and morning rain added to the scene. This guy seemed to be walking around with attitude.

Into The Wild Blue Yonder

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:25:20 -0800

Here is another image from my last trip to Colombia. Captured this shot en route from Houston to Miami. I always seem to get lucky with clear windows.

Cuba

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:50:47 -0800

I spent last week in Colombia. Captured this shot coming off the North coast of Cuba en route from Barranquilla to Miami. Had nice clear windows on the brand new Avianca A320.

"The View"

Wed, 3 Jun 2009 17:34:13 -0800

We spent last weekend rebuilding a dock at the family lake house on Toledo Bend in Louisiana. I was able to get some time in the kayak on Saturday evening and captured this awesome Sunset. It was a great way to end the day. Captured this shot with my Nikkor 12-24.

Ominous

Thu, 28 May 2009 19:04:37 -0800

Captured this shot on an outing to Galveston Texas Sunday morning. My friend and I were hoping for some Sunrise shots and were faced with some thunderstorms moving towards the coast right at daybreak. This cloud formation looks eerily like a mushroom cloud. We got some some cool shots and so it was well worth the 0430 departure, 90 mile drive, and lightning coming down around us.

"Sunset Walk"

Mon, 25 May 2009 17:43:53 -0800

One night last week I got home early enough for my daughter and I to shoot down to the pond near our house for a Sunset "expedition".. I am pretty happy with the way the shot turned out. She was checking out the Sunset when I captured this shot with my Sigma 150-500. What caught my eye was the light from the setting Sun and the path leading on in front of her.

MV "BBC Mississippi"

Sat, 23 May 2009 10:18:26 -0800

This is the MV "BBC Mississippi" berthed at a terminal on the Houston Ship Channel. We were loading 36 130 foot long windmill blades on her that were headed to Chile. It was a great day to get some shots of the vessel and loading operation.

Hatched

Sat, 16 May 2009 19:20:47 -0800

I took my wife and 5 year old daughter back down to the High Island Rookery last weekend to see if the Egrets had hatched. They had and we were able to see quite a few of them. They seemed to be doing some kind of playing in this shot. We are very fortunate to have this rookery this close to Houston. The area sustained quite a bit of tree loss from Hurricane Ike last September and this has limited the available trees for nesting in.

Style

Mon, 11 May 2009 19:11:23 -0800

This Snowy Egret was really walking with style when I captured this shot of him. Taken on the East end of Galveston Island in Texas.

Pollinator

Thu, 7 May 2009 19:22:44 -0800

Staying on the Bee theme, here is another shot taken with the 50mm 1.4 in our front garden. It was just a random idea to try for these shots with my 50 1.4 and I will definitely be trying for some more.

Buzz Buzz

Sun, 3 May 2009 18:28:11 -0800

I had my 50mm 1.4 on this afternoon and decided to try and capture some shots of the honey bees buzzing around the flowers in our front yard. It was quite a challenge and I had to get pretty close to the action. Hope everyone has a great week.

40,000 feet over Canada

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:58:06 -0800

I spent a few days in Frankfurt this week and this was the view over Northern Canada from a Lufthansa 747 en route back to Houston.

High Island Great Egret

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:00:42 -0800

Here is another shot from the High Island Rookery in Southeast Texas. This bird was turning the eggs one by one and then sat back down on them. I plan to get back when the eggs have hatched.

High Island Rookery

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:17:40 -0800

This Roseate Spoonbill photo was captured at the High Island Rookery on the Texas Gulf Coast. The birds are now nesting and I had been looking forward to getting down there to do some shooting. This was my first trip and I definitely plan to go back. The image was captured with the Sigma 150-500.

Water Ballet

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 11:37:33 -0800

Here is one more shot of the same bird..

Mirror

Sat, 4 Apr 2009 18:50:59 -0800

Captured this shot of a Great Egret diving for a meal.. What caught my eye was the reflection, water droplets, and the almost abstract look to it.

Saddle Bronc

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 18:23:11 -0800

A last shot from the Houston Rodeo. Aside from capturing the rider being thrown (and he walked away), I like the guys in the foreground that seem to be getting ready to get out of the way.

Pain

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 19:28:54 -0800

Here is a another shot from my Houston Rodeo series. This image really shows the danger of this sport and the bravery of the rodeo clowns that protect the riders, literally putting themselves between the bull and the rider. This rider got up and walked away, although I am sure he is still feeling the pain today.

Out of the chute

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 20:24:48 -0800

We have had the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo going on recently. It is billed as the biggest Livestock Show and Rodeo in the world and there were 73,000 people in attendance on Friday night when we were there. I managed to capture a few decent shots.

Louisiana at 40,000 feet

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 18:39:53 -0800

I continue to travel a lot and have been getting some great views and pretty clear windows. This was the scene over Louisiana on Friday evening en route back to Houston from Miami. Took this shot with the Canon G9, my favorite camera for capturing these "out the window" shots.

"Mirror Mirror"

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 17:37:56 -0800

We spent a cloudy rainy weekend at Toledo Bend Reservoir in Louisiana. Very little cell coverage and a very relaxing lakeside place. Even with the dreary weather, I managed to get out a bit with my camera.

Have a great week.

Morning Sun

Sun, 8 Mar 2009 20:42:42 -0800

Some great morning light today with this Great Blue Heron looking for breakfast. Taken at the little pond down the street from my house. He let me get pretty close before he took off.

Early Reflections

Wed, 4 Mar 2009 19:50:54 -0800

I am really enjoying my Sigma 150-500. Early morning is just a great time to capture shots like this and it is even better when the water is slick calm for some great reflections. This shot was taken around 0730 in the morning a couple of weekends ago. This pond just a couple of miles from my house and I normally have the place to myself.

"Old School"

Sun, 1 Mar 2009 19:31:30 -0800

This is the Avenue Barber Shop in Austin Texas. In business since 1933 in the same location. If you are ever in the area, they give a great haircut.

It looked like a perfect scene for b&w.

Floating

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 20:38:59 -0800

Captured this view over the Gulf of Mexico this afternoon en route from Tampa back to Houston.

Sunset at 40,000 feet

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:34:15 -0800

I have been traveling quite a bit lately. This was taken last night on the way home from a week in Miami. A great view of a great Sunset. I continue to luck out with clear windows.

Have a nice weekend.

Galveston Ibis

Sat, 7 Feb 2009 14:07:46 -0800

This Ibis was feeding in a small tidal pond on the East end of Galveston Island. I liked the lighting from the late day Sun.

"Till Death Do Us Part"

Sun, 1 Feb 2009 19:42:58 -0800

Mourning Doves mate for life. I captured this shot Saturday morning in my backyard. What caught my eye was the light filtering through the trees just right to light the birds and the colorful bokeh. My wife looked at the photo and saw more. She sees an old married couple with the grouchy man on the right looking away and the woman looking down at him from the left. The more I look at the image, the more I think I see this too.

Great Egret

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:19:08 -0800

Sticking with the bird theme... I photographed this Great Egret on the East end of Galveston Island on Tuesday evening. You can see the small minnow this guy is about to swallow in his mouth.

"Stealth Bomber"

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 16:36:15 -0800

Captured this Cormorant shot this afternoon at a small lake near my home. It does have the look of a "Stealth Bomber".

Dandelions

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 18:00:40 -0800

A few weeks ago I picked my daughter up early from school. We went to the pond near our house on a little expedition to look for birds & turtles and she decided to look for dandelions. I turned to my right, saw this image and decided it was worth capturing.

Lunch

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 18:40:57 -0800

I was running some errands yesterday afternoon when I spotted this guy walking the shoreline of a little pond near my house. Luckily I had my camera with me, so I did a u-turn went back and did a little stalking to get this shot. The bird seemed to be feeding on crawfish along the edge of the pond and you can see one in its mouth in this shot. Shot handheld with my Sigma 150-500.

Great View

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:59:11 -0800

It has been a while since I put up one of my "high altitude" shots.. This was taken on our flight home to Houston at Christmas time.. Someone told me it looked like I rolled the window down.That was one clear window! I am in Colombia this week and have 3 more flights ahead of me before the weekend. Unfortunately, the Avianca windows may not be as clear as the Continental windows.

You might be wondering what the second picture is. We flew through Barranquilla to get to Bogota on Monday afternoon. I experienced my first and hopefully last aborted take off! We were heading down the runway at a pretty good clip when the plane started vibrating and shuddering pretty violently. My 2 colleagues and I were wondering with everyone else what exactly was happening and then the pilot pulled back on the throttles and aborted the take off. Luckily we were not too far along and had plenty of runway left. Went back to the gate, got off the plane, they changed the front tires, put us all back on and we headed to Bogota. Pretty exciting stuff. Apparently the tires were out of balance.

"Lift Off"

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 12:38:28 -0800

This morning I captured a shot I have had in mind for a while. I wanted to get a photo of a Great Blue Heron just as it was leaving the water. I am pretty happy with the way this turned out although I almost cut off the birds foot with the framing. Captured this handheld with the Sigma 150-500 (was at 290mm). What catches my eye in this photo are the water trails off the feet and the mixture of the sharp body and moving wings. The overcast sky gave me a shutter of 1/500..

"A face only a mother could love"

Tue, 6 Jan 2009 18:50:32 -0800

These turkey vultures are found all over the US, but I thought this was typical Texas with the bird sitting on a barbed wire fence. Captured this shot just a couple of miles from my home.

Van Campen Glen

Mon, 5 Jan 2009 20:46:13 -0800

Van Campen Glen runs through the Delaware Water Gap in New Jersey. I have spent countless hours hiking along this stream flyfishing for little native brook trout. They are very wary and you need to sneak up on them behind boulders and bushes before casting to them. The Wild Rhododendrons along the stream are great as well and you can seem them hanging over the water in this shot.

Old Mine Road

Sun, 4 Jan 2009 19:41:12 -0800

This is one of the many unnamed water falls that come down from the forest above Old Mine Road. The road runs right along the Delaware River in the the Delaware Water Gap and Worthington State Forest areas of New Jersey - the Appalachian Trail runs right through this area as well . I would imagine many people never think of spots like this when they think of New Jersey. Unfortunately, most people passing through the state only the see the urban areas around Newark airport. I grew up in North Jersey and every time I am home I make a point to get out to this area as much as possible. I made 4 trips during our Christmas stay and was lucky to get one day out there before the snow.

Great Blue Heron

Fri, 2 Jan 2009 19:03:47 -0800

Decided to stick with the nature theme today. I am very fortunate to have a nice size pond just a couple of miles from my house. In addition, I have never ever run into another photographer there so I have the place to myself. I was photographing this Great Blue Heron when the Osprey showed up on New Year's morning.. Normally these Herons are very skittish and will not let you get too close, but this guy let me move in and watch & photograph him for a while. I actually tried motioning to him to get him to take off when I was done as I wanted some shots of him leaving the water. He just wouldn't budge. This photo was captured with the Sigma 150-500 and the early sun hit him just perfectly from this angle.

Texas Osprey

Thu, 1 Jan 2009 19:38:52 -0800

While many people were sleeping in this morning after the New Year festivities, I took my camera and Sigma 150-500 out to a pond just a couple miles from my house. Last Sunday I saw an Osprey there, but was not able to get any decent shots of it. The bird came back this morning and I was in a better position and had better light. Unfortunately, the bird was across the pond from me, but I still ended up with some pretty decent shots. Shortly before I caught this shot the bird had made a dive into the water and so it was still shedding water at this point. I thought the water coming off the bird and the image of the fisherman in the background added some extra interest to this image.

Let it snow

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 18:34:43 -0800

This is the last of my snow shots. Even through the falling snow, you can see the big smile on my 5 year old daughters face. Coming up from Houston Texas, she was very happy to have the snow and a white Christmas. I thought this made for a nice b&w image. Happy New Year..

Fresh Snow

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 16:33:53 -0800

This was the forest road that I drove down to get to the spot in Milford, Pennsylvania on the Delaware River (where I captured the 2 previous shots). I took this shot on the way back out. The snow had literally stopped within the hour and looked great on the trees.

Milford Farm

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 20:13:52 -0800

Continuing with the snow theme, this farm is the location from where I shot the previous photo of the Milford Bridge. What caught my eye was the tall evergreen with the fresh snow on its branches.

On the Delaware

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 18:02:00 -0800

This was the scene on Sunday morning in Milford, Pennsylvania after a fresh snowfall of almost a foot. It actually stopped snowing just as I reached this spot. The Milford Bridge connects Milford, Pa with Montague, NJ. It is a very scenic area close to the northernmost point of New Jersey.

Dunnfield Creek

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 18:49:08 -0800

This is one of my favorite areas of New Jersey. Dunnfield Creek runs down through Worthington State Forest and empties into the Delaware River. This state forest runs along the Delaware Water Gap and the creek is the perfect setting for long exposure shots like this.

Patriotic Barn

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:52:16 -0800

I captured this shot this afternoon after a fresh snowfall and it was taken just a few miles from the Wick House at Jockey Hollow. This area of New Jersey is full of historic structures like this barn.

What drew me to photograph this scene was the contrast between the colorful flag and the drab wintry colors. As with the Wick House, the snow really added the right touch and the trees make a nice natural framing.

Wick House

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:00:28 -0800

This Wick House is located in Jockey Hollow which is part of Morristown National Historic Park in Morris County New Jersey. This was an important area during the Revolutionary War for General Washington. I think the snow from last night makes a nice touch on this Winter scene. Freezing rain was coming down when I took this shot.

Early Bird

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 21:52:28 -0800

Got up early this morning and was rewarded with this awesome Sunrise over Lake Woodlands here in The Woodlands, Texas. Just before daylight it was completely overcast and then with perfect timing the sky opened up as the Sun started to rise.

Starry Starry Night

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 17:32:05 -0800

Venus and Jupiter in the early evening sky.

Man on the Moon

Tue, 9 Dec 2008 17:38:15 -0800

This was a total spur of the moment shot from the weekend. I was in front of my house in the afternoon, saw the moon out in the daylight sky and decided to give it a shot with the Sigma 150-500. Came out pretty cool. It still amazes me that we actually sent guys up there, especially given the technology of the time. The movie, "The Right Stuff", was running this past weekend as well. They really were some brave explorers.

Reflections

Sun, 7 Dec 2008 16:11:34 -0800

I am really enjoying my Sigma 150-500 or the Bigma as some people call it. The lens was bought mainly for photographing birds and that is what I have done with it most so far. This morning I went out early to a small marsh a couple of miles from my home and got some shots of this White Egret. The lighting was great and the slick calm conditions made for nice reflections. Have a great week.

Port of Houston Mini

Wed, 3 Dec 2008 21:53:54 -0800

This is another experiment with tilt-shift. I captured this scene at the Port of Houston City Docks. Definitely a cool effect to play around with.

Morning Egret

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:21:14 -0800

Here is another shot captured with the Sigma 150-500. I like the way the morning light is falling on this Egret and the light feathers and reflection caught my eye as well.

Nature's Clean Up Crew

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 21:08:52 -0800

Picked up a Sigma 150-500 this weekend and took it out this morning to try it out. Actually shot this American Black Vulture handheld and panning. This guy had been warming up in the Sun and took off looking for food. They are pretty ugly looking birds when you see them on the ground, but pretty graceful in flight. I am pretty happy with my initial test shots with the lens and look forward to using it more.

Old School Stevedoring

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:38:23 -0800

This photo was taken less than a week after Hurricane Ike came through Houston and the terminal did not even have full power back yet. The vessel we were loading had been drifting off the Yucatan waiting for Ike to go through and so was delayed coming into Houston by about a week. The cargo being loaded was rail cars to Colombia and the guys are waiting for a car to be rolled into position for lifting on board from the tracks alongside the vessel. B&W seemed to be fitting as this scene would have looked basically the same 60+ years ago. Non-containerized cargo operations have changed little, if any, over the years. It is still hard dangerous work and you always need to be looking up.

South Beach Model

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:33:00 -0800

Playing around some more with tilt shift techniques. Captured this shot of South Beach on approach to Miami last week.

Avianca Flight 2

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 23:08:36 -0800

I flew back to Miami (and then Houston) yesterday from Barranquilla, Colombia. The aircraft was an older MD-83, but I ended up with a pretty decent window and the clouds cooperated as well. This shot was captured right around the area of Jamaica. The trusty G9 really comes in handy for these out the window plane shots.

Caribbean Sunset

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:46:03 -0800

Headed down to Colombia again this week. Lucked out with a flight on a brand new Avianca Airbus A330 with crystal clear windows. Captured this Sunset shot somewhere over the Caribbean with the G9.

Primeval

Sat, 8 Nov 2008 19:12:39 -0800

I captured this image last weekend at Huntsville State Park which is about 30 miles North of where I live. It is dense forest and this particular morning had a foggy mist throughout the area with rays of the morning Sun coming through. It reminded me of the BBC TV show "Primeval". I also like the mixture of pines and hardwoods.

Spoonbills

Thu, 6 Nov 2008 19:11:51 -0800

On my trek to Galveston last weekend, we came across this group of Roseate Spoonbills. I have only seen these birds one at a time and never in a group like this. They made a great reflection on the water surface.

Monarch

Tue, 4 Nov 2008 19:05:52 -0800

Here is another capture of a butterfly in our flower garden, from this weekend. I have to thank my wife for planting this Lantana that really attracts them. LIke the last one, I shot this with my Nikkor 18-200VR. Not meant to be a macro lens, but it seems to do well with these shots.