Photography
laelaps | February 4, 2010
A female lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla), photographed at the Bronx Zoo.
A note about "Photo of the Day": I recognize that this daily feature has not been as exciting lately. I often visit zoos, museums, and other places rich in photo ops throughout the year, but during the past several months my opportunities to do so have been limited. I have therefore had to mine my stores for miscellaneous photos from previous trips which I have not posted before, but I am hoping to get back out to take some fresh shots sometime around my birthday at the end of the month. Thank you for your patience.
grrlscientist | February 3, 2010tags: Suomenlinnan Muuri, Helsinki, Finland, nature, image of the day
Suomenlinnan Muuri (Suomenlinna wall).
Soumenlinna, Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 19 July 2009 [larger view].
I like the contrast between the cool blue tones of the stones in the wall and the warmer yellow tones of the grass growing up around the walls ..
grrlscientist | February 3, 2010tags: Least Flycatcher, Empidonax minimus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Least Flycatcher, Empidonax minimus, photographed on the San Bernard Wildlife Refuge, Houston, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 5 January 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/400s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
laelaps | February 3, 2010
A pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), photographed on Antelope Island, Utah.
awild | February 2, 2010A reader asks:
I also have a MP-E lens with the MT-24EX flash unit. I was curious to know something I didnât see you mention in your recent blog post about this setup.
Could you share any technical points regarding how you achieve the visible backgrounds with that lens? In general, I get very nice shots with everything beyond the focused subject completely blacked out.
Since dark areas in photographs are the bits that aren't sending light to the camera, it follows that getting a visible backdrop means applying light behind the subject.
Earlier, I wrote that the black backdrop in insect…
grrlscientist | February 2, 2010tags: Suomenlinnan Telakalta, Helsinki, Finland, nature, image of the day
Suomenlinnan Telakalta (Suomenlinna shipyard).
Soumenlinna, Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 19 July 2009 [larger view].
grrlscientist | February 2, 2010tags: Lesser Goldfinch, Dark-backed Goldfinch, Spinus psaltria, Carduelis psaltria, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Lesser Goldfinch, also known as the Dark-backed Goldfinch, Spinus (Carduelis) psaltria, photographed in San Rafael, California. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 25 December 2007 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/1250s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
laelaps | February 1, 2010
Rokan, the Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae), photographed at the National Zoo in Washington, DC.
grrlscientist | February 1, 2010tags: Suomenlinnan Telakalta, Helsinki, Finland, nature, image of the day
Suomenlinnan Telakalta (Suomenlinna shipyard).
Soumenlinna, Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 19 July 2009 [larger view].
bioephemera | February 1, 2010
Matthew Albanese makes miniature dioramas out of everyday materials and photographs them, producing Uncanny Valley landscapes that seem almost, but not quite, real. His Paprika Mars, above, is made of 12 pounds of charcoal and spices (paprika, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili powder). Fields, After the Storm, below, is mostly faux fur and cotton.
Albanese's scenes are convincing precisely because they're so paradigmatic - the standard desolate planetary surface, Western grassland, etc. His work exploits our cognitive tendencies to interpret stimuli against the backdrop of our experience, especially…
grrlscientist | February 1, 2010tags: Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, Regulus calendula, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, Regulus calendula, photographed on the Katy Prairie, Houston, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 1 January 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/400s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | January 31, 2010tags: Suomenlinnan Telakalta, Helsinki, Finland, nature, image of the day
Suomenlinnan Telakalta (Suomenlinna shipyard).
Soumenlinna, Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 19 July 2009 [larger view].
grrlscientist | January 31, 2010tags: Trumpeter Hornbill, Bycanistes bucinator, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Trumpeter Hornbill, Bycanistes bucinator, photographed in a classroom in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, somewhere in Scotland, UK. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
[larger view].
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
[Mystery bird] photographed in a classroom in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, somewhere in Scotland, UK. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
[larger view].
Review all mystery birds to date.
laelaps | January 31, 2010
A red eft (Notophthalmus viridescens), photographed near High Point, New Jersey
grrlscientist | January 30, 2010tags: Suomenlinnan Muuri, Helsinki, Finland, nature, image of the day
Suomenlinnan Muuri (Suomenlinna wall).
Soumenlinna, Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 19 July 2009 [larger view].
This image makes me wonder about the bricks that were (obviously!) added much later to this lovely rock wall: why were they added? Who added them and why? What did those people think about what they saw while they were adding these bricks?
awild | January 30, 2010Pogonomyrmex badius Harvester Ants
Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA
Photo details: Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon EOS 50D.
ISO 100, f/13, 1/250 sec, diffused twin flash
grrlscientist | January 30, 2010tags: Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularia, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularia, photographed at the Arthur Storey Park, Houston, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 28 December 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/640s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | January 29, 2010tags: Suomenlinnan Muuri, Helsinki, Finland, nature, image of the day
Suomenlinnan Muuri (Suomenlinna wall).
Soumenlinna, Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 19 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)