Saturday, October 31, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 31, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Halloween edition of the Daily View!

With Halloween being on a Saturday this year I really thought we would get a lot of kids stopping by. But it turned out to be the exact opposite. We had fewer this year than the previous several. And we were actually ready with lots of sugary goodness. Oh well, more for us. Like I really need that!

For today's photo I would like to share this with you.


Schnitzel in his cat costume with Kim holding his leash. He was not amused. Not at all! He doesn't mind the costume so much but he hates things on his head. I was lucky to get this shot.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Friday, October 30, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 30, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Well folks once again I had planned to get out for a short photo shoot but it just didn't happen. So for today's photo I am sharing one more shot from the zoo last week.

Click To Enlarge

The wise owl. I wonder what he's thinking about?

Thanks for stopping by.

Until next time...

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 29, 2015

Hi and welcome to the latest edition of the Exploration Photography Daily View!

It's been a little busy around here my friends. A good busy but busy nonetheless. So for today's photo I am sharing yet another shot from the Elmwood Park Zoo last week. This guy is really cool and has been at Elmwood for some time. I do however suggest that if you get the chance to visit that you keep your fingers away. I learned this a long time ago... The hard way...

Click To Enlarge

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 28, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Wow what a wet day we have had today! It's been raining pretty much all day and I think there's a few more hours to go before things dry up a bit. Hopefully tomorrow will bring some sunshine. But for now I would like to go back to last week at the zoo when there was plenty of sunshine and dry weather. Check out this really cool Red Panda, also known as a Firefox.


He looks a bit tired and for good reason. I shot this right after he woke up from an afternoon nap.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 27, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Today I would like to share some of the beautiful Fall colors that greeted me at Valley Forge on Sunday morning.

Click To Enlarge  





Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...


Monday, October 26, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 26, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

It seems that it has been a while since I last shared a squirrel photo with you. Well I guess that I should do something about that huh? So here you go.


This is from our neighbor's front yard just a couple doors away. Little guy is kind of a ham and was posing for me. And he works for peanuts too!


And also check out this time lapse video from yesterday mornings attempt at recording a sunrise.


And I must go for now. Thanks as always for stopping by!

Until next time...

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 25, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Well another weekend is coming to an end and many of us are heading into the work week. Time sure flies huh? Well maybe the Winter will fly by too. Yeah probably not, I know. I guess we will have to make the best of it. Besides as my Mom always said, "don't wish your life away". And she was definitely right.

So in making the best of the chillier weather I would like to share tonight's Moon with you. The cooler crisp air makes the sky nice and clear and pretty much haze free. And that means better night shots of the sky.

Click To Enlarge

Lots of detail!

But I wasn't just out there tonight capturing the Moon. I was up nice and early enough to take a drive to Valley Forge once again to chase the Sun. But the Sun decided to hide behind the clouds so that was a wash. My trip was not wasted however. I grabbed some nice Autumn shots. But even better was the video I was able to record. Lots of videos actually. I am in the process of editing them down to a manageable time and will share the completed project sometime this week but for now I would like you to see this.


If you look closely you can see a deer way in the background. Fast forward to about 50 seconds or so and he starts to approach me so I let the camera continue to record while mounted on a tripod and slowly walked the other way. He gets pretty close but eventually goes off the frame toward the right. I did manage to turn the camera in time to see him take off into the brush.

As usual I recommend watching at full screen in 1080P.

Oh and on a side note. While photographing this morning something either stung or bit my arm. I have no idea what it was either. My arm just suddenly hurt and there was a mark that puffed up and turned red. In fact it still hurts a little. I guess the upside is that I am apparently not allergic to whatever it was.

Thanks for stopping by my friends!

Until next time...

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 24, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Sometimes a trip to the zoo includes birds and animals that aren't necessarily "on exhibit". Well not officially at least. And anyone who has been to Elmwood in the past several years will surly have seen one or two of these guys.


They are all over the place. I suppose there is no good way to get rid of them but I bet the zoo would like to. I can't say for sure but I believe these vultures are the reason I haven't seen prairie dogs here for quite a while. Oh there's an exhibit complete with signs telling you not to touch or feed them. Just no prairies dogs.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Friday, October 23, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 23, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Where does a 150 lb rodent sit? Wherever it wants to that's where!



This is one of the two Capybara that reside at the Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown Pennsylvania. I have seen these guys many times but have yet to see them move around a lot. And it seems that they like their privacy. I wonder if they make good pets?

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 22, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Well it seems that the warm weather isn't quite ready to vacate for the Winter. We reached highs in the upper 70's today and boy was it nice. In fact it is about 7 PM as I write this and it is still 73° F out. And I had the day off from work! So what better to do than take a trip to our local zoo. I got there around noon and many of the animals were resting but I did manage to grab some nice shots. And you can see one of them right now.


I wonder what he's thinking about? Maybe he sees a meal?

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 21, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Today I would like to keep going with my recent photographic subject. The Sun. I have posted a good number of sunrise and early morning shots of the Sun as seen at Valley Forge. But the Sun is everywhere. The scenery may change but the subject remains the same. And I try to find it's beauty no matter where I may be. And to that end here is today's offering.


Even a couple of smoke stacks and power lines couldn't keep those rays from shining through. Though I must admit I do prefer a more natural surrounding.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 20, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Sunny mornings bring lots of really cool shadows and lots of shadows makes for some really interesting photographic subjects. One of which I would like to share with you today.


Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Monday, October 19, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 19, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

It seems that I have been sharing a lot of early morning shots of Valley Forge lately. Especially sunrises. And I am sharing another one today. It's just that the timing is perfect this time of year and I am able to get up and out to the park before dawn to set up for a shoot. And like I said yesterday the colder weather keeps a lot of people away. Hey, their loss is my gain!

So here you go. My little offering of sunshine for you to enjoy on this brisk start to the work week. Well brisk here at least.

Click For Larger Photo

And as sort of a companion to the photo here is a video made around the same time from a slightly different perspective. As usual it is best viewed at full screen in 1080P.



Thanks for stopping by my friends!

Until next time...

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 18, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Well my friends the weather sure is getting colder and colder. Especially in the early morning. But that didn't stop me from getting out there and shooting the Sun over Valley Forge today. Just like last week I was able to capture some good stuff but unlike last week there was no fog and also no other photographers. Last week there was a small crowd and they were sure set up to shoot the sunrise. I mean really set up. Several hand held cameras and three or four set up on tripods. And this was one group that was all together. This week however it was just me and I didn't have a problem with that.

So it should be no surprise that I am sharing this morning's sunrise with you. It was chilly getting this but I think it was worth it.

Click For larger Image
Thanks so much for stopping by. I am glad you did and I hope to see you again here at the blog.

Until next time...

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 17, 2015

Hi and welcome to another edition of the Exploration Photography Daily View!

To continue with my recent visit to the "Witness Tree" at Pawlings Farm Trail in Valley Forge National Park I would like to share this photo with you.


A bit of old and new. Some new growing out of the old. And there is a lot of these. I wonder if any of them will be allowed to grow like the other low branches? I hope so. And I hope this old guy makes it another 300 years.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Friday, October 16, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 16, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Exploration Photography Daily View!

Yesterday I shared a little bit of Autumn as seen at the Pawlings Farm Trail section of Valley Forge National Park. Specifically some fallen leaves of the "Witness Tree". Today I would like to share the entire tree.


It's a big one isn't it? I guess being around for nearly 300 years it's gonna be big. And there is every sign that this old guy will be around for many more years. I'll share some examples with you in a future post.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 15, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

I had a rare day off from work today and it was a very productive one. I got a lot done around the house, ran a few errands and even had time to visit the Witness Tree at Valley Forge. I will be sharing the tree's beautiful Autumn colors with you soon but for today I would like to share part of the tree with you.


You should see the ones still on the tree. And you will if you come back soon.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 14, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

I guess there is not much more to say about Sunday at Valley Forge except that it really was an exceptional outing. The Sun and fog blended perfectly with the surroundings and I was able to produce many really nice shots including today's.


Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 13, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

For the last couple days I have shared Sunday's incredible morning Sun over Valley Forge. But the Sun wasn't the only star (no pun intended) of the day. Check out the cool low lying fog around my "favorite" tree.


A nice bit of eeriness for the upcoming Halloween season.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Monday, October 12, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 12, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Yesterday I shared the morning Sun at Valley Forge and today I would like to show you another view.


That big yellow light in the sky was friendly to me yesterday and I am glad to be able to share a little bit of it with you.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 11, 2015

Hi and welcome to an early edition of the Daily View!

Yep I am getting this out to you early and that is because I was up early chasing the Sun at Valley Forge this morning. And it was a great morning to shoot the Sun. Nice crisp and cool air and a touch of fog. I snapped over 400 frames and have three to share with you today. One photo comprised of three. Check it out.

Click For Larger Image

My goal was to capture the rays and not blow out the image with too much bright light and was able to do so by shooting three frames at different exposure values; HDR. HDR or High Dynamic Range photography tends to get a bad rap from "professional " photographers but I find it very useful at times. And besides, I believe that there is no one right way to present a photo. Sure there are basic rules but I see them more as a guidelines. How boring would it be if every photo was the same?

But enough of that. Just enjoy the moment I was lucky enough to capture and share with you. I hope you like it :)

Thanks for stopping by my friends!

Until next time...


Saturday, October 10, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 10, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

It's been a busy day around here folks and that means this is going to be a quick one. So let's get right to it shall we?

This is from a few days ago at the Cafe.


One of the many peanuts he enjoyed that morning.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Friday, October 9, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 9, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Friday edition of the Exploration Photography Daily View!

Yeah it's pretty much like the other days but I really like Fridays. And today's post is a lot like yesterday's except it's a little different. Yep, the same but different! Check out my view of the morning sky once again viewed from our back deck.

Click For Larger Image


Like yesterday we can see the Moon and Venus but there is also what I believe to be Mars and of you look real hard you can see a couple of stars too. The funny thing is that I didn't even see those stars when I shot this. I discovered them later during post processing. Sort of an added bonus.

And now I must go but I'll be back real soon. I hope to see you here again at the blog.

Until next time...

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 8, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

As we head straight on into Autumn we are being blessed with some really nice weather. Last week was so wet and rainy and cold but is seems that warm air and sunshine are not quite ready to hibernate. It's a bit cloudy right now but this morning the skies were clear and as I stepped out onto our rear deck I was greeted by this.


The Moon of course and what I believe to be Venus. You are welcome to correct me though if I am incorrect.

Looking at this photo I see it as a true lesson in perspective and relativity. The Moon looks so much bigger than Venus. That is of course because the Moon is only 238,900 Miles (384472.282 Kilometers) from Earth and Venus is about 26 Million Miles (42 Million Kilometers) away.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 7, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Even as Autumn sets in and the weather turns a bit chilly some of our outdoor flowers are still doing well. For instance check out our geraniums.


There sure are a lot of buds. I just hope they get to bloom before the nights get too cold and there is frost. Boy I am sure not ready for Winter am I? But to look on the bright side as of this writing there are just 164 days and a few hours until Spring.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 6, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

As busy as it can be at the Cafe once in a while there is a lull. Even on a blockbuster day like this past Saturday. Check out this one lone diner at a usually packed seating area.


It didn't stay like this for long however. About five minutes later we were inundated with lots and lots of our feathered friends.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Monday, October 5, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 5, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Yesterday I shared a photo from our new Cafe addition and as you saw it was quite busy and popular. But after a nice big meal there is nothing like stopping by a good watering hole for a tall cold drink. Well we strive to have it all here and that includes this...


There are still a couple of open seats but as soon as the word got out we were at full capacity.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 4, 2015

Hi there and welcome to the Exploration Photography Daily View!

Our busy weekend around here continued into today. Lot's of housework got done and some other projects were worked on but I did manage to fit in some time to hang out at the Cafe and photograph some of our feathered guests. And boy did we have a lot today! I suppose all of the rainy weather we have endured over the past week has something to do with it. Food supplies elsewhere may be on the low side. Not here though. We do our very best to be open 365 days a year and our customers know it! And speaking of customer service we have expanded a little and added some additional seating. Have a look.


As you can see every seat is full and there is even someone waiting. It was like this all day. And I'll show you some more tomorrow but for now I must go.

Thanks as always for stopping by. I am happy to have you!

Until next time...

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 3, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Well I was going to roll out some cool changes (additions really) today but I simply ran out of time. Kim and I have been very busy these past couple of weekends. A few posts back I mentioned that I was going to change up my Friday posts but have since decide to do Saturday instead. Friday is kind of tough being a work day. But it will have to wait until next week.

It's been pretty rainy and wet around here for the past few days and I didn't get out to shoot today so I am sharing a shot from about a week or so ago. And it's a squirrel! Surprised huh?



Until next time...

Friday, October 2, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 2, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Today I would like to wrap up last weekends Longwood trip with one more scenery photo. This is another shot from the Meadow Garden.


Thanks for stopping by my friends. And if you are on the east coast like us try to stay dry!

Until next time...

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Exploration Photography Daily View - October 1, 2015

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Well like it or not October is here and it brought some wet Fall weather with it. The big news here on the east coast of course is Hurricane Joaquin and it's possible impact this coming weekend. Personally? I don't think it will be that bad. But I am no expert so we'll just have to wait and see.

For today's photo I am sharing one more shot from Longwood. This is a nice little garden trail that believe it or not I didn't even know it was there. As many times as I've been there even I can't believe it.


Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...