Throwback Thursday - 8 March 2018 Edition

Welcome to The Exploration Photography Daily View

Today's throwback takes us to March 8, 2016 and much warmer times. It was in the 70's that day opposed to the 40's we have today. And there was no snow on the ground then either. But Spring is just under 12 days away so warmer weather should soon follow.

Be sure to Click Here to read the original post.

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I also want to share Part 2 of yesterday's snowy Cafe video. Here is some more up close and personal footage of some of our regular customers.

And here is Yesterday's View...

Wednesday March 7, 2018

That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Wednesday View - 7 March 2018 Edition

Welcome To The Exploration Photography Daily View

Today for the second time in a week we go hit with a rather large but fortunately fast moving snowstorm. It started overnight with rain and then snow then more rain. When I got up this morning there was a break and in fact it wasn't all that cold. Then around 7 am the snow started again but wasn't all that bad. Fast forward to about 11 am and there was even a small break. But then within the hour it started. Heavy snow that quickly covered the ground. And the temperatures dropped making the roads very slippery. We left work at 1 PM and by the time I got home 15 minutes later there was no way I was even thinking driving anywhere.

Winter cannot end soon enough for me!

But there is the other side of snow. It has a natural beauty that once you don't have to deal with the hazards of the snow you can appreciate. So let's focus on that as I share today's photo. This is a closeup of one of our dogwoods as I tried to capture the snow and ice on one of it's branches.

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It was a little tricky shooting this because the branches were swaying from a light breeze in the air.

Here is the EXIF data.

Even though it was snowing pretty heavily it didn't stop me from capturing some video in the Cafe. Here is a short 8 minute scene that gets up close and personal with some of our customers.

And here is Yesterday's View...

Tuesday March 6, 2018

And that will do it for today. Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Sunday View - 4 March 2018 Edition

Welcome To The Exploration Photography Daily View

Hooray for electricity! Yes, our power is back on. It came on around 11 PM last night. The work crews were finally able to remove a downed tree that took out our power and not long after we were back on the grid. I can't complain too much because it was just a little over 24 hours and I know there are others much less fortunate than us who may not see their electric for several days. And I'll say this too; I will be better prepared next time. Oh sure we had candles and flashlights and all of the standard stuff but now I think it's time to purchase a generator. When I took a ride around our neighborhood last night I noticed that about a third of the houses had one. A good tip that outages are likely to last for a while if you ask me. So this week I'll price one out.

For today's photo I am sharing a shot I made at Valley Forge Park yesterday. While snow can be a hassle to deal with it can also be nice to look at. Like in this scene.

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Here is the EXIF data.

I also have a quick video to show you. This is a view of one of the cafe feeders this morning. And it was pretty busy.

And that will do it for today. Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Welcome to The Sunday View

Happy New Year Eve my friends! Can you believe another year is about to draw to a close? It seems that the older I get the faster time flies by.

It sure is cold here today. Right now at just after 7 PM it is 10° F (-12° C). And I can only imagine it will get even colder. I suppose we are paying for the last two years when we had Spring like weather most of the Winter.

Last night Kim and I made our way out to Longwood Gardens to see "A Longwood Christmas". And even though it was quite bitter out I really enjoyed seeing it with snow on the ground. It really made it feel like Christmas. Of course I shot lots of photos. All of them snapshots. And today I would like to share a handful of them with you.

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You can learn more about Longwood Gardens and "A Longwood Christmas" by Clicking Here.

Now, here is Yesterday's View...

Saturday December 30, 2017

And here is another video from the Cafe. It's the same view as yesterday's but with less snow and a much better view of our local wildlife (AKA Cafe guests). This is part 1. I will be sharing more with each post for the next few days.

And that will do it for today. And this year for that matter. I thank you all for your support and viewership. Each day I see more and more people visiting my blog and I truly appreciate it.

Thanks for stopping by and see you in the new year.

Until next time...

Welcome To The Saturday View

We got a little snow today my friends. Not too much but enough to do some light shoveling. Or in my case clearing the walkway with a leaf blower. It was very powdery and easy to move. But if I waited until tomorrow I think it would freeze and be a tad more difficult.

For today's photo I am sharing a snapshot I made this morning while we were heading out for breakfast. Actually I have two snapshots for you.

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Click For Full Size Image

And I have a cool video too. I shot this in the Cafe with my GoPro Hero 5. It starts with a female cardinal but if you skip forward a couple minutes another guest shows up. As always this is best viewed at Full Screen and in 1080p.

Here is Yesterday's View...

Friday December 29, 2017

And now I must go. But I'll be back real soon. Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Welcome To The Monday View

Today's photo is going to be a continuation of my backyard adventures yesterday morning. Well maybe not adventures so much as just a nice quiet time to enjoy nature. And my camera of course.

Here we take a close look at what was once a flower on one of our dogwood trees.

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Technical Info

- Canon EOS 80D
- Sigma DC 18-250mm Lens at 61mm
- Manual Control
- Aperture F16
- Shutter Speed 1/2 Second
- ISO (Film Speed) 400
- Center Weighted Average Metering

Here is the "Before" image.

Click For Full Size Image

Also, Here's a bonus video.

As I was putting today's post together Kim came in from out back and told me a storm was rolling in. And man did it ever! So what else would I do but grab a camera and record a good portion of it?

I shot this with my GoPro Hero 5 Black. It is actually the first video I have made taking advantage of it's waterproof claim. And I am here to tell you that it sure is. I sat this camera on our deck railing for more than 17 minutes and it took all the rain mother nature could throw at it. I can sure see this new GoPro being very useful when we travel to the shore.

As with all of my videos this is best viewed in 1080P and at full screen.


And now...

Yesterday's View...

Sunday July 23, 2017

Sunday July 23, 2017

And that will do it for today. Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Welcome To The Daily view

Today I thought I would shift away from our recent zoo trip and share a scene from Sunday Morning. After all of the rain we got on Saturday this nice bright sunshine was a welcomed change.

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Our trees and bushes are sure filling in.  love the privacy!

Technical Info

- Canon EOS 80D
- Sigma DC 18-250mm Lens at 37mm
- Aperture Priority
- Aperture F18
- Shutter speed 1/30 Second
- ISO (Film Speed) 200
- Center Weighted Average Metering

Here is the "Before"image.

Click For Full Size Image

And now...

Yesterday's View...

Monday April 24, 2017

I also have a video I meant to post a couple days ago. Here is one of our male Downy Woodpeckers enjoying a meal at the Cafe. As always this is best viewed at Full Screen in 1080p resolution. And be sure to turn up your volume.

That's all for now my friends. Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Welcome To The Daily View

Yesterday I told you how active the animals at the Elmwood Park Zoo were during our visit there. And they were too. Some of them however apparently decided not to come out at all. I guess it wasn't quite warm enough for them. The porcupines are a good example of these fair weather creatures. But that doesn't mean their exhibits were empty. Nope. This squirrel decided it was a great place for a snack.

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I actually see squirrels there a lot. I guess the porcupines are friendly with them :)

Technical Info

- Canon 80D
- Sigma DC 158-250mm Lens at 250mm
- Manual Control
- Aperture F11.31
- Shutter Speed 1/664 Second
- ISO (Film Speed) 400
- Center Weighted Average Metering

Standard cropping and color correction was done in Photoshop.

Here is the "Before" image.

Click For Full Size Image

And now...

Yesterday's View...

Saturday February 11, 2017

I would also like to share this video I shot the other morning during our quick snow storm. It didn't amount to much in the end but it did look nice.

As always this is best viewed at Full Screen and 1080p resolution.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Welcome To The Daily View

Today I am sharing another shot of yesterday's mystery bird. I still don't know what he is but he is really cool looking. Hopefully someone out there can shed some light on the subject.

Click For Full Size Image

Technical Info

- Canon 80D
- Sigma DC 18-250mm Lens at 155mm
- Shutter Priority
- Aperture F6.30
- Shutter Speed 1/1000 Second
- ISO (Film Speed) 250
- Center Weighted Average Metering

I used Photoshop along with Google's NIK Collection to crop and adjust the image.

Here is the "Before" image.

Click For Full Size Image

I also played around with my GoPro yesterday and shot my first video at the new Cafe. It's a little wide but you will get the idea. Next time I'll get a little closer.

As with most of my videos this is best viewed at full screen and at the highest resolution your screen can display. It was shot in 1080P.

And now...

Yesterday's View...

Saturday February 4, 2017

And that's all for now. As always, Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...