Exploration Photography Daily View - December 31, 2016

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

As of this posting we are just six short hours away from the New Year 2017 on the East Coast of the United States. Mulling over what I would share with you as my final photo of 2016 I decided to stick with one of my most popular and yet simplest of subjects. And that is none other than our friend the Gray Squirrel.

Oddly enough I shot this guy at the Porcupine exhibit at the Elmwood Park Zoo yesterday. It was a bit too cold and windy for the porcupines but he didn't seem to mind.

And now...

Yesterday's View...

Friday December 30, 2016

I want to thank you, my readers (viewers), for another great year for my blog. My number of viewers has more than doubled. On some days tripled. I would also like to think I've honed my skills a little bit. Going forward into the new year I have some new ideas and perhaps a tweek or two for the layout of Exploration Photography. Some will probably be put into action as soon as tomorrow. Please stay tuned!

I would now like to wish each and every one of you a Very happy New Year. As always, Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time (year)...

Exploration Photography Daily View - December 30, 2016

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Today I am sharing yet another shot from the zoo and it is another bird. The only difference is this one is from today. I just purchased a new lens and I wanted to test it out. I figured the zoo was a good place.

Here is the swan once again. He/She was looking for food and I had to make sure my fingers were not on the menu.

Well hello there!

And now...

Yesterday's View...

Thursday December 29, 2016

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Exploration Photography Daily View - December 29, 2016

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Continuing with my recent theme of "birds" I would like to share yet another from my recent trip to the zoo.

Nobody here but us chickens! Actually a lot of chickens. Elmwood is loaded with them. Lots of fresh eggs too I suppose.

And now...

Yesterday's View...

Wednesday December 28, 2016

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Exploration Photography Daily View - December 28, 2016

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Yesterday I shared a bird I shot at Elmwood Park Zoo. A Black Vulture to be precise. Today I would like to share another bird. But this time something a little more friendly looking. Here is the Swan. And I do mean "the" Swan. There is only one at Elmwood.

He may be friendly looking but let me tell you, he will bite. So keep your fingers away!

And now...

Yesterday's View...

Tuesday December 27, 2016

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Exploration Photography Daily View - December 27, 2016

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Whenever I visit Elmwood Park Zoo I tend to spend a lot of time at the eagle exhibit. It's simply one of the best around. But there's more than just eagles at the eagle exhibit. Unofficial residents so to speak. Residents like this.

Not the prettiest birds in the world but certainly a necessary part of it. And if can picture them with a full head of feathers they aren't too scary looking. You can read about vultures here. 

And now...

Yesterday's View...

Monday December 26, 2016

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Exploration Photography Daily View - December 26, 2016

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

How was your holiday? Mine was pretty good. We didn't do a whole lot. Oh we ran errands and even shopped around for some bargains but for the most part everything was low key. It was very nice. For the past several months we have had so much going on but it's all finally coming together. I would love to share more with you but I thinks it's best to wait. A few of you already know and I think you agree with me. But I can tell you that it's pretty big, at least for Kim and me.

Like a lot of you I was off from work today. It was a bit rainy and a little gloomy so I thought it would be a good day to visit the zoo. And I was right. The crowds were small and the animals were pretty active. Most of them at least. Including my favorite. The River Otters.

What a ham! They sure like to show off. Here's a short video too.

And now...

Yesterday's View...

Sunday December 25, 2016

And that will do it for now. But I'll be back real soon with more from the zoo. I hope you will join me because I got some real good stuff.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Exploration Photography Daily View - December 25, 2016

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Merry Christmas friends!

Christmas always seems to be busy around here but not really so much this year. I'm not really sure why but I'm not complaining. I even found a little time to set up at the Cafe and shoot for a bit. So for today's photo I would like to share this with you.

Coming in for a landing!

And now...

Yesterday's View...

Saturday December 24, 2016

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Exploration Photography Daily View - December 24, 2016

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

In celebration of Christmas tomorrow I would like to share this Nativity display that I have seen each evening for the past couple of weeks as we walk our dog. It is located a block over from us on a neighbor's property.

And now...

Yesterday's View...

Friday December 23, 2016

Merry Christmas my friends. And if you don't celebrate Christmas that's okay too. Have a nice day :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Exploration Photography Daily View - December 23, 2016

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Seeing as I was off from work today and it was such a nice day I thought it would be nice to set up in the cafe to do a little shooting. It wasn't too busy but there was a customer or two. And I was able to grab a few shots. Here is two of them.

In the feeder having a look around.

And flying off after being startled by the sound of my camera's mirror slapping open and shut.

And now...

Yesterday's View...

Thursday December 22, 2016

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Exploration Photography Daily View - December 22, 2016

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Today we go from a wintry (a little) Valley Forge back to the Garden Cafe and watch this little guy raid the bird food.

And now...

Yesterday's View...

Wednesday December 21, 2016

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Exploration Photography Daily View - December 21, 2016

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

In light of this being the first day of Winter I would like to share this somewhat (very somewhat) snowy view from Valley Forge last weekend.

And now...

Yesterday's View...

Tuesday December 20, 2016

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Exploration Photography Daily View - December 20, 2016

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Today I am wrapping around and getting back to the birds. Basically I am sharing another bird shot from Sunday at the cafe instead of a squirrel. I could do both but it's getting late and I am tired.

This is very similar to Sunday's photo but a tiny but different. And I think I like this composition better.

It sure was a busy day.

And now...

Yesterday's View...

Monday December 19, 2016

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

Until next time...

Exploration Photography Daily View - December 19, 2016

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Although yesterday was cloudy and dark around here and I had a tough time shooting at the Cafe I still got a lot of good stuff. And like yesterday's offering my photo today is a bit soft for my taste. I love the composition though. Like many times before I would almost swear he was posing for me.

What do you think? Too soft or just "artistic"? Does the composition make up for it's flaws?

And now...

Yesterday's View...

Sunday December 18, 2016

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

Until next time...

Exploration Photography Daily View - December 18, 2016

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

So we went from a cold rainy/sleety day to a rather warm rainy day. But like the saying around here goes; It could be snow!

The warmer temperatures inspired me to set up in the Cafe and do some shooting. It went well overall but being kind of rainy I had to work around the darkness clouds bring. Photographing birds almost requires using a fast shutter speed. And to obtain the best detail I would like to use a low film speed. Two things that don't mix with dark. So I had to lower the shutter and raise the film. This resulted in photos that were not quite as crisp as I would prefer and there was definitely too much grain. But I was able to remedy a lot of this in post processing.

So for your viewing pleasure I present you with this... In color and black and white...

So my question for you is which do you like better? I have an opinion but I would love to know if we agree.

And now...

Yesterday's View...

Saturday December 17, 2016

And that will do it for today my friends. But I'll be back real soon with more to share. Be sure to check back often because I have some really exciting new stuff coming your way just after the beginning of the new year. You won't want to miss it.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Exploration Photography Daily View - December 17, 2016

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Well the "big" snowstorm has come and gone. But instead of snow we mostly got sleet and freezing rain. It was kind of rough early in the day but by around 10:30 am the roads were pretty much just wet.

In our journeys today I made some time to take a ride through Valley Forge to grab a few snow shots. There wasn't a whole lot of snow but I did  get some good photos. I didn't have my DSLR but I did use the best camera. The one I had with me ;) And that happened to be my trusty Samsung Galaxy S6.

I made this from four frames joined in Photoshop with the aid of Adobe Bridge. It was converted from color into black and white with Silver Efex Pro 2. Part of the NIK Collection provided courtesy of Google.

That light dusting is about all we got. No complaints here.

And now...

Yesterday's View...

Friday December 16, 2016

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Exploration Photography Daily View - December 16, 2016

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

It's been very busy around here folks. And will be for a few more weeks. Oh I'll make time to shoot but just not as much as I would like. I can't say too much now but it will be so worth it in the end.

For today's photo I would like to share another shot from the Cafe the other day.

And now...

Yesterday's View...

Thursday December 15, 2016

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Exploration Photography Daily View - December 15, 2016

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Tonight's post is going to be a quick one my friends. It's getting late and I have been busy.

After I published yesterday's post I kind of felt like something wasn't right. And after a little bit it dawned on me. This should be black and white! After all it is a World War 2 battleship. And all of the best wartime movies are in black and white, right?

So today I present you with a black and white and a little antiqued version of yesterday's photo.

Straight out of 1942. At least it looks like it.

And now...

Yesterday's View...

Wednesday December 14, 2016

What do you think? Which version do you like better? You can let me know in the comments if you like.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Exploration Photography Daily View - December 14, 2016

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

I was going through some of the weeks photos and I came across another shot from Penn's Landing on Saturday that I would like to share. This is the Battleship New Jersey docked on the Camden Waterfront.

I shot this with my Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50.

And now...

Yesterday's View...

Tuesday December 13, 2016

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Exploration Photography Daily View - December 13, 2016

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Today I would like to share a different view of the same squirrel I shared the other day. He was still on the lookout for whatever scared him a few minutes earlier.

And now...

Yesterday's View...

Monday December 12, 2016

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Exploration Photography Daily View - December 12, 2016

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

I had a plan for today's photo but changed it near the last minute. After dinner I stepped out front and looked up to see a very inviting and ever so crisp and clear Moon. And I also had some ideas for fine tuning my technique and learning a little bit more about my new DSLR. I recently moved up from my entry level Canon Rebel T3 to a new Canon EOS 80D. And there is a LOT more options and capabilities. It's also much faster and quieter. Very good for nature photography. But how about the Moon? Well here is what I have for you today.

I also used my "cheapo" 500mm lens. Not too bad huh? As much as I would love a nice expensive big lens I kind of like taking the underdog route. It makes me think about the shot.

And now...

Yesterday's View...

And that will do it for today my friends. But before I go I would like to let you know that I am working on a redesign for my blog. It will mostly be fine tuning but there will also be some new features. That being said I would be open to ideas from you, my readers (viewers). Please feel free to use the comments section if you like.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Exploration Photography Daily View - December 11, 2016

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

I was in our front yard this afternoon tending to some Christmas decorations and filling the bird feeders when I hear a loud chatter from our neighbors yard. I look over and what do I see? This little guy up in their tree. Or rather on the side of their tree.

He was just sitting there. Not moving an inch for a few minutes. I'm not sure what startled. At first I thought there was a hawk nearby. We have had a few and they usually prey on smaller birds. But there was no hawk in sight. I did however see a seagull. Yep. A seagull this far inland and in temperatures at about 30° F (1.1° C). In fact when we were at the grocery store about an hour earlier we saw about eight seagulls flying around. Weird huh?

And now...

Yesterday's View...

Saturday December 10, 2016

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Exploration Photography Daily View - December 10, 2016

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

What a cold and winter-like day we had today! Temperatures didn't raise above 40° F (About 4.5° C). But that didn't stop us from heading to the city to visit Penn's Landing Playhouse located at the Independence Seaport Museum to watch a live performance of "Little Shop of Horrors". Kim and I enjoy live theater and today's show did not disappoint. And after the show we took a quick walk around Penn's Landing to look at the scenery. I didn't have my DSLR with me because I wanted to travel light. Instead I broke in my new Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS50. The Lumix is unique in today's world of compact Point and Shoots whereas it has a viewfinder (not just a rear screen) and it will save images in RAW format. Two things that are an absolute must for me. Especially the viewfinder. Just try using the rear screen on a bright beach and you will know why. But enough of that. Here is my offering for today.

This is the Ben Franklin Bridge and part of the Camden Waterfront in New Jersey as viewed from Philadelphia. While the Lumix does offer a Panoramic Mode I opted to shoot three frames and merge them in Photoshop. This may not be DSLR quality but overall I think it came out pretty good. Feel free to let me know your thoughts in the comment section.

And now...

Yesterday's View...

Friday December 9, 2016

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Exploration Photography Daily View - December 9, 2016

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

The Winter months are an excellent time to shoot the Moon. On a clear cold evening I can get some really crisp and clear images of the everyone's favorite satellite. Tonight is such a night. Nice and cold. And... I have a new toy. I found myself an early Christmas present on Amazon. For the sole purpose of shooting the Moon I purchased a 500mm lens. Now I could have gone the normal route and spent thousands of dollars. But instead I went the cheap route and bought a very basic fully manual $89 lens made by a company I have never heard of. Cool huh? And after a quick skim through a rudimentary instruction manual I finally said the heck with it and hooked up this glorified gun scope and shot this.

I need to work on it a bit but I don't think this is too bad for a first attempt. Now what I really need is a new tripod head that affords me some better freedom to adjust my aim. That will not be cheap.

And now...

Yesterday's View...

Thursday December 8, 2016

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Exploration Photography Daily View - December 8, 2016

Hi and welcome to the Daily View!

Sharing yet another shot from "A Longwood Christmas" here is another decorated tree from along one of the outdoor paths.

And now...

Yesterday's View...

Wednesday December 7, 2016

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...