Athens

Ancient Greece, Athens, the Acropolis, the Parthenon. I've heard about them my whole life. I finally got to see Athens and the Acropolis.

The Parthenon

 It was hot. It was crowded. It was worth the trip. Visitors were not allowed inside and there's a lot of restoration work underway. The crane and scaffolding definitely diminish the view.

The Parthenon

 It was impossible to get a shot without a lot of people in the way.

The Acropolis

 The Acropolis has very steep, high walls.

The Lights are Coming On

After visiting in the morning, I went to a nearby hill as the sun set. I was joined by hundreds of other people who were there to watch the sun set and the lunar eclipse that was visible that night.

Full Dark

These last few shots (above and below) were an exercise in experimentation and patience. I was trying to travel light, so I left my tripod at home and used a Gorillapod. The camera and lens combination was pretty heavy, so I set it up with the base on the ground and the legs splayed out horizontally to steady the camera. This meant the viewfinder was only inches from the ground and I had to lie down to look through it. This made focusing and changing settings kind of tough. I was glad for the flashlight I brought. I used autofocus and manual exposure mode. After a few test exposures, I used mirror-up mode, with a cable release, to shoot. And I had to keep adjusting my shutter speed as the light changed.

Lunar Eclipse Early Phase

 The moon rose with the eclipse already underway, and there was a definite tint while the moon was in the penumbra. Shooting the Parthenon was a breeze compared with the moon. The Parthenon hasn't moved in 2000+ years. And the exposure settings didn't change after the sun was down and the lights were on. The moon, however, was constantly in slow motion and getting darker. I had to recompose periodically.

Lunar Eclipse Hides Part of the Moon

And finally the moon entered the umbra, leading to the darkest lunar eclipse I've ever seen. What a stroke of luck that my travel plans placed me in a location where I could photograph this. The only thing that would have made it cooler is if the moon had risen, eclipsed, behind the Parthenon. Sadly they weren't in the same field of view.

Photography as a Passenger on a Cruise Ship

Should I Take My DSLR on a Cruise?

I recently took a cruise on the Crown Princess. This was my second cruise. My first was on the Pacific Princess from Vancouver Canada to Whittier Alaska. I used my camera a LOT in Alaska, shooting glaciers, wildlife, and landscapes/seascapes. But this trip was in the Mediterranean, and I wondered whether I'd see wildlife or good landscapes or cityscapes that I'd want to photograph.

Crown Princess

While packing for the trip, I researched the ports at which we were scheduled to dock. I researched cruise ship features in general. I checked blog posts made by other passengers on that specific ship. I read posts by photographer passengers on cruise ships in general. I wanted to have a good idea whether to bring my gear and what pieces to bring. Here's how it worked out.

First, I didn't buy the gear to leave it at home. Photography is my hobby, and I'm going to take advantage of any opportunity to enjoy it. The real question was, what should I bring?

I saw several threads debating this very topic. Some people said, leave the gear at home, the ship docks and leaves port at times when the light is poor. Implication: the photos will suck. And when ashore, it's always mid-day when the sun is blazing and the light is very harsh. Again: the photos will suck. And I found that in fact the lighting conditions often were poor. Nevertheless, I managed to get some good results by being thoughtful about when and what to photograph.

So what did I bring? My DSLR, 24-70, 70-200, 300, teleconverter, Gorillapod, GoPro Session, and several mounts for the GoPro. The only thing I never used was the teleconverter.

The 24-70 was useful for much of the time ashore. The 70-200 was absolutely the right lens for Gibraltar. The 300 was perfect for port arrivals and departures. And the GoPro was great for short videos fore and aft, along with port arrival/departure timelapses.

Gibraltar Macaque

Here's the general breakdown by port:

1. Athens: 24-70 at the Acropolis, 300 and GorillaPod for night photography of the Acropolis from a nearby hill.
2. Santorini: 24-70 ashore, 300 for port (aka caldera) departure.
3. Kotor: 70-200 on the hike to the fortifications.
4. Mt. Etna: 24-70
5. Herculaneum: 24-70
6. Gibraltar: 70-200: wide enough for landscapes at the cable car station, long enough for great shots of the macaques, long enough for shots of the town below and ships in the bay.
7. Marseille: iPhone
8. Genoa: iPhone
9. Pisa/Florence: 24-70
10. Rome: 24-70

The ship has a promenade deck that allows passengers to completely circle the ship while outside. Many shots were from this deck. There's also access to the roof of the bridge. That was perfect for photography during port arrivals and departures.

Our cabin had a balcony. I used my GoPro on the balcony for timelapses during port arrivals and departures. I'm still working on it, but I was able to put a nice series of timelapses together. It shows several ports. They really are all quite different from one another. There are big differences among ports in terms of size, facilities, piers and wharves, and maneuvers needed to get docked or to depart.

Alaska is a wildlife photographer's dream. The Mediterranean, not so much. Aside from the Gibraltar macaques and some seagulls, there was hardly any wildlife to speak of. I saw turtles in the Bay of Kotor and dolphins swimming in the ships wake a few times. I don't know if my experience is typical, but this was definitely not a place for wildlife, at least not on this trip.

Bottom line: I'm so glad I brought my gear. I would have regretted leaving the camera behind in Athens and Santorini and Gibraltar especially. It was worth hauling that gear around for the macaques alone. There's no way I would have been able to get the same results with my iPhone.

Beaver Sighting

I've been making regular walks in the neighborhood, passing by the lake, looking for opportunities to photograph the beavers, foxes, and deer that are frequently there. The foxes and deer have been quite shy, running away at first sight or hiding in the shadows in the woods, meaning no photography is possible. But the beavers have been more cooperative.

Coming Right At Me, Tail Faintly Visible

Almost a Mirror Image

I'm not interested in lugging my big lens through the neighborhood so I've been using my 300mm f4. The beavers, deer, and foxes come out at dusk, which means lots of shadows, which means everything is dark. To get anything usable, I'm shooting wide open at about 1/500 sec, and ISO 1600. The dark brown animal in the dark brown water reflecting dark green trees and bushes in the shade means some pretty dim photos.

It's Hot!

Well July has definitely arrived in Northern Virginia. It's hot. It's humid. Even the eagles agree that it's really uncomfortable.

Do Eagles Pant?

There are two eagle nests at the refuge. One of them is now empty. The other had four eagles nearby, two parents (one shown above), and two juveniles. One of the juveniles has fledged. It was perched with its wings spread, seemingly trying to cool down. The other juvenile was down in the nest with only its head showing. The eagle shown here seemed to be panting and not interested in eating or feeding its nest-bound eaglet.

Beavers

My home is in Fairfax County in Virginia. There are over a million county residents in a sprawl that leaves very little green space. A side effect is that there is a significant problem with storm water runoff. To deal with it, the county created a series of stream valley parks with dams to trap sediment and control runoff. There is one of these lake/dams near my neighborhood.

When the weather is nice, I take a walk along the lake shore. In the last few months, I've noticed a beaver lodge near the spot where a stream flows into the lake. And if I time my walk right, I have a good chance of seeing at least one member of the beaver pair swimming around, nibbling on leaves, or foraging along the shore. I've had several opportunities to see them late in the day after the shade of the surrounding trees darkens that entire end of the lake.

I've taken my camera along a few times, hoping for a shot or two of the beavers. The conditions are challenging, with low light, dark backgrounds, and dark animals. I'm using a 300mm lens at f4 and about 1/320 second and ISO 800 or higher. Sharp shots are hard to get. When the beaver is close enough for a good shot, it is also likely to see me, slap its tail on the water, and dive.

But, with persistence, I've managed a few keepers.

Coming Right At Me

Nose High

Nose High Again

Better Light This Time

Towing a Branch Around

Droplets on Whiskers

Dinner with the Tail Showing

There are lots of tree stumps around the lake; the beavers have been busy. Some of the trees were planted after the county drained the lake to remove sediment a few years ago. I fear it's only a matter of time before the park authority decides that these animals are too destructive, at which time the trappers might get a call to remove them.

Ride of the Patriots 2018

It's Memorial Day weekend, which means Rolling Thunder, which means Ride of the Patriots. I went to the same spot as last year, on a bridge on Cedar Lane over Interstate 66. It was cloudy and HUMID. Here are my photos from the event as thousands of motorcyclists rode by to join the main event, Rolling Thunder, at the Pentagon.

Deserted Interstate 66

The police blocked the road prior to the first group of motorcycles coming through. An empty I66 is so unusual, I had to start with this.

Empty I66

The cops could be forgiven for having fun on the job. Here's the lead group as they escorted the main body. I don't know where this first group started; they're not part of the Ride of the Patriots.

Fairfax County and Virginia State Police Lead the Way

Out of thousands of motorcycles and hundreds of photos, I've selected a few because of unusual motorcycles, or interesting riders. Lots of passengers and riders used their phones or GoPro cameras during the ride.

Waving to us on the Bridge

 The rider in the rear has quite a beard.

Beards

 I saw only one of these.

Put your hands on the wheel!

The photos above are from a smaller group that came through before the Ride of the Patriots. Then the police let the cars through, and it was PACKED for a while as the backup rolled through.

Typical I66 Traffic

Then the Ride of the Patriots began. The motorcyclists gather in Fairfax and depart as a long convoy. Here are the lead riders with their police escort. Again the police had shut I66 to other traffic.

Ride of the Patriots

 Here's another impressive beard.

What a Beard!

 Riding and photographing...

Concentration on his Face, or Cycling and Photographing

 The guy on the right of this photo gets into the gallery because of the arm tattoo.

Quite the Sleeve on this Rider

 And this rider had the most unusual helment.

Seems like that Helment is Hot!

When photographing, it's always a good idea to at least glance at the scene behind the main event. Here they are riding away from me, toward DC.

All Lined Up

 I'd say she likes purple. And I like the pigtails on her helmet.

Purple and Pigtails

Most of the riders seemed to have a lot of gray hair. And even though most of the women participants were riding with men, some had their own rides.

Enjoying the Ride

 I was glad to see so many women among the riders.

Nice Trike

 There were more sidecars last year. This one seems retro.

With a Sidecar

 Here's another impressive beard.

Beard in the Wind

I was also pleased to see just how much the riders look like America. We may have deep political arguments but for Memorial Day you wouldn't know it. Men, women, children, and every shade of skin were represented.

A Smile and a Wave

 Here's another impressive beard.

Beard

I chose this one because she's riding a big bike and has an unusual helmet. Women tend to go for smaller motorcycles.

Odd Helmet

 For obvious reasons...

OK, Who's Driving?

 There were lots of flags.

Flag Waving in the Wind

Finally, here's the rolling road block that followed the last of the riders, presumably to keep the cars from overtaking the riders.

Rolling Roadblock

It got really crowded on the bridge as lots of people showed up to see the show. The motorcyclists would wave, rev their engines, honk their horns, and smile as the people on the bridge waved back and waved flags.

This was a lot of fun, and I expect to be back for it again next year.

Beautiful Morning at OBNWR, Came for Birds, Found Turtles

Spring is turning into Summer and I'll probably take a break from visiting the refuge for a while. It gets hot and full of bugs and the birds that I like are harder to see behind all of the foliage. But today was beautiful and I have the day off and I made one more trip before the heat really sets in.

The eagle nest near the shore was occupied with a single eaglet, and the parents were on their usual perch above.

Looking Bored and Alone, Ready to Fly

Looking to their Right

I think the one on the right of this photo is the female; it's much larger than its mate.

I was disappointed by the lack of much action while I proceeded along the shoreline. Well, there was action, but it was heard, not seen. Ospreys are busy, herons were flying around, geese too. But the smaller birds were too far away or obscured to get anything useful.

I made it to the second eagle nest and found that the eaglets are much larger than last I saw.

Two Eaglets

These two will be flying soon. On my way out, I found this snapping turtle on the road. It's smaller than some that I've seen here, and he/she stopped and allowed me to photograph it. In the shade I had to crank my ISO. I also had to keep back beyond the minimum focus distance. I definitely had the wrong lens for this and the next two turtles.

The darkness meant I was shooting at F4 and 1/500 and ISO 1000 and still I had to process the photos because they were dark. The closeness and wide open aperture made for a razor thin focal plane.

Farther along, in a darker area along the road, I encountered another snapping turtle that had dug a hole in the sand and had its rear hanging over the hole. It seems late in the season to be laying eggs. There were many empty egg shells strewn around, so I think that nest either hatched its eggs or some predator got them. It was way to dark to photograph and there was tall grass obscuring the turtle, so no photos.

Spotted Turtle

Finally, this small turtle was on the road near the parking lot.