POTW 04-15-2012

<p><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y144/mec407/IMGP1258.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="311" /><br /> <strong>Pentax K100D + Pentax DA 18-55</strong></p>

<p><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y144/mec407/P1010001.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="600" /><br /> <strong>Olympus E-PL1 + RainbowImaging K-mount adapter + Pentax A 50/1.7<br /></strong></p>

<p>I had to go to Raleigh, NC for business this week and my 8th floor hotel room east-ward facing balcony proved to be a nice perch for a quick photo or two when I awakened. </p>

<p>Sorry, here is the picture.</p><div></div>

<p>Well, R.T., 12:02AM! Now that's the way it <em>used</em> to be!<br>

Once again I went to the NY Botanical Gardens, in the Bronx, which is irresistible in the spring. The sun must have been stronger than I thought, because white blossoms kept blowing out and glare even defeated a polarizer, so I got fewer shots than I thought. The last shot, taken a day later, was in Inwood Hill Park, in Upper Manhattan. A unique second growth forest with some trees over 200 years old.<br>

First one</p><div></div>

<p>Second</p><div></div>

<p>And last, another shot with that lowly :-) kit lens, the Pentax 18-55mm.</p><div></div>

<p>Plan A for today was to meet some other photographers in an industrial part of the city at 6AM. At 5, my alarm went off, I woke up filled with excitement and promptly went back to sleep and woke up again too late to make the shoot. A while later, I caught the moment when the late autumn sun caught our veggie garden, grabbed the D-FA 100 f2.8 Macro and went to see what's growing. Here are the raw materials for Markus to work from (all shot at f5.6 6 to get a bit of depth of field and still be able to handhold.<br>

The best of the summer crop has passed. What's left is:<br>

Parsley<br>

<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ys0HFiv6waM/T4rcF4gmrgI/AAAAAAAACpA/w0daxRu21T4/s700/20120415-_IGP8991.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="465" /><br>

Romaine lettuce<br>

<img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-FlMQCjijOng/T4rcHdPiuFI/AAAAAAAACpU/KQoUy6Q4A40/s700/20120415-_IGP9004.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="557" /><br>

And a bit of the hot stuff<br>

<img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-EyEsdPyn0m8/T4rdE_G3KiI/AAAAAAAACpk/S46r-f_sQPs/s700/20120415-_IGP9008.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="465" /></p>

<p>Great shots, everyone!</p>

<p>Howard: I would have started it at 12:00 AM but the site was being very slow and it was 12:02 by the time the page finally loaded. ;-)</p>

<p>R.T. - I noticed that, too. One f the reasons I didn't post until this morning.</p>

<p>Thanks Henk for raw the ingredients, I would put them to good use in a smoothie :-)</p>

<div></div>

<p>mise en place for a rich vegetable soup.</p><div></div>

<p>Homeless in Zurich</p><div></div>

<p>It's been mostly by request photography for me this week.</p>

<p>Mostly lacrosse--a lot of lacrosse! We won this one in triple overtime despite periods of sleet.<br>

Sigma 100-300/4 (of course)<br>

<img src="http://dadipentak.smugmug.com/photos/i-9bjpRFh/0/XL/i-9bjpRFh-XL.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>Then there was the group photo documenting a day of community trail maintenance.<br>

Tamron 28-75/2.8<br>

<img src="http://dadipentak.smugmug.com/photos/i-cWh5Mn5/0/XL/i-cWh5Mn5-XL.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>Special Bonus: me setting up for the previous shot (Canadians will understand why I'm such a fan of Red Green ;~)<br>

<img src="http://dadipentak.smugmug.com/photos/i-KbgDzG2/0/XL/i-KbgDzG2-XL.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>Good picture ,Dave! ...weird to ask ,but not to be Canadian -what you guys doing at Red Green ?<br>

I have few to post and two days in picture from Acworth Art Festival -just going to be ready to next week posting.<br>

First is American Robin </p><div></div>

<p>at the meadow </p><div></div>

<p>dogwood </p><div></div>

<p>John Muir County Park in central Wisconsin memorializes the boyhood home of John Muir. The park is a modest loop trail around a spring feed lake. The trail wanders through prairie, bog, and hardwood forest in a short distance. We have a seasonal campsite nearby, and come back every couple weeks. It’s different every time we visit.</p><div></div>

<p>My second frame is brand new fern just out of the ground. I was flat on my belly with the tripod legs spread as far as the would go.</p><div></div>

<p>Learning to use the new (to me) BW program from Nik Software. I actually shot these a couple weeks ago but never had the time to post until now. A foggy morning at a local park. K-5 and Sigma 18-50mm F/2.8.</p>

<p><img src="http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p26/stevet_010/_IGP5331BWedit.jpg" alt="" width="799" height="529" /></p>

<p><img src="http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p26/stevet_010/_IGP5332BW2.jpg" alt="" width="799" height="532" /></p>

<p><img src="http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p26/stevet_010/_IGP5335BWedit.jpg" alt="" width="799" height="533" /></p>

<p>More at my blog- http://steves-stories.blogspot.com/</p>

<p>Good stuff!<br>

Yury I like the bee - what a catch!<br>

Steve T that first one is great. Really works well being centered like that.</p>

<p>I got to shoot some beautiful birds up close yesterday. It was a raptor recovery center taking the disabled birds they teach with to an expo at the local college.<br>

Eastern Screech Owl<br>

K-5 & Tamron 28-75 2.5<br>

<a title="IMGP3794.jpg by MattB.net, on Flickr" href=" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7056/6932652142_f8cd2efbb7_z.jpg" alt="IMGP3794.jpg" width="424" height="640" /></a><br>

.<br>

Golden Eagle getting a drink<br>

K-5 & Tamron 28-75 2.5<br>

<a title="IMGP4119.jpg by MattB.net, on Flickr" href=" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7270/7078728997_29e95681f4_z.jpg" alt="IMGP4119.jpg" width="640" height="424" /></a><br>

.<br>

Kestrel<br>

K-5 & DA L 55-300<br>

<a title="IMGP3722.jpg by MattB.net, on Flickr" href=" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5456/7080902013_27eb15143a_z.jpg" alt="IMGP3722.jpg" width="640" height="424" /></a></p>

<p>Some of the last shots with my trusty K10D (ordered a K5, eagerly watching for the ups gal)</p><div></div>

<p>both taken with K10D and tamron 90 macro</p><div></div>

<p>Matt, those are three cool bird shots, but the kestrel is fantastic. Robert, lovely flowers - don't toss your k10 out when the k5 arrives! :-)</p>

<p>We hatched some butterflies from caterpillars, and then let then go:</p><div></div>

<p>This bee caught my eye too, amid the pink and blue.</p><div></div>