Unlike laws rules are guidelines established as starting points they are meant to be bent or broken. On a recent outing I made the decision to shoot landscapes with a macro lens and I shot macros with a super zoom.
Do you break the rules or bend them?
All we are is dust in the wind so count your blessings and go take more photos.
Do You See What I See… © PC PHOTO 2017 All rights reserved
Each year is filled with challenges and 2016 was no exception. Without faith family friends and photography I don’t know how I would have gotten through this one. The original thought for this post was to share twelve of my favorite pics from 2016 on this poor neglected blog of mine. By the time I got to May I was bogged down with so many favorites that the plan was revised (😂). So today I will share a bunch of my favs in no particular order or size and at some point in the future I will share some more.
Thanks for stopping by I hope you enjoy the views. Cheers to all, we will see what 2017 has to offer. Keep in mind that all we are is dust in the wind so count your blessings and go take more photos.
Do You See What I See… © PC PHOTO 2017 All rights reserved
I felt one image was not enough to convey my perspective regarding this old mill.
Do You See What I See… © PC PHOTO 2016 All rights reserved
We’re just dust in the wind count your blessings …now go take more photos!
Photographers often visit and revisit certain locations. One of my favorite places to photograph again and again is Circle B Bar Reserve. After hiking countless miles over many years photographing the landscape and wildlife I took to the sky for a birds view.
The Discovery Nature Center complex is where visitors begin their experience at the reserve. The lake looks close by the center and it is as the crow flies but when walking the trails you discover it is quite a trek.
Above the treeline where Alligator Alley and Shady Oak trails meet was disorienting because at ground level the tree canopy is so dense not much light gets through. It took a couple passes overhead before I was orientated to where we were on the property.
Soaring over Lake Hancock the observation platform is below, it was at this very moment I felt I was seeing the view as a bird does.
Heading into the Banana River marsh area is the intersection of Heron Hideout, Alligator Alley and Marsh Rabbit Run trails one of the easiest locations to recognize and most traveled on if you are a regular visitor to the reserve. 
This is one of my favorite views on that day even with the hazy sky because it shows the expansiveness of the marsh area and this is only a partial view of it.
Eagle Roost trail reveals a landscape of upland habitat that is so different from the lake and marsh areas with its long leaf pines, sand and grasses it’s a no wonder why National Geographic wrote about Circle B’s diversity.
In a flash it was time to head back to the base so I took one final look back at the fabulous vista from an unseen vantage point unless you are in the air. 
Back at the base landing on water is much softer than tarmac landings in a 2 seater plane. Many thanks to my pilot Luke who without his skill I would not have viewed this wilderness area from the sky.
This wraps up a glimpse from my adventure into a birds eye view at my happy place. If you are a regular visitor to Circle B you will recognize familiar sights and if you have not been this is an overview of the lay of the land that is teaming with wildlife.
Now a little well deserved free advertising, if you ever considered a sightseeing flight in central Florida I highly recommend Brown’s Seaplane in Auburndale, their staff is friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating.
Special thanks to my husband for his thoughtfulness to arrange this outing for me on our anniversary.
Do You See What I See… © PC PHOTO 2016 All rights reserved
I went to a local park on a lake to test the new Nikon 200-500mm on a full frame body and this is what I saw, a sad commentary.
This is just a small sample of the debris in a 30 foot diameter along the waters edge.
Seems like I have been away from blogging for ages. I was away from the computer but I never put the camera down. Matter of fact I attended a photo workshop and have shot more frames in the past 2 months than I did all summer long.
Nikon released their latest big zoom the 200-500 AF-S prior to my workshop but I didn’t order it until after I got back home. I’ve taken it on 2 outings since it arrived last week and will share a some examples from todays shoot.
This first shot of a black swan is sooc the f5.6 delivered a pleasing bokeh.
A heavy crop on the mirror image of the ring necked duck and the white swan closeup doesn’t show alot of distortion. Though I hope Adobe will be adding the lens correction profile to Lightroom soon.
I haven’t tried the “Sport” mode that was added to this lens so far. That’s on the to do list next time out. The biggest surprise I had was too much lens compared to what I am used to with the 80-400mm. Never thought I’d say that! It’s a nice lens and will be an everyday part of my kit but it won’t replace the 80-400 however it is a great compliment to it. All of the shots in this post are DX format shot with D7200. Next outing will test its performance with full frame D610.
Other reviewers have stated that this lens design leans towards hand held shots. It can be done and can be used at lower shutter speeds than most long lenses allow you to shoot but IT IS heavy and the 95mm barrel is more than a handful for smaller hands. A quick mention the 200-500 performs well with the TC-14E III although it is a slow focus and manual focus is better suited for birds in flight.
Thanks for taking time to stop by and listening to my thoughts! It would be great to hear thoughts from others who have been using this lens. Until the next post… go take more photos!
Do You See What I See…
© PC PHOTO 2015 All rights reserved
Do You See What I See…
© PC PHOTO 2015 All rights reserved
Valles Caldera volcano bowl, Jemez Springs, New Mexico
We drove up at sunset hoping to see elk feeding in the volcano bowl. We saw one elk coming down a ridge on the ride back to the hotel, it was too dark for a photo.
Do You See What I See…
© PC PHOTO 2015 All rights reserved
Toadstool-shaped hoodo’s in an area called Grand Staircase-Escalante near Kanabe Utah
Lake Powell campsites Utah
Along the highway heading towards Monument Valley
Do You See What I See…
© PC PHOTO 2015 All rights reserved
