Caught on my way to work today: father and son on Park Avenue.
Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category
Who’s taking who to work? Leave a comment
Elusive birds of Costa Rica 1 comment
While there’s a constant racket of bird chirps, screeches, and whistles in the background, the birds in Costa Rica’s are actually very hard to find because they hide in dense foliage of the rainforest canopy. I was lucky to get these shots during a week-long visit. Here is a Toucan, the national symbol of Costa Rica:
This was shot at 400mm, and then cropped by 2x. With the naked eye, the Toucan was just a dark blob in the foliage. Here’s another screecher (no idea what this one is called):
And here’s a hummingbird, the hardest one to catch on film because they dart so quickly from flower to flower:
All photos taken with Canon EOS 7D, 200mm or 400mm, ISO 1000 to ensure fast enough shutter speed.
Jurassic Park? No, Costa Rica! 1 comment
Saw quite a few lizards and iguanas in Antonio Manuel National Park yesterday morning. This one is a Ctenosaur – it was about 2 feet long and resting on a tree overlooking the beach:
And this one is a Plumed Basilisk, also known as the Jesus Christ Lizard, for his ability to run across water for up to 20 meters:
And these little ones (20 cm) ran so fast and their heads darted in all directions so frequently that they reminded me of the velociraptors in Jurassic Park:
All photos taken with Canon EOS 7D, 400mm, ISO 500, f/5.6, 1/160 sec
A barrel of monkeys in Costa Rica Leave a comment
Yes, the name for a group of monkeys really is a ‘barrel.’ About 30 were thrashing through the canopy above us this morning at 6:30 in the Arenal Volcano National Park, but these two rested long enough to capture them.
Canon EOS 7D, EF70-200mm f/2.8 with 2x converter
ISO 1000
330mm
f/5.6
1/125 sec
Leaf-cutter ant at work 4 comments
Shot on a hike to the top of Cerro Chato, an extinct volcano in Costa Rica.
Canon EOS 7D, EF24-70mm
ISO 100
70mm
f/5.6
1/100
Crack in the Tarmac Leave a comment
Shot at JFK airport – looks like the airport is in the same shape as the streets in Manhattan.
iPhone Hipstamatic
Red Spring 1 comment
While not everything is blooming yet, the red barn and the red door on a cottage in our neighborhood are adding a nice splash of color to the surroundings. Soon they’ll have competition from the spring flowers.
Canon EOS 7D
ISO 320
f/7.1
Canon EOS 7D
ISO 320
f/3.2
1/250 sec
Old-fashioned Movie Theater Leave a comment
Found in Americus, GA. Population: 17,000.
Canon PowerShot G12
ISO 400
f/5
1 sec
Fisherman’s Cottage Leave a comment
The colorful lobster trap buoys caught my eye on a stroll through the neighborhood on a rainy afternoon.
Canon EOS 7D, EF 24-70mm
ISO 160
57mm
f/9
1/25 sec
Americus, Georgia Leave a comment
Took a few shots on the main thoroughfare of Americus, GA, a small town 100 miles south of Atlanta, on a recent business trip there. Here’s the Windsor Hotel, a Victorian landmark:
The three-story lobby is gorgeous.
Old building along Lamar Street, the main street in town:
All shot with Canon Powershot G12, my compact camera I take along when I don’t want to carry my DSLR.
At the Gate 1 comment
Shot this while waiting for my flight at Hartford Airport.
Canon Powershot G12
ISO 160
f/8
Waiting for Spring Leave a comment
Despite warmer-than-normal temperatures, I wish the trees wouldn’t look so desolate. Can’t wait for green leaves!
Powershot G12
ISO 160
16mm
f/3.5
Light at the end of the tunnel 3 comments
Shot at New Haven train station on a recent trip to New York.
Canon PowerShot G12
ISO 160
f/4
1.0 sec
Bridge over calm waters 2 comments
I shot this while driving through Hartford, CT. More pictures of industrial structures I saw on this trip are here.
Canon Powershot G12
ISO 160
f/8
1/60 sec
25 Cent View 1 comment
Stormy weather on the Connecticut shore meant there wasn’t a whole lot to see with these binoculars.
Canon EOS 7D, 24-70mm
ISO 100
30mm
f/5
1/800 sec
My favorite Paris cafe 4 comments
Well, actually there are too many to list, but this one’s very nice: Au Rocher de Cancale in the Rue Montorgueil. Posted today because a new follower from Paris made me realize how much I miss it.
Canon Powershot G10
ISO 100
7mm
f/4
1/100 sec
Vintage Buick 1 comment
Found this old Buick in Westport, CT.
Canon 7D, 24-80mm lens
ISO 100
24mm
f/2.8
Vintage Steam Locomotive 1 comment
Took a drive through the Connecticut countryside and came across an old train depot in Essex.
Canon 7D, 24=70mm
ISO 100
34mm
f/8
Winter Scene in Vermont 1 comment
Walking my dog in Stowe, VT.
Canon EOS 7D, EF 50mm f/1.4
ISO 100
f/2.2
1/8000
Wild Cascade River Leave a comment
Wallace Falls State Park, Washington
Canon PowerShot G12
ISO 100
f/8
.4 sec
1 stop underexposed
Snow in Stowe Leave a comment
A weekend in Stowe, VT, provided an opportunity to try snow photography.
Canon EOS 7D, 50mm f/1.4
ISO 100
50mm
f/2.8
1/800 sec
Wyoming Wreck 1 comment
Abandoned car on a farm in Wyoming.
Canon 7D, EFS 10-85mm
ISO 400
15mm
f/4.5
1/250 sec
Long Island Rail Station 1 comment
Felt Edward Hopper-like when I saw this scene looking out of my train window on my way to Manhattan.
Graffiti Extremis Leave a comment
Shot from the #7 subway while crossing Brooklyn.
Canon Powershot G12
NYC revolves around GCT Leave a comment
Life (at least commuter life) in NYC revolves around Grand Central Terminal, and life at GCT revolves around the clock in the center, one of the most frequently chosen meeting places.
Canon Powershot G12
ISO 200
f/3.2
1/4 sec
9/11 Memorial in Old Saybrook, CT Leave a comment
Just one of hundreds of memorials around the country.
Canon EOS 7D
ISO 100
22mm
f/4
1/640 sec
US Open Leave a comment
3 days at the US Open provided lots of photo opportunities, but I had more fun playing with the colors of the crowd in attendance.
Canon Powershot G12
Beach Volleyball Leave a comment
I shot this while on Long Beach in Long Island,NY playing volleyball with my colleagues. Over 1000 people congregate every summer evening to play.
camera: iphone
app: Hipstamatic
Lens: Helga Viking
film: AO B&W
Beach Boulders Leave a comment
Shot this at sunset at Hammonasset Beach in CT.
iphone
Times Square at night Leave a comment
A great place to experiment with photography, especially on a warm summer night.
Canon EOS 7D
15mm
ISO 1600
f/4
SoHo 1 comment
Mt Rushmore Panorama Leave a comment
Here’s a 180 degree of the Black Hills in SD, to give you an idea of where Mt. Rushmore is situated.
Canon Powershot G12
Five shots stitched into one
On the Oregon Trail 3 comments
Caught this wagon while passing through a little town in Oregon. First time playing around with HDR software to enhance the photo.
Canon EOS 7D, EFS10-22mm
ISO 250
12mm
f/5.6
3 exposures combined with HDR Efex
What’s your favorite American icon? Leave a comment
Last Stop: Chicago Leave a comment
Last major stop on my cross-country drive was Chicago – I caught a free concert by Low in Millenium Park, then waited for sunset for some photo opportunities. The sculpture is called Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor, but everyone just calls it ‘The Bean’.
Canon EOS 7D
ISO 400
10mm
f/4
4 sec
Badlands Vista Leave a comment
This is pretty much how every rock formation in the Badlands looks like – just imagine thousands of these and you’ll have some idea of the Badlands.
Canon EOS 7D
ISO 400
35mm
f/5
1/250 sec
Lightning over the Badlands Leave a comment
I witnessed the most amazing (and at times terrifying) storm of my life while crossing the Badlands in South Dakota: 6 hours of continuous lightning, across the entire 360 degree horizon, interspersed with torrential downpours and hail the size of hazelnuts. But it turned out to be a great night for photography.
Done! (with my Top Ten Iconic American Sights) Leave a comment
Finally visited Mt. Rushmore. Gave me goosebumps, and I’m not even a US citizen! It was the missing destination on my personal Top Ten list of must-see attractions that are emblematic of the US and America. Here’s my list, feel free to add your favorites if they aren’t on this list:
10. Hollywood Sign
9. Gateway Arch, St. Louis
8. Yellowstone Nat’l Park
7. Golden Gate Bridge
6. Empire State Building
5. Niagara Falls
4. Lincoln Memorial/The Mall, Washington DC
3. Grand Canyon
2. Mt. Rushmore
1. Statue of Liberty, NY
Deadwood, South Dakota Leave a comment
An old mining town where Wild Bill Hickok was killed and Calamity Jane is buried, it is now just a collection of sad casinos and T-shirt shops catering to bored retirees and drunk teenagers from nearby Rapid City. Only at night does it have a bit of charm.
Canon EOS 7D
ISO 500
50mm
f/25
4.0 sec
Devil’s Tower, Wyoming 1 comment
Waiting for a ray of sun to burst through the dark sky paid off, as I visited this landmark I never thought I’d see because it’s so far off the beaten path. Glad I finally saw the inspiration for ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’.
Canon EOS 7D
ISO 200
21mm
f/11
1/200 sec
Ghost town in Montana 1 comment
Elkhorn, MT: a deserted mining town 45 minutes of unpaved roads off of I-90. Truly off the beaten path. But worth it – lots of dilapidated buildings that, if they aren’t haunted, should be.
Canon EOS 7D
ISO 320
f/5.6
1/320 sec
Windmills in central Washington Leave a comment
On my drive from Seattle to Bozeman, MT.
Canon EOS 7D
ISO 100
f/5.6
1/800 sec
Goodbye San Francisco Leave a comment
Shot this while I enjoyed my last sunset in San Francisco. Will always have fond memories and hope to be back some day.
Canon EOS 7D, EFS 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5
ISO 100
1omm
f/4
2.5 sec
Full Moon at Legion of Honor Leave a comment
I took this shot on my last evening in San Francisco, in front of the Legion of Honor. I was shooting the other way, concentrating on the Golden Gate Bridge. When I turned around, a huge moon had risen above the city.
Canon EOS 7D, EFS 15-85mm
ISO 100
40mm
f/7.1
6.0 sec
Cross Country Drive: Utah Leave a comment
Storm clouds that fortunately emptied of water by the time we got underneath.
Canon EOS 7D
ISO 100
24mm
f/4
1/2000 seconds
Old & New Leave a comment
Part of the San Francisco skyline, on Market Street.
Canon Powershot G12
ISO 100
30mm
F/5.6
1/320 seconds
Cross Country Drive: New York Leave a comment
Who said that only San Francisco was enveloped in fog? This was the view as we crossed the Hudson.
Canon EOS 7D, 15-85mm EFS
Cross Country Drive: Wyoming Leave a comment
View out the passenger window during a cross-country drive.
Canon EOS 7D, EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
ISO 100
35mm
f/4.5
1/250 sec
Taking off to Mars Leave a comment
This sculpture is located on the Embarcadero in San Francisco.
iphone
App: Hipstamatic
Lens: Roboto Glitter
Film: Float
Leaving on a jet plane Leave a comment
Loved how the Boeing caught the sunlight while the rest of the beach is already in darkness.
Canon EOS 7D, EF-S10-22mm, f/3.5-4.5 USM
ISO 100
10mm
f/5
1/125 sec
Snapshots For Sore Eyes 
