What do I do when I wake up and the temperature has dropped forty degrees overnight and there are fifty mile an hour winds blowing the snow around.... I head to an oasis in upstate NY, the Joseph L. Popp Butterfly Conservatory in Oneonta. It is a sure cure for the winter blahs. My Niece Jessica travelled with me on the long drive through the Catskills, so we could take photos of the birds, reptiles and butterflies on display. It was a perfect way to spend a chilly morning.Keep Makin' Art!
Carl
8 comments:
A dear friend and I go to a small butterfly magic place in ... Oh, someone help me! Central Mass, I think. She drives, so I simply gawk and pay no attention to how we get there. You've inspired me to call her and suggest we take off for there soon. She runs around happy as a child, taking HER pictures. I sit still at first until I've collected some butterflies on my shirt and one or two in my hair, then I walk around marveling and realize people are taking pictures of my shoulder or back or the top of my head...
Your photos reflect the wonder of these places--that we find half hidden by a leaf, under a tree, in front of our noses, scooting across the walking trails.
What a lovely way to start Sunday. Have a wonderful day, Carl.
Thanks Jeannette - I find It takes me a while to absorb my surroundings here. I love that I can turn a corner and find something new. As a photographer it is a real challenge. Low light and no flash allowed. I find I really have to work to get my shots. After a while I put the camera down and sit on a bench and just enjoy. I am so glad to have a place like this to to when I need to escape winter.
This is an awesome series Carl.
Thanks Adrian! I think I need to go back and plan to spend a whole day. Shooting moving creatures in low light I was happy to just get a shot of the butterflies etc in the frame. I did not think much about composition until I was reviewing them. My Niece jessica was there too and really did an awesome job framing up her shots.
Oh, that first one is just stupendous! You've beaten me to it. We've been trying to get to the butterflies for a few weeks now, but not made it yet. Hopefully this Friday. Really appreciate these.
Dave - It was an adventure getting there with blowing snow on two lane roads in farm country, but we made it and had a great time.
I just love your pictures. The close ups are great, I wish I could get my camera to do that. What kind of a lens are you using?
Hi Wendy - I am shooting a canon 50D (DSLR) the lens for these is a 100mm macro f2.8. The pictures are hand held. I am shooting at ~1600 asa and the fstop is at f 2.8 or f4 most of the time with a shutter speed between 1/100 and 1/250th/sec.
Carl
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