Category Archives: Nature Photography

Mums The Word

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Its the time of the year that you see chrysanthemums popping up all over gardens in the Northeast. In some zones, all mums are hardy perennials. In Pittsburgh you will see two types and hardy ones will be marked as winter hardy in nurseries.

With global warming though our winters are becoming milder and even non hardy mums may winter over. So we will leave ours in the ground until spring and see which ones survive. The colors are very vibrant for weeks.

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Mums The Word

Gerbera Daisy

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We always considered Gerbera daisies to be annuals. However the U.S. Department of Agriculture says the plant is hardy in zones 8 to 11. Although Pittsburgh is a Zone 6 we have had very mild winters due to global warning and our daisies now seem to be perennials. I hope it is another mild winter so I can see this flower again next summer.

To see Richard’s other images and buy apparel or prints, please visit his commercial
gallery.

Gerbera Daisy

Multicolored Dahlias

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Dahlias have always been one of my favorite summer flowers. They are perennial plants native to Mexico and related to sunflower, daisy, chrysanthemum, and zinnia. I always thought they were only one color but these are a beautiful multicolored variety.

To see Richard’s other images and buy apparel or prints, please visit his commercial
gallery.

Multicolored Dahlias

Managing Water

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Watching the news this weekend and seeing the horror playing out in Texas due to Hurricane Harvey made me think back to my visit to the Kinderjik in The Netherlands. The great North Sea Flood of 1953 cause fantastic damage and loss of life in the Netherlands and United Kingdom.

Realizing that such infrequent events could recur, the Netherlands and The United Kingdom carried out major studies on strengthening of coastal defenses. The Netherlands developed the Delta Works, an extensive system of dams and storm surge barriers. The UK constructed storm surge barriers on the River Thames below London and on the River Hull where it meets the Humber estuary.

One would have hoped that the lessons from the Dutch and Hurricane Katrina would have helped us. But it appears that rampant overbuilding and careless water management in Houston and other Texas cities has set up another costly lesson for the USA.

I know that New Orleans has had teams from Holland come over to present their ideas. One can only hope they learn that in order to keep the water out and preventing damage, you actually have to let some of the water in and control its course.

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Water Management Canal

An Aviary Moment

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On November 11th along with former student and professional photographer Dale Schmitt we will open our two man show at the Percolate Gallery in Pittsburgh. The show is called Moments and Souls because Dale is known for his soulful portraits and I have been trying for decades to capture the decisive moment in photographs. If Dale is channeling Yousuf Karsh then I am trying to channel Henri Cartier-Bresson, Pete Davidson and Elliot Erwitt .

The difficult part for both of us is going through our work and choosing the twenty best examples of our work for the exhibition. Maybe after of the show we will publish a book of the winners and the out takes. I took this one at the National Aviary on Monday. It was shot through glass and isn’t good enough to exhibit but it is a moment that might make the book.

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An Aviary Moment

Baby Flamingo Update

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We tried to go to see the eclipse at the Science Center today but it was literally a mob scene so instead we went to The National Aviary.

The National Aviary is America’s only independent indoor nonprofit zoo dedicated exclusively to birds. Located in West Park on Pittsburgh’s historic North Side, the National Aviary’s diverse collection comprises more than 500 birds representing more than 150 species from around the world, many of them threatened or endangered in the wild.

On July 18th I published an article on the baby flamingos when they were just 10 days old. They could barely walk. They have grown a lot and even are testing their wings. The blue bands are to strengthen their legs for wading.

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Baby Flamingo Update

Baby Flamingo Update

Baby Flamingo Update

Mexican Sunset

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I have spent about 21 days in Cancún. It has rained about three days. So I have seen 18 fantastic sunsets. The sun sets quicker the closer you are to the tropics but you still have plenty of time to take good pictures and burn your eyes out if your not careful. We will be traveling there again next year and hope to see more unique scenes from mother nature.

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Mexican Sunset

Posing at The Regatta

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One of the most fun things to do at the the Three Rivers Regatta is to watch the people. In today’s society it is not hard to find someone posing but this young lady makes it look good.

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Posing at the Regatta

The Three River’s Regatta

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For the last 40 years in Pittsburgh August is the month of the Three Rivers Regatta Early this week I posted about an event at the rgeatta, the first Pittsburgh Flugtag sponsored by Red Bull..

So much fun at the Regatta is people watching. I have a friend who says he avoids the Regatta as if it were a Superfund Site. Our strategy is go early and leave early before the big crowds arrive. Here are some street shots from the day.

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Three Rivers Regatta

Three Rivers Regatta

Three Rivers Regatta

White Lily

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We planted our lilies with hope. They looked fine and healthy as they emerged from the ground. We noticed our pansies were being eaten and applied dried blood and the pansies survived. Our neighborhood suddenly seems to be overrun with rabbits. It rained for a few days and when we next looked outside the lilies all had a number of buds on each plant. We again applied the dried blood.

A week later we had a lot of rain and the next day after the rained stopped. There was not a leaf on any Lily plant. The buds were hanging off of green stalks. Damn bunnies! I was convinced they would never bloom. We again spread in the dried blood but it was too late I feared. How could they provide enough energy to bloom without any leaves for photosynthesis?

Life finds a way and the lilies survived!

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White Lilly