Another one that was lost in the editing shuffle. I had another macro shot of this orchid that I put on my commercial site but actually like this one better. I like the way the foliage provide a natural background for the vibrant color of the bloom.
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Orchids on Display
As a photographer I have risen frequently to greet the morning sun. I am always struck by the birds. If you are going to take a sunrise picture you want to be on the scene before the sun rises. If you are real early in the eerie light you can hear the birds waking up but can’t see them. Then you will begin to see them perched and stretching their necks,fluttering their wings and then as the sun begins to peek out flight.
Taken in Mexico off a beach near Cancún.
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Greeting the Sun
A photographer friend and former student of mine and I were discussing HDR. I have started to use auto bracketing and the new HDR merge feature of Lightroom on some images. I am generally pleased with the results.There is almost no ghosting with tripod shots. I also did hand held shots with a VR lens and the ghosting correction option worked perfectly. See Yesterday’s post
My friend suggested I try the NIK filter collection plug-in from Google which I have since installed and am really amazed with the options offered by this product. I have just started to experiment with it and so far I am wowed! I cannot yet comment on all the features but compare the two images below.
The first was done with standard editing using saturation, highlight and monochrome tools on Lightroom. The second using one of the many editing pallets from the HIK Silver plugin for Lightroom.
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Standard Editing Monochrome
NIK Silver Tool
The U.S.Capitol is currently being renovated inside and out. They are working hard to have it ready for the inauguration next January. Too bad few inside the building are working at anything except making themselves richer and being errand boys for the lobbyists that own them. Sigh. Sorry, I really do try to keep politics off this blog.
The building is beautiful and so is its history. This is an HDR merge photo of the exterior front.
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Storm Clouds over the Capitol
Washington D.C. has a lot of wonderful monuments. The Lincoln and Jefferson are fantastic and so are the newer monuments. However, The Washington Monument is our Eiffel Tower and iconic of our democracy. It is also fitting since George Washington was the father of our country. Not just because he was the first President.
People wanted George Washington to be King but he said we had just worked to overthrow a King and we didn’t need another. People wanted him to rule the country as a General but he resigned his commission and insisted that the Military and The Government had to be separate. Along with Jefferson and many others he developed our Constitution and resigned his Army commission to become our first President. In his final speech he warned us about political parties and oligarchy. Too bad we didn’t listen.
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The Washington Monument
It all started with The Kids in the Hall, in the early 1990’s. The sketch comedy show started by Crushing the Heads of their bosses. The sketches were so funny they continued using faux photo perspective to crush everything. Everything is puny when you hold it between your fingers. So here is my lovely wife, crushing the sun! It looks puny and insignicicant between her fingers.
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On our recent visit to The Nation’s Capitol we were given a personal tour of Congress by an aide to Representative Pat Tiberi (R-OH). Our own Senator never answered our request and my great nephew arranged for the tour. I want to thank Mr. Tiberi’s office for arranging the tour on such short notice. I learned that if you want to visit go through your Representative or Senator rather than arrange a tour on your own.
There are many perks for doing this. Your group will be small, it was just myself and my wife. Your tour guide can save you hours in line. If Congress is not in session you will be allowed on the floor of Congress. You can only do this with a personal guide. It was really inspiring to sit in on one the chairs and have the view that congress has when listening to the State of The Union. Also the Representative from your home district will be knowledgeable about your state and the history as it relates to the Capitol.
You will be allowed to visit The Speaker’s Gallery which offers one of the best views of Washington DC. This is where the Speaker of the House can sit outside and enjoy a private lunch with his colleagues or a cigar. This is the view that the third most powerful person in our government enjoys every day.
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The Speaker’s Balcony
The Florida Botanical Garden in Largo Florida is a wonderful experience and it is FREE! It addition to acres of stupendous plantings there is a Florida Heritage Park attached with historic buildings from the the beginnings of the State. There is a school, rail siding, auto repair shop and many others. The place is very large and can’t be seen in a single visit. This beautiful fountain is in the Tropical Plants area.
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Fountain in The Garden
I have yet to get a good picture of an osprey in flight. They are less predictable and faster than pelicans and frequently confused with bald eagles. This one is perched along a lake in The Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo Florida.
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Osprey Portrait
A few weeks ago I posted Death from Above and some people were expressing displeasure with the blue heron and called the perpetrator a nasty bird. Really it’s just the circle of life folks. But in all fairness to this beautiful bird, I thought I should show the less violent side of the blue heron, the Gecko is on its own.
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Heron
Imagery Photography 