Monarch

The monarch reigns supreme at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens Butterfly House. This Saturday morning is the annual Monarch tagging and release by the Butterfly Society of Virginia. Canon 7D, 1/400 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 800, 100mm macro.

Zebra Swallowtail

- A beautiful Zebra Swallowtail photographed at the Butterfly House in Norfolk's Botanical Gardens. Canon 7D, 1/250 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro.

A First

- This is a first for my daily photo blog - a picture I didn't take! After 630 straight days of posting my pictures, I took the day off - well kind of. You see today was my birthday and we went to Sandbridge Beach in the late afternoon with my grandson Robert. I did take a bunch of pictures but then I asked a young lady sitting next to us on the beach if she would mind taking a picture of the three of us. She was a bit intimidated by the Canon 7D and confessed she didn't take very good pictures. I told her not to worry, just point and shoot. She took four pictures while we were trying to convince Robert to look up at the pretty girl when a big wave hit us from behind. Lucky for me, she got the money shot. We were pretty soaked but it was great fun as you can tell from this picture. Canon 7D (The Intimidator), 1/1000 sec at f/10.0, ISO 400, 45mm focal length.

My Buddy

- We went to have dinner at Brian and Kristal's yesterday and I got to spend some time with my grandson Robert. While it was a disappointing day for us Redskin fans, seeing him in his Chris Cooley jersey and hearing his "go Skins" cheer made the day a winner. BTW - the tangerine chicken from the Bobby Flay Grilling book was outstanding. Canon 7D, 1/250 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 800, 190mm focal length.

Blue Diamond

- The U.S. Navy's Blue Angels flight demonstration team flew right over me in their classic diamond formation. They were performing as a part of the 2010 NAS Oceana Air Show in Virginia Beach, Virginia this weekend. Canon 7D, 1/2000 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400, 200mm focal length.

Jackson

- Andrew Jackson, 17th President of the United States, was one of the country's more colorful presidents. He took the oath of office in 1829 with a saber slash scar on his forehead and two bullets embedded in his body. One bullet lodged near his heart and came from a duel with Charles Dickinson whom Jackson killed in the duel. This picture was taken at President's Park near Williamsburg Virginia. The park is a collection of giant 18 foot tall busts of the first 43 presidents. The park is reported to be closing at the end of the month so we paid a visit today. It was pretty surreal. Canon 7D, 1/1600 sec @ f/4.p0, ISO 100, 80mm focal length, converted to Black & with with Silver Efex Pro.

Take Time . . .

- to smell the flowers. One of life's best lessons was reinforced to me today by our new kitten Sherlock. Watching him investigate and explore melts my stress away. Everything is just so interesting again and thanks to Susan for the great cut flowers! Canon 40D, 1/640 sec @ f/2.0, ISO 1600, 50mm prime lens.

Town Hall

The historic Town Hall Theater on West 43rd Street in New York City was a great venue for Joe Bonamassa's Black Rock Tour last April. I can't wait to see Joe play his blues again at the Sandler Theater in Virginia Beach on November 19th. Canon 7D, 1/250 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 400.

The Big Button

The Big Button marks the the location of the Fashion Center Information Kiosk at the corner of 7th Avenue and 39th Street in New York City. The Fashion District also known as the Garment District, has a long and colorful history and has jumped into the mainstream media spotlight with the popular "Project Runway" reality show. Canon G11, 1/60 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200.

Feline Gmail

- My cat Sasha checking her gmail. Canon 7D, 1/320 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 400, 100mm focal length.

Renaissance Court

- Renaissance Court at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens is magnificent in its design and beauty. Its classic design was inspired by the Italian Renaissance of the late 16th century. Canon 7D, 1/1000 sec @ f/8.0. ISO 400, 100mm focal length. Converted to Black & White using Silver Efex Pro.

Light Rain

- We had nice light rain all day today and we needed it. The knockout roses seem to really enjoy it. Canon 7D, 1/13 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 1600, 100mm macro, micro Litepanel.

How's This Man?

- One of the meerkat trio who make their home at the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk. They can almost always be counted on to strike a pose for the camera. Canon 40D, 1/125 sec @ f/11.0, ISO 400, 200mm focal length.

Laser Bubbles

- I was feeling experimental tonight, so this photograph was made using a green laser pointer illuminating a roll of bubble wrap. I got a lot of cool pictures using the laser and wrap, just hope I didn't burn too many holes in my retinas from the random reflections. The green laser pointer was once a sign of true geekness, but they are getting pretty commonplace today. So it might be time to upgrade to a blue or yellow laser to maintain one's status in the world of geeks. Canon G11, 1/15 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800.

Piano Man

- Neil Giraldo on the piano at the American Music Festival in Virginia Beach last Sunday. Canon Rebel XTi, 1/200 sec @ f/2.0, ISO 800, 85mm focal length.

Welcome Garden

- Looking towards the Welcome Garden from behind the fountain in the Sarah Lee Baker Perennial Garden. This area of Norfolk's Botanical Gardens is absolutely spectacular in the early morning light. This picture was made intentionally with a slower shutter speed so the water would appear as stream rather than mid-air frozen droplets. The small aperture at f/32 creates a long depth of field bring both the fountain in the foreground and the gladiolus in the background into focus. Canon 7D, 1/50 sec @ f/32, ISO 400.

Heartbreaker

Neil Giraldo and Pat Benatar rock out on "Heartbreaker" during the encore of their show in Virginia Beach this past Sunday night. Canon Rebel XTi, 1/250 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800, 85mm lens.

Meet Sherlock

- This is Sherlock the newest addition to our family. He's a three month old male Tokinese and Sasha's half brother. Sasha has not welcomed him with open arms but with a lot of hissing and growling. Did you know cats growled, I didn't. Sherlock has done his share of hissing as well and I think they are reaching a mutual understanding.. Canon G11, 1/15 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 800, macro mode.

Red

- It was all red as Pat Benatar began the performance of her song "Hell is for Children" on the 5th Street stage in Virginia Beach. Check out more photos from the concert. Canon Rebel XTi, 1/400 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800, 85mm f/1.8 prime lens.

Surfer Girl

- One more surfing photo from last weekend's ECSC. This is pro surfer Haley Watson exhibiting great form when cutting back. The board is coming right at you. Canon 7D, 1/2500 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400, 400mm.

Clouds

- This was a sunrise I captured back in the winter. The photo is way underexposed and nicely reveals the depth and texture of the early morning clouds. Canon 7D, 1/160 sec @ f/16.0, ISO 200.

Surf's Up

- Another photo from last weekend's ECSC at Virginia Beach. Surf was definitely up for this ride by Jamie Battinger as she won her heat on Friday afternoon. Canon 7D. 1/2500 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400, 400mm focal length.

Dappled Light

- Another photo of Dylan from my natural light portrait class with Erin Manning last Friday. I liked the dappled light, Dylan's thoughtful pose and the crepe myrtle blooms. All together they make this an unusual and interesting portrait. Canon 7D, 1/200 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 200, 60mm focal length.

Night Spider

- A few weeks back I mentioned that our big sewing machine spider had disappeared after finishing her egg sac. She had spent most of the summer under the Bloodgood Japanese maple. Last night when I watering the planters on the deck I walked into her new large web. I'm not sure who was more scared me or her - well I'm pretty sure it was me. After a while she ventured back out and I took this closeup photo. Canon 7D, 1/50 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 1600, 100mm macro lens.

Lily Pads

- This lone bloom was sitting amidst the dark green lily pads and the dark water. I liked the picture in black and white but decided to try adding the focal color for the center of the bloom. Canon G11, 1/1000 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 200.

Dylan

- Dylan was a model for my natural light portrait photography lesson with Erin Manning on Friday. He was a real trooper putting up with us for two and half hours. This was one of my favorite shots of him. Canon 7D, 1/320 sec @f/5.6, ISO 200, 105mm focal length. Thanks to Dylan and his mom Teresa for modeling for us.

Kickflip

- A high flying pro skateboarder at the Vans "Off the Wall" exhibition at the East Coast Surfing Championship in Virginia Beach this week. Canon 7D, 1/4000 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 400, 70-200 zoom at 95mm focal length.

ECSC

This weekend is the East Coast Surfing Championships in Virginia Beach, Virginia. On Friday afternoon Haley Watson cuts back into a wave. She finished second in her heat for the Pro Women and advanced to Saturday's semi-final. I captured this photo using my 100-400 zoom fully extended to 400mm. There is an almost identical photo taken by another photographer of the same scene and its posted on the official ECSC website. Canon 7D, 1/2500 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400.

Ojects in Mirror

- Are Closer Than They Appear! Canon G10, 1/400 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 100.

Ignition

A match at the instant of ignition. Canon Digital Rebel XTi, 1/125 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200, Canon Macro MPE 65mm lens, tripod and focusing rails used.

Star Light

- Stars explode out from the light core. This is one of those fiber optic light wands photographed with my Lensbaby using the star creative aperture disk. The little different colored points of light at the end of the fibers create a specular highlight. Because they are out of focus, they take on the shape of the camera's aperture. In this case the aperture is a cardboard disk with a star shaped opening. Canon Digital Rebel XTi, 1/30 sec @ ~f/2.8, ISO 800.

Pamlico Sound

Early morning on the Pamlico Sound looking northwest from Hatteras Island North Carolina. It has been a while since I posted a nice landscape photo that wasn't a sunrise or sunset on this blog. This was from a trip to Hatteras Island back in September 2008. Looking at this photo has an amazing calming affect on me, taking me back to a great late summer get away. Canon 40D, 1/125 sec @ f/14, ISO 200.

Lotus Gardens

This wasp was visiting the Lotus blossoms at the Lotus Gardens on Sandbridge Road in Virginia Beach, Virginia this afternoon. The morning rain is beaded up on the floating leaves in the background giving it the sparkly look. Canon 7D, 1/2500 sec @ f/6.2, ISO 400, 100-400mm zoom at 275mm.

Sandpiper Strut

- This little sandpiper was strutting his stuff at Sandbridge Beach this evening. He had a strip of about 20 yards of beach that he was working with each wave. When ever another Sandpiper landed on his beach, he promptly chased them off. Canon 7D, 1/200 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 800, 400mm.

Hummingbird Sage

The Hummingbird Sage or Salvia coccinea 'Coral Nymph'. This the developing bud for the bright colored multiple blooms that will appear at the end of this stalk. Canon 7D, 1/100 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro. Check out the B&W version of this shot at The World in Black & White.

Lantana Bee

- Another macro photo for my bug week. The Lantana really attracts the bees and butterflies. Canon G10, 1/2000 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 400 in macro mode.

Another Butterfly

- Yet another butterfly photo the gulf fritillary from the Butterfly House at Norfolk Botanical Gardens. This was a really productive day in terms of getting great photos. We started early so the butterflies weren't real active yet making the chances of getting a good image much better. Canon 7D, 1/60sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro.

Buckeye

- This Buckeye butterfly was a perfect specimen. While it hard to see at the resolutions used for the blog, I was very happy with the detail in this photograph. With three insect photos in a row, I guess this is bug week. Canon 7D, 1/500 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400, 100mm macro.

Busy Bee

- The bees were out in force Saturday morning in the border garden at Norfolk's Botanical Gardens. They were so busy that it was very difficult to catch them in focus on the macro lens. With such a short depth of field and the need to focus manually - it was quite a challenge. I took lots of shots most of which were either soft or had the bee exiting the frame. Into the bit bucket with those. But if you take enough, occasionally you get a few good ones. You've got to just love digital photography! Canon 7D, 1/125 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro lens, hand held.

Argiope Spider

- The female argiope spider are also known as sewing machine or garden spiders. She is quite an impressive site. This very large spider is found in flower gardens. Mine has been in her web for a couple of months now and has one large egg sack complete. The much smaller male spider disappeared two weeks ago, after fulfilling his role - he met his fate. The male spider is definitely a "fully committed" partner. Canon 7D, 1/160 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro.

Sunrise

- I participated in a sunrise photo shoot at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens this morning. We were set up in the Enchanted Storybook Forest section near the northeastern most part of the gardens. This is looking east towards the Little Creek Amphibious Base in Virginia Beach. Canon 7D, 1/250 sec @ f/16.0, ISO 200, mounted on a tripod.

Pampas Grass

- Pampas grass on the shores of Back Bay at Knotts Island North Carolina. Canon G10, 1/640 sec @ f/7.1, ISO 200.

Water Drop

-A Black and White photo from my Strobist Water Drop series. Canon 40D, 1/250 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 100, 50mm focal length. Check out some of my other B&W photos posted at The World in Black & White. For more great black and white images see The Weekend in Black and White.

Gulf Fritillary

- Another butterfly picture from my weekend photo shoot at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. Canon 7D, 1/400 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro lens.

Krazy Kat

- One of my close friends once commented about first meeting our cat Sasha with "David, that's one crazy cat you've got there." Well that she is! Recently she has taken to sitting on top of opened doors looking down on us mere humans. Canon 7D, 1/60 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 800.

Ghost Rider

- The street lights and stoplights sparkle in this long exposure of a night street scene. A ghostly bicyclist peddling along the sidewalk leaves a wobbly streak from his taillight. Canon 40D, 55mm, 5 secs @f/20.0, ISO 100 mounted on a tripod. Check out some of my other B&W photos posted at The World in Black & White. For more great black and white images see The Weekend in Black and White.

Passion Butterfly

Another photo from yesterday's "Butterfly Shoot" at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. This pair of mating Gulf Fritillary or "Passion Butterflies" were oblivious to to a bunch of photographers and constant camera clicking. Canon 7D, 1/500 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro lens.

Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar

This morning I took part in a "Butterfly Shoot" at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens in Norfolk, Virginia. Had a great time in the butterfly house and got some great pictures of butterflies and caterpillars. This is the Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar. Look for more pictures from the shoot is future blog posts. Canon 7D, 1/200, f/3.5, ISO 400, 100mm macro.

Hot Now

- There's nothing like a hot Krispy Kreme doughnut. The melt in you mouth sugar bomb is a Southern tradition. It takes super human powers to pass up when the "Hot Now" sign is lit up. Canon G10, 1/15 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 80, mounter on a tripod and taken in a light rail. The picture is just OK but the doughnuts were outstanding.

Red, White & Blue

- Canon 7D, 1/250 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 100, indirect reflected flash from below and behind.