Baby Bat

This week was paid summer staff training at Sky Lake. Yesterday, someone spotted this baby bat on the side of the old ice house. We all took a field trip to see it.

This post can also be viewed at thephoto-op.blogspot.com.

Sarah

Made this exposure of Sarah the other night while we were photographing Kevin and Stacey. Sarah is a founding member of The Photo-op.

Love

Sarah and I were privileged to be asked by Kevin and Stacey to be the photographers for their wedding in November. We thought we’d get some practice in by taking some engagement photos. And by practice I mean well over 1,000 exposures between the two of us! We spent a couple hours this evening photographing the Kevin and Stacey around Sky Lake—the place they met. Above is one of my favorites.

UPDATE: See more photos from this shoot at www.flickr.com/groups/katenhester

Fawn

Yesterday was North America Nature Photography Day. Unfortunately, the walk through the woods on my list of things to do on my time off yesterday did not happen. To commemorate the special day, I thought I’d share with you this exposure of a fawn that was hanging around the West Shore Field at Sky Lake a couple weeks ago. It allowed me to get within a few feet of it before it ran off.

Arrival of the Hummingbird

I noticed a hummingbird zipping around the yard a couple days ago. So yesterday, I dug out the feeders, cleaned them, whipped up a batch of nectar, and hung one up. When I got home from work this afternoon, I saw two males and a female vying for the feeder.

Goldfinches on a Sunny Afternoon

The goldfinches seem to have finished molting into their brilliant breeding plumage. As I was watching a handful of finches at the feeder yesterday afternoon, I really noticed just how green everything has gotten as of late. It became even more obvious when the goldfinches would dart to one of the nearby shrubs to continue eating. Ah, springtime.

Mailbox

I took this photo this afternoon for a postcard project I’m working on at work. The joy of digital photography is that one can go from concept to product in no time flat.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the anonymous person who left a carton of eggs in the mailbox sometime on Sunday. It made our morning yesterday!

8

Close-up of the plate on the smokebox of the Baldwin locomotive on display in the 1902 Roundhouse at Steamtown. Portions of the locomotive's sides have been removed to allow viewing of the various sections of it.

Erie

On our way to Steamtown the other day, my dad and I stopped by the Starrucca House in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania. There were several old cars on the side tracks beside the station. I really liked the rust mixing with the logo on this particular one.

Photo Friday: Wildlife

It’s been awhile since I submitted anything for Photo Friday, but when I saw that the theme for the week was “wildlife”, I couldn’t resist. I happened upon this dark-eyed junco as I was stalking a wood thrush a couple weeks ago.

Steamtown

My dad and I went to Steamtown National Historic Site today. Upon arrival we took a short ride around the yard, pulled by the Canadian Pacific 2317 (pictured on the turntable.) It’s a 4-6-2 Pacific locomotive.

Spring is Officially Here

I decided to celebrate the first full day of spring (yesterday) by hanging a load of laundry on the line. It was a perfect drying day.

Mini Waterfall

The runoff from the melting snow and rain a couple weeks ago proved to be the perfect subject for me to experiment with creative exposure.

Technologically Minded Chickadees

As I was wandering around the yard the other day, I looked up and saw these chickadees perched on the antennae. I like how this exposure made an otherwise beautiful afternoon look ominous.

Rusty Gate

Sky Lake was once the hunting estate of Willis Sharpe Kilmer. Most of the original structures are gone, but the massive stone and iron gates remain. This is part of the gates to the East Shore.

A Kodak Moment

I used my dyi macro photo studio to capture a few shots of an old Kodak Duaflex IV camera (above), which belonged to my Grandma Williams.

I then tried a couple abstract techniques:


With my camera on the tripod, I increased the exposure time and zoomed in and out with my 18-55mm lens.


I thought it would be cool to take a photo of the Duaflex with something in its view finder. The outlet was the most handy object.

Let There Be Light

Knowing that the sanctuary of Sarah Jane Johnson UMC has some great architectural details, Sarah and I both showed up with cameras for the eccumenical prayer service held there last week. This light fixture played subject for a quick etude on exposure levels.

Sunset

Our photography class instructor recommended National Geographic’s The Ultimate Field Guide to Photography, and mentioned that it could be found in the bargain section at Barnes & Noble. I swung by there one evening last week and as I was walking out of the store this is what I saw. (If you look closely toward the upper right corner, you’ll also notice Venus shining brightly.)

Safety Matters

This is a somewhat collaborative piece… On our way out of photography class last week, Sarah spotted this super awesome container. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve walked past something like this and thought, “if I only had my camera.” I had my camera!

Edited with Picasa

The Old Rugged Cross

I love the rustic feel of the cross at Lakeside Tryst (an outdoor chapel here at Sky Lake) and felt this photo of it deserved its own entry.

Edited with Picasa.