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all creatures great and small

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Barely bigger than a good sized house cat, this Malaysian mouse deer is an unexpected inhabitant in this man made tropical bird paradise at the Central Park zoo, and often surprisingly hard to spot.
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Barely bigger than a good sized house cat, this Malaysian mouse deer is an unexpected inhabitant in this man made tropical bird paradise at the Central Park zoo, and often surprisingly hard to spot.

Malaysian mouse deerCentral Park Zoodeernaturezoomanhattan

  • Spring colors
  • Taken a month or two after I first moved to Staten Island over 25 years ago, I still consider it the finest shot I've ever taken at Clove Lake, and one of my all time favorite nature shots, one which I just happened to fall into. It was probably about an hour after the sun had risen over the lake, and my best friend Scott and I were heading home after collecting shots of the morning dew on the wild flowers there, which I was just as lucky to get, as I didn't realize at the time that dew only formed on plants under very specific weather conditions, and not just every morning. Luckily I just happened to pick a day off on which those conditions were met. (Can you believe anyone having luck that good?) <br /> <br /> Lost in thought over how great the shots sitting in my camera were bound to turn out, I walked along not particularly in the moment when Scott's tap snapped me back to reality as he said "Kevin look!" and pointed out ahead of us, and there this elegant creature was. (Good thing he was paying attention) For a boy raised in the Bronx, the only chance I had ever had before to capture something like this was at the zoo. But I had already started to see the potential of Clove Lake for bringing me into contact with nature without any intervening, fences or bars. Backdrops that would be real and open instead of painted on plaster walls. I've been forever in love with this lake ever since. <br /> <br /> I knew I had seen the very same bird at another part of the lake a week before, but I didn't have the requisite equipment with me then to take advantage of the situation. However this time I did, thankfully I made sure to bring my 300mm lens with me in case any opportunity like this one presented itself. Yes it does always pay to come prepared. (And it doesn't hurt to have a second pair of eyes!)<br /> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> Nikon FA<br /> Ectachrome 100<br /> nikkor 300mm ED-IF f4.5<br /> 1/60th sec.<br /> F4.5
  • I had originally tried to get a close up of one of these two caterpillars chewing on one of the leaves on this plant, while I was on vacation in St. Maarten. But there was a very strong wind from an oncoming storm blowing all the plants about madly, and with the erratic movement, looking at the caterpillars I couldn't tell which end ate and which end pooped! Still months away from getting my first DSLR I was using my old model Fujifine pics point & shoot camera, and for me the task proved to be impossible with the weather conditions. Realizing the hopelessness I decided to try for this wider view instead. I'd say from the start of my endeavor to calling it quits, it took me about 45 minutes and dozens and dozens of attempts to get one sharp shot in this frustrating wind. Then the heavy rain came pouring down and I got soaked.<br /> <br /> My eyes were tired, I could barely see, and I figured none of the shots came out sharp. I was so sure of it that I never even bothered looking at any of these particular shots when I got back on our cruise ship. I didn't even look at them when I got home from the cruise. It wasn't until a couple of months later as I started editing all my pictures from the trip that I came across this shot and was absolutely stunned at the image on my computer screen.
  • Autosave-File vom d-lab2/3 der AgfaPhoto GmbH
  • One of the first pictures I took with my new camera after around a 15 year absence from shooting with an SLR. I decided for my first location I would shoot at the Central Park Zoo. The little point and shoot digital camera I took with me on a cruise to the Caribbean a few months before this, was not able to prepare me for the quality I was going to receive from a serious DSLR. Back in the day when I used to shoot pictures I used slide film, and never used anything above 200 speed and rarely ever even using that. Usually ectachrome 100 or Fuji 50 or one of the Kodachrome's. I've got to admit I was a little worried about what quality I was going to get at the high ISO's this camera was capable of shooting at. When I turned the camera around and looked at this shot in the view screen my jaw dropped to the floor, as available light shots I only dreamed of back in the days of film, danced through my head. My D300 and I have been best friends ever since.
  • Panamanian golden frog at the Central Park Zoo
  • Barely bigger than a good sized house cat, this Malaysian mouse deer is an unexpected inhabitant in this man made tropical bird paradise at the Central Park zoo, and often surprisingly hard to spot.
  • 20080407_32 Nicobar pigeon
  • DSC_56 building a new home
  • _DSC0749 color explosion
  • As a member of the NY Zoological society for over 25 years I really enjoy taking pictures at the zoo's here. I just love the way this bird house at the Central Park Zoo makes you feel like your walking through the canopy of a rain forest. What a wonderful experience for your children.
  • DSC_1186 Blue Crowned Motmot
  • Now that's what I call camouflage.
  • For those of you who are big fans of Fuji's fujichrome 50 slide film, your reasons are on full display here. Loved for it's near invisible grain and amazingly saturated earth tones, it was perfect for a shot like this.<br /> <br /> Now I turned 50 this year and for nearly 30 of them I've been a member of the Bronx Zoo. From my apartment in the Bronx I loved going there in the winter when the crowds are low to capture nice shots of it's inhabitants. Little did I know that this trip on the 11th of February in 1987 would be one of my last here for over 20 years, as in about 4 months I would move out from my mother's apartment and rent one in Staten Island with my best friend Scott. The long trip from Staten Island would prove to be too much to deal with, with so many other things closer to me to photograph. But I always missed my favorite zoo, and went to the Members Annual meeting at Lincoln Center faithfully for many years after.<br /> <br /> One place I made sure to visit every time was it's famous reptile house. There was always SOMETHING worth capturing there every trip. This day it was a male Double Crested Basilisk who's rich colors and fine scales created a spectacular subject for my all time favorite lens to capture.<br /> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> Nikon FA<br /> Fuji 50D<br /> 1/30th sec.<br /> nikkor 105mm f4 micro<br /> F11<br /> Sunpac 622pro flash
  • Clove lake is filled with turtles, and as I stopped to photograph this favorite sunning spot I saw a free space open up, but just a few minutes later another guy "rushed" in, to enjoy this happening place.
  • Yet another great opportunity to photograph beautiful birds in their element courtesy of the Central Park zoo, of which I am a proud member.
  • Taken early Sept. of 87', after having recently moved to Staten Island a few months before, I was already eager to explore Clove lake on a regular basis, now that it was about a 20 minute walk / bus ride from my apartment. I'd never come across any place quite like this living in the Bronx. Lots of birds I'd never seen before small and large, and also wild flowers popping up here and there, giving my extensive collection of Micro lenses some subjects to try themselves out on. This summer Selfheal flowers, which bloom from June to November, were easy to find by the roadsides.<br /> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> Nikon F3<br /> Kodachrome 64<br /> 1/8th sec.<br /> nikkor 200mm f4 micro<br /> F8
  • One of my favorite places to photograph when I moved to Staten Island over 20 years ago, I would now reacquaint myself with Clove Lake using my new D300. Unfortunately while my 18-50mm Sigma zoom lens I used to take this photo took fabulous quality macro shots, it's performance from medium distances out left MUCH to be desired. I had to edit the heck out of this shot to get it this sharp. Many other nice shots I took with it were just so soft it was a hopeless waste of time to edit. Finally I couldn't take it any more and purchased Nikon's 16-85mm f3.5-5.6, and have been deliriously happy ever since. (Though yes a bit poorer.) Once again as in the old days putting a non Nikon lens on my camera led to nothing but disappointment. I told myself I'd never do it again if I can get the same lens in a Nikon. Though I must say my Tokina 12-24mm F4 is AMAZING!!!! I reach for it now without even flinching. Too bad I didn't use it on this shot. Even though I would have had to crop it down significantly, I bet it still would have given me better results. <br /> <br /> (As a later note I eventually traded in that Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 macro for Sigma's less ambitious 17-70mm 3.5-5.6 macro, and I must say it is one hell of a lens that I now use all the time with nothing but great results. Wish I had it for this one as by the time I did, the passing of time had destroyed the delicate quality that made this scene so special. As I've said many a time, you usually only get one shot at capturing a great photo).
  • As I recall, it had been a nice September evening some 25 years ago or so, and it was going to be followed by an equally nice morning. Just a few months before this I had finally moved out from my mothers convertible couch in the Bronx and struck out on my own, co-renting an apartment with my best friend Scott, here in Staten Island. <br /> <br /> It was about 5 in the morning when we headed out to Clove Lake. I wanted to capture pictures of wild flowers with dew on them, and I told Scott a few days before that I was getting up ridiculously early this morning to be there to capture some. Having gotten into photography in no small part due to me and all the pictures I use to bring back, Scott wanted to join me for once to get in on the fun.<br /> <br /> Now at the time I didn't understand that dew forms over night on plants only if the temperature drops enough from a night of relative high humidity to force the air to release it's excess water on whatever it touches. (The cooler the air gets the less moisture it can hold). I just thought dew formed in some manner on plants early most every morning before I got up, and got burned off by the sun before I was out early enough to see it. This amazingly simplistic theory of mine had me up at 3:30 in the morning trying to beat the sun to a good spot to capture this beautiful nature phenomenon, and Scott trustingly followed me.<br /> <br /> Fate must have taken pity on me for some reason, because when we got there dew was everywhere! The flower in dominance at Clove Lake that season was jewel weed. Pretty orange with reddish spots I could still make them out in the dim dawn light. After finding an exceptional pair composition wise, in front of a nice solid green background, I set up my equipment and then waited for the sunrise to send a shaft of light to illuminate my prize. Not only did I get this great shot, but after I captured the Jewel weed Scott spotted a white egret hunting in the early morning light and I got my second great nature shot at Clove lake in just one morning. These would turn out to be the first two nature shots of many to come over the years here. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good!<br /> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> Nikon FA<br /> Ectachrome 100<br /> 1/4th sec.<br /> nikkor 200mm f4 micro<br /> F11
  • While photographing at Clove Lake one spring morning I saw this spot on the other side of the brook I was walking down, and I knew if I came back to this spot in a few hours, the afternoon sun would pass over the trees and shine down warmly on this spot, saturating the golds and greens and turning it into a nice little photographic opportunity.
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