Tag Archives: wildlife

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June 12, 2022

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hiking, Nature, Photography, religion, Thoughts

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Photographic Thoughts — 06/05/2022 to 06/11/2022

“It’s one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like, it’s another thing to make a portrait of who they are.” — Paul Caponigro

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.

For the first time in a while, all these photos were taking this week.

Last week we are played a game — name the national park.

Here are the answers.

Bring Water! — Mesa Verde National Park, Cortez and Mancos, CO
Do not Stand — Natural Bridges National Monument, Blanding, UT
Impassible When Wet — Arches National Park, Moab, UT
Holt Orchards — Capital Reef National Park, Torrey, UT
Dangerous Cliffs — Bryce Canyon National Park, Bryce Canyon, UT
River Walk — Zion National Park, Springdale, UT
Mules — North Rim, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon, AZ

Now for this week’s photos.

Sunday, 06/05/2022: Posted photo — Pentecost.

Settings: Google Pixel 2, ISO 193, f/1.8, 1/125 s, 4 mm.

Pentecost is a Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles.

Monday, 06/06/2022: Posted photo — Batting Cage.

Settings: Google Pixel 2, ISO 132, f/1.8, 1/125 s, 4 mm.

This is our son’s batting cage. We purchased it when he was in high school about 10 years ago and he still goes out to hit balls. He is now coaching baseball at the high school that he is teaching. He enjoys going out and hitting balls.

Tuesday, 06/07/2022: Posted photo — Wildflowers.

Settings: Google Pixel 2, ISO 83, f/1.8, 1/1462 s, 4 mm.

With rain, comes wildflowers. These are at the parking lot at work. The grass gets cut when wet, and once the sun comes out, these flowers appear.

Wednesday, 06/08/2022: Posted photo — Deer in Backyard.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 3200, f/5.6, 1/250 s, 135 mm.

My son and I were going to the Relay for Life (RFL) to bring more items to our site. The Relay for Life is a 24 hour walk to raise money for cancer research and is put on by the American Cancer Society (ACS). This was the first time in three years that the relay was live.

Back to my story, my son asked me if I had my camera an saw this deer in the street. Shortly after I gathered my camera a car came by and spooked the deer. I followed it into our yard, expecting not to see it. I was surprised to see it posing for me next to out son’s batting cage. This delayed our trip to the RFL.

Thursday, 06/09/2022: Posted photo — Relay Quilt.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/5, 1/80 s, 27 mm.

At the RFL you can do on-site fundraising. One of the members of our team made this mini quilt as a fundraiser. The color of the ribbons indicates a different type of cancer. There are websites that can help you identify the ribbon color to a type of cancer. I was going to list them here for you, but there are so many different colors. Here is a link to on website: https://www.healthline.com/health/cancer/cancer-ribbon-colors.

Friday, 06/10/2022: Post photo — Survivors Lap.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/6.3, 1/160 s, 76 mm.

At the start of the RFL, cancer survivors take a lap. Encouraging to see so many out walking. There were survivors of less than a month to over 25 years participating in survivors lap this year.

Saturday, 06/11/2022: Post photo — Luminaria.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 0.8 s, 27 mm.

One of the most powerful events at the RFL is the luminaria. Each back has the name of a family member, friend, colleague, or acquaintance that is either fighting cancer or has finished their fight. There is a silent lap after some ceremonies. The only noise during that lap is the sound of footprints and the sound of a lone bagpiper leading the lap.

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.

My Weebly website has not been updated since February 16, the day before I broke my ankle.

For more photo of other project I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.

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November 21, 2021

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hiking, Inspiration, Nature, Photography

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Photographic Thoughts — 11/14/2021 to 11/20/2021

“When I say I want to photograph someone, what it really means is that I’d like to know them. Anyone I know I photograph.” — Annie Leibovitz

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.

Sunday, 11/14/2021: Posted photo — Turkeys.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/60 s, 39 mm.

I was going to post another photo today. I will post it at the end of today’s commentary.

I was getting ready to go on the hike I did not go on Saturday and looked out our window and saw some turkeys on the road. As I watch, more and more turkeys arrived. I was just watching, and since there were so many of them, I decided to take out my camera to attempt photographing them. At one time I counted a dozen turkeys on our front lawn and about six or seven turkeys across the street. It has been a while since I have seen a rafter of turkeys this large.

Sorry about the quality of this photo. It was taken through my front window. The window is dirty and there is a screen on it.

Now for the second photo. The photo that is did not post is one of a pile of backpacks. Why backpacks you may ask. Well, these backpacks are meant for the homeless. Our church has been collecting backpacks for the homeless for a few years now. The go to Our Father’s House, a shelter in Fitchburg, MA. Our Father’s House is a private, non-sectarian agency providing shelter and related services to homeless men, women, and children. These backpacks are filled with food, shelter, and love for those who are in need.

Monday, 11/15/2021: Posted photo — Clouds.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/640 s, 24 mm.

This is the time of year when it is getting harder to take photos. It is getting harder because I go to work in the dark and leave work in the dark, not leaving much opportunity to take photos.

One of my duties is as the company photographer. Normally I am a mechanical engineering, but they know that I am a semi-professional or advance amateur photographer, so I take photos of produce for various reasons. I am not a product photographer, and these photos leave the company or are used for promotional purposes. As I was walking between buildings, I saw the sun reflecting off the clouds. I was just going to take a photo of the clouds, but I decided to add the flag and flagpole into it for scale and to break up the monotony of a photo of just the clouds.

Always keep your eyes open for a photo opportunity.

Tuesday, 11/16/2021: Posted photo — Movies.

Settings: Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 3200, f/5.6, 1/8 s, 62 mm.

The Twilight Zone was a television show that ran from 1959–1964. This show, created by Rod Serling, is about “ordinary people finding themselves in extraordinarily astounding situations, which they each try to solve in a remarkable manner”. The show won nine awards and was nominated for 14 more.

This was one of my favorite shows as I was growing up. It stopped airing the year I was born, but I would watch in in reruns. Some of the shows are silly to watch and some of them cause nightmares. They would always keep you guessing.

I saw these DVDs a while ago and purchased them so I could watch the episodes again. This was before all the stream services currently on the web. I like the first season of a show since you can see the development of the shows format.

Wednesday, 11/17/2021: Posted photo — What am I.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 64, f/1.7, 1/60 s, 4 mm

I am an Aloha pepper.

Also known as Enjoya and Aloha, Striped Holland bell peppers are a new variety that was discovered as a surprise variation in a garden in the Netherlands and have been developed over time to showcase the bi-colored traits. This pepper was developed by the Sunset company (https://www.sunsetgrown.com/our-produce/peppers/aloha-peppers/) and have only been shipped to select retailers since 2018.

I do not like peppers, so I cannot describe what they taste like. I took this photo since I thought the pepper had a personality crisis and I liked the look.

Thursday, 11/18/2021: Posted photo — Focus Test.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 3200, f/5.6, 1/125 s, 135 mm.

I have a lens that is 18–135mm. Today it decided not to focus if I had it past 50 mm. Need to send it out to get fixed again. It was already repaired once. This is a test of the focus range. This was the one and only time it focused in at 135 mm. I think put pressure on the side of the lens to get it to focus.

Found out that the version of my lens is out of service life, there are no longer any repair options available for it. I can purchase a discounted lens using Canon’s Upgrade Program. Something I need to investigate doing soon so that I can have a lens for the upcoming holidays. I purchased the camera in 2014.

Friday, 11/19/2021: Post photo — Partial Lunar Eclipse.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 250, f/16, 1/50 s, 300 mm.

The Beaver Moon was full at 3:58 a.m. Four minutes later, at 4:02 a.m., a partial lunar eclipse occurred. The Beaver Moon was a micromoon. A Micromoon is when a Full Moon or a New Moon coincides with apogee, the point in the Moon’s orbit farthest away from Earth.

The moon was in the Earth’s shadow for just over six hours this morning, the longest lasting partial lunar eclipse in 580 years. The moon was only visible for about a half hour during those six hours in my area due to cloud cover. The rule around here seems to be if there is an astronomical event, there would be cloud cover. Really, it seems, there is a clear sky for such an event.

I set my alarm for 3 a.m. to watch the eclipse moving to maximum. It was cloudy. I took a half hour nap to see if the clouds would clear. It was cloudy. Took another half hour nap and the moon was still hidden by the clouds. I went back to bed for another half hour to get up at my normal time. When I got out of bed, I looked in the direction of the moon expecting to see it in the clouds once more. This time I saw it. I gathered my photo equipment, jumped in my car, and then went to an area where I could see the moon clearly. My house is in a wooded area, so I saw the moon through the trees.

When I got to a photo spot, the clouds were moving in. I quickly setup my camera and took a few shots blind. Set my camera on my tripod and took some shots as the clouds were starting to cover the moon once more. Not the best-case scenario for taking a photo of this historic event. I would have liked to set up my camera and do some test shoots to get my settings correct. Not enough time to do so.

Photo tip of the week — Baseline setting for a photo of partial lunar eclipse: 14-1000 mm, f/5.6–f/8, ISO 100-800, 1/250 s. Set you camera on a tripod and turn off image stabilization.

This morning I attempted to use my “moon” lens at 1250 mm but it was too windy for the lens. None of the photos were too my liking so I posted this photo I took with my 300 mm lens.

Saturday, 11/20/2021: Post photo — Woodshed.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/10 s, 25 mm.

Last week I posted a photo of our last wood delivery. After I posted that photo, someone wanted me to post a photo of the wood all stacked up. Here it is.

For more photo of other project I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.

Please note that I have not been able to post to my Weebly page for over a week, so the photos are a little behind there. Weebly technical support is still working on the issue.

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August 15, 2021

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Photographic Thoughts — 08/08/2021 to 08/14/2021

“The whole point of taking pictures is so that you don’t have to explain things with words.” — Elliott Erwitt

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.

Enjoy this week’s rambling mind of a mechanical engineer and photographer.

Sunday, 08/08/2021: Posted photo — Balancing the World.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/160 s, 106 mm.

My wife’s family have a reunion the first Saturday of August every year. Relatives from all around the country, and sometimes the world, come to visit. The reunion is only schedule for one day yet it occurs over the course of the week.

My brother-in-law likes to juggle. He juggles clubs, balls, boxes, fire clubs, fire balls, scarfs, and people. He also does tricks for the younger members of the family. People young and old look forward to his juggling act. In this picture, he is spinning the parasols to balance the world.

Monday, 08/09/2021: Posted photo — Backpack.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 80, f/1.7, 1/120 s, 4 mm

Monday night is hiking night, as some of you may know by now. We purchased a new backpack for my son since his is old and losing padding. I tried out his backpack tonight to see how comfortable it is to use. This photo was taken on the summit fire watch tower on Wachusett Mountain.

For your information, the backpack was comfortable for short hikes. I may not be so for the longer hikes we have planned so we will be purchasing another backpack for him.

Tuesday, 08/10/2021: Posted photo — Can You Hear Me.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 1600, f/5.6, 1/1600 s, 135 mm.

Hearing protection is required when one is exposed to a sound level over 85 dB for 8 hrs. Some examples of how loud that is are: Garbage disposal, dishwasher, average factory, freight train (at 15 meters). Car wash at 20 ft (89 dB); propeller plane flyover at 1000 ft (88 dB); diesel truck 40 mph at 50 ft (84 dB); diesel train at 45 mph at 100 ft (83 dB). Food blender (88 dB); milling machine (85 dB); garbage disposal (80 dB). Manufacturing plants have sound levels that exceed the 85 dB threshold so hearing protection is required.

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Why did I take this photo? I took it since I liked the mixture of colors in the container. This is one of the photos that I took today for my photo project. I liked this one over the other once that I took today. I will not be posting the other photos I took. That should be telling you the quality of those photos.

Wednesday, 08/11/2021: Posted photo — Feed Me.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/125 s, 135 mm.

These birds were waiting for their mother to feed them. I have walked past then a few times over the last two weeks and decided to take their photo today. I took a similar photo last year. I like the way that one of the birds is looking for food and the other one is just looking like he is annoyed.

Thursday, 08/12/2021: Posted photo — Find the Meteor.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 1600, f/4, 15 s, 28 mm.

The Perseids are a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Swift–Tuttle. The meteors are called the Perseids because the point from which they appear to hail lies in the constellation Perseus. The meteor shower reached it peak this year at 4:01 a.m. today. The photo is dark because I had to adjust for the light pollution in the area. I look online and see these great photos of the meteor shower taken from dark sky areas. Someday I will travel to a dark sky area during a meteor shower. Last year I posted my first photo of the Milky Way from a dark sky reserve, Canyonland National Park. Dark Sky Reserves are designated by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA). They are areas that offer exceptional starry nights and are specifically protected for scientific, natural, educational, cultural, heritage and/or public enjoyment.

Did you find it? Look northwest of the “Seven Sisters”. What are the “Seven Sisters”?

From space.com: “The Pleiades are a group of more than 800 stars located about 410 light-years from Earth in the constellation Taurus. Most skywatchers are familiar with the assembly, which looks something like a smaller, hazier version of the Big Dipper in the night sky.

Also known as the “Seven Sisters” and Messier 45, the object derives its English name from Greek legend. The Pleiades are the seven daughters of the Titan god Atlas and the ocean nymph Pleione. During an ancient war, Atlas rebelled against Zeus, the king of the gods, who sentenced his foe to forever hold up the heavens on his shoulders. The sisters were so sad that Zeus allowed them a place in the sky in order to be close to their father.”

Friday, 08/13/2021: Post photo — Sunflower.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 50, f/1.7, 1/287 s, 4 mm

Sunflowers have symbolic meanings in love, luck, spirituality, and dreams. Why did I post a photo a sunflower today? Today is Friday the 13.

From my web research I found out more information. This is from the CNN website: “From Scandinavia, Panati explains, the superstition then spread south throughout Europe, becoming well established along the Mediterranean by the start of the Christian era. It was here that the unsettling power of the numerals was cemented through the story of the Last Supper, which was attended by Jesus Christ and his disciples on Maundy Thursday. The 13th and most infamous guest to arrive, Judas Iscariot, was the disciple who betrayed Jesus, leading to his crucifixion on Good Friday.”

For you that follow FOX news: “According to the history website, the association of 13 being unlucky likely started in Western culture the Last Supper in the Bible. In the biblical story, 13 people sat at the Last Supper table – Jesus and his 12 disciples – and the next day, Jesus was crucified.”

Here is wishing you luck today.

Saturday, 08/14/2021: Post photo — Sunrise.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/160 s, 300 mm.

Saturday is my day to sleep in. I wake up around 4:30 a.m. every day so I look forward to sleeping in on Saturday mornings. Today I woke up at 4 a.m. to climb Wachusett Mountain to take a photo of the sunrise.

When I arrived at the summit, I was the only one there. The sky was clear until just about the time the sun was to rise, 5:42 a.m. There was a fog bank that rolled in. I could see the sun over the horizon since I knew the location that it was to rise. I was giving up hope of seeing the sunrise. Then the fog burned off just enough for me to take this photo.

I went back to bed for a few hours when I came back home from my hike.

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.

For more photo of other project I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com/ or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.

COVID is real! Be safe out there, keep your social distance, and remember to always wear your mask and wash your hands. Get your vaccine!