Saltwater Sucks

I love the ocean there is no denying that. One of my favorite things to do is when I go to the beach, is to find interesting subjects and compositions that I have never seen before, which is a great challenge, but I really enjoy it. Who wouldn't?!?!

However, saltwater and electronics don't mix, and usually I am extremely careful when shooting around the water, for I'm really not interested in loosing my equipment, for it's hard enough to just keep the sand out of everything.

In the past, I paid very careful attention when I am in or around the ocean, but on Monday evening, my luck ran out. I hit the beach in the evening to get some nice macro shots of a Florida Fighting Conch shell on the beach, and the timing was perfect, for I had great evening light, as well as low tide. While I was shooting over the next two hours, the tide changed.

Just as I was finishing up, and I was lying on the beach in the surf line and my camera only an inch from the sand and water, a wave suddenly hit me that I never saw coming, and wiped out the camera. It is now dead, but a valuable lesson has been learned. Here's hoping the new gear gets here this Friday, just in time for the long holiday weekend.

Baby Mockingbird

I haven't been out photographing my first love for the past several months, which is wildlife, for I have been busy working on several other photography projects that I have slowly been wrapping up. I kinda miss it, but I know the winter months are just ahead, which is prime time to get out and get back to nature.

This evening I was sitting outside, enjoying the 90+ degree summer night, when out of the corner of my eye I saw something moving fairly quickly across the grass. I looked to see what it was, and to my surprise, it was a baby Mockingbird, following it's parent to a tree, encouraging it all the while to jump up to where he was.

I've never seen a baby Mockingbird, so this was a rare opportunity I wasn't about to pass on. I ran inside and grabbed the camera, and was able to get a few real nice pictures of the baby as he sat there watching me. I was a little afraid at first, for I was sure the parents were going to dive bomb me, for that is what the Mockingbird is famous for, as we see them all the time taking on the resident Red-shoulderd Hawks in our backyard.

The parents never came after me, even though I was quite a bit away from him, since I was using my very long telephoto lens. It made for a nice break for the evening, and a real nice series of portraits for sure of a baby Mockingbird.

Watchful Eyes

It's August, and we are now in the heart of the 2007 Hurricane season, and we finally have our first one of the season out in the Atlantic, Hurricane Dean. It has the potential to be a major storm, although it is still quite some time away from Florida.

Since it is so far away at this point, it's too early to tell where it will be heading, but the computer models have it coming into the Gulf of Mexico early next week, so from there it is anybody's guess. It should make for a very interesting next week none the less.

Welcome Back

This past weekend, we flew back up to our old hometown of Cleveland, Ohio to attend the wedding of my sister-in-law. It was great to see our families and friends for the first time in over two years, and we had a great time. The wedding took place out in Hudson, Ohio, and the church was beautiful, both inside and out. I also photographed the wedding, and it was the first "official" wedding I have ever photographed, and it was a big challenge, but the end result came out better then I expected.

It was weird to drive around our old hometown, and even though it was a beautiful weekend, it still doesn't even come close to compare to our new home in Tampa, Florida. Even though it was sad to say goodbye to everyone, one thing is for sure... When they made the announcement that the plane was now boarding for Tampa, that was the best words I had heard all weekend.

Jeff The Zoo Guy

A few weeks ago, Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo here in Tampa started a new program, called "Jeff the Zoo Guy", where the star of the show, Jeff Ewelt gives web visitors a up close and personal look at some of the amazing animals at the zoo.

I had the pleasure of getting to know Jeff while photographing the many animals at Lowry Park Zoo for my book project, and he was very gracious to allow myself to photograph him at his Birds of Prey program, where Jeff goes around to the many local schools and parks to educate kids and adults on the wonders and beauty of Birds of Prey that live around us here in Tampa Bay.

Each week, Jeff will introduce you to a new animal at the zoo, and he offers very informative and educational facts about some of them that I know you will enjoy!

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Watch The Latest Episodes Of Jeff The Zoo Guy On YouTube

Trainer For A Day

We had been looking forward to this Saturday for quite sometime, for we were invited back to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium to participate in their "Trainer for a Day" interactive program. Needless to say, when the alarm clock went off early in the morning, it didn't take much to get up and get ready for our big day ahead of us.

We arrived at the aquarium at 9:30 to start the morning, and was greeted by one of the trainers to take us through our program. First, it was off to the food preparation area, and get a first-hand look at just how the food for the numerous animals being cared for by the aquarium was prepared. It was a very educational portion, for we had no idea of not just what goes into the preparation, but just how much food the Dolphins, Turtles and Otters eat.

After all the food for the day was prepared, it was off to the River Otter exhibit to assist in feeding the two resident Otters on display. River Otters are very high-energy and very entertaining, and it was a blast feeding these little ones as they chomped down their morning breakfast. After feeding the two, we then went downstairs to feed the other two Otters that are being cared for. This was the best part, for we came face to face with these little ones, and was great to see them so close, for we have never seen them in the wild yet, so this was a special treat.

After helping with the River Otters, it was off to what we both couldn't wait for, the Dolphins. We had a front row opportunity to interact with these beautiful animals, and to see and observe them up close. After watching the trainers do some reinforcement exercises, it was time for us to go down and sit with the trainers to interact with Nicholas first, for he was going to paint us a picture on canvas. Now, if you have never seen a Dolphin paint, you would be amazed just how cool this was.

Nicholas was awesome as he painted us our very own picture, and a treasure to be had for a lifetime. After he put the finishing touches on the painting, we then sat with the trainer to go through numerous training exercises, like performing tricks, and being able to examine and interact with him. We also got to feed him after he performed an exercise as a reinforcement that he did it correctly.

Touching and interacting a Dolphin is one of the most amazing experiences one can ever have, for they are by far our favorite animals, simply for the fact of their intelligence and character. We did numerous exercises, each one truly a fun and exciting moment.

After our private exercise, it was now time for the big show, and this time, both Indy and Nicholas were in the main tank together to perform for the large crowd that had gathered to watch the show. It was a little nerve racking to help with the show with our trainer, but being with them so close took the fear away quickly.

For the main show, we got to work with Indy this time, and what a ham he is. Indy loves to show off, and he especially got a kick out splashing us, all the while laughing. The show was great, and the crowd loved the show as everyone gave a large round of applause to Nicholas and Indy at the completion of the exercises.

Our day came to an end, and honestly was the most fun we have ever had in our three plus hours in the program, and highly recommended it to anyone wanting to learn and interact with some of our most beautiful animals we have here in the bay area. It was a time we will never forget!

(Click on the thumbnails for a larger photo)

Winter The Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin

Winter was a three month old female Atlantic Bottlenose dolphin that stranded on December 10, 2005. She was found entangled in a crab trap at Mosquito Lagoon (near Cape Canaveral, Florida) by fisherman. She was rescued and transported to Clearwater Marine Aquarium by Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and Hubbs Institute of Orlando. She had deep wounds on both sides of her mouth, across the tongue, under both of the pectoral fins, and on her peduncle from the crab trap lines. The deep wounds on the upper and lower peduncle (tail stalk) were so deep that the blood flow was cut off, and the tail tissue was dead and fell off over the first few days that she was at CMA. On arrival she was dehydrated and thin, and had problems eating. She was not expected to live. However, she surprised everyone all by not only living, but finding a way to adapt to life with no tail.

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Watch A Video Of Winter On NBC's Today Show
(QuickTime Format - 3:40 - 14MB)
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Winter has become a global phenomenon, having been featured in news coverage in nearly every country in the world. Her story of survival has captivated millions. Even today a new chapter is being written in Winter's life. Clearwater Marine Aquarium is working with Hanger Orthopedic Group, Inc. to develop a prosthetic tail, that, if successful, will allow Winter to swim in normal dolphin style. Currently, she has adapted to a side-to-side swim, similar to a shark or alligator.