Photo of the Day (28 September 2015)

Floridastork20

Happy Monday Everyone!

This morning we have a Wood Stork (Mycteria americana) that was photographed in Florida. The wood stork was declared to be a threatened species by the US Fish and Wildlife Service on June 26, 2014. Every time that a species becomes threatened or endangered, it should be seen as a call to action on the part of the person that looks back at you in the mirror. We all need to do our part to protect the Earth that we share with millions of other species.

– Hazel

Photo © 2015 Bryan Arroyo

Photo of the Day (27 September 2015)

tvulturePrimeHook

Happy Sunday Everyone!

This morning we have a Turkey Vulture that was photographed at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Milton, Delaware. Prime Hook was established in 1963 for the use of being a sanctuary and management area for migratory birds. It consists of over 10,000 acres of land, much of it wetlands; perfect for the management of migratory birds. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

– Hazel

Photo © 2015 Bryan Arroyo

Photo of the Day (26 September 2015)

CroqueCampagneParis

Happy Saturday Everyone!

This morning I find myself thinking back to my time in Paris, so I thought I’d share this Croque Campagne from Café de France in the Place d’Italie area. This lunch was special as it was my first meal in Paris. I don’t know if it was psychological because I knew I was in Paris or if it was the result of the French affinity for butter, all I know is that everything I ate there just tasted better and, impossibly, happier. What I wouldn’t give for a warm baguette on this grey morning.

– Hazel

Photo © 2015 Hazel Arroyo

Photo of the Day (25 September 2015)

antiteam26

Happy Friday Everyone!

Today we have a cannon from Antietam National Battlefield in Maryland. The Battle of Antietam was the first major battle during the American Civil War that took place in Union territory. It was also the most deadly single-day battle in American history. The Union performance at Antietam gave President Lincoln the confidence to make the Emancipation Proclamation shortly thereafter. Currently, Antietam is known as one of the best preserved Civil War battlefields. It is certainly one of the most hauntingly beautiful places to visit.

– Hazel

Photo © 2015 Bryan Arroyo

ISO: What? Why? …what?

IMG_2838

Film speed is the way to measure the light sensitivity of film or digital imaging systems. This is measured using a numerical scale. The common modern scale is the ISO (International Organization for Standardization – I have no idea why it isn’t IOS, but I don’t make the rules). Film that requires less light during exposure is more sensitive to light and is considered fast film. Film that requires more light is less sensitive and is considered to be slow film. For both film and digital photography, when exposure is reduced because of the use of more sensitive film (or digital sensors) the image quality is reduced because courser image grain and more image noise is the by-product of a higher sensitivity.

To put this into the simplest terms: the higher the number of your ISO, the faster the film speed; the faster the film speed, the more grain/noise will appear in the image.

So why should I ever go higher than the lowest setting? In situations where there is very little available light (think dark restaurants, concert venues, etc.), using a higher ISO can allow for a correct exposure without necessarily having to change your shutter speed or your aperture (F-stop). Since there is little available light, the grain/noise that is created by the higher ISO is not visible.

Travel

That being said, if you were to use a high ISO in a location where there is a good amount of available light (think outdoors on a sunny day), you can still get a correct exposure, but the image will be incredibly grainy and have a lot of background noise. (If you have difficulty seeing the grain, click on the image below and you can zoom in further).

cormorant

ISO was one the mistakes that I made most often while learning to use my DSLR in Manual (and one that I sometimes still make when I’m not paying attention). I think it was because the technicality of the concept initially just went straight over my head and it wasn’t until I understood the ‘theory’ of it that I actually learned how to use it. It was a mistake that was second only to figuring out how and why to change my aperture; a topic that I will cover next week. In the meantime, happy photographing!

– Hazel

Photos (1 and 2) © 2015 Hazel Arroyo

Photo (3) © 2015 Bryan Arroyo

Photo of the Day (24 September 2015)

blackvulture5

Happy Thursday! Today we have a black vulture from Everglades National Park in Florida. Everglades National Park is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States and is home to many endangered and rare species, the most well-known being the Florida Panther, American Crocodile, and Manatees. The Everglades are a World Heritage Site, Wetland of International Importance, International Biosphere Reserve, and is protected under the Cartagena Treaty. Have a great day everyone!

– Hazel

Photo © 2015 Bryan Arroyo

Frozen Spiderwebs

Nature52

On this first day of autumn, I find myself missing my college friends and my college town, so I’ve decided to share this picture and a story with you all.  I went to school in Buffalo, New York: a place notorious for having some pretty cold winters. In fact, we made national news last year when in the span of less than 24 hours, parts of downtown received about 8 feet (almost 2.5 meters) of snow. Last year was no exception. In fact, we actually had about five snow days at the university, which up until that point was practically unheard of. This picture was taken at the apartment that my roommate and I shared during my last year of college. During one of those snow days, I glanced out of the backdoor and noticed that there was something that looked a bit cloudy on the awning. When I got closer, I realized that there was a spider web that had completely frozen into an icy silk sheet. I had never seen anything like it before and I just had to take a picture of it. If I remember correctly, that day was about 4˚F (-16˚C) and the wind chill was around -12˚F (-24˚C). While there were definitely days when I wished that I had just gone to school in the south or on a beach somewhere, I actually found that I had grown to enjoy the cold. I also had some pretty great experiences like learning how to push a car out of a snowy parking space, learning the importance of having thermal everything, and learning how to efficiently use the tunnel system on campus so that I wouldn’t have to go outside to get around. In my experience, nothing forms friendships faster than having to stay warm.

– Hazel

Photo © 2015 Hazel Arroyo

Photo of the Day (23 September 2015)

DSC_0056

Happy Wednesday! This morning’s Photo of the Day was taken this weekend at Great Falls Park in McLean, Virginia. Great Falls borders the Potomac River and include the Patowmack Canal: a canal which was partially funded by George Washington and began operating in 1785 for the distribution of manufactured goods. Have a great day everyone!

– Hazel

Photo © 2015 Hazel Arroyo

Photo of the Day (22 September 2015)

Hooded oriole

Happy Tuesday! Today we have a Hooded Oriole (Icterus cucullatus) from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, Arizona. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is actually an aquarium, zoo, botanical garden, natural history museum, art gallery, and publisher all rolled into one. This little guy is just one of over 230 different species that can be found there.

– Hazel

Photo © 2015 Bryan Arroyo

Photo of the Day (21 September 2015)

ppotd13

Happy Monday! This morning we have a lovely little sparrow taken at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in San Antonio, New Mexico. Bosque del Apache is probably most famous for the annual Festival of the Cranes where the endangered Whooping Cranes, among other species, can be seen beginning their annual migrations at the Fly-Out. Have a great week everyone!

– Hazel

Photo © 2015 Bryan Arroyo