Photography and Writing Blog
Happy Monday! Let’s take this Monday morning to try to ease our way into this week which may (for some of us) be our first full week of school this year. This peaceful image was taken at Mason Neck State Park in Lorton, Virginia. Hope everyone has a great week!
– Hazel
Photo © 2015 Bryan Arroyo
Happy Sunday Everyone! This afternoon we have a Yellow Crowned Night Heron that was photographed at Boquerón State Forest in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. Our lovely heron friend is related to the now extinct Bermuda Night Heron that was endemic to Bermuda and became extinct after human colonization.
– Hazel
Photo © 2015 Bryan Arroyo
Happy Saturday! Hope everyone has a great start to their weekend. Today we’ve got a shot taken in downtown Golden, Colorado. Golden is the hometown to the Coors Brewing Company, which also happens to be the largest brewery facility in the world. Golden is also the birthplace to the Jolly Rancher candy.
– Hazel
Photo © 2015 Bryan Arroyo
Just before I turned 13, my family moved to Washington D.C. because of my dad’s job. Initially, I was afraid. I was moving to a new and large place, I had no friends, and I was going into 8th grade – one of the most awkward periods in my life thus far. But at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel that this would be a positive change in my life. I would get to have a fresh start by going on this grand adventure with my family. So, with that feeling in tow, I set off as fearlessly as I could with my family to this new, strange, and populous city. As it turns out, Washington D.C. is one of the most expensive places to live, so instead of moving to the city, we landed in the suburbs of Northern Virginia. The ‘burbs are not the most exciting of places to live, quite frankly, but the more I grew up here, the more they started to grow on me. The close proximity to the city gives us the ability to do all of the metropolitan excitements while still having a place to retreat away from all of the noise. This series, titled “Around Town” is my way of showing off the best of both worlds. Some weeks I will stick to the 202 (inside of the city limits) and some weeks I’ll show the hidden gems that lie just outside of the city.
This week, I’m just going to highlight the DC that I see. Not the one with all of the tourists and travelers. The one that hides its urban beauty in the details. Some people walk around this city and see only buildings and monuments. When I look, I see marvels of architecture, I see wonders of art, I see an intricacy of detail. Once you pull away from the magnet of the Smithsonians and the monuments and the tourist traps and allow the city to speak to you, boy does it really start to sing.
– Hazel
Photos © 2015 Hazel Arroyo
Happy Friday Everyone! This Friday we return to Puerto Rico to bring you the leaves of a Trumpet Tree (also referred to colloquially as Snakewood). The Trumpet Tree (Cecropia peltata) has been identified on the Global Invasive Species Database as one of the ‘worst 100’ invasive species. This is why we don’t bring seeds into foreign countries, kids.
– Hazel
Photo © 2015 Bryan Arroyo
The rule of thirds is an element of design that is commonly referenced in the scope of photography. This rule is based off of using a grid (whether mental or on the display of a camera) in order to place the objects of interest in a photograph within either parameters of the grid or on the lines of the grid. Using the rule of thirds grid, an image is separated into three equal parts both vertically and horizontally. The intended subject of the photograph is subsequently placed either on one of the lines of the grid or within a column or row that is formed by the grid lines. By doing so, the eye of the viewer is drawn towards whichever element has been placed within the parameters of the grid. Below I have compiled a variety of examples of the rule of thirds being used. To emphasize this element of design, I have included the grid on the images.
I’m sure that you can see a recurring theme here. While it doesn’t have to stick to the grid precisely, the general point of the rule of thirds is to have an asymmetrical balance to the photograph. The rule can be used to draw attention to a subject or element that the photographer wants to highlight.
Happy Thursday! This morning we have a lone Victoria Flower. The Victoria amazonica genus name was so given in honor of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and the species name comes from the water lily being indigenous to the waters of the Amazon river basin.
– Hazel
Photo © 2015 Bryan Arroyo
One of my favorite places is the Guanica State Forest. It became a nature reserve in 1919 and was designated by the United Nations as a Biosphere Reserve in 1981. In my opinion, and that of many others, Guanica is one of the best examples of a subtropical forest as well as dry forest in the Caribbean basin. A dry forest should be devoid of shore birds, the only exception being an area with seashore and even then, the shore birds should be limited to those areas with shoreline available. Guanica defies these expectations. Any depression that fills with water in Guanica attracts shore birds, allowing them to be found throughout the dry forest. These pools are essential as the highly endangered Puerto Rican Crested Toad lives in these unique water reserves. In fact, this specific location is designated critical habitat. I am very familiar with the area as it was one of my study sites for the work I did for my Masters Degree thesis in the late-1980s.
Fast-forwarding about 25 years, this particular day started with thick cloud cover. I thought to myself “Great, the light will filter itself naturally”. All morning long there had been intermittent drizzle. I was taking my fairly new Canon 7D through its paces at the time. Needless to say, I was concerned about the drizzle. I hiked two of the trails I had used for my research by the time I realized the drizzle was not going to stop. It was nearing noon and I was getting hungry. The only cover in the vicinity was a small area of mangroves. I kept my camera and 400mm lens on the tripod while I searched for my meal bar and water bottle. As I started to open the wrapper this Great Yellowleg lands at the edge of my lenses’ minimum focus distance. Slowly, I got behind the camera and took a few shots of the little fellow as he grabbed a morsel and took off. I couldn’t believe my luck at picking the spot and being able to get a good shot, seemingly out of nowhere. Afterwards, my luck continued to improve as the drizzle dried up and the day resulted in several good shots and even better memories.
– Bryan
Photo © 2015 Bryan Arroyo
Happy Wednesday! Sometimes you need not look further than your backyard in order to find beauty in nature. This little guy (Spring Peeper Frog) was taken just steps away from our home. The Spring Peeper gets its name from its distinctive high-pitched call that is similar to the sound made by young chickens.
– Hazel
Photo © 2015 Bryan Arroyo
Happy Tuesday! This morning we have a gorgeous Giant Panda. As many of you likely know, the Giant Panda is unfortunately an endangered species. It is up to all of us to do our part to protect all of our precious species and resources on this earth that we all share.
– Hazel
Photo © 2015 Bryan Arroyo
Shoestring Filter 