From last weekend

I’ve been a bit busy this week and haven’t had time to post my favorite photo from last weekend—sorry about that! So here it is.

I like this one because of the hummingbird’s pose; it looks as if it was observing me.

Last weekend

 I believe the main protagonists from last weekend were the alligators. 

There were people stealing fish from people fishing on the pier. In the image provided, you can observe the incredible speed at which this individual was leaping out of the water in an attempt to capture one of those fish. 

From the last long weekend

 Last weekend was a long one, full of great photo opportunities. It started with a bit of rain, and for a moment, I thought it might ruin our plans. But that didn’t happen — and here are some of the pictures to prove it.

 

These pictures were taken at Homosassa Springs Park — a beautiful place. The rattlesnake photo was edited using the new Lightroom Classic feature that removes reflections from glass. As you can see, it worked very well.

Later in the weekend, I visited the local park near home, where I took a few more pictures worth mentioning — like this one of an alligator stealing a huge catfish from a fisherman.

Or this shot of a spoonbill in flight. Flying spoonbills are as striking as flamingos in the air.

I shot three short videos (1, 2, and 3), and if you haven’t hit the 'Subscribe' button on my YouTube channel yet, I’d love to see you do it — you won’t regret it!

 

 

 

It's in his DNA!

This weekend, our grandson surprised me by bringing his camera during a visit to a local zoo. 

I looked at some of his pictures, and they were quite good. 

During last weekend

Last weekend, I took some nice pictures—like this one of an alligator swimming like a torpedo, breaking through the surface of the water.

 

Alligators have become one of my favorite animals to photograph. It's captivating to think that they’ve been around longer than us. Their skin—especially in the younger ones—is full of rich colors and texture.

Florida is at its greenest right now. The vegetation in some places reminds me of what you’d find in the rainforests of Costa Rica or the Amazon.

 

The photo above is composed of about 10 images stitched together using LrC. Taking it on a cloudy day helped bring out the different shades of green. 

Just a reminder: if you haven’t done so yet, please hit the 'Follow' button on Instagram.   

From last weekend

Last Saturday, I went to my favorite park and came back home with a few good pictures.

I saw a hummingbird flying around, but I couldn't capture a shot of him in flight. Luckily, he perched for a few short minutes—just long enough for me to get a picture.

With hummingbirds—especially when they’re perched in the shade—the post-editing process is incredibly important. In those conditions, you can’t really see the bird’s beautiful colors. It’s only after editing that those vibrant colors truly come to life.

This Carolina Wren love to sing. It's not the first time he poses for me and even aloud me to get very close. 

 

On Sunday, I had a special assignment: I took some pictures of our grandsons on the streets of Brooksville—a beautiful place for photoshoots. You can enjoy the pictures here. I really love how they turned out. 

 

 

From Last Weekend

 A short Video from last weekend hiking. 

This weekend

Here are my picks for this weekend.

This red-shouldered hawk made me walk a lot just to get a few pictures. It seems to be a juvenile—very shy and constantly calling for its mother. Or at least, that was my impression.

I took the opportunity to shot few pictures to create a huge panorama. Here is the result.

This is a 10271x7009 resolution picture. That's a 72 megapixels picture coming from a 24 megapixel camera!

My special mention for this weekend:

Last weekend

 As usual, let’s start the week by sharing some of the pictures taken over the weekend. One of my favorites is this one, where I managed to capture a composition with the alligator framed right in the center.

Pictures of a gallinule chick are something new for me. I’ve seen plenty of common gallinules, but this is the first time I’ve seen their babies. They’re black! It was funny to watch them moving around with their disproportionately large legs!

 This landscape picture is my favorite. I managed to add some color to the sky in post processing and I think it came out well. 

 

 The last picture is of a turtle that was taking a walk, looking for a good place to lay its eggs.

 

The videos from this weekend can be found here and here.  

Last Weekend

This past weekend started with rain—a lot of it. But once the rain let up, I headed to a local botanical garden to take some photos of the flowers while they were still wet.

On Sunday I headed to the local park. Who says that you can't take landscape pictures using a zoom lens.

Ducks were very active and I managed to take some pictures of them flying around. 

 

 Two more pictures that I loved, the first one is from this wild flower.

The second one from this Osprey, they do not use to hunt in this like and for me it was a bid surprise.

 

Special mention to a familiar face. 

 

A short video from this photo section.

 

 

Another favorite from last weekend

I knew this would happen—after a long weekend and 300 photos later, picking a favorite feels impossible!
But hey, here’s another one I really like. Who says you can’t have more than one favorite, right?

Special Mention: Flowers.

Flowers deserve a special mention. In Florida, many wild flowers bloom in May, and some even during the summer. This weekend, I took some pictures of these beautiful flowers. Here are a few of them.

Water lily (genus Nymphaea). It is characterized by its large, fragrant white petals and bright yellow center, floating on the surface of the water alongside round green lily pads.

Spiderwort (genus Tradescantia). Spiderworts are commonly found in gardens and wild areas across North America.

Lantanas are known for their vibrant clusters of small flowers, often featuring multiple colors like orange, yellow, pink, and red. 

Morning Glory (genus Ipomoea). It is characterized by its trumpet-shaped bloom, with a white exterior and a pinkish-purple center, which is typical of certain Morning Glory varieties. These flowers are known for opening in the morning and closing by the afternoon.

My favorites from this weekend

This is a long weekend, Memorial Day weekend, so we may have another post like this one to talk about pictures taken during these 3 days. 

The first one is this anhinga in flight. I did not like the blue sky behind it, so I edited it to make it more interesting. I did not replace it; I just edited it, changing the light a little bit. 

The second one is this close up of the alligator's eyes from the top. The skin texture looks amazing. 

My last pick has to be this turtle that I found laying eggs in the middle of the trail. I do not know why, but turtles in that lake do not have a sense of where the best place to lay their eggs is. This is not the first time I have found one of them doing it in the middle of a busy hiking trail. 

Tomorrow’s Memorial Day, and I’m still figuring out where I’ll be with my camera. But one thing’s for sure - I’ll be snapping tons of pics and sharing them here, no doubt! 

From last weekend

In Florida, whenever you're near any body of water, you should always assume there may be alligators. This small lake near my home was completely dry for several months last year. Thanks to the last two hurricanes, it has water again. While in the past I had only seen one alligator swimming around, this past weekend I was lucky enough to photograph two of them cruising very close to each other.

They are impressive animals. They’ve been on this planet longer than we have, and at least in Florida, they’re here to stay.

 Here is the video that I took last weekend showing wildlife around the lake. 

Last Weekend

Last weekend was a Karate Weekend! Almost 1000 pictures in burst that then I had to sort and clean deleting the ones that I did not like or were not too good to leave and process around 400 pictures all of them summarized in the above slideshow. Later during the week I'll post my favorite here. 

 

Pictures from last weekend

This weekend, I took some good pictures on Saturday, but to me, the one below is the best. I took it after the rain on Sunday. I love the rain—especially when it stops.

From the ones that I took last Saturday I will pick one from a Pileated Woodpecker. 

You can find the rest of the pictures here and here. I almost forgot to mention. I keep shot a video too!

My picks from last weekend

As usual, I’m starting the week by sharing some of the photos I took over the weekend.

 

 This small squirrel decided to show me the beauty of spring by enjoying the scent of the plants. A strong reminder of the importance of enjoying the small things life brings us every day.

Today began with the sad news of Pope Francis's passing. Rest in peace, Francis.

 

 

 

 

From this weekend

 Without any doubt this is my favorite photo from this weekend. 

This picture draws you in because of its captivating composition, vibrant colors, and natural depth. Here’s a breakdown of why it’s so appealing:

1. Layered Depth: The image has a sense of depth with layers of foliage leading the eye deeper into the scene. The contrast between light and shadow adds dimension.

2. Warm, Golden Light: The warm sunlight filtering through the trees creates a glowing, inviting atmosphere. It highlights the greenery and adds a sense of tranquility.

3. Variety in Textures: The image captures a range of textures—from the rough bark of the trees to the soft, leafy branches and delicate grasses. This adds visual interest.

4. Natural Framing: The arched branches frame the middle of the image, guiding the viewer’s gaze inward and creating a sense of intimacy.

5. Color Harmony: The lush greens and warm earthy tones work together, creating a soothing and balanced palette.

6. Subtle Details: The subtle foreground elements, like the wispy grasses, enhance the depth without distracting from the main scene.

It’s a classic example of a peaceful woodland scene captured beautifully—feels almost like a hidden oasis. 

From last weekend

 Last weekend, I spent some time visiting the local botanical garden and a local park. From these two photo sessions, here are some of the pictures:

I have started creating slideshows of my photo shoots, and here is one I made using pictures from the botanical garden.

Photos from Last Weekend

This weekend I participated in a USA Karate Event taking pictures of our grandson. That was on Saturday, on Sunday I went for a quick hike and took some wildlife pictures but unfortunately I have not processed them yet so I'll be showing some pictures from the Karate Event. 

 

Editing is always an important part of the process. This time, I experimented by darkening the image first and then selectively illuminating the subject to create a spotlight effect.

 

I liked the end result.