New Lens #2 /  by Dave Hileman

Man reading a book. He was across a large field from me, perhaps 100 yards. I waited until no one was visible on the trail in front of him to add to the solitary pursuit he is engaged in on the park bench. I cut him close to the edge to avoid the large and overflowing trash can to his left and if I moved to get a better space the tree bisected the man, so this seemed to be the best option.

New Lens Trial /  by Dave Hileman

So, I have a very nice new to me lens, technically it is a largesse lens:) I took it to the park on Sunday afternoon to try it out but the walk was cut short to get an email sent to a friend who needed some information. However, it was still evident that it is a very good lens and fills a need I have but was really unaware that the gap in my lens collection was as large as it was. No longer true. I shot only about 20 photos, but I will get some more tomorrow and Wednesday to round out what I was trying to do. One of the images, the bluebird here, was taken from 40 feet or so and the bird at least 20 feet high in the tree. And behind branches. I would normally have taken a second photo using manual focus to clear the tree branches but the bluebird had other ideas and flew up and away. But the point was still clear, this is a good medium distance bird lens and MUCH smaller and easier to carry than my other option. And super clear; the branches and detail of the tree - exceptional. And I decided to still show it here because the bird was not only nicely framed but inquisitive. So I will share a few more this week and then the lens will be just a regular part of the TLT arsenal. And a big thanks for the amazing gift.

Praise Team (four Photos) /  by Dave Hileman

I was at a church in rural Maryland last week and took some shots of the praise team preparing for the day. I shot photos to emphasize an individual while trying to keep the sense that they were not solo performers.

Another Look /  by Dave Hileman

One more set of photos from the slave quarters at the Kingsley Plantation. There are 24 or so of these arranged in a semicircle at the edge of the property - the swamp is right past the trees. Each place to live had one or two families or an extended family living in the small quarters. You will see a brick fireplace still remaining in one, for heat in the cooler weather and cooking year round.

Where Carousel Horses Retire /  by Dave Hileman

Of course, they go to Florida! Here we see a home for retired merry-go-round horses having a nice afternoon on the porch. I imagine tea has just been picked up. Fernandina Beach is a perfect place for them as there are nice beaches near by, good food everywhere and, of course, excellent weather to keep them looking sharp and tanned. These old horses recall their ancestors when carved horses were suspended from a pole and were used to train young warriors (carousel derives from the Turkish word for “little war”) as early as the 12th century in Turkey. This practice was refined into a crude earliy version of the carousels of the last century that dotted parks and small towns across America. Those carousels were replete with magnificently carved horses and other animals and fitted with calliope musical devices. Some restored carousels are still in use today, there is one in Raleigh that generations of children have enjoyed.

Trains in Town /  by Dave Hileman

An interesting aspect of walking around the town of Fernandina Beach on an island off Jacksonville, FL, is that the train here goes right through town and you can see them very close as they go quite slow. I know many towns have trains in the middle but this is on an island and is right in the midst of all the fine shops and restaurants. Just seems neat. The old station is now a very nice visitor’s center with a small parklike oasis right along the tracks.

Not What It Appears. /  by Dave Hileman

This lump of dirt is covering the structure of a Navajo hogan. On the back country tour of the Monument Valley we stopped at this hogan. A family chooses to live here to keep touch with the old ways. The kids must walk two miles to school and more if they miss the bus that brings them close to their home. Often they will leave two hours before school in order to be on time. The family was warm and welcoming and the hogan light and airy - not what I expected. Quite a treat.

Portrait Project #14 /  by Dave Hileman

This is Mark who is much more at home on the other side of the camera. He is an award winning, accomplished, professional photographer. Mark has done some amazing projects for National Geographic, BBC, PBS, dozens of companies and is also a film maker, producer and musician who writes scores for many of the shows you have seen on television. He was in Florida at the Silver Springs State Park to put up an exhibit of photographs from the park and I happened upon him as I was wandering around the park. We talked a bit about his work, his photographs, and I looked at one of his books that was on display. I asked him if I could take his photograph and why, he agreed. However he was a bit stoic, so I said something like, I was sorry this was such an ordeal for him and that elicited a smile. Then he said, when he realized what I did produced the smile, “This is not your first rodeo.” I took that from him as a compliment. You must visit Mark’s website at https://markemeryfilms.com

Stalking /  by Dave Hileman

You can see these White Egrets many places and often closer than this photo but I liked the context where the bird was stalking fish in the shallows of the Silver River in Florida. The huge trees and deep foliage make this bird seem more diminutive that it really is and somehow more striking as it wades in the water seeking prey.

Meet Horace /  by Dave Hileman

Or at least that is what one kayaker said his name was. Horace is a 30 pound plus snapping turtle that lives under the 2.0 mile dock on the Silver River at Silver Springs State Park. Drop a cracker and it is gone in an instant, dangle a toe, don’t know but not recommended.

Portrait Project #13 /  by Dave Hileman

Meet Lisa, a realtor from Fort Myers area. I met her on the old set of Sea Hunt that is still on the river in Silver Springs. They filmed 130+ shows here. We met because she saw my camera and lens and was frustrated as her camera was not working right. She was upset that she missed several pictures because it would not focus. She then got it out of her bag and asked if I knew what was wrong. I did! Everyone apply their shocked face right now. I noticed that the switch on the side of her long lens for autofocus was off, moved the lever and, presto, fixed. Not that I ever had that issue. She was here to explore the area around Ocala because home sales here were soaring. I saw her two or three more times that morning as we both were out shooting.

Swamp Things /  by Dave Hileman

Rusty Harman and I rode 20 miles on the Van Fleet State Trail in central Florida. It is an old railroad bed and is flat as flat can be and it is straight, one tiny bend in 29 miles. It also goes through the Green Swamp Conservation Area and that is where today’s photo was shot. There were two vehicles about 100 feet off the trail (so, no we did not discover them:). The foreground is a late 30’s early 40’s truck, not sure of the make and the back car is a 56 Chevy. Both long abandoned and rust is quickly melting them into the ground.

Low mileage if you might be interested in a classic

Portrait Project #12 /  by Dave Hileman

Meet Gilles a most interesting man from Quebec. He was in Florida at Fort Clinch State Park when I was there. One evening, I was walking toward the beach and he was cycling back from the beach and both of us stopped about 50 feet apart as we were watching a deer grazing in the tall grass. (see photo from Feb 5). We talked awhile. He is pretty decent communicating in English although he is a native French speaker and me with zero French could not help. But we found much in common. We both like to travel, both have blogs, both like photography and both have RV’s. He however also sported an elegant mustache. A very nice man and his travel blog or blogue is found here: dianegilles.blogspot.com If you speak French, perfect, if not, google translate does a pretty decent job of it. Salutations, Gilles,

Kayak Ad Shoot page two, Just the Model and Boat /  by Dave Hileman

All of these were shot hand held from 60 to 150 yards across the Silver River with the Fuji X-T5 and a 150 to 600 lens. It was late afternoon and so it was a high ISO and the boat and the model were always moving so also a rather high shutter speed but not too fast as it was far away and I did not need extra fast shutter. It was a fun afternoon to shoot something very different than the birds I intended to find along the river.

Men at Work /  by Dave Hileman

These tugs were working to set up a dredging operation off the coast of Fernandina Beach to deepen the mouth of the St. Marys River. The US operates a submarine base off the river in Georgia and they keep the mouth at the Atlantic extra deep,.

Ibis Circle /  by Dave Hileman

I startled a flock of Ibis and they took off noisily into the sky forming an “O” as they left. They roosted in a tree about 100 yards away and then dispersed along the river. This was from the Kayak in the Silver River, Florida.