Shark Valley, Everglades National Park

by Linda Nygren

One of my favorite spots to photograph wildlife in South Florida is at Shark Valley, a unit of  Everglades National Park. The area was originally developed by Humble Oil, and there is a 15 mile loop road (for trams and bikes), largely bordered by water created when they “borrowed” material to make the roadbeds. It is great habitat for American Alligators and many species of large birds, often close enough for photography with conventional stereo cameras.  The birds spend most of their time on the OTHER side of the canal, but visit the near side often for brief photo ops.The land proved useless for oil drilling , so was donated to the US government. Fuji Provia 100 i n TL-120

ANHINGA PAIR   This  image shows two Anhingas (Anhinga anhinga is the scientific name, one of my favorites.) They are excellent underwater swimmers due to lack of oil waterproofing on their feathers; afterward, they need to spread their wings out to dry in an iconic pose.

GATOR CAMO  This American Alligator is peaking out from under the floating vegetation as it swims down the canal.

GREAT BLUE HERON AT SHARK VALLEY. This heron is posing at the edge of the canal.

 

CYPRESS AND BROMELIADS: This was taken in a nearby area, part of the Big Cypress National Preserve. The Cypress trees are conifers but deciduous, dropping their needle-like leaves in the winter, greening up again in the spring. The Cardinal Plant with its bright red bracts is a type of bromeliad (aka pineapple family)

Air Power

by Jim Harp

Photographed at a New York Pinup Club event at the American Air Power museum in Farmingdale NY. TL-120 with Vivitar 285H fill flash. Ilford Pan F processed with DR5. DR5 recommended rating the Pan-F at ISO 25. I believe this was a half-second exposure at f16. It’s challenging to get sharp portraits at the long shutter speeds these low ISOs require.

Halo

by Jim Harp

Photographed at the 2022 Coney Island Mermaid Parade. TL-120 with Vivitar 285H fill-flash. I was happy to see this event happen again after its two year absence, it’s a portrait photographer’s paradise.

Bagan Myanmar

by Jim Harp

Bagan Myanmar – this was in late 2015. I’m not sure if I would be able to get this shot again as climbing on these stupas has since been restricted and there was some earthquake damage in 2016.

Photographed with twin Mamiya C220s with 135mm lenses. It was quite a feat hauling that rig around Myanmar, I’m not sure if I could do that again either. Provia 100F pushed one stop.

Temple Mount, Jerusalem, Israel 2018

by Brent Osborne

Temple Mount is a very important site for Muslims, Jews, and Christians. It is a beautiful courtyard in East Jerusalem and is defined to be one of the holiest sites in the world. The al-Asqa Mosque is a sight to see, and since it was a beautiful day when I was there, I went nuts trying to capture it’s beauty shooting from all angles. This shot was one of my favorites of what I captured. The walled arch in the picture is called the scales of judgement, believed to be the place where people would be judged before entering the gates of heaven. Note the sundial on the arch.  Israel is filled with religious history and a must see for anyone interested in the subject. Shot with my Sputnik, on Fuji Provia 100f. 

Cormorant Fisherman, Guilin, Guangxi Province, China 2018

by Brent Osborne

In a gorgeous area of China, on the Li River in Guilin, there is an old form of river fishing. The fishermen use cormorant birds to catch fish. The way it works, is that the fishermen would raise the birds from chicks and the birds would then trust the fishermen. Once old enough, the birds would start fishing by instinct by diving to get the river fish. The birds would dive into the river, and come up with the fish in their mouth, which would be snatched from them by the fishermen. The birds would eventually be rewarded, albeit with smaller fish. This practice of fishing is actually not really used much anymore, and has become more of a novelty for tourists, like myself. I wanted to get an iconic image of the fisherman while I was there, but unfortunately the opportunity did not present itself. However, an easy going fisherman let me do a snapshot of him while we were walking down the riverbank. Shot on my Sputnik, with Fuji Provia 100f.

Kathmandu Durbar Square, Kathmandu, Nepal 2016

by Brent Osborne

Kathmandu Durbar Square is an incredible area of Kathmandu, filled with old temples originally built and rebuilt from around the third century. We arrived one year after a major earthquake damaged many buildings in this square. It still held up it’s integrity and prestige even after most of the damage. Sadly some of the temples were reduced to rubble and were only recognizable by placards set up by the tourist government. Due to the damage to Nepal and to it’s infrastructure, there seemed to be less tourists than we had anticipated while we were there, and allowed us to explore most areas in less crowded situations. This shot was taken in the early morning, while locals were out feeding the pigeons. Shot on my Sputnik, on Provia 100f film.