Archive for the ‘swamp’ Tag
Today turned into a real adventure quite by accident. The sun was shining and I had no plans of any kind for a change. My only chore was to deliver my better-half to work and to pick her up later in the afternoon. I suppose I could have just worked around the house or even cut the grass but I wanted something a little more interesting.
I purchased a new Nikon SLR two weeks ago and I really needed to spend a little time learning how to use it. I packed up my camera and the rest of my equipment and made my way to the marshland located along the coast. I arrived there in short order and made my preparations to enter the swamp. I was there primarily to photograph dragonflies but I had a small problem. If I doused myself in Off then the dragonflies were sure not to come near me but if I didn’t use the Off I was sure to be eaten alive by thousands of mosquitos. I used a moderate amount of the spray, picked up my camera and monopod and trekked into the swamps.
Photographing insects requires the use of a macro lens that then requires the use of a monopod to steady the camera to get that perfectly clear shot. I have to say it sounds much easier than it actually is. I sat crouched in that damn swamp for two hours because I’ve been told that patience is always necessary for any photographer. It was close to eighty-five degrees with no breeze of any kind. I began to sweat like I’d just run the Boston marathon. Unfortunately bugs just love sweaty humans to buzz around and bother and then to sting when they’re swatted away. It became quite difficult to sit quietly while surrounded by a few hundred of my newest friends. Photography Tip #1: Use as much bug spray as you can. Take a damn bath in it if you must.
I managed between bites to take a number of shots but even the dragonflies were being difficult. Due to my constant swatting of bugs I was apparently scaring them off as well. Everything was just freaking perfect. Oh yeah, did I mention there are also snakes in that swamp. As I squatted there I must have seen six or seven slithering in the waters around me. Photography Tip #2: Never wear sneakers when working in a swamp, it bothers the snakes.
I lasted as long as I could and actually was able to take a few dozen pictures and a few of them appear to be pretty good. I’m really happy with the new camera and I’m sure we’ll have a long and happy relationship together. It felt good to get out in the wild for a bit but it will probably take a few days for all of these bug bites to heal. I can’t wait to get these photo’s onto my computer later so I can really see if there as good as I think they are.
All in all it was a fun day and I look forward to many more just like it before the snow flies. The downside to any really good day is returning to reality which always kind of sucks. I’ll pick up my better-half in a few minutes and then head home for dinner and a quiet night.
With winter seeming to drag on endlessly I decided to spend time today working with my photographs. I currently have almost fifteen thousand photos taken over the last five years that need to be properly sorted, filed, and backed up. It’ a tedious and time consuming process but absolutely necessary when dealing with these large numbers of pictures.
It’s a chore that I really enjoy and it gives me an opportunity to again relive when I took them and in many cases why I took them. The last two summers I’ve been involved photographing a subject I just love, dragonflies. Dragonflies have become one of my all time passions due to their delicacy and beauty. I purchased a great lens about five years ago and it’s primarily used to take macro photo’s. These photo’s are so detailed you’re able to see the segmented wings and the gorgeous colors like never before.
In a local area nearby I found a small isolated pond that teems with dragonflies of all types and colors. I spent many hours sitting near the swampy end of that pond amongst the cattails observing the dragonflies and attempting to identify the many types I was seeing. They’re very curious and upon my arrival they normally swarmed around me to see what I was doing. Getting them to pose for photo’s was difficult at best because they almost never stop moving. It was frustrating to say the least and it required me to study up on the species in an attempt to solve that problem.
They live in a larva stage in the water of ponds often for years where they’re able to prey on small fish to survive. The winged stage is very short and is for mating, egg laying, mosquito eating, and then death. They’ve been around in one form or another for millions of years and have slowly evolved into these smaller versions of the originals. Fossils have been found with dragonflies more than two feet long.
I did discover that many of the smaller ones I photographed were not actually dragonflies but damselflies. Dragonflies have huge eyes that touch each other but the damselflies eyes are separated and they’re much smaller. They come in a number of vivid colors but the ones I see most often are an electric blue. Both species as I mentioned earlier are very curious and militantly territorial. They spend their entire lives looking for food and fighting to maintain those territories whether in the water or out. They’re what you might call scrappy.
I needed to find a way to get them to sit still for a few seconds. Taking their photographs in flight while OK wasn’t giving me the detail that I needed. I first took a small piece of gum and attached it to the end of a reed sticking up in the swamp. They did land occasionally on those reeds and it appeared they were resting or possibly sunning themselves. No luck with that strategy, they landed for a second and then were gone. I next tried a drop of sugar water on the reed and had some successes but still not what I was looking for. Eventually I found an ant, squished it, and then placed a piece of it on the end of the reed. Bingo, they landed and stayed for a few seconds longer than usual and I began to get some great pictures.
Over the next two months I took some truly amazing photographs. Once they determined I wasn’t a threat they forgot about me completely and came close with little or no fear. If you’d like to give it a try you’ll certainly need a great deal of patience and a supply of ants.
Well, back to the computer to finish up my sorting. I’m starting to get a small jolt of spring fever and excited for warm weather so I can get back to the swamp.
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