I felt ambitious in today’s 8°F temperatures and took a short drive in search of winter birds and outdoors adventure. After some internal debate, I settled on the Central Park of Morris County vicinity as I thought the diversity of trees and grounds might yield cold weather wildlife sightings.
Upland meadow in Winter. Former Greystone Pyschiatric Park now incorporated into Central Park of Morris and falling under the jurisdiction of Morris County Park Commission. 1/6/2018 photo by Dave Blinder.
The last time I visited this area, the final remnants of the Kirkbride building of the former Greystone Psychiatric Park was still being cleared away. No public access had been possible due to safety precautions. Ironically I had been subdued by local police for illegal “urban decay exploration” a couple of years back, which I find humorous because all of my time is spent photographing and studying solely nature. This incident is story for another time.
Meadow and Wetlands in Winter. Former Greystone Pyschiatric Park now incorporated into Central Park of Morris and falling under the jurisdiction of Morris County Park Commission. 1/6/2018 photo by Dave Blinder.
As you can see from my mobile photographs, the former “No Trespassing” and “Keep Out” signage has been removed from the Kirkbride grounds as well as most adjacent lands. I did observe newly posted signs by the Morris County Park Commission alerting hunters that hunting is by explicit permit only.
Pileated Woodpecker cavities. Former Greystone Pyschiatric Park now incorporated into Central Park of Morris and falling under the jurisdiction of Morris County Park Commission. 1/6/2018 photo by Dave Blinder.
I only encountered a few species of wildlife on my walk which is fine with me. Pursuing wildlife is mostly just a vehicle I drive to get me outdoors. Today’s sightings included: Red-tailed Hawk, Dark-eyed Junco, Song Sparrow, Gray Squirrel, White-tailed Deer (big bucks). I also saw a good deal of Red Fox and Cotton-tailed Rabbit tracks dotting the frozen landscapes.
Uphill meadow in Winter. Former Greystone Pyschiatric Park now incorporated into Central Park of Morris and falling under the jurisdiction of Morris County Park Commission. 1/6/2018 photo by Dave Blinder.
The former Greystone grounds could use some help combatting invasive plants such as Multiflora Rose and Barberry. However, the wildlife habitat still looked very good to me with mature trees including Pines, Cedar, Spruce, Oaks, and other trees which I have to study up on. Conifers in particular are of high value in our area as they make for great shelter for various hawks and owls. Fox and deer also find good shelter and bedding at the bases of some Conifers.
In my home area, central Morris County, we do not have much acreage of intact forest due to housing developments and extensive highways. Hence, we should conserve each remaining stand of trees and acreage of meadow to provide homes for our native New Jersey wildlife.
Cross-country Ski Trail in Winter. Former Greystone Pyschiatric Park now incorporated into Central Park of Morris and falling under the jurisdiction of Morris County Park Commission. 1/6/2018 photo by Dave Blinder.
After doing a bit of internet research, I found this 2017 press release by the Morris County Government.
“The (Morris County) Freeholders, in June 2016, subsequently approved a long-term management and use agreement with the state to manage the additional 126 Greystone acres for passive recreational, conservation, historic preservation or farmland use by the Park Commission…..”
“Under terms of the management and use agreement, the state would deliver the property to the county in suitable condition for passive public outdoor recreation, such as walking, hiking, picnicking, nature watching, or for conservation purposes. The county could add active recreation uses in the future.”
Active recreation most often means organized sports or playgrounds. Ballfields and playgrounds mean the removal of wildlife habitat and potentially degrading nearby natural lands by way of herbicides, pesticides, and erosion. For those of us who find great value, beauty, and of course the diverse health benefits of natural area it is important that we express our opinions to our voted representatives.
Local governments have tough shoes to fill as they must balance the needs of large populations. However, in the most respectful way possible, nature lovers should “remain voices for the voiceless” and speak up for our trees, waterways, wildlife, and health concerns. It can never hurt to send your local elected officials an email on topics of concern. I plan on forwarding this article to both the park commission and freeholders to congratulate them on the public opening of this land and to speak of the high value of wildlife habitat conservation. Don’t be shy, speak up.
Watnong Brook in Winter. Former Greystone Psychiatric Park now incorporated into Central Park of Morris and falling under the jurisdiction of Morris County Park Commission. 1/6/2018 photo by Dave Blinder.
If you would like to stretch your legs and walk these peaceful trails you use Google Maps to navigate to the nearest parking area.
For any comments or questions on the photographs or concepts in my article please contact dave@daveblinder.com
I hope this post is helpful for others looking to photograph wildlife near Cancun, Playa del Carmen, or Tulum. I also want to thank Tamron USA for lending me the jacknife of all travel lenses, the new 18-400mm. The broad range of this ultra telephoto All-In-One helped me image everything that moved (and a few things like ruins which did not move). I would sincerely recommend this lens to anyone looking for a versatile travel lens especially for nature which is one of my niches (addictions?).
Tropical Mockingbird in Cozumel Mexico
Tropical Mockingbird
Cozumel, Mexico
Tamron 18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 DI-II VC HLD lens + Canon SL2
Aperture Priority +2/3 exposure compensation
1/320th F/9 ISO 3200, 400mm
My first time observing this species. I could easily have mistaken this bird for the Northern Mockingbirds I often see at home. Body dimensions and wingtips do stand out to me as differing slightly between the two species.
Turkey Vulture in flight and Caribbean Sea
Turkey Vulture in flight
Cozumel, Mexico
Tamron 18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 DI-II VC HLD lens + Canon SL2
Aperture Priority +2/3 exposure compensation
1/4000th F/9 ISO 6400, 400mm
The same vulture species we commonly see cleaning the roads in New Jersey. I like the small breaking wave of the Caribbean Sea in the background. I also like sharpness of the flight feathers now suspended in the frame. The Tamron 18-400mm VC did a very good job at tracking the action and also resolving the fine detail. Kudos to the Canon SL2 Rebel also for a clean enough shot at ISO 6400.
Partially Leucistic Yucatan Jay in Tulum Mexico
Yucatan Jay – partially leucistic
Tulum, Mexico
Tamron 18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 DI-II VC HLD lens + Canon SL2
Aperture Priority +2/3 exposure compensation
1/1250th F/8 ISO 25600, 300mm
The genetic condition of leucism in birds will often cause a loss of pigment. I am not a scientist but I do know this condition varies from albininism as an albino animal should have discolored or pink eyes. Anyhow, this was quite a challenging photograph to capture as I was in the deep shade in a grove of trees, shooting almost vertically, and dealing with extreme heat. ISO 25600 is never a desirable as fine detail is sacrificed for a brighter exposure in low light.
Note that the shaded walk to the ruins of Tulum (approaching from the public beach side) has diverse trees including fruit trees making it a decent patch for birding.
Sanderling sandpiper in Tulum Mexico
Sanderling
Tulum, Mexico
Tamron 18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 DI-II VC HLD lens + Canon SL2
Aperture Priority +1 2/3 exposure compensation
1/250th F/9 ISO 400
A raised natural rock perch, overcast light, and uncluttered background brought this scene together for me. Sunrise Beach in Tulum is a very pleasant yet small public area. Lisa and I both enjoyed taking photographs here and you can walk on the scenic exposed rocks at low tide. It would be hard to take a bad picture in such a place.
Gulf Coast Toad in Coba Mexico
Gulf Coast Toad
Coba, Mexico
Tamron 18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 DI-II VC HLD lens + Canon SL2
Aperture Priority + 1/3 exposure compensation
1/25th F/10 ISO 1600, 100mm
An obliging subject at the base of a tree near ruins at Coba. Possibly my first time observing a Gulf Coast Toad, it’s dark lateral markings remind me a bit of a Wood Frog. An aperture of F/10 was selected to offer more depth of field than my typical walk-around setting of F/8. This is an uncropped image, the Tamron’s 1:2.9 (check this) macro ability is very useful for photographing small wildlife.
Striped Basilisk lizard at Coba Mexico
Striped Basilisk Lizard
Coba, Mexico
Tamron 18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 DI-II VC HLD lens + Canon SL2
Aperture Priority + 1/3 exposure compensation
1/320th F/9 ISO 800, 400mm
I did crop in on this, I played hide and seek with this lizard for several minutes but it was not going to sit still for me. A male Basilisk would like similar but have a large angular crest atop its head. I would have preferred a cleaner setting for the shot but my goal when I travel is to document as much wildlife diversity as I can.
Carmine Skimmer dragonfly in Cancun Mexico
Carmine Skimmer Dragonfly
Cancun, Mexico
Tamron 18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 DI-II VC HLD lens + Canon SL2
Aperture Priority + 0 exposure compensation
1/200th F/8 ISO 400, 400mm
I took this on a golf course during a morning walk from my resort. The Tamron 18-400mm looks like a good choice to me for dragonfly shooting. 400mm of telephoto reach, a short minimum focusing distance, and reputable Vibration Compensation (in lens anti-shake stabilization) are all very useful in the field.
Cormorant and Gulls silhouette in Isla Mujeres Mexico
Cormorant and Gulls silhouette
Tortugranja, Isla Mujeres, Mexico
Tamron 18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 DI-II VC HLD lens + Canon SL2
Aperture Priority + 0 exposure compensation
1/2000th F/8 ISO 200, 227mm
I chose not to use my lens at its furthest zoom for this image to show more context. Compositionally this is a pretty basic rule-of-thirds layout. The muted scene looks rather postcard to me which is neither good nor bad, “it is what it is”. This might print well for a dentist’s office.
Ctenosaur (spiny-tailed iguana) in Mexico
Ctenosaur
El Ray Ruins, Cancun, Mexico
Tamron 18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 DI-II VC HLD lens + Canon SL2
Aperture Priority + 0 exposure compensation
1/250th F/10 ISO 400, 400mm
This large adult iguana is either surveying his territory, enjoying the breeze, or doing whatever else iguanas do. They are actually quite territorial and will confront other iguanas invading their turf. A good number of the iguanas we saw had tails in various stages of regeneration which is a nice evolutionary trick to have.
Sabinal Frog (aka Fringe-toed Foamfrog)
Sabinal Frog
El Ray Ruins, Cancun, Mexico
Tamron 18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 DI-II VC HLD lens + Canon SL2
Aperture Priority + 1 exposure compensation
1/160th F/9 ISO 800, 400mm
A very diminutive frog and hard to locate at first. I chose to show its flooded grassy environment to provide context and scale. A big thank you to Bill McGighan for identifying my photo for me.
American Crocodile in Cancun
American Crocodile
Cancun, Mexico
Tamron 18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 DI-II VC HLD lens + Canon SL2
Aperture Priority + 1 exposure compensation
1/500th F/10 ISO 400, 200mm
A small individual, this one was on the edge of the lagoon just behind a gift shop in Cancun. I had seen another tourist couple looking down in the lagoon and had a hunch of what they were looking at. After a couple of photographs and a quick conversation with the couple from Manchester UK we bid the reptile and the humans good day.
Gulf Fritillary Butterfly in Cancun Mexico
Gulf Fritillary
Coral Beach, Cancun, Mexico
Tamron 18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 DI-II VC HLD lens + Canon SL2
Manual Exposure
1/100th F/8 ISO 1600, 227mm
The wildlife habitat at Coral Beach was less than overwhelming, however it did have more vegetation than most other parts of the tourist city. Coral Beach (also called Mirador) is a very pleasant place to walk around and a good way to avoid the crowds on the rest of the boulevard. Vibration Compensation saved the day on this shot, with a low handheld shutter speed of 1/100th at ISO 1600 I did not want to raise the ISO at the expense of fine detail.
Let me know if you have any questions or comments about the photographs, locations, or lens/camera setup I will do my best to help.
Purchase the Tamron 18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 DI-II VC HLD All-In-One Zoom through my affiliate link to help support my blog
Tamron 18-400mm for Canon APS-C
Canon EOS Canon EOS Rebel SL2 24 Megapixel Digital SLR Camera Body Only
Common birds of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Photographed handheld with the new Tamron USA 18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 DI-II VC HLD All-In-One Zoom.
Tropical Kingbird in Cancun Mexico photographed with the Tamron 18-400mm VC lens.
1/200 F/9 ISO 3200, 400mm, handheld
White-winged Dove in Mexico photographed with the new Tamron 18-400mm VC All-In-One Lens.
Order this terrific lens and camera combination through my Amazon links will help support my blog.
Canon EOS Canon EOS Rebel SL2 24 Megapixel Digital SLR Camera Body Only
Please let me know if you have any questions about the photographs, lens, or location.
September in New Jersey can be a great time of year for photographing many type of caterpillars. Monarch Caterpillars have especially nice patterning to them and I always look forward to capturing frames of them. The cooperative caterpillar below provided a great opportunity to test the close-focusing ability of the Tamron 18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 DI-II VC HLD All-In-One lens.
Tamron 18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 DI-II VC HLD All-In-One sample picture
The 18-400mm has a minimum focusing distance of 17.75″ (45cm) and a 1:2.9 maximum reproduction ration. Translation = you can fill the well with small subject matter on this Tamron. Download the full resolution straight out of camera (sooc) jpeg off my Canon Rebel SL2 from my Google Drive account
– https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwfEzS2JEk2ESEFoaml2UXlNTlk/view?usp=sharing
Camera settings for this picture:
Tamron 18-400mm handheld and wide open aperture at 400mm + Canon SL2
1/1000 F/6.3 ISO 400, Vibration Compenation (VC) On
Looking to order this lens? Buy it now from my Amazon Affiliate links and help support my blog.
Tamron 18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 DI-II VC HLD for Canon DSLRs – http://amzn.to/2xvjzbX
Tamron 18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 DI-II VC HLD for Nikon DSLRs – http://amzn.to/2xPqXj9
Do you have questions, comments, or feedback on this post? Let me know!
An unexpected recent handheld shot that worked out well for me. I was outdoors photographing scenery and was fortunate to have the versatile Tamron 18-400mm Di II VC lens mounted to capture this Great Egret in flight. The fine detail looks very good to me.
Exposure details:
Tamron 18-400mm VC + Canon SL2 handheld
1/3200 F/8.0 IS 400
-1/3 in Aperture Priority exposure mode
AI Servo autofocus
Raw image quality
For a closer look at this image, please download the uncropped full-resolution image from my Google Drive account.
It has only been a couple of weeks now since I purchased the new Tamron SP 15-30mm F/2.8 Di VC wide angle lens for full frame. I bought the lens to further invest in my real estate / architectural photography work, but naturally I will still give the SP 15-30mm a workout with my outdoor shooting. I am pairing the lens to both my Canon 6D and also my Sony A7R (via Fotodiox Pro adaptor).
As expected the lens was ready to go as soon as I opened the packaging. The frontmost element is bulbous, which is just a fact of the matter when using such an extremely wide POV with a fast F/2.8 aperture. The finely crafted incorporated lens hood and also the slide-on lens cap do well to protect the front element. There is also no threading for filters on the SP 15-30mm, although after market adapters seem to be springing up. I have not tried any filters with the lens yet.
So what do I really think of the SP 15-30mm VC?
It is wide on full-frame, very wide. When effectively composing a landscape photo at the lens’s broadest field of view we get a grandiose amount of scenery captured in a single frame. Knowing how to use an ultra wide lens to its full potential will be a challenge to new comers.
The SP 15-30mm VC is also extremely sharp. Fine detail is recorded throughout the entire frame. I am confident that my landscape photography will come to life in large prints after reviewing my camera raws. Expectedly, there is an acceptable level of distortion in the corner of the frames. I actually enjoy the slight “cathedral-effect” on my nature photographs but distortion is easily corrected in all camera raw converters.
Tamron’s SP 15-30mm VC is a sleek and attractive full frame lens capable of creating sleek and attractive photos. I look forward to using the lens for future low-light and night sky shooting. With the current retail price-point near $1200 Tamron has provided a great deal of value at a nice price point.
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Tamron SP 15-30mm VC + Sony A7R. 1/15th F/14 ISO 80. Buttermilk Falls in New Jersey
Tamron SP 15-30mm VC + Canon 6D. 1/50th F/11 ISO 320. Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey
Tamron SP 15-30mm VC + Sony A7R. 15mm F/14 ISO 50. Black River Park in New Jersey
Tamron SP 15-30mm VC + Canon 6D. 15mm F/14 ISO 100. Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey.
“The Creative Vision Hoax in Nature Photography”
A small aperture and dark exposure helps frame the morning sun striking the Jersey Shore.
I just got done flipping through another recent article in a photography magazine (name omitted to protect the guilty). In my estimation 80%-90% of photography periodicals, videos, and websites are rehashing the same post-processing principles that have been discussed ad nauseam since the early 2000’s. In the meantime, they are beating the dead horse on composition and exposure techniques that have been documented and discussed for at least 50 years.
My pet peeve is writings on the topic of “creative vision”. When shooters and authors mention creative vision, what they generally mean is taking the liberty to pull as many sliders in Lightroom as possible. Making the image looking wholly unnatural, yet justifying that their “eyes saw it that way”. I concur that there are no rules to art or photography, but to claim that the sky above the Earth is regularly the color of pure cyan or that the human eye views clouds with intense tonal gradations is nonsense. Modern age photographers should absolutely use all technology available to them, but they should do so with full disclosure.
Instead of stating my “creative vision” saw the scene this way, why not phrase it more accurately?
“I thought I could spice it up by adding intense contrast using software plug-ins.”
“The straight out of camera shot would receive little attention so I tried to improve it.”
“I use heavy post-processing on my photos to get more views on social media.”
The integrity of the field of photography is better preserved when we are honest about our techniques. “Creative Vision” “Marketing Vision” and “Post Processing Tools” are different concepts. You can fool some of the people some of the time…
Words and photo by Dave Blinder.
Yesterday Lisa and I took a drive to the Upper Delaware Scenic Byway, an area best known to photographers for Bald Eagle viewing in the colder months. I did see three Eagles, although none happened to be close enough for good photos. The highlight for the trip of us, was a Porcupine busily gnawing away on Spruce needles not much more than 15 feet off the ground. The only other live and wild Porcupine I’ve seen in North America was completely balled up in a sleeping position.
To take this photo, I mounted my Tamron SP 150-600mm VC lens onto my tripod and then dialed in the most appropriate exposure settings. In Aperture Priority mode, I set the aperture to F/8.0 and with overcast skies no ISO short of 1600 would do. My initial shots with an exposure compensation of ~ +1.0 stops light added were still very dark. When I got to +2.7 stops I was happy with the tonality of the image. The only thing left to do was to wail on the shutter button to try for sharp captures without motion blur. Best resultant photo below:
A photograph of a porcupine eating Spruce needles on a snow covered branch. Photo taken in Sullivan County, #NewYork with the #Tamron SP 150-600mm VC lens and the #Canon EOS 60D DSLR.
Common Porcupine, Sullivan County in New York. Exposure settings: 1/100 F/8.0 ISO 1600, 500mm
When trying to photograph detailed landscape photos, the natural inclination is achieve the greatest depth of field possible. Why? The detail resolved in a DSLR photography will exhibit much greater definition than a capture created by a cellphone or compact camera. The differences in medium may not be apparent until an image is displayed at its largest size.
Are there times when it is “okay” to intentionally limit the depth of field in a landscape view? Yes. There are no laws in art creation, and an artist does not advance in his/her field by conforming to the norm. The scene that I have presented here does quickly fade to soft focus. Why? Because I like it that that way.
An Autumnal View of the main drive through Worthington State Forest. Photo taken with the Tamron SP 24-70mm VC lens and the Canon EOS 6D.
Exposure settings: 1/80 F/3.5 ISO 100
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