I shot some eagles...

today with my long lens, and here's the bounty for the efforts.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did while visiting Beauty Bay this late morning (click images to enlarge):

Two of more than thirty I spied today:

A juvenile in flight:

And an adult:

Artsy view of a perch:

And a tricked-out cell tower:

Image details: Canon EOS 30D with 400 mm EF lens on monopod.

Camera lost at sea...

for more than a year returned to owner based on information on the SD card.  While the camera was a complete loss, the images were still accessible on the memory card.

This suggests to me that it's a good idea to photograph a note with your name and phone number as a first image on the memory card in your camera.  In case your camera is lost and subsequently found, a generous and honest person could then very easily contact you.

Breathtaking time lapse...

Beautiful world...

The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd.

These dramatic time-lapse scenes were recorded on Pico del Teide, a volcanic summit in the Canary Islands.  I'll have the good fortune of visiting this magical place in spring 2012 with Zegrahm Expeditions.

Progress can be measured...

by this growing column of Kodak slide carousels, as I continue to scan/digitize my enormous slide collection.  The towering stack shown in the image above (click to enlarge) has been completed, and I've made it a priority to scan the slides used in my teaching first.

This has been a surprisingly joyful (although tedious) process, as each slide set takes me back in time to a variety of field trips, travels, and adventures that had faded in my memory.  I can already see that this will turn out to be an invaluable, and quickly accessible, digital photo-journal when all is done.  It's certainly been well worth the investment in time and I should have embarked on this project much sooner.

High five for Eye-Fi...

memory card technology that automatically transfers images from your digital camera to your home wireless network (or from any public hotspot) as they are being shot.  You never have to cable the camera, or pull the SD card, to load images on your computer.  This is likely the one and only memory card you need for your camera, unless you have an insane need to archive all of your images on a multitude of cards.  It cleverly geotags images, too.

My experience with the Pro X2 card has been excellent:  the card configured seamlessly with my home Wi-Fi network, and images transfer quickly and without error.  Easy.  (I haven't configured the ad-hoc wireless connection with my netbook, enabling transfers without a router, just yet.)

Highly recommended, especially if you're a shutterbug or professional photographer.

Eulogy for color film...

For Kodachrome Fans, Road Ends at Photo Lab in Kansas.  This seems especially appropriate on this occasion:  Paul Simon: Mamma Don't Take My Kodachrome Away.

I actually shot more Ektachrome earlier in my life and career since it was a faster color slide film, and the E-6 processing was something I could do at home. Believe it or not, I still have about a dozen 36-exposure rolls of the film.

30 to 60 images...

is about what I shoot with my digital cameras each week, on average, and vastly more when I'm traveling or doing field work.  So I'm gifting myself an 8GB Eye-Fi Pro X2 card for Festivus.  I'm springing for the premium Pro version ($99 at Amazon.com) since it incorporates ad-hoc wi-fi capability, allowing for wireless connection between the camera and a  laptop without needing a network router.  I'm eager to give it a test drive and I'll post my impressions in a short bit.

How to photograph...

fireworks.

I used many of the tips in the article to take this image.

Gigaviews from Island in the Sky...

in Canyonlands National Park, acquired on 24 March 2010, from the Murphy Trail overlook into the Green River drainage:

and from the Gooseberry Trail overlook into Monument Basin:

The prominent White Rim Sandstone (a member of the undifferentiated Cutler Formation) appears in both images (click to enlarge).

Stay tuned. I'm just getting started.

Roundup of rugged digital cameras...

that are waterproof and shock resistant can be found at CNET.com. These aren't just for recreational use, but are also suitable for field work.

Amazing spherical panoramas...

in and around Utah. Stunning, actually.

ISO is the new megapixel...

in digital photography. I wholeheartedly agree, and won't upgrade my camera until better sensitivity under low light conditions is incorporated, rather than chasing ever increasing megapixels.

Do it yourself...

group sends $25 balloon to 70,000 feet. Cool.

Previous related post.

Diving kingfisher...

caught in the act. Here's how it was done by photographer Adrian Groves (click to enlarge).

Absolutely fantastic.

How to photograph sunsets...

explained in a short article at Wired.com. This topic inspired me to post the image above, showing the Japanese Subaru Telescope and the American Keck I & II Observatories on the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii during a magnificent sunset (click to enlarge).

Image notes: August 2007, Canon EOS 30D with Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens.

A waterproof camera and perfect sense...

of timing is manifest in this amazing photography: Inside the Tube - Incredible Wave Photography.

Big bug mugs...

in the form of macro portraiture photography.

Getting more serious...

about my photography, and as a consequence, have begun using Adobe Lightroom 2 to manage and edit my digital images upon the recommendation of photo-friend ER. Like a lot of software its complexity can be described as an iceberg: 10% of it is easy and intuitive to use but the real power lies beneath the surface. Right now I'm climbing the learning curve.

An alternative is ACDSee.

Do it yourself...

How to Take Photos from the Edge of Space for $150