Samsung Galaxy S4 Camera

Tammy

This is the only shot in which the camera nailed the focus.  This is great quality in my opinion.

Carol

This one is not sharp.  The camera opted not to use flash on this one, a "glaring mistake", pun intended.  I had the flash set on auto.  I probably will need to force flash on shots like this.

Chad

 This is not sharp.  I was uncomfortable with the white balance, set on auto.  Complexion looks too green.  I did moderate neutralizing in PS C5.

Chris

This one is unsharp, disappointing.

Chris and Hannah

Hannah is almost sharp but Chris is not.  I had face recognition on.  I don't know why it came out this way.  I suppose I need to read the manual.

Hannah and Nathan

I so seldom see these two.  Not to have them in focus is unforgivable.  I must find out how to make this camera focus accurately.  Other wise, I won't use it.

I am encouraged that it nailed focus on one shot.  I know that I need to be smarter than the camera.  Maybe I can learn to make it work.  The camera chose 1/30 and f/2.2 quite a lot.  I had antishake off.  I wondered if the shutter speed was too long but the flash should have frozen the subjects.  It chose a wide variation of ISO settings.  I wonder if it compensates for a weak flash by adding higher ISO.

It is best to use a camera before taking it to an occasion like this.  I had used it here at home and thought it might perform better than it did on auto.

I should add that downloading images from the phone to my computer was straight forward.  Images were easy to find.

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Family Matters

The Eichers

Chris and Tammy were in the area last weekend.  We met them at Cracker Barrel, my favorite place, for brunch as they traveled back to Nashville.  I must state that I enjoyed seeing them all.  I see Chad and his family fairly often since they live in Lexington but I don't find it easy to travel to Nashville any more and don't see Chris' family that often.  Hannah, the one next to Carol, is my oldest grandchild.  She is 15, I think.  Her brother, Nathan, is sitting in front of me.

I have recently received a Samsung Galaxy S4 and used its camera for this shot.  I will discuss my first impressions tomorrow. 

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Lava Quartz

Lava Quartz

This is a panorama of the piece of rock I showed several days ago.  It is just beautiful beyond belief.  The dark in the lower right is a depression.  It looks like there are cubes of quartz or something white in the upper right.  (You can click on the image and it will open so you can see it in its entirety.  Click the back arrow to come back here.)  There is what looks to me like agate about 1/3 of the way from right to left.  I just love the bands.  I think this would be beautiful polished like Pam Laurer polishes rocks.  I don't think it would lend itself well the that process, though, because it is too small and not nearly flat enough.

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Burned Meadow Habitat

Gorman Nature Center

This is the burned Prairie Meadow Habitat showing the visitors center in the background.  I am anxious to see what happens next.  It seems like the job, that of burning, was done very carefully and precisely.  I wonder if the fire department was present.  I was surprised that it did not burn the woody plants.  It just burned the old growth.

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GNC Trail Maintenance

Mallard Drake

Mallard Drake

This is the Mallard Drake I showed you yesterday.  He was most entertaining.

Mallard Drake

If I ever see him again, I will remember that this pose means he is preparing to fly and that I need to reset the metering on my auto focus.

Mallard Drake

As it was, he surprised my by flying and I was a little behind the eight ball.  I never got the auto focus reset and it took me two days to remember how to do it.  Hopefully there will be another chance.

Mallard Drake

I love to watch birds fly!  They are so beautiful and graceful.  I suspect that this male has a mate hanging out with him on another, adjacent, private, pond.

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Birdlife on the Pond

Mallard Drake

The main pond has been ice free for a week or two and we are starting to see some bird activity.  This drake was the most recent.

Canada Goose

The geese have been active for weeks.  They were even on the pond when it was still frozen.

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Migrating Salamanders

GNC Vernal Pool 1

I look and think of the various things I have seen over the years as I have walked my trail at Gorman.  I have longed for the ice to melt on the vernal pools, thinking we might be one step closer to seeing dragon flies.  This was my favorite pool last season.  I made prints of pictures I captured here and they are hung in the visitors center presently.  I also made a short slide show about creatures from this pool.

Vernal Pool 2

This pool, just 30 yards from the one above is still frozen on top.  I photographed wood frogs in this pool while they were mating.

On this particular day, April 1, I was wondering about salamanders.  I am told that they migrate from the woods, where they live under rocks, down to the vernal pools to mate.  It supposedly happens on the night of the first "warm" rain.  I was wondering if we have had that night yet this year.  If I were younger, I would like stay up to photograph them sometime.  For now, I will have to satisfy myself with their images from other times and places.

Salamander Larvae

I have netted them from the pond.

Tiger Salamander

I have found them on the trail after a flash flood.

Tiger Salamander

The "classroom" salamander came along with a toad I once photographed.  I don't think they are very photogenic.  It seams that the spotted salamander fits that role better.  Maybe I will find one sometime.