During lunch, I like to roam about with the camera. Sometimes, I get rewarded, like during this encounter with a hummingbird. While it’s easier to photograph a hummingbird sitting on a tree branch, capturing a small bird in flight is a lot more challenging and fun.

Nikon D800, Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II, ISO 720, 195mm, 0 EV, f/8, 1/1,600s

Nikon D800, Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II, ISO 100, 200mm, 0 EV, f/4, 1/1,600s

Each year, Shoreline Amphitheater hosts a July 4th concert and fireworks show. I’ve attended the concert once, but the wait to exit the parking lot after a long night was a bit too much.

Instead, I showed up early at Shoreline Lake to reserve a spot. In afternoon light, I experimented with an ND filter.

Nikon D800, Nikkor AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 100, 78mm, 0 EV, f/8, 2.0s

At 8:18 PM, the sun finally started to set. Turning away from the lake, I could see the sun drop behind the baylands.

Nikon D800, Nikkor AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 100, 32mm, 0 EV, f/16, 1/80s

The four bright lights are located at the amphitheater. You get a clear view of the fireworks, but the sound from the concert does not carry this far.

Nikon D800, Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G, ISO 100, 50mm, 0 EV, f/16, 15.0s

Looks like a sunset, but it is not. Changing the aperture from f/16 to f/8 increases the amount of light by 4x. Increasing the shutter speed from 15.0s to 30.0s, also doubles the light. So, even though the photo below (9:30 PM) was taken later than the one above (9:06 PM), changing the aperture and shutter speed alters the character of the scene. You can even see a few stars showing up in the night sky.

Nikon D800, Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G, ISO 100, 50mm, 0 EV, f/8, 30.0s

Having been to the Shoreline Lake fireworks show, I knew that a 50mm lens would be about right.

Nikon D800, Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G, ISO 100, 50mm, 0 EV, f/4, 1.0s

I used a Nikon MC-30A cable release to adjust the shutter speed. I set the camera to manual mode and shutter to bulb. I clicked when a new firework was launched, and released as it faded. Just adjust the aperture to arrive at the correct exposure.

Nikon D800, Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G, ISO 100, 50mm, 0 EV, f/5.6, 2.0s

Nikon D800, Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G, ISO 100, 50mm, 0 EV, f/8, 7.6s

Nikon D800, Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G, ISO 100, 50mm, 0 EV, f/8, 1.6s

Some more traditional red, white and blue fireworks.

Nikon D800, Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G, ISO 100, 50mm, 0 EV, f/11, 2.0s

Nikon D800, Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G, ISO 100, 50mm, 0 EV, f/11, 10.7s

Even though you are taking photos of fireworks at night, you don’t need a “fast” lens. I like the f/5.6 series of photos best. You get just enough background without all the smoke from the fireworks showing up as well.

I headed up to the Stanford Dish for a July 4th hike. I brought along the 28-300mm lens for fun. The side facing the mountains had clear blue skies. Along the bay, it was hazy and overcast.

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 100, 180mm, -0.3 EV, f/5.6, 1/1,000s

The last time I was up at the Dish was a year ago. I took a photo of this same tree. Retina version is a lot more detailed.

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 140, 48mm, -0.3 EV, f/8, 1/1,000s

Experimented with shooting into the sun, and trying to bring back the shadow details. Wasn’t in an HDR mood, I guess.

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 100, 50mm, 0 EV, f/16, 1/60s

If good fences make good neighbors, what about bad fences?

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 100, 230mm, 0 EV, f/5.6, 1/800s

The real treat of the hike was encountering this deer. It started on the other side of the fence, but easily ducked under and headed off across our path.

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 100, 300mm, 0 EV, f/8, 1/250s

I attended my first star party at Foothills Park tonight. I arrived shortly before sunset and witnessed the last rays of the day wash over the golden foothills.

Nikon D800, PC-E Nikkor 24mm f/3.5D ED, ISO 100, 24mm, 0 EV, f/11, 1/40s

Once the sun sets, the blue sky turns purple.

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 100, 28mm, 0 EV, f/5.6, 1/25s

With SJC to the south and SFO to the north, this busy air corridor was filled with planes coming and going. This plane is flying above the Dumbarton Bridge on the way to San Francisco airport.

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 100, 300mm, 0 EV, f/5.6, 1/25s

At sunset, the landscape turns almost monochromatic with just the silhouette of buildings and trees visible. The bright dot really looks like Sutro Tower.

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 100, 300mm, 0 EV, f/8, 1/100s

The night sky behind Vista Hill. While a lot of stars were visible from Foothills Park, it is not a dark site like Kings Canyon. The Milky Way looks like its making an appearance in the lower left-hand corner.

Nikon D800, AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 800, 15mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 8.2s

Summer is a prime travel season. If you are heading out on vacation and wondering which lens to bring along, a great reference is flickr and 500px. Besides gaining inspiration from your fellow photographers, you can also study the EXIF of their photos to see what lenses and camera settings they used.

I visited the Grand Canyon 2½ years ago. If I was going again, I would take a different set of photos. But, in lieu of trekking 750+ miles, I can re-process these older photos with newer tools and improved techniques.

Nikon D7000, AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED, ISO 100, 35mm, -2 EV, f/5.6, 1/320s

Back then, I had a DX camera and was using the all-in-one 18-200mm lens. At the time, I was experimenting with bracketing and took three shots at 0 EV, -2 EV and 2 EV. The -2 EV preserved the sky, but underexposed the foreground. That’s fixable. However, if the sky is overexposed, there’s no way to bring back those details.

Here’s the Grand Canyon at first light. The sun has just risen and its rays are catching the top of the canyon walls. In post-processing, I brought down the exposure of the sky and increased the exposure and contrast in the shadows. At 1/60s, I was definitely using a tripod.

Nikon D7000, AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED, ISO 100, 20mm, 0 EV, f/5.6, 1/60s

Three photos at 35mm (FX 45mm), 20mm (FX 26mm) and 42mm (FX 55mm). That should tell you that the Grand Canyon is a wide angle location, unless you are fortunate enough to encounter some wildlife. You really need a wide angle lens to capture the vastness of the Grand Canyon as well as the differently colored strata.

Maricopa Point along the Hermits Rest Route

Nikon D7000, AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED, ISO 400, 42mm, 0 EV, f/13, 1/640s

From Desert View, we headed back to our base at Kachina Lodge. Unlike summer, sunset in winter comes early. So, we took photos at a number of lookouts along the way. At 4:25 PM, the sun was already setting, which brought out the brilliant bands of colors. When taking photos at sunset, don’t just focus on the sun dropping below the horizon, but also observe the colors of the sky.

At this point, the temperature was dropping fast and the wind had picked up considerably. You don’t take sunset photos at ISO 100 for 1/30s in windy conditions without a tripod.

Nikon D7000, AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED, ISO 100, 28mm, 0 EV, f/4, 1/30s

These two photos are pretty similar. One was taken at 28mm (FX 36mm) and the other at 75mm (FX 97mm). The top photo really shows the Desert View Watchtower as a lone beacon in its vast surroundings. The bottom photo really focuses on the Desert View Watchtower. The -2 EV was accidental. I forgot to reset the camera after I had bracketed some earlier shots.

Nikon D7000, AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED, ISO 100, 75mm, -2 EV, f/5, 1/40s

This is what I mean by wildlife. We spotted this deer chewing on the bark. I only had the Fuji FinePix X100 with a fixed lens at the moment. At 23 mm, I had to crop out a lot of the photo, but that’s the camera/lens I had with me.

Fuji FinePix X100, ISO 800, 23mm, -0.3 EV, f/2, 1/30s

The bottom line is that the DX 18-200mm or an FX 28-300mm would be absolutely fine lenses to use at the Grand Canyon. The bonus is not having to switch lenses in a dusty environment. However, you will not use the tele portion of the lens as much, if at all. If you decide to take sunrise, sunset or star photos, you may have to bump up the ISO unless you have a tripod with you.

In children stories, the owl is always perched on a tree asking “Who?” I saw this owl during a lunch time walk. Not its first encounter with a human since its leg is already adorned with a metallic band. It looks like a burrowing owl to me.

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 360, 300mm, f/8, 1/800s

Later, I spotted several turkey vultures hovering over air currents.

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 450, 300mm, f/10, 1/1,600s

Finally, a hawk to round out the lunch hour.

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 800, 300mm, f/10, 1/1,600s

Part II of the Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Center photoshoot.

After spending some time focusing on the flowers, I decided to hang out around the poppies and photograph some bumblebees. Ordinarily, these bees do not sit still. After all, you might have heard of the term “busy as a bee.” So, the standard modus operandi would be to focus, take a burst of photos, and see if any came out. However, in this case, the bumblebee was loafing around. Actually, I thought it was dead. Maybe it was drunk on nectar, because it just did not move. When I looked again a few minutes later, the bumblebee had flown away by then.

Nikon D800, AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED, ISO 100, 105mm, f/4, 1/800s

This photo is more of the norm. This bumblebee is not going to hang around quietly waiting for me to take its photo. So, I selected a shutter speed of 1/4,000s to compensate for bumblebee motion. Fortunately, just enough of the bumblebee is in focus in this photo.

Nikon D800, AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED, ISO 400, 105mm, f/3, 1/4,000s

The trail to Mission Peak winds through a terraced hillside. In the middle of fields of golden grass presides a band of mellow cows too busy foraging for food to bother with the passing humans. Some people listen to their own music on the trip up, but I much preferred the hum of insects and the occasionally lowing cow to connect me back to nature.

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED VR, ISO 720, 300mm, 0 EV, f/8, 1,1000s