Aug 7, 2021 | AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, Mourning Dove, Nikon 1 V3, Nikon 1 V3 Hodgepodge
Nikon 1 V3 Hodgepodge | Morning Dove Morning Doves tend to stick around all winter. They are beautiful calm birds that are relatively easy to photograph. An old photography guideline says to always have the eye in focus. A closely related guideline indicates to almost always show the eye of the critter in the frame. For more Morning Dove images, see Morning Dove Posing | a 7 Image Story and/or, see Morning Dove Portraits | a 7 Image Story.
The Back Story This image was captured by a simple click through the window at lunch time. Even birds like this Morning Dove can be challenging to capture without a long, fast lens. The Nikon 1 V3 with the 70-300mm lens allows for a 810mm effective focal length. It’s a long, not so fast lens at f5.6, but a very sharp lens. Of course, it helps if you feed the birds during winter. Note: I post an image everyday at hankconrad.com.
Details…
| Event | Late Lunch |
| Location | Backyard |
| Date/Time | 1/03/2016 2:13pm Local Time |
| Weather | Cloudy | 29°F | Light Winds |
| Method | Simple click through the window. |
| Gear | Nikon 1 V3 with a Nikon FT-1 Adapter & Nikon AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR lens |
Exposure
| 300mm (500mm) f/6.3 1/800s -0.33ev 1600iso |
| Post | Reduced noise, sharpened eye, and added a bit of definition. |
Aug 6, 2021 | 1 VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6, Nikon 1 V3, Nikon 1 V3 Hodgepodge, Praying Mantis
Nikon 1 V3 Hodgepodge | Praying Mantis The praying mantis is named for its prominent front legs. By any name, these fascinating insects are formidable predators. They have triangular heads poised on a long “neck.” And, they can turn their heads 180 degrees,unique among insects, to scan their surroundings with two large compound eyes and three other simple eyes located between them. Oddly, they have only one ear located on the underside of its belly, just forward of its hind legs. Typically green or brown and well camouflaged among the plants where they live, the mantis lie in ambush or patiently stalk their quarry. They use their front legs to snare their prey with reflexes so quick that they are difficult to see with the naked eye. Their legs are further equipped with spikes for snaring and pinning their prey in place. Moths, crickets, grasshoppers, flies, and other insects are their usual prey.
Praying Mantis’ Life The praying mantis lives from the spring into the fall. It hatches from an egg sack with the coming of warm weather, looking like a tiny adult without wings. It molts, or gives up its old and outgrown skin for a new and larger one, six or seven times as it grows to adulthood. Once mature, it seeks a mate. In some species, the male and female engage in a ritualistic courtship dance, stroking each other fondly with their antennae before they finally mate. The male may make the ultimate sacrifice, serving as a meal for his mate, or he may make his escape, flying away to safety. Come fall, the female crafts her egg sack, an sculptural jewel perhaps half the size of your little finger. Like a master craftsman, she places her eggs by the dozens in a carefully braided pattern. She covers the sack with a froth that dries and hardens like plaster. She leaves the sack attached to the twig or a trunk of a tree to await the spring hatch. After this climactic act of her life, she will die within a couple of weeks. The preying mantis in the image is likely living in the last few weeks of her life.
The Back Story This Praying Mantis was crossing a road about the time I walked by on a late afternoon walkabout. Luckily, the 30-110mm lens was on the camera so I could stay far enough away from it. I used a short burst of clicks while laying on my stomach on the road. At the time of the click, that leaf had just blown near the Praying Mantis. A moment later, it was gone. For more insect images, see Nikon 1 V3 for Insects | a 7 Image Story. Note: I post an image everyday at hankconrad.com.
Details…
| Event | Daily Walkabout |
| Location | Local Road |
| Date/Time | 11/01/2015 3:40pm Local Time |
| Weather | Fair Skies | 64°F | Moderate Winds |
| Method | Used a short burst of clicks while laying on my stomach on the road. |
| Gear | Nikon 1 V3 with a 1 VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6 lens |
Exposure
| 110mm (297mm) f/5.6 1/800s -0.33ev 400iso |
| Post | Sharpened the eyes and lightened a bit. |
Aug 5, 2021 | AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, F-22 Raptor, Nikon 1 V3, Nikon 1 V3 Hodgepodge
Nikon 1 V3 Hodgepodge | F-22 Raptor The F-22 Raptor is a single seat, twin-engine, all-weather, stealth, top line fighter. For more soft sepia aircraft images, see Soft Sepia Aircraft | a 7 Image Story. For more information and images of fighter jets, see Fighter Jets | a 7 Image Story.
The Back Story This image was captured at Oshkosh while laying on my stomach. The 70-300mm zoom lens makes it easy to adjust focal length as the Raptor taxis down the taxiway. Remember, 125mm with the 2.7 crop factor of the Nikon 1 V3 converts to 337mm. To learn more about using the Nikon 1 V3 for aviation images, see Nikon 1 V3 for Aviation | a 7 Image Story. Note: I post an image everyday at hankconrad.com.
Details…
| Event | A Day at Oshkosh AirVenture 2015 |
| Location | KOSH, Wittman Regional Airport, Oshkosh, WI |
| Date/Time | 7/24/2015 5:46pm Local Time |
| Weather | Fair Skies | 81°F | Moderate Southwest Winds |
| Method | Used a short burst of clicks while laying on my stomach on the grass. |
| Gear | Nikon 1 V3 with a Nikon FT-1 Adapter & Nikon AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR lens |
Exposure
| 125mm (337mm) f/6.3 1/800s -0.33ev 160iso |
| Post | Converted to B&W Soft Sepia and cropped to 9×16 scale. |
Aug 4, 2021 | AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, F-4 Phantom II, Nikon 1 V3, Nikon 1 V3 Hodgepodge
Nikon 1 V3 Hodgepodge | F-4 Phantom The F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range, supersonic fighter-bomber developed by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 and by the mid 1960s, became a major part of the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps air wings. The Phantom is a large fighter with a top speed of over Mach 2.2. It can carry more than 18,000 pounds of weapons on nine external hard points including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and various bombs, but originally without an internal cannon. Later models incorporated a M61 Vulcan rotary cannon. Beginning in 1959, it set 15 world records for in-flight performance, including an absolute speed record, and an absolute altitude record. During the Vietnam War, the F-4 was used extensively as the principal Air Superiority fighter. It served as a first line fighter of more Western air forces than any other jet. For more information and images of fighter jets, see Fighter Jets | a 7 Image Story.
The Back Story This image was captured using a short burst of clicks while panning from knee height. Yes, you can still pan while standing on your knees since the panning movement comes from your waist not your arms. To learn more about using the Nikon 1 V3 for aviation images, see Nikon 1 V3 for Aviation | a 7 Image Story. Note: I post an image everyday at hankconrad.com.
Details…
| Event | A Day at Oshkosh AirVenture 2015 |
| Location | KOSH, Wittman Regional Airport, Oshkosh, WI |
| Date/Time | 7/24/2015 5:19pm Local Time |
| Weather | Fair Skies | 81°F | Moderate Southwest Winds |
| Method | Used a short burst of clicks while kneeling on the grass and panning. |
| Gear | Nikon 1 V3 with a Nikon FT-1 Adapter & Nikon AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR lens |
Exposure
| 135mm (364mm) f/5.6 1/800s -0.33ev 160iso |
| Post | |
Aug 3, 2021 | 1 VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6, Nikon 1 V3, Nikon 1 V3 Hodgepodge, Toad
Nikon 1 V3 Hodgepodge | Toad @ Sunset This toad appears to be an American Toad, which is the most often seen in America. These toads usually live in woodland habitats. It also likes grasslands, yards, and gardens. The parotoid glands of American toads secrete bufotoxin, a poison meant to make the toad unpalatable to predators. Bufotoxin is a mild poison, but it can irritate eyes and mucous membranes. If ingested, it is dangerous to smaller animals like dogs.
The Back Story This little guy just jumped in front of me on my walkabout. He then quickly hid under some nearby foliage. One of the nicer features of the Nikon 1 V3 is the tilt screen. All I had to do was put the camera on the ground, tilt the screen up, find the critter. Then, just a simple click. For additional information on the Nikon 1 V3 and more images, see Nikon 1 V3 for Walkabout Wildlife. Note: I post an image everyday at hankconrad.com.
Details…
| Event | Daily Walkabout |
| Location | Cadillac MI |
| Date/Time | 7/07/2015 7:95pm Local Time |
| Weather | Partly Cloudy | 64°F | Moderate Winds |
| Method | Simple click using tilt out display under a plant on wood chips with soft evening light shining under the plant. |
| Gear | Nikon 1 V3 with a 1 VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6 lens |
Exposure
| 101mm (272mm) f/6.3 1/80s -0.33ev 3200iso |
| Post | Reduced noise. |
Aug 2, 2021 | 1 VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6, Nikon 1 V3, Nikon 1 V3 Hodgepodge, Ships
Nikon 1 V3 Hodgepodge | Ghost Ship The Straits of Machinac see some serious ships going by Mackinac Island. This ship made its way through the fog and mist east bound. This freighter was slowly traversing the Straits of Mackinac. As the ship steams its way though the fog, its light silhouette adds contrast against the water and sky. The Mackinac Bridge in the background adds depth.
The Back Story Again, sometimes, vacation time provides an opportunity to slow down, relax a bit, and make a photograph outside your comfort zone. This image was a simple click on the boat ride back from Mackinac Island. I convert from color into B&W in post processing. Most of the time, I seem to get better B&Ws by concerting from color than capturing the image in B&W in the camera Note: I post an image everyday at hankconrad.com.
Details…
| Event | Day Trip to Mackinac Island |
| Location | Lake Huron traversing the Straits of Mackinac |
| Date/Time | 6/15/2015 5:10pm Local Time |
| Weather | Cloudy | 75°F | Light Winds |
| Method | Simple click captured from bow of a passing boat. |
| Gear | Nikon 1 V3 with a 1 VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6 lens |
Exposure
| 72mm (193mm) f/8 1/1600s -0.67ev 160iso |
| Post | Converted color into B&W in post processing. |
Aug 1, 2021 | 1 VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6, Nikon 1 V3, Nikon 1 V3 Hodgepodge, Ships
Nikon 1 V3 Hodgepodge | Rooster Tail The Straits of Mackinac sees boats big and small. This Rooster Tail is traversing the Straits of Mackinac, fast. Black and white adds contrast and depth to the image.
The Back Story Sometimes, vacation time provides an opportunity to slow down, relax a bit, and make a photograph outside your comfort zone. This image was a simple click on the boat ride to Mackinac Island. I did darken the dark’s and lightened the light’s in post processing. Note: I post an image everyday at hankconrad.com.
Details…
| Event | Day Trip to Mackinac Island |
| Location | Lake Huron traversing the Straits of Mackinac |
| Date/Time | 6/15/2015 10:41am Local Time |
| Weather | Cloudy | 65°F | Calm Winds |
| Method | Simple click captured from bow of a passing boat. |
| Gear | Nikon 1 V3 with a 1 VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6 lens |
Exposure
| 97mm (262mm) f/8 1/640s -0.33ev 160iso |
| Post | Darkened the image. Lightened the splash. Added definition. |
