Orchid. Taken at the National Orchid Show at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, March 2008. Click here to see more. Canon EOS 40D, Canon 100mm F/2.8 macro

Dolphin Release. This is an off shore male bottlenose dolphin as it was released back into the wild by the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation on Long Island in November 2007. Canon EOS 40D

Giraffes? We don't need no stinkin' giraffes on Long Island.(September 2007) Canon EOS 40D. One of my first images with Canon's incomparable EOS 40D. One of the key facets that attracted me to this camera is a broader dynamic range, as illustrated in tonal range in the white feathers of this egret. In other cameras, the whites would be blown out. Not here.

Monster Truck. Not one of my trademark images. At the risk of self-caricature, I gravitate toward the graceful and the serene, accented by a joie de vivre where I can. This image is arguably the "evil opposite" of grace and serenity. But it sure is lively. Taken at the Balloon Fest at Calabro Airport. I have shots of balloons, but so does everybody else. (August 2007) Canon EOS 20D.

Dew. Yeah... doesn't look like much. Give it a chance and click on it.(August 2007) Canon EOS 20D.

Surf Fishing. A scene from Fire Island, NY. Shows the benefits of photography during the "Golden Hour" The light is perfect just after sunrise. (July 2007) Canon EOS 20D.

Great Egret. With breeding plumage. Taken at daybreak on the east bank of the Browns River in Sayville, Long Island. (July 2007) Canon EOS 20D.

Mallard family. This shot was taken about 2 nautical miles into Great South Bay. They were heading from Fire Island to the mainland. I followed them in my sailboat for a mile. They never stopped once. What a pack of troopers. Notice that the mother is holding her wings up a little in order to provide a windbreak for the little ones. I have no idea what would have motivated her to take them on this long trek, which was probably about five miles over rough water. (July 2007).

Catbird taking a bath. I built a solar fed pond in my backyard this year. I put in a shallow area for the birds to use. It looks like a popular spot. (June 2007) Canon EOS 20D

Purple Iris. Macro shot. Staring into the purple cave. (June 2007) Canon EOS 20D

Snow Monkey. One of the residents of Atlantis Marine World. (2007) Canon EOS 20D.

 

 

 

Baby Mallard. There were lots of these on a lake in East Patchogue, Long Island, NY, USA this spring. Their numbers dwindled with time, however. I'd like to think that they got big and flew away. However, this lake is a popular place for people to feed worthless bread to wild birds. It harms their health. I also know that there is at least one big ole snapping turtle in the lake. Their favorite food is.. you guessed it. (May 2006).

Red Breasted Merganser. This species visits Long Island in the Winter. This one was diving for fish on the Browns River in Sayville. Getting the shot was a challenge. As soon as he saw me, he scooted to the far side. I waited for him to dive for fish and ran to the best position. After a few cycles of this he stopped noticing me and came back to my side of the river, where I got this shot. So, you don't absolutely need "Big glass" to get nice shots of wild birds. Just a little patience and guile. (February 2006).

Black Footed Penguins. In their new home at Atlantis Marine World. These two were members of a group which were brought into the U.S. from their home in South Africa without the proper permits. (January 2006).

Crested Cormorant. These critters are diving birds. This is a common pose for them as they let their wings dry out after hunting for fish to eat. This shot was taken on the Peconic River in Riverhead, Long Island (November 2005).

Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly. Taken at Beaverkill state conservation area in the Catskills. (July 2005).

Turk's Cap Lilies. I am told that these are the only wild North American lilies. Prefering sunny, moist places, these were growing along the banks of the Beaverkill River in the Catskill Mountains of New York on an early morning. At first glance, I thought they were dead leaves. A closer look revealed these gems. (July 2005).

Shoot'n the Breeze. Early Saturday morning on Great South Bay, sailing back to my home port, I got some shots of this sloop, Shoot'n the Breeze. (July 2005).

Mandarin Goby. This unusual critter is a resident in the coral tank at Atlantis Marine World on Long Island. I spotted him months ago, but couldn't get a good angle on a shot. One day, I had my eye on a new wrasse in the tank, and this guy comes swimming right in front of me. Sometimes you get lucky.(July 2005).

Mom's Night Out. So here I am sitting on a dock at Davis park, Fire Island at sunset. This female mallard hops out of the water and starts quacking and dancing around on the dock. All she needed was a straw hat and a microphone and it would have worked on Vaudeville. There were no males around, so it couldn't be a courtship ritual. A little while later, I noticed a gaggle of some 30-40 ducklings being shepherded by two or three adults. Then it all made sense. The kids were at the babysitters. This was her night out. Canon EOS 20D (June 2005).

Great South Bay Bayman. This was a morning shot, taken with the sun out of the frame, but backlighting the bayman. I've got a few shots of baymen on my Great South Bay Photoblog, but I liked this one best. Canon EOS 20D (June 2005).

Baby Harbor Seal. This little one was 7-10 days old when rescued from a gaggle of onlookers at Smith Point beach. NY State Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue program biologists theorize that the human presence scared the mother away. She will not return. The infant is being nursed at the Rescue Center. (29 May 2005). Canon EOS 20D.

Mallards in flight. An osprey hovering caught my attention. As I positioned myself for a shot, he/she moved away. Got these mallards instead. (2005) Canon EOS 20D, Canon 75-300mm lens.

Risso's Dolphin Release. The first Risso's dolphin successfully rehabilitated in the United States. For this animal's story, go to the web site of the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Education. The photo was taken from the chase vessel as the animal was released. It was the outcome of a team effort where the captains positioned their vessels for best lighting, subject to the safety of the animal. The sky cooperated, but the waves and wind could have been more helpful, with both vessels pitching, rolling, and yawing. Not to be dismissed is the ten months of dedicated care and professionalism by the Foundation's biologists, interns, and volunteers with consultation from associate members of the Northeast Stranding Network. (2005) Canon EOS 20D, Canon 75-300mm lens.

Animals Playing Instruments. This harbor seal, a resident of Atlantis Marine World, has a favorite toy - a plastic lid, seen in this photo. When it's in the pool, it is his habit to grab it in his mouth and position it with his flippers. Then he hums. It's a raspy kind of hum, but it has some tonality, apparently magnified by the plastic material. It sounds a little like a base harmonica. Now, most observers would say that animal behavior is largly directed at getting food and mating, which this doesn't seem to do. So his handlers are at a loss to explain his behavior. He seems to do it for fun. Nevertheless, all are waiting to see if he achieves rock star status among his female co-residents. (2005) Canon EOS 20D, Canon 17-55mm lens.

Mallards on a misty morning. I have wanted to get a shot of birds on a misty morning. Here are the birds. Unfortunately, they weren't in a spot that would accentuate the mist. I was trying to evoke a mood with this shot, rather than an illustration for a biological encyclopedia. (2005) Canon EOS 20D, Canon 75-300mm lens.

Ring Billed Gull.Taken in a late winter morning in Bellport Marina on Long Island. It was one of several shots taken to explore differences between raw and jpeg mode in digital cameras. This shot was from the raw image.(2005) Canon EOS 20D, Canon 75-300mm lens..

Orange Polka Dot fish.This little fellow is about 2 inches long and never stops swimming - real challenge. He/she is a resident of the coral tank at Atlantis Marine World. I did ask the senior aquarist the name of its species at one time. However that information is now lost in antiquity. (2005) Canon EOS 20D, Canon 17-85mm EFS lens.

Ice Scooters on Bellport Bay. In January, residents of Bellport, L.I. look to the freezing of Great South Bay. For a short period, the bay is solid enough to sail ice scooters. It is said that these can go as fast as 60 miles per hour in a fresh breeze. For more of these pictures, click here.(2005) Canon EOS 20D, Canon 75-300mm.

Male Northern Cardinal. Snowy days certainly bring out the bright colors in this fellow. You may notice the same bird feeder in a number of images on this site. It's the one that I moved to within eight feet of a window in my house. With a good camera and some black oil sunflower seeds, you can get some nice shots. (2005) Canon EOS 20D.

Red Bellied Woodpecker. A visitor to my bird feeder, this one was a reluctant subject in the sense that by the time I was ready to take the shot, it had flown. One Saturday morning in December, I was able to bag this trophy. It really does have red belly, not visible in this photo. (2004) Canon EOS 20D.

Swan Shading Eyes. Well, not really. This shot was taken of a swan preening at Yaphank Lake on Long Island. It was the most interesting of several taken in a burst. Click here for a closeup of the head and feathers, which shows the level of detail possible with the Canon EOS 20D. Note that this is a medium resolution jpeg. The original is even more striking. (2004).

Mallard. One November morning, I was passing a lake in East Patchogue when I caught a glint of an irridescent green from the corner of my eye. I turned back and got this shot of a male mallard. The angle and quality of the late autumn light and a blue morning sky brought out the colors. (2004) Canon EOS 20D.

Parrot. This is one of the residents of the Priceless Parrot organization. This NY State certified non-profit takes in tropical birds that are abandoned or no longer wanted by their owners. They do good work on a shoestring budget. (2004) Canon EOS 20D.

This is embarrassing. I entered a couple of shots in the Prix de la photographie paris. I found out upon doing a Google search on myself that I received an honorable mention. But I don't remember which shots I sent them and I couldn't find the e-mail.

The photos above represent efforts in Joe's continuing digital phase. The following shots were taken on film.

Maui Sunset. This is a shot of my son in Maui when he was 13. It perfectly summed up his Hawaiian vacation. I was sitting on the beach, trying to coax him out of the water at the end of the day. While coaxing, I took this shot. (1994) Canon EOS Elan.

Denali. The tallest mountain in North American (formerly Mt. McKinley). This shot was taken 30 miles away in Denali National Park. Its base is at sea level, which gives it the greatest contrast in elevation of any peak on Earth. Denali is only visible 30% of the time because of dynamic weather changes. Moments after I took this shot, the band of clouds visible at midlevel expanded to obscure it. I was extraordinarily lucky. (1993) Canon EOS Elan