Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged Augusta Canal, Augusta GA, Black Vulture, Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, Coragyps atratus on March 20, 2013| 4 Comments »
I was really struck by the unusual poses of these Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) that I encountered while walking along the canal path in Augusta, GA. The only other time that I saw Black Vultures in a tree, they were roosting and looked large and menacing.
These two vultures look like they have adopted a hawk’s approach to hunting by perching on a tree and waiting, rather than by circling endlessly in the skies as other vultures do.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Bugs, Insects, Macro Photography, Travel, tagged Augusta Canal, Augusta GA, Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, flash, spider on March 19, 2013| 10 Comments »
Walking along the Augusta Canal for a final time yesterday morning before returning home, I encountered this spider, hanging in the air from a concrete supports of an overpass, and took shots of him without a flash and with one. After being starved for insects over the winter (photographically speaking), I was thrilled to have a chance to photograph one.
I probably should have taken out my macro lens, which I had with me in my bag, but opted instead to shoot with the 55-250mm zoom lens that was on my camera. It was still relatively early in the morning and the the spider was mostly in the shade, so lights was an issue. I upped the ISO to 800, but still needed an exposure of 1/8 of a second at f/9. Fortunately I had my tripod with me, so I used that to get a relatively sharp shot. I shot with the zoom at 250mm and used manual focus.
The first image was with natural light and the second one was taken using the camera’s built-in flash. The light coming from behind the spider in the first shot helps to illuminate the spider’s legs, which look almost translucent. The flash in the second photo reveals some additional details of the spider, although it did add some reflections, because I did not have a diffuser for the flash.
Which one do you prefer?
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Architecture, Landscape, Photography, Travel, tagged Augusta Canal, Augusta GA, Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, locks, Savannah Rapids, Savannah RIver on March 17, 2013| 3 Comments »
Savannah Rapids is the starting point of the Augusta Canal, which was built in 1845 as a source of power, water and transportation for Augusta, Georgia. The Canal was designated a National Heritage Area by Congress in 1996 and now serves primarily as a recreational area. (Click on this link for more details on the history of the canal, which served an important role for the Confederacy during the Civil War.)
On a beautiful morning, I walked along the raised tow path for several miles, with the canal on one side and the Savannah River on the other. The trees were starting to bud and even to flower and even to flower on a day that got up to 75 degrees (24 degrees C). Spanish moss was growing on many of the trees, giving them a look that seemed exotic to me.
Here are a few photos I took of the structures associated with managing the flow of the water in the canal. I love the weathered wood and stone and the interplay of light and shadows and reflections.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 