At the Cape: On the Beach

At the Inn, they said the Cape Cod National Seashore is often considered one of the ten best beaches in the world. While I can't verify that claim, I can attest that at least from our point of view, it does seem pretty spectacular. Per Wikipedia, it includes nearly 40 miles of seashore along the Atlantic-facing eastern shore of Cape Cod.

Beach Infinity

Hat Stays On

Seagull in Profile

Beach Inspector

Pickup Line

Struttin'

Feathermania

Wind at His Back

These next two photos were taken by Deb, with my camera.

The seals were remarkably close to the beach. While one could swim quite near them, we were warned not to do so because apparently large sharks like to eat seals, so the sharks were likely not too far offshore.

Whiskers Above Water

Deb took a picture of this stranger having way too much fun in the water.

No Idea

All photos © 2018, all rights reserved.  Contact philslens@gmail.com for licensing or to order prints.

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Cushing Park and Farm Pond

Cushing Memorial Park and Farm Pond are adjacent recreational areas for enjoying nature, taking a brisk walk (or a slow one), rollerblading, biking, and/or running. Cushing is on the grounds of a retired military hospital. The hospital buildings no longer exist other than a small church and few small out buildings. Though Cushing Park has mile markers and a paved 1.5 mile loop, there's no path to walk or run all the way around Farm Pond. One can go partway, ... actually "across" Farm Pond, by walking (or running) along a "breakwater" near one end.

Good leaf color and a sunny day make for an unbeatable combination to enjoy a fall picture-taking session.

Moon Above

Often times, clouds make photos a lot more interesting than a solid blue sky. I was lucky to visit Cushing on such a day.

Sky Painting 1

Sky Painting 2

Color Mix

Sky Painting 3

Many Ring-billed gulls enjoy the scenery at Farm Pond.

Birds Over Pads

No Mid-Air Collisions

Path to Walk on Water

Tail Fan

Partner Flying

Flying into Color

Water Life

Entering Leaf Central

Reaching to the Sky

Park Bend

Complementary Colors

Turning Leaves

Direct Lighting

Patchy Clouds

Fall Beckons

All photos © 2016, all rights reserved.  Contact me for licensing or to order prints.

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A Day at the Beach

Salisbury Beach State Reservation is part of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) system. Deb and I made a recent visit on what turned out to be a perfect weather day. While I'd been to Salisbury Beach before, I'd been to the section outside of the State Reservation. This visit was to the maintained State Park portion and we were greeted with well maintained grounds, and an overall terrific beach experience. The water was remarkably clear, and the sand was smooth with no sharp objects, making barefoot beach strolling a joyful pebble and shell free experience. I had my Olympus camera along with my 75-300 telephoto and took some shots. Kids, waves, and seagulls were my prime targets.

Red Rimmed Seagull Eye

Bird's Eye View

Gray-Brown Speckled Feathers

Wowza! Check out this woman. The Black Lives Matter pin is an important part of the ensemble.

Gorgeous Woman Spotted on Beach 

Closed Eyes Water Ballet

Stop Action Walking

Water Coating

Best Friends Embark

Boys Being Boys

Splash Landing

Pure Joy

Lines

Beach Grass

Keeping Us Safe

Copycat Seagulls

Seagull Legs and Toenails

Landing Zone

Formation Takeoff

I've collected many poor shots of birds in flight during my time as an amateur photographer. These shots are a source of great humor as they are invariably blurry and/or partially out of frame. Taking a sharp picture of a bird in flight is one of the most challenging photographic subjects in existence, especially if the bird is mid-sky, with no nearby objects, and isn't just taking off or landing. However, once in a while the camera gods shine down on me, and I get a shot off with the subject completely in frame with the focus point close to perfect. Witness the rendition below of a seagull in flight. This is a 600mm eq. shot, while panning the sky to attempt to follow the bird's flight pattern. It is still slightly blurred, likely due to the 1/800 second exposure being not quite fast enough. Image data says this subject was 90 feet away.

Seagull in Flight

All photos © 2016, all rights reserved.  Contact me for licensing or to order prints.

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