View allAll Photos Tagged crisp_captures
Got some good views of the comet out there over the northern Arizona skies along Route 89A after a spectacular sunset at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Have had some spectacular sunsets at Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Valley of the Gods, Natural Bridges, and two at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon so far.
Took some wide angles of the comet, and then was trying to get a focus on it in the dark with the 105 lens. The only thing to focus on far off was car lights off in the distance, so used that to get a focus lock. Pretty close, but could do better. So today I made sure to test the camera at 105mm for focusing spot so that if get some other clear nights in Utah (we are heading back into Utah now on our trip), can get some better captures of the comet close in.
Wish I could get some time to check on all my contacts posts, but internet has been spotty for most of the travel so far ... and it has been a fun time out taking captures at some really great state and national parks).
So far it has been pretty good to stay socially distant from people, and most out here in gas stations, food stores, restaurants, etc. have been using masks. Many even while out hiking.
Our trek continues, and hope to get some crisper captures of the comet here at 105mm.
Cheers!
On April 8, 2024, from the vantage point of Westport, NY, I was privileged to witness and capture a celestial event of stunning beauty—the total solar eclipse. This moment, when the moon briefly veiled the sun, revealing its elusive corona, was immortalized through the lens of my Canon EOS Ra camera. This astrophotography-specific camera, equipped with an EF200mm f/2.8L II USM lens and a 2x III extender, allowed for a detailed and sharp focus on the sun's corona, using settings of ƒ/8.0 at 400.0 mm, a shutter speed of 1/15, and ISO 200.
The process was intricately planned and executed with precision, thanks in part to the iOptron SkyTracker mount. This sophisticated equipment tracked the eclipse's progression across the sky, countering Earth's rotation to keep the sun's corona in the frame, ensuring a crisp capture of its fleeting beauty.
Crucial to the success of this endeavor was SET'n'C (Solar Eclipse Timer and Controller), a software designed to revolutionize the way we photograph solar eclipses. SET'n'C automated the entire photography session, generating exposure tables tailored to the various phases of the eclipse. This allowed for a variety of exposures to be taken at just the right moments, ensuring that every nuance of the eclipse—from the partial phases to the mesmerizing totality—was captured with dynamic detail.
This image is a confluence of meticulous planning, technological precision, and the spontaneous beauty of the universe. Captured in Westport, NY, it serves as a powerful reminder of the awe-inspiring spectacles our cosmos holds. The photograph, a bridge between the earthly and the celestial, invites viewers to marvel at the majesty of the universe and consider our place within it. It's a testament to the beauty that awaits us when we look up and explore the sky above.
It's happened to all of us, I'm sure. Stumble on something your eye loves but you don't have the right camera/lens to hand. This was one of those--hurrying through the Lisbon airport, I saw this waiting room off to one side. I've no idea how many itty bitty square tiles were mounted on those walls in that voluminous space. I only know I was bummed that my Olympus was neatly packed away and all too aware that my iPhone wasn't going to be able to get a crisp capture of all those tiny squares.
Still, I can't walk by empty chairs without snapping them, can I?
On an Eels kick this morning. Listening to "Novocaine for the Soul": youtu.be/V2yy141q8HQ
I think it's about time that I start to post some of the photos I took way back in July '18 at the Tierpark Berlin during a very nice photowalk with Sabine.R and marionrosengarten.
The gibbon has been voted "Zootier des Jahres 2019" (zoo animal of the year 2019) in Germany. Unknown to most of us, gibbons, who are hominids / family Hylobatidae (I didn't know that), are the most threatened species of smaller apes in the world. Especially significant habitat loss, excessive trade with gibbons as extravagant "articles of food" or "medicine" pose huge problems to the "singing climbers", plus the fact that baby gibbons are often sold as pets (after their mothers have been killed). The species protection campaign "Zootier des Jahres" supports two important gibbon protection programmes, one in Laos ("Project Anoulak"), and one in Vietnam.
For more info on gibbons, please check the Tierpark website (English):
www.tierpark-berlin.de/en/animals/details/white-handed-gi...
And Wikipedia:
Light conditions on that day weren't good, it was a cloudy day with very diffuse and scattered "light", so the three of us struggled to get sharp and crisp captures, and this, while "OK sharp", though not sharp all over, was also rather grainy, especially the background, which is why I applied a soft glow effect to it, but masked the gibbon and his climbing frame out for better details.
Happy (Sliders) Sunday, Everyone, and have a relaxed new week ahead :-)
Einfach mal abhängen :-)
Es wird Zeit, dass ich Euch mal ein paar Fotos vom Berliner Tierpark zeige. Im Juli des vergangenen Jahres war ich dort zusammen mit Sabine.R und marionrosengarten. Für mich der erste Besuch des Tierparks. Im Bild seht Ihr einen Weißhandgibbon. Gibbons sind zum "Zootier des Jahres 2019" gewählt worden (den Link findet Ihr am Ende der Beschreibung). Die kleinen, in Asien beheimateten Menschenaffen, die ihr Revier durch Gesang markieren, sind insbesondere durch Verlust des Lebensraums und Jagd (sie werden als exotische "Delikatessen" oder "Medizin" verkauft, Baby-Gibbons werden auch als Haustiere verkauft, nachdem man ihre Mütter getötet hat) stark bedroht. Die (Spenden-)Kampagne Zootier des Jahres unterstützt zwei Projekte zum Schutz (nicht nur) der Gibbons, eines in Laos (Projekt "Anoulak") und eines in Vietnam.
Bei all den sonnigen, heißen Tagen des vergangenen Sommers hatten wir just den bewölkten Regentag für unseren Tierpark-Besuch erwischt; wegen des sehr diffusen "Lichts" (nennen wir es mal so) war es unglaublich schwierig, überhaupt richtig scharfe Fotos zu bekommen. Dieses ist "OK scharf", gerade so ;-) ; da insbesondere der Hintergrund auch recht körnig war, habe ich dafür per Maskierung einen "Glow"-Effekt angewendet.
Hier die Links:
www.tierpark-berlin.de/de/tiere/details/weisshand-gibbon
Ich wünsche Euch einen schönen (Rest-)Sonntag und eine entspannte neue Woche, liebe Flickr-Freunde!
Horned Grebe - Biolab Road, Canaveral National Seashore, Wilson, Florida
Yet another Horned Grebe, and this guy was quite friendly (so long as I stayed in my car). For this capture it sat there looking at me for several minutes, so I cranked down the ISO to 100 and took my chances with some slow shutter speeds to see if I could get some crisp captures while keeping the noise to a minimum.
This guy was a little too close to capture all of its reflection, but I'll take a close shot over a longer shot with a reflection 6 days a week.
Not the most crisp capture but I was happy that I got him with his dewlap extended ;-)
Those guys are so much fun to watch but the one time I hated them was when one of them decided to jump over my shoulder onto the table at night - not cool!!!!!!
A View of the Columbia River and Hillsides at Crown Point Vista House. A view captured while on a trip to Oregon and Washington to hike and explore a national park and nearby places I love seeing while in this area. Here I was walking around and exploring the views around the Crown Point Vista House that one Thursday morning. While the thin layer of low clouds and fog didn't allow for a crisp capture of images across this amazing, beautiful and iconic view of the Gorge and river valley, I was able to post process this photo here. What a morning it was! That's the story behind this image I posted here on Flickr (www.flickr.com/photos/14723335@N05/36597031882).
Now for the digital painting...the whole of this image was I felt a chance to practice more with one of Kyle's ink style brushes and using broader strokes, while adjusting hues and tones to capture a sense of depth. At first, I was somewhat intimidated by the forest of trees, even erasing a few starts as I didn't seem to capture that feel of forest on sees from overlooks along the Columbia River Gorge. Then I recalled words from a painter friend and videos of Bob Ross and tried again. Voici! I then methodically painted area after area, contrasting as best I could for that visual effect of depth. I also adjusted the brush styles from normal to combined to intermingle colors like one can with a real brush. That came in handy with the grassy meadows, river waters and mountainsides. I found doing that mixing of colors also helped with some imagined clouds, but I first focused on getting certain areas darker or lighter. The darker shade of the skies wasn't planned as I'd been thinking of a sunrise but then turned the day around and went with a sunset and facing east. I felt the darker skies would not only accentuate the clouds, but also draw the eyes back to the areas still caught in sunlight.
In the right foreground of the painting, you'll find that stick figure image of me "hiking" with my Cubbies hat, loving my time exploring the Gorge area once again :-)
Caught this guy before he headed down into the snow ... this was a pretty crisp capture in the low lighting (this was after sunset). ISO 2500, given that I am pretty impressed with the 60D capture at the higher ISO. Had similar results withn the high ISO for some of the eagle captures this past year too, so it was not a fluke ;)
I also reduced some the red and orange saturation levels and that really helped get more details in the feathers.
Essex, Maryland
Not the most crisp capture but perfect for bokeh Wednesday ;-))
HAPPY BOKEH WEDNESDAY!!! I think it's better large on black ;-))
Here is my first upload from the amazing concert that we went to Saturday night; the extremely talented and criminally under-rated Canadian pop-rock band, Sloan. The concert was held at the historic and lovely Bragg Creek Centre for the Performing Arts, which was a very nice, cozy venue with amazing acoustics.
The band has 4 members (although for this tour they have brought on a 5th for keyboards and percussion, the guy in the Sailor's hat), each of whom are extremely versatile multi-instrumentalists and who all write songs for each album.
From left to right, the band members photographed here are:Patrick Pentland, Chris Murphy, Andrew Scott (in the back on drums), and Jay Ferguson.
This was taken in the early stages of the show, while everyone was still sitting down in the chairs provided, but, within 15 minutes of the concert starting, the vast majority of the crowd had rushed the stage and was dancing and cheering right at the feet of the band.
My friends and I were able to get right up front and center, right up against the stage, so I was able to get some really amazing photos that night.
I wanted to upload this one first as it is one of the few where each band member is crisply captured (well, aside from the drummer, but he will show up in future shots!).
It was an AMAZING show, and for only 40 dollars a ticket, probably the best money I have spent in my life.
Hope you are all having a great week so far!
Photo details: Exposure 1.5 sec at f/11 (ISO 100), Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark III with a EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens at 105mm.
(Copyright ©2025 Jerold Paterson)
I asked AI help to critize the image:
This photo beautifully captures the romantic, storybook essence of Prague. The winding stone staircase, glowing street lamps, and misty skyline in the distance create an atmospheric and cinematic mood. It feels like a quiet moment in a bustling city—intimate, nostalgic, and slightly magical.
Strengths
1. Composition:
The leading lines from the stairs pull the viewer's eye straight into the heart of the city, which is a classic and effective compositional choice.
The vertical framing works really well, emphasizing depth and height, and echoing the steep descent of the street.
2. Lighting & Mood:
The warm street lights contrast beautifully with the cool, misty background.
That soft glow on the right building and the reflections on the cobblestones add texture and warmth—pure atmosphere.
3. Detail & Texture:
The cobblestones, brick walls, and architectural details are all crisply captured, offering a rich sense of place.
There's a tactile quality that makes you feel like you're actually there.
4. Depth:
The layers of rooftops and distant towers give the photo a great sense of depth and scale.
Atmospheric perspective (the fading of detail and saturation into the mist) is used very effectively here.
Rue Anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides; a.k.a. Anemonella thalictroides) - Ken Lockwood Gorge, South Branch of the Raritan River, Califon, New Jersey
I found this guy right next to the northern most parking area at the southern entrance to the gorge, and picked this particular plant because I liked the way the leaves framed the blossom. It was leaning against the leaf of a large sedge grass that gave it stability, and when I bent the grass over to make this capture the stability was sacrificed and I wound up taking a dozen or so picks before the breeze was sufficiently calm enough to make this relatively crisp capture at 1/6th second. But yet another of the sacrifices we make for isolation and composition.
Paul’s Junkyard, September 2011. I happened upon one of the workshop students, Tor, while he was in the rendering pit, shooting this 4-door Oldsmobile Cutlass, in the process of being recycled. He was working blind (unable to use the viewfinder or preview screen), at extremely low angles from inside the car. When he was done I moved in and set up a similar shot.
Taking advantage of my camera’s swivel screen, I was able to set the camera down on the car’s floorpan where the back seat used to be and point it towards the spot where the steering wheel would have been and still be able to easily preview and adjust the shot. I did a long series of high ISO test shots, slightly moving and tilting the camera until I got a workable composition. When I was satisfied with the position I started doing lit exposures, focused up close, to crisply capture the foreground details. I used a lime-gelled LED to enhance the car’s metallic green paint. I lit from a variety of angles, looking for ways to pull out the car’s crinkled nature.
When I was satisfied that I had a frame with good lighting coverage, I refocused the camera to infinity and began a series of four 5-minute exposures, which I then ended up stacking in Photoshop to make 20-minute star trails. Then I stripped in the the lit interior shot and masked out it’s sky.
Including the high ISO tests, I shot no fewer than 20 frames to end up with the 5 that I used to create the finished image you see here.
Reprocessed and replaced, March 2025.
Female Pileated Woodpecker - Suburban New Jersey, 25 miles west of "The City" (NYC)
Dah Wife heard this fem calling as she searched the dead wood around our home and called me out of the basement
to have a go at some pics.
This fem seemed a rather friendly sort, and posed nicely for me in the dim light as she picked through fallen logs on the ground looking for grubs.
At ISO 1600 and 1/00th of a second, and the way these guys move their heads, I got more motion blurred shots than crisp captures, though I shouldn't complain with captures like these in the bag.
Presents our feature of the Evening
Artist: 🗽 @capturedbycoby 🗽
.
Congratulations & Thank you for tagging your amazing shot to #nycprime_ladies ✨
.
Selection Mod: @mari_licious616
___________________________________________
Follow & tag all our pages
@nycprimeshot #globalprime_vids
@usaprimeshot #usaprimeshot
@night.sh00terz #nightshooters
@nycprime_ladies #nycprime_ladies
@globalprimesplash #globalprimesplash
@natureprimeshot #natureprimeshot
___________________________________________
🗽Our NYCPL Alliances🗽
🌟@hubdirectory member
🌟@shotzdelight #shotzdelight
🌟@nyc.uncut #nyc_uncut ___________________________________________
🌃🌆🚖🌅🚕🌉🚖🗽🚕🌉🚖🌇🚕🌆🌃 #nycprime_ladies #nycprimeshot #usaprimeshot #featuremeinstagood #crisp_captures #loves_nyc #ig_nycity #ig_unitedstates #world_ #ig_great_shots #instagramNYC #great_captures_city #splendid_shotz #gramsbestcaptures #ig_respect #icu_usa #global_hotshotz #bnw #inspiring_photography_admired #graffiti #made_in_ny #nyc #welovenyc #rsa_streetview ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ by @nycprime_ladies bit.ly/1X93v3b
✰ Check out The Epic Global Showcase at FlavoredTape.com and follow us on Instagram to see some of your cool art and photography showcased here!
Well !
Mentioned in a previous post that I've decided to return to the same spots to see if anything new had popped up, but what I had in mind were the seasonal wild flower blooms, or various birds coming and going.
Called in here both Sat. and Sunday, a spot I always thought was a bit of a boring, quiet little bend of the road, where the land past the farm fence drops down into a creek gully and not much ever seems to happen.
One park bench shaded by tall old gums, looking out across the cow paddocks, only the occasional car passing by, just seemed like a good place for meditation more than anything else, somewhere to let the Girlz out for a little stretch and sniff about when I didn't feel like going very far.
On Sat., spotted a pair of King parrots but failed dismally at a crisp 'capture'.. too many branches in the way, and never settled long enough for me.( One reason why we came back the next day, just in case I'd get a second chance.. )
Then a pair of lorikeets stayed and played for ages.
Managed my first decent pics of these gorgeous birds, but have just sorted the best ones out and thought I'd be posting one today …
From the previous post, Pips has her attention on something down at the water's edge.
Only just recently let them wander down there for a quick look then call them back after a minute, as it's Spring which means the deadly brown snakes are coming out of hibernation, very active and aggressive, on the move looking for mates.
Went to the fence to call her and spotted a blue wren down there. Got one snap before it flew off. Called Pips back up and she was so reluctant, not her obedient-eager-to-please self at all.
Gave me such a look that called me a real 'party-pooper'..
Still, she was quite captivated by whatever was down there and stayed at the fence line, transfixed.
After a minute, both Girlz erupted and charged barking down the creek gully right to the water's edge.
Remembered that Miss Woolly had been poking her nose around there the day before.
Meet our Aussie 'Eastern Water Dragon'.
Scientific Name: Intellagama lesueurii, formerly Physignathus lesueurii
Had forgotten about these guys, it's breeding season for them too, and there were so many of them, each defending their little patch of territory, bobbing their heads up 'n down at each other.
Bigger than the chinese ones, as far as I know. We had all sizes yesterday. This is just a little fella :) There were bigger and uglier ones too. They're for later.
What fun, but don't worry, there was plenty of distance between us.
There's an old bush saying, that if you have the lizards, you won't get the snakes..
No edits
…………………………………………………………………………….
Timelapse of the current Bridge construction over the long weekend. In the first shot you can see the old section slowly being rolled out to be demolished :)
First shot was with the indefagetable plungercam. When the moon started to rise behind the bridge, however, I couldn't help but switch back to a normal lens to get a nice crisp capture of the event :)
Audio credit: "Making Me Nervous", from the album "I don't know what I'm doing" by Brad Sucks.
The young girl was of upper class, her mother was by with her
The man was not of upper class, based on appearance only I concur.
She was stopped in her tracks when she saw the man
Happiness is an interpretation of the man's expression as best I can
Two seperate generations and of two verty different social class
At least they've stopped to register this instead of just walking past.
Percussionist Billy Ware of Beausoleil beatin' the skins at the Boothbay Harbor Opera House.
Billy was pretty much in the background, and wasn't all that well lit, so I had to shoot through traffic at slow shutter speeds to get some any pics of him.
Shootin' at speeds from 1/25 to 1/50 made life difficult holding the camera steady¹ and getting crisp captures of the performers, so I ripped bursts of captures at 8 frames per second, and picked through hundreds of captures lookin' for the few where the face was sharp and only the arms and/or hands were motion blurred.
¹ Luckily there were 2 support columns on each side of the stage that served quite nicely as camera supports, and holding the camera steady (even for shots at 1/10 second were not too problematic).
Canned Soup, I did this for my LPP, but I really like how it turned out. One thing that I noticed had been the details on the can, they're fairly crisp (capturing nearly all of it). One thing that could've been improved: lighting, wish that I had put more light on it.
I got a nice new memory card and now I can burst in RAW on my G1 a lot better. I managed to crisply capture a ton of images of these Whippets (Peter and Parker) playing pretty easily.
The G1 isn't a pro-sports camera, but it is certainly capable of catching some crisp action.
Female Needham's Skimmer (Libellula needhami) - Unnamed freshwater pond southeast of the main park road, Everglades National Park, Florida
Dragon flies are programmed to capture and eat flying insects and seem to be incapable of capturing terrestrial bugs that are right in front of them.
And in this case she seems to even be fearful of the ants, and took flight every time one of the them brushed against her legs.
Note: This video was captured on a windy day and was not "image stabilizated". This unstabilized version of the previous stabilized post shows the degradation of image quality that's a result of the stabilization processing, as well as the challenge it is to capture a crisp still of these guys on a windy day. But you will note (if you watch closely enough) that there are momments in time where a crisp capture could be made (even at a slow shutter speed) if you are willing to wait long enough for a wind eddy to center on your subject.
And I've even found that in a steady wind I could sometimes strategically position my body to create an eddy around my subject.
and
Notice how quiet it was in the Everglades!
No planes, cars, or any "people" noise of any kind.
Only the sound of the wind!
FYI - Flickr accepted and reprocessed this 320 MB clip with no problems, and then saved the original file for future downloading. I'm not sure what the limits are for file size, but unlimited storage for 25 bucks a year seems like a pretty good deal if you're willing to spend the time uploading your video clips to use Flickr as an online backup for raw MOV files.
David Doucet of Beausoleil Doin' multitaskin' at the Boothbay Harbor Opera House.
Shootin' at speeds from 1/25 to 1/50 made life difficult holding the camera steady¹ and getting crisp captures of the crew, so I ripped bursts of captures at 8 frames per second, and picked through hundreds of captures lookin' for the few where the face was sharp and only the arms and/or hands were motion blurred.
¹ Luckily there were 2 support columns on each side of the stage that served quite nicely as camera supports, and holding the camera steady (even for shots at 1/10 second were not too problematic).
Michael Doucet, David Doucet and Billy Ware of Beausoleil doin' their thing¹ at the Boothbay Harbor Opera House.
Descendents of the original Acadians still doin' thier thing in Maine, in spite of all the hardships³ levied on them by King George (something they have in common with their musically talented Irish friends).
Shootin' at speeds from 1/25 to 1/50 made life difficult holding the camera steady² and getting crisp captures of the crew, so I ripped bursts of captures at 8 frames per second, and picked through hundreds of captures lookin' for the few where the face was sharp and only the arms and/or hands were motion blurred.
¹ Zydeco/French Creole music
² Luckily there were two support columns on each side of the stage that served quite nicely as camera supports, and holding the camera steady (even for shots at 1/10 second were not too problematic).
³ Out of hardship comes poetry and music!
It's no coincidence my friend!
I like this shot despite the blurry arm. Sometimes I shoot at a fast speed to get a crisp capture, and other times I drag the shutter a bit to get the "feel" of movement
Like the fragrance of scent enclosed in a bud, there are
secret symptoms in the blossom of her broad lips.
Thirukkural-128-1274
Detail from insects body showing the incredible detail and crispness captured by the Nikon 40mm micro lens.
I was playing around with photographing my hand, with the auto-focus on, so I'd be able to see what it could do. It worked out pretty nice. The fingers are crisply captured.
One of the joys of my new camera.
You can see an open part of a callus on my ring finger.
[I'mma guitarist.]
by dynamic_galaxy ift.tt/1Sdbjmh @createcommune #createcommune #_heater #imaginatones #conquer_ca #citykillerz #streetmobs #crisp_captures #createexplore #justgoshoot #uncalculated #incredible_masterpiece #global_hotshotz #visualarchitects #visualsgang #visualsoflife #visualcreators #igshotz_max #streetactivity #mkexplore #hsdailyfeature #photooftheday #mgkra #judeallen1 #theoutbound #exploreeverything #streetprowlers #streethype #createyourhype #fragmentmag #abc7eyewitness
Tufted Titmouse - 25 miles west of "The City" (NYC)
Boy! It's so much easier to make a crisp capture when they're sitting still.
Wouldn't it be nice if I could capture one in flight this sharp?
Well I can dream can't I ?
This is a ten second exposure done with a flash to crisply capture some of the change as it fell. The bills were added after the flash to appear ghostly.
Strobist:
Softbox camera right triggered with cactus v2.
Brihadeshwara Temple (also called Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple and Gangaikondacholeeswaram) is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva located in Gangaikonda Cholapuram, Ariyalur district, in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the largest temples in India and is an example of Dravidian architecture built by the Chola dynasty. It was built by Rajendra Chola I and completed in 1035 AD.
The temple is declared as a heritage monument and administered by the Archaeological Survey of India as a protected monument. The temple is declared a CE UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the Brihadeeswara Temple at Thanjavur and Airavatesvara temple at Darasuram that are referred as the Great Living Chola Temples.
At 100th of a second (f/2.8, ISO 1600) there was never a chance that I was going to get a crisp capture. But then the bull headed directly at the spot where my camera and my head were poked through the fence. Which didn't improve my technique. This is shot with a 70-200 lens—but at 80mm, and the distance was closing fast. The dude on the bull was filming his ride with a helmet-mounted Go Cam. Bet his images are shakier than mine.
Red-tailed Hawk - Kennedy Parkway, north of the canal & south of Shiloh, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Shiloh, Florida
These guys will surely fly if you get out of your car so I made this capture with the 6 wedged between the side view mirror and the window frame. And with the seat all the way back, my right shoulder on the seat back, left arm on the steering wheel, and one foot on the passenger seat, I was able to hold it all quite steady for a crisp capture at 1/320.
And no, I didn't make this capture while driving! LOL
Tonight I was lucky enough to have a clear sky and a full moon, and came home with a very crisp capture. I am fascinated by the moon. It seems so strange that there is another massive ball of rock orbiting our own, that we have seen every night in human history; and yet we know so little about it. I love looking up at the moon, but I particularly enjoy seeing the formations of the surface up close in photographic form.
Blue Toadflax (Old-field Toadflax; Nuttallanthus canadensis (Linaria canadensis)) - Sandy Hook National Seashore (Gateway National Recreation Area), New Jersey
These tiny plants are all over the hook, but they're quite small so you may have to look closely to see them. They also present a problem for macro photographers in that they have a tall, thin flower spike that tends to wave about in the wind. So, you may have to be patient and wait for a moment of calm to make a crisp capture.
Malard (a.k.a. Malard Duck, Anas platyrhynchos) Hen - The Wildlife Observation Center (WOC) trail to the Sportsman's Blind, The Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey
This hen and her drake were very well hidden amongst the Buttonwoods, but I liked the look of the sun hitting her eye enough to set up and make a couple of captures. The boardwalk bounces around quite a bit for crisp captures with a long lens, but folks saw what I was up to and held still long enough for me to make this capture. Thanks guys!