David Sokol's

Memorial Day

2011-06-01T11:03:00.000-04:00

A volunteer uses a hammer to secure an American flag at this grave marker of a veteran at the Lakeside Cemetery.

A girl carries the American flag as she runs through the Riverside Cemetery.

Veterans view grave markers during Memorial Day services held at the Riverside Cemetery.

Cousins look for their father and uncles name on the Veterans Memorial monument during Memorial Day.

An Army Staff Sergeant cuts the stars from the stripes on the American flag which renders the flag as just cloth and ready to be disposed of during a Flag Retirement Ceremony at Wyoming Cemetery.

March Update

2011-03-17T09:21:00.000-04:00

A St. John's Prep player celebrates a goal during the Super 8 tournament.

Valentines Day rose

Clearing snow in North Andover after a blizzard.

Cross country skiing in North Andover

Saugus hockey players celebrate a goal scored during the state tournament.

Annisquam Lighthouse in Gloucester

Wakefield hockey players hold up their Division 1 North Finals trophy.

A person lights a candle during the knight lights celebration in North Andover.

A graphic designer poses for a photo inside her home office in Melrose.

A cross country skiier in North Andover

An artist creates a plein air painting in Gloucester.

Valentines Day roses

State tournament hockey game between Saugus and Wilmington

A Marblehead hockey player holds up their North finals trophy.

A Malden Catholic player celebrates a goal scored during their Super 8 game against Boston College High School.

Annisquam Lighthouse in Gloucester

Winter Storms.....

2011-01-16T23:05:00.001-05:00

A couple of hikers head out on the trails at Breakheart Reservation in Saugus.

A person walks in the middle of the road on Avon Street in Wakefield during a recent snow storm.

A cross country skier enjoys a late afternoon in Hamilton.

Snow is removed from the driveway of this home on Elm Street in Stoneham after a recent snow storm.

Chair Yoga is performed at the Council on Aging in Danvers.

Local beer is seen on tap at the Cape Ann Pub in Gloucester.

The owner and manager of the Cape Ann Pub in Gloucester pose for a photo.

A star football player for Malden Catholic poses for a photo inside his Topsfield home.

A Few Favorites From 2010

2010-12-22T13:06:00.000-05:00

Here are a few photos I liked from 2010. There were many more, but this is just a taste.

Bubbles

2010-12-07T17:33:00.001-05:00

Ipswich, MA
October 26, 2010

Rockport Motif #1

2010-12-01T16:54:00.000-05:00

Rockport, MA
November 17, 2010

Rockport, MA
November 17, 2010

Rockport, MA
November 17, 2010

Rockport, MA
November 17, 2010

Football Playoffs

2010-12-01T16:48:00.000-05:00

Lowell, MA
November 30, 2010

Thanksgiving Day Football

2010-11-30T11:11:00.000-05:00

Wakefield, MA
November 25, 2010

Wakefield, MA
November 25, 2010

Late November Update

2010-11-24T21:47:00.001-05:00

Wakefield, MA

November 20. 2010

Saugus, MA

November 22,2010

Beverly, MA

November 22, 2010

Essex, MA

November 23, 2010

Essex, MA

November 23, 2010

Essex, MA

November 23, 2010

Phoenix Zoo

2010-11-12T11:45:00.000-05:00

November 1, 2010

November 1, 2010

November 1, 2010

November 1, 2010

November 1, 2010

November 1, 2010

November 1, 2010

Veterans Day

2010-11-11T12:34:00.002-05:00

November 11, 2010

November 11, 2010

November 11, 2010

November 11, 2010

Cardinal Sean O'Malley

2010-11-10T22:22:00.002-05:00

November 7, 2010

2010-11-10T08:33:00.003-05:00

I'm still here.....I am going to try and update more often as well as post photos taken for work. Here are a few images I have recently taken.

November 6, 2010

November 6, 2010

November 7, 2010

November 9, 2010

November 9, 2010

Random Images

2009-03-01T00:18:00.002-05:00

Just trying to get caught up on a few posts I never made.

Marblehead Light

2009-02-28T15:18:00.006-05:00

Lately I've been spending sometime photographing at night. Here are a few photographs of Marblehead Light and Devereaux Beach, both in Marblehead. The beach photos were taken later at night, my shutter speeds were 30 seconds and longer.

Deer Island

2009-02-21T01:03:00.005-05:00

I photographed a few Bald Eagles and a Merganser recently at the "Chain Bridge" at Deer Island in Amesbury recently.

Oh yeah, I also photographed a gull with it's caught dinner.

Snowy Owl 2

2009-02-20T14:19:00.005-05:00

I was privileged again to have spotted the Snowy Owl at Salisbury Beach the other day. Here are a few of the shots. This beautiful bird was very cooperative and presented a few opportunities to get a few photographs.

Snowy Owl

2009-02-16T22:55:00.004-05:00

My first photos of an owl in the wild has turned out to be a great experience.

I've heard of a snowy owl recently hanging out at Salisbury Beach, so that's where I headed. I came back with a few great shots. This beautiful owl was very tolerant and I was able to get very close, close enough that I actually had to move back a little to keep it all in frame.

Nubble Light

2009-02-16T00:24:00.007-05:00

The last couple of weekends I've spent some time photographing a few lighthouses. This trip I headed to York, Maine to photograph Nubble Light, a very popular lighthouse in southern Maine.

Portland Head Light 2

2009-02-15T00:40:00.003-05:00

A few more photos from my trip to Maine.

Bald Eagles at Deer Island

2009-02-11T18:02:00.004-05:00

Here are a few bald eagle photos I've taken recently in Amesbury at Deer Island.

Portland Head Light

2009-02-05T12:52:00.006-05:00

A long over due post.

I recently took a drive to Portland Maine to catch the sunrise at Portland Head Light. The sunrise was ok, a little bit too cloudy, however I was still able to come back with a few photos I enjoy.

I have a few more and may post those later.

Canada Geese

2009-01-23T11:32:00.002-05:00

I photographed this flock of geese as I was walking into the office from the parking lot at work.

The Yellow Umbrella

2009-01-14T16:14:00.002-05:00

I had the great privilege to meet Christine Baze, a cervical cancer survivor and the founder of The Yellow Umbrella Organization.

Christine along with her band help to spread a positive message which may help to save someones life. She is a great and inspirational person.

I photographed her at her home. The reflections in the piano, the coloful umbrella and her dog Harold, seen the background, help to create this story told by a photo. I used one off camera flash fired into a shoot through umbrella and natural light coming through the window to camera right.

Arizona Memories

2009-01-10T22:18:00.005-05:00

With all the snow we've been getting lately I decided to showcase a few panoramic photos I took back in 2005 of Arizona, and a few non panoramic shots as well.

Black-capped Chickadee

2009-01-05T13:08:00.003-05:00

A Black-capped Chickadee searches for hand outs at the Ipswich Wildlife Scantuary.

Just a Few More Birds

2009-01-01T12:44:00.003-05:00

A few birds I photographed last year.

Winter Evening

2008-12-23T11:37:00.005-05:00

I saw this scene the other day while driving through Hamilton. It was getting very dark, but the slight warm color in the sky with the combined overall cool feel of the scene I thought looked nice.

Cardinal

2008-12-21T01:29:00.004-05:00

A cardinal looks for food before a recent snow storm.

Rowley Marshes

2008-12-19T00:07:00.005-05:00

A noticed a thick fog coming in the other day so I head out to try and get a few photos. Here are a few from the Rowley Marshes.

Ice Storm II

2008-12-17T01:42:00.003-05:00

Just a few more from the recent ice storm.

Tufted Titmouse

2008-12-15T09:59:00.003-05:00

With winter on it's way these birds were all around looking for free handouts.

Blue Jay

2008-12-14T09:35:00.003-05:00

A few shots of a Blue Jay I saw the other day.

North East Ice Storm

2008-12-13T20:15:00.003-05:00

I headed to North Andover after an ice storm that left many stranded and without power. This photo was taken on Osgood Street, where a man was clearing fallen tree limbs from around power lines.

People's Pantry

2008-12-11T19:50:00.003-05:00

The holidays are a time of year when many people think about helping those in need.

I was assigned to photograph at The People’s Pantry at the North Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in North Andover. The pantry was founded in October 1992 to help with emergency groceries for people affected by economic problems. I enjoy assignments like this, I appreciate that I might help spread the word to someone in need of a little extra help.

I was asked not to photograph anyones face, so I thought this photo would be a good representation of the pantry along with a few others I took of volunteers preparing the food to be donated.

The Moon

2008-12-10T00:16:00.003-05:00

Yeah, it's just a photo of the moon, but the craters are cool.

Spot Pond

2008-12-08T16:27:00.002-05:00

I captured this sunset over Spot Pond in Stoneham a few weeks ago.

Deers in the Evening

2008-12-06T01:10:00.001-05:00

A few deer in the early evening.

Downey Woodpecker

2008-12-05T15:36:00.004-05:00

I got a few photos of this Downy Woodpecker searching for a meal.

Holiday Festivities

2008-12-03T12:41:00.002-05:00

It's that time once again and I can't believe it is here already. Although it is only the first week in December I have already had the opportunity to see Santa quite a few times. Covering more than 25 communities around the North Shore photographing holiday events is a must.

Although you might know what to expect when you get children and Santa together, it's always nice to capture those priceless moments that parents will always be grateful for.

Black Friday

2008-12-02T10:37:00.003-05:00

After waking up early to get a few deal and taking a little nap after that, I decided to head to the Stone Zoo, which had free admission on Black Friday. It was a little too crowded for my liking and it seemed most of the people were more interested in watching me photograph the animals, because of the equipment I was using. I always enjoying going to the zoo, here are a few from my last trip.

Jasper

2008-11-27T16:19:00.003-05:00

I decided to head to the Ipswich Wildlife Sanctuary yesterday and was surprised to see this very tolerant red-tailed hawk, named Jasper. At one point I was about 30 feet away from this beautiful bird. I photographed and watched him hunt for about an hour. He did end up catching something, but was to far away for me to tell what it was. Here is a nice portrait I was able to get.

From The Air

2008-11-26T20:18:00.004-05:00

These photo were taken heading East as we flew out of the Phoenix airport back to Manchester.

Tournament Time

2008-11-24T15:45:00.001-05:00

Soccer is one of my favorite sports to photograph. I love the fast continuous action and when the state tournaments start the action gets more competitive.

This game was between Medford and Waltham and had a lot of great action. Here Medford player Destin Pierott battles for control of the ball during their game at Dilboy Stadium in Somerville.

Having a fast camera that can focus and fire off a lot of frames in low light is a great asset. Photographing sports with an on camera flash can make images look flat and lack dimension. This photograph was taken at 1/400th of a second at 2.8 at iso 4,000.

Wildlife World Zoo

2008-11-19T20:30:00.005-05:00

A few photos from an excellent zoo in Litchfield Park Arizona, a short distance from Phoenix. There was a large variety of mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds. Considering a lot of Arizona is in the desert and is very warm all year round, the species of animals was different from what the zoos in New England carry. I recommend this to anyone interested in animals and may be in the Phoenix area.

Maybe Next Year

2008-11-18T20:02:00.003-05:00

The Melrose boys varsity soccer team had a great run but ended up loosing their state tournament game to Danvers in an exciting shootout. Soccer is a great sport for a photographer looking to capture action.

State tournament time is one of the best time to capture a lot of action as well as the emotion of victory and defeat. This boys soccer game between Danvers and Melrose was no exception. There was plenty of action as the game went into double overtime and ended in a shootout. Both team played very well.

Seen here a Melorse player lowers his head as the game game to a close as a Danvers player scored the winning goal to advance in the state tournament.

Estrella Mountain II

2008-11-18T17:58:00.003-05:00

Barrel Cactus

Here are a few more photos taken while around the Estrella Mountain area in Goodyear Arizona.

Estrella Mountain

2008-11-16T22:01:00.005-05:00

I just came back from a vacation to Arizona. Here are a few photos from Estrella Mountain.

Estrella Mountain is located in Goodyear Arizona, which is about 30 minutes outside of Phoenix.

The weather right now in Arizona is beautiful, it is in the low to mid 80's and sunny pretty much everyday throughout the whole year. The warm weather made the trip home a little hard, due to cold late fall temperatures.

I have a few more photos from my trip, be sure to check back later.

Jazzfest

2008-11-05T01:10:00.000-05:00

Melrose Jazzfest 2008.

Stuck in the Mud

2008-11-04T12:21:00.002-05:00

A Sanderling searches for food along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.

Pumpkin Pie

2008-11-01T18:03:00.003-04:00

I saw a few deer the other day enjoying some pumpkin. The noticed me but were not all the concerned, they were more interested in something else.

C.A.P.S

2008-10-28T20:57:00.002-04:00

A member of the Cape Ann Paranormal Society uses a EMF, Electro Magnetic Field, device to search for entities during a recent investigation.

This was a very fun and one of the more unique assignments I've ever had. I spend about 8 hours through the night with the team investigating inside a mansion claimed to have paranormal activity. While on site nothing seemed out of the ordinary and no one claimed to see anything abnormal. This isn't to say there is "nothing" there, but I didn't notice anything.

It was a lot of fun walking around this huge mansion with all the lights off until 2 in the morning. I guess for about 8 hours I was a ghost hunter.

Marsh Sunset

2008-10-23T21:01:00.003-04:00

A yellowlegs rests at this marsh as the sun sets.

"Move That House"

2008-10-22T22:24:00.002-04:00

Workers use a crane to move one of four parts of this modular home onto its foundation. The Howard family experienced a fire last winter and is now in the process of putting the pieces of their life back together. Here Isaac Howard, 4, watches all the action from his bike.

When I first arrived at this assignment none of the family members were around and the crane was running late. I knew a photo of at least one of the family members watching as their home was being moved by the crane would make for a great photo to accompany the story. I was a little concerned when the crane finally arrived and they went to work very quickly, but still no family members. After a little while a few members of the family showed up and I was able to get photos of them watching. I knew I had a nice photo when their young son decided to stop playing on his bike and watched for a few quick minutes.

Turkey Vulture

2008-10-20T22:58:00.000-04:00

Spotted this Turkey Vulture the other day.

Yellowlegs

2008-10-19T21:47:00.002-04:00

An overcast day created this high key backdrop as this Greater Yellowlegs scratches its head in a marsh.

Truck Accident

2008-10-18T00:22:00.003-04:00

I rushed out of the office the other day to cover this truck accident. For more information about the story check out the Cape Ann Beacon.

Soccer Time

2008-10-17T13:07:00.002-04:00

Hamilton Wenham’s varsity soccer player #6, Ben Chmura battles for control of the ball during their game against Pentucket.

One of the benefits of having a “professional” camera is fast auto focus and fast frames per second. Many of the consumer cameras have adopted these features to a lesser degree. Even though a fast camera helps to capture action you still need to be aware of how each sport is played and anticipate the action.

Firefighter R.I.T. Training

2008-10-16T20:36:00.005-04:00

Recently I had a great opportunity to experience a Rapid Intervention Team training with the Medford Fire Department. The training drills these firefighters go through will save someone's life one day and I am very privileged to show the work they perform. Check out this audio slideshow I put together for the newspaper.

Very Late Summer Clean Up

2008-10-15T19:55:00.004-04:00

Here are a bunch of photos I prepared but never posted. Instead of tossing them I will just post all of them now to make room for some more current posts.

Topsfield Fair

2008-10-13T12:29:00.003-04:00

Photos from the Birds of Prey exhibit and show at the Topsfield Fair.

Golden Eagle

Harris's Hawk in flight

Red-Tailed Hawk

Hawk Owl

Sentinel Pine Bridge

2008-10-12T21:15:00.003-04:00

Here are the last two from my trip to the White Mountains.

The first photo is of the famous Sentinel Pine Bridge, located in the Franconia Notch State Park, another photo I want no people in and had to wait a while to get my shot.

The second photo is one of the many smaller waterfalls leading up to the bridge and the Flume Gorge.

Beverly's Ben Comeau

2008-10-10T10:40:00.003-04:00

Beverly High School's Ben Comeau doesn't have much time to rest during the fall. Playing both offensive and defensive tackle for the varsity football team, he plays almost the entire game. When the rest of the team gets a chance to rest during halftime, Ben heads back out onto the field to play the Sousaphone with the marching band.

Ben's love of music started around fifth grade when he played the saxaphone. He was not allowed to play Pop Warner because he was much bigger than the other kids. He only started to play football as a freshman on the junior varsity team.

To watch an audio slideshow please take a look at the Beverly Citizen.

The Flume Gorge

2008-10-08T21:04:00.003-04:00

Part of my trip to the White Mountains included going to the Flume Gorge. In order to get a photo with no people in it was almost as difficult as managing the extreme contrast of the gorge. This is a very popular tourist destination and there seemed to be a steady flow of people coming and going through the gorge, even with all the rain. I ended up waiting for about at least a half an hour for an opportunity to photograph the scene free of people.

I'm not a big fan of HDR images, I feel some people over do it, but in order to capture the whole dynamic range of the gorge I need to capture the scene in at least three different exposures. My first exposure was taken at the suggested meter setting, the second exposure was taken two stops over and my last exposure was taken two stops under. This left me with three separate exposures, one to capture the highlights, one to capture the mid-tones, and one to capture the shadow detail.

Now with the three separate photos I used the HDR setting in photoshop to combine all three images. Finally I adjusted the curves.

This is a great scene to create an HDR image, the extreme range of contrast could not be captured in just one image.

Avalanche Falls

2008-10-07T14:19:00.003-04:00

Avalanche Falls is located inside the Flume Gorge at Franconia Notch State Park in the White Mountains in New Hampshire.

Silver Cascade Falls

2008-10-06T13:13:00.003-04:00

With the fall season here I decided to take a drive up to the White Mountains in New Hampshire to try and get some landscape photos. When I arrived what I hoped was going to be peak fall foliage, wasn't. I was probably a week early, there was color but also a lot more green than I thought.

The weather was very cloudy and rainy which makes great lighting for waterfall photos. I drove to Crawford Notch to get a photo of one of the best waterfalls in New Hampshire, the Silver Cascade Falls. This waterfall is easily accessible to everyone, there is no hiking involved it is right along the side of the road.

I have a few more photo which I will post latter on.

Peak Action

2008-10-01T17:23:00.004-04:00

With technology working in overtime digital cameras have taken huge strides in image quality, color, and high iso noise.

Most of the time photographing a night sporting event means using a flash, which may be distracting to the players and makes the photos lack character. However, the recent advances of many new digital cameras and the use of high iso photographs is now possible while keeping digital noise low and color reproduction high.

For this photograph of the Wakefield and Melrose boys varsity soccer game I forgot to bring my flash (partly on purpose) Instead of heading back to my car I increased my cameras iso to 3200. This setting made it possible to shoot the game with only the stadium lights illuminating the field all while retaining good color and low image noise.

A Few More Sanderlings

2008-09-29T00:02:00.003-04:00

Here are a few more Sanderling photos taken earlier in the year that I never got a chance to post.

Game Action

2008-09-24T11:00:00.002-04:00

It's always nice to photograph a football game during the day. It seems that over the years many of the local high school football teams play on Friday nights. Photographing a night football game is a little more of a challenge due to poor lighting at many of the fields. Not having to use a flash to cover any sporting event is always welcomed.

For this photograph of the Georgetown quaterback I used a 300mm lens with a 1.4 teleconverter. This combination is great for many types of sports and helps to give great depth of field to help seperate the subject from the background.

An Evening at the Beach

2008-09-19T18:43:00.005-04:00

Here are a few more photos of shorebirds, during yet another trip to the PRNWR. The light was perfect and there were still quite a few shorebirds hanging around the oceans edge feeding.

Green Heron

2008-09-17T22:29:00.003-04:00

A Green Heron hunts for it's next meal in a marsh near the New Hampshire boarder.

Snowy Egret in the Morning

2008-09-17T00:48:00.004-04:00

The light was beautiful when I saw this Snowy Egret over looking one of the salt pannes. It's just a simple photo with beautiful light.

This photo was once again taken from my car window just after sun rise.

Egret Roost

2008-09-15T18:25:00.006-04:00

Around August there have been hundreds of Great Egrets at the Egret Roost just outside of Newburyport. On the day I went to get a few photos, most of them had already left that roost and there were only about a dozen. I did happen to get a few photos of the remaining Egrets that were around. As you can see, the late afternoon sun was very nice as spots of light shined through the trees.

Birds in Flight

2008-09-14T00:24:00.005-04:00

Glossy Ibis

Canada Geese

Great Egret

Red-Tailed Hawk

2008-09-13T11:07:00.003-04:00

A Red-Tailed Hawk sits on the side of the road as it hunts.

On a trip to the PRNWR I noticed a car in front of me that was stopped on the side of the road, usually this means they are looking a some type of animal. I actually drove around them, but when I looked in the rearview mirror I noticed this very large hawk. I put the car in reverse, grabbed my camera and took a few photographs from inside my car, in order not to scare the hawk away.

Morning Light

2008-09-12T11:04:00.003-04:00

I woke up to catch the sunrise the other day and headed to my favorite place to get a few wildlife photos.

Here a Greater Yellow Legs spends part of the morning fishing in one of the Salt Pannes.

A Semipalmated Sandpiper is reflected in a Salt Panne as it sleeps.

Sandy Point

2008-09-09T11:13:00.007-04:00

A Sanderling scratches its head. I noticed this bird as two ankle bracelets, even though this bird is in the wild, they are threatened and the species is monitored to keep track of their numbers.

A Semipalmated Sandpiper takes a little nap along the shore of the Atlantic Ocean.

A great place to photograph shorebirds is at Sandy Point located inside the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. It can be a little difficult to get close to these birds, but as long as you approach fairly slow you can get within 30 feet or so.

First Day of School

2008-09-08T11:40:00.002-04:00

Have you ever tried to create a compelling photo in the middle of a crowded room or outside a crowded building?

That is a little like trying to get first day of school photos. Most of the time you have about a hundred kids as well as one or two parents per child, maybe even a brother or sister who tagged along for the excitement. You know parents are hugging their children as they head inside the school for their first day, but being in the right place at the right time and having a clear area to photograph is the difficult part.

For this photo I happened to be in the right place at the right time. I was photographing a few kids petting a dog, when I turned around and saw the photo that would really tell the whole story. The funny thing was, the mother was not comforting her son, it was the other way around.

Bumble Bee

2008-09-05T19:31:00.002-04:00

A Bumble Bee pollinates the flowers outside the Visitors Center at the Ipswich Wildlife Sanctuary.

Belted Kingfisher

2008-09-04T12:18:00.003-04:00

This Belted Kingfisher rests on a tree branch as it over looks a marsh for its next meal.

Fishing Time

2008-09-03T13:29:00.006-04:00

A Snowy Egret catches a fish while fishing in one of the Salt Pannes at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.
This was another shot taking from my car window, which is a great way to get as close as possible to skittish wildlife.

Ruby Throated Hummingbird

2008-09-02T13:08:00.005-04:00

A Ruby Throated Hummingbird feeds late in the season. Most of the hummingbirds in the Massachusetts and the North Eastern New England area have already migrated South.

After much patience I was able to get a few shots. I'll have to try again next year earlier in the season, to try and get better photos.

Greater Yellow Legs

2008-09-01T13:13:00.003-04:00

This Greater Yellow Legs wades through the shallow Salt Pannes at the Parker River Wildlife Refuge. I photographed this shorebird from my car window.

A great way to photograph shorebirds, or any other type of bird is from your car or another type of blind. I've had birds as close as a few feet from me while inside a vehicle, but once you get out of the car you are very likely to scare these birds and make it harder for yourself to get a nice close photograph.

American Goldfinch

2008-08-31T20:54:00.003-04:00

I saw this American Goldfinch feeding recently.

A Sober Reality

2008-08-28T10:30:00.004-04:00

I meet this great guy the other day. He is 13 months sober and is working hard to set up a sober living facility. He's been through a lot and is now ready to turn his life around.

This photo was taken with two Nikon speedlights. Using pocket wizards, I triggered both flashes which were set up on either side of Mike pointing towards the sides of his face. A fairly simple setup that yields a successful result.

For more on this story check out the Beverly Citizen.

More Shorebirds

2008-08-26T21:45:00.005-04:00

Taking a drink of water is this Semipalmated Sandpiper.

The late evening light shines on a Semipalmated Plover.

A Semipalmated Sandpiper prepares to make a quick get-a-way.

Athletic Director

2008-08-25T18:26:00.003-04:00

Well I decided to post a non wildlife photo for a change. Its nothing terrible exciting, but for now its all I got.

This photo was for a story about the Mystic Valley Schools new athletic director. The problem with this assignment was the school has not field or gymnasium. Where do they play their sport? Neighboring communities, and in-town public schools. I didn't have much to work with inside the school, but was lucky enough he had a few sports items available to use as props. I ended up standing on a chair and shooting down towards the floor, to try and clean up the cluttered background.

Sunset at Parker River

2008-08-25T00:14:00.005-04:00

A shorebird and a Canada Goose one recent sunset at Parker River.

Great Blue Heron Takes Flight

2008-08-24T19:13:00.002-04:00

This Great Blue Heron takes off to look for new location to fish.

Shorebirds

2008-08-22T16:36:00.006-04:00

Here a Semipalmated Sandpiper searches for a meal in a shallow pool.

A couple more Semipalmated Sandpipers in search of dinner.

A Piping Plover is reflected in a shallow pool of water near the waterfront.

Butterfly

2008-08-19T21:41:00.003-04:00

There has been a lot of butterfly activity lately at the Ipswich Wildlife Sanctuary.

Band Camp

2008-08-18T19:20:00.004-04:00

It's about that time of year again, back to school. Football and band camps are starting to pop up all over the place, what does that mean, photos lots of photos to fill the papers before the start of the fall sports season.

I spend a little bit of time taking photos during the Danvers High School Marching Band Camp the other day. I put together a short little audio slide show for the Danvers Herald website.

Birds of Prey

2008-08-17T12:10:00.007-04:00

On one of my days off a little while ago, I decided to head to the Stone Zoo. I enjoy seeing the animals and was interested in seeing the new black bear exhibit. I was a little disappointed when the zoo was packed and to crowded for my liking. It surprised me since it was very overcast and slightly raining.

I did however get lucky when I was told about an upcoming performance that day called "Birds of Prey". I hung around for a while and when it was time I headed to where the show was going to be. I enjoy birds of all types so I was interested in what this show was about. I ended up seeing many types of various birds of prey, some that I've never seen before. Even with the unusual large crowd that day, my trip to the zoo was worth seeing the "Birds of Prey Show".

Witches Cup

2008-08-15T17:18:00.008-04:00

Kind of like the Tour de France, except without the Sunflowers.

Racers from around the country compete during the Witches Cup held in Salem. This is not your typical road race, athletes in this race compete on a short but very fast course. The course is about 1/4 of a mile long and is raced on the streets around the historic Salem Common, in Salem MA. Athletes take four sharp curves with speeds reaching around 35-40 miles per hour. This race requires extreme technical skills as well as endurance.

I was surprised no one was injured or crashed as competitors raced around these sharp corners tightly packed together about 7 riders wide, with only inches between each rider. It really leaves no room for error.

Taking Flight

2008-08-14T19:18:00.003-04:00

On yet another trip to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge I waited for a little while to see if this Snowy Egret was going to keep fishing or look for a new location to find some lunch. With slightly overcast skys photographing in the middle of the day was not much of a problem trying to keep detail in the egret as well as a properly exposed background. On all of my many trips to the refuge, without fail at least one egret will present itself and give me an opportunity to make a photograph.

Wilderness in Topsfield

2008-08-13T02:07:00.005-04:00

A few more wildlife images.

I spotted this deer as I was walking back to my car while at the Ipswich Wildlife Sanctuary. It was mostly cloudy, but for a brief minute the clouds cleared and let in this beautiful late afternoon light. I was able to get a few photos of this deer before he decided to head back into the woods.

There were many bees around, so getting photos of them were pretty easy. A dark shadow and back lighting made this image possible, with a black background.

Scaffolding Fall

2008-08-12T10:28:00.003-04:00

I was in the office finishing editing one of my earlier assignments, when over the police scanner a call for a person who fell from a scaffolding was heard. I quickly ran out the door and headed about 2 miles down the road. A man fell from almost the top of the church steeple, where a scaffold was set up, to a large platform that luckily broke his fall. To read more about this incident check out the Beverly Citizen's web site.

Cardinal

2008-08-11T19:04:00.004-04:00

This bright red Cardinal was photographed at the Ipswich Wildlife Sanctuary in Topsfield recently.

Osprey

2008-08-07T17:42:00.002-04:00

I was lucky recently when I went to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge and was able to capture a few photographs of an Osprey catching some dinner.

reVive Skin Therapies

2008-08-06T22:02:00.002-04:00

Beth Ann Fischberg, owner of reVive Skin Therapies in Stoneham uses metal rods to massage Janet McGuire's face. This local unique spa offers a variety of experiences based on Mayan healing rituals.

This is another photo where I was not looking through the viewfinder. It was not an accident, but with the knowledge of the lens I was using and pre-visualising the scene, I was able to correctly compose this photo while holding the camera above Janet to better get a birds eye view of the scene.