Entries from 'Wildlife'
Tiger! Tiger!
- Aperture: f/6.3
- ISO: 800
- Shutter Speed: 1/400 s
- Focal Length: 135mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
Sweat beaded on my forehead as we sat silently in the back seat of our safari vehicle, an Isuzu Gypsy with no roof and two rows of bench seats in the back for passengers to play lookout. We had been parked, engine off, for several minutes now waiting, watching…listening. The penetrating silence was interrupted only…
You look like an idiot pinching the Taj Mahal’s dome (and other observations from Agra)
- Aperture: f/14
- ISO: 400
- Shutter Speed: 1/250 s
- Focal Length: 12mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
There were only two occasions on the World Trip during which I felt my life was actually in danger. One of the incidents took place during our Everest Base Camp trek (more on that later). The other took place in Agra. We arrived in Agra after a two-hour train ride from New Delhi, our inaugural…
Kyoto: Hundreds of monkeys and a hair rope … oh yeah, and some awesome temples
- Aperture: f/2.4
- ISO: 80
- Shutter Speed: 1/20 s
- Focal Length: 4.28mm
- Camera: iPhone 4S
While thinking back over the cities we’ve visited, Kyoto is on the top of my list. The city is a mesmerizing union of modern and medieval Japan. Of busy city life and nature. A thriving metropolis dotted with mind-blowing Buddhist temples and Japanese gardens. The city, for me, exemplifies what I love about travel and…
Making furry, fuzzy friends on Miyajima Island
- Aperture: f/13
- ISO: 400
- Shutter Speed: 1/200 s
- Focal Length: 15mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
According to “Nihon Kokujisekikou” (“Observations About the Remains of Japan’s Civil Affairs”), Confucian scholar Shunsai Hayashi’s painfully titled book chronicling his 17th century travels through Japan, Itsukushima ranks among the country’s three most scenic spots. Our own travels did not include the other two locations – Matsushima and Amanohashidate – but we’ll give Hayashi the…
Fur seals, insects, and serious Lens Envy
- Aperture: f/25
- ISO: 200
- Shutter Speed: 1/60 s
- Focal Length: 20mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
The drive from Charleston to our lodge just outside of Abel Tasman National Park on the sixth day of our trek would take approximately 3 hours if one were to drive straight through, but it’s worth spending an extra couple of hours to explore Cape Foulwind. This negatively named area of the West Coast was…
Milford Sound
- Aperture: f/10
- ISO: 400
- Shutter Speed: 1/200 s
- Focal Length: 10mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
We got up early to drive into Milford Sound, see the sights and go on a kayaking tour that included a 1-hour hike on the last couple miles of the Milford Track. The tour, through Rosco’s Kayaks, was worth every penny. Kayaking the sound is so much nicer than seeing it from a tourist cruise…
Clay cliffs and heaps of sheeps
- Aperture: f/13
- ISO: 200
- Shutter Speed: 1/100 s
- Focal Length: 11mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
We hit the road early Thursday with three goals in mind: Get to Queenstown for lunch Arrive in Te Anau, the launching point for trips to Milford Sound, by early afternoon Take as many pictures of sheep and lupins as a 16GB memory card can hold. Possibly fill an 8GB memory card as well. Our…
Great Ocean Road (Part II of II)
- Aperture: f/5
- ISO: 400
- Shutter Speed: 1/100 s
- Focal Length: 140mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
Aside from the tour of MollyDooker winery, our second day on the Great Ocean Road ranks as my favorite experience so far thanks to some (very) close encounters with wildlife. More on that later, but first, some history: Back within Port Campbell National Park, we hiked down to Loch Ard Gorge, named for the ship…
