Dingman Falls - Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

In the middle of big news as I post this, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake has struck the East Coast, putting an abrupt halt to everyone's daily activities including my own. Nevertheless, I am back from a weekend road trip and must continue with my post. For those who do not live within this area and want to know more, you can read news about this earthquake. As I write, my hearts and prayers continue to go to the casualties of the recent earthquakes that are far worse; especially in Japan.

The Delaware Water Gap, is one of my favorite places to visit. A water gap is an opening which flowing water carves through a mountain range. In this gap, the Delaware River begins its journey from New York State, and flows through the Appalachian Mountains dividing New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The river then continues south into the Delaware Bay. As one of the units of National Park Service, it is a quintessential representative of the beautiful majestic scenery that the United States East Coast has to offer. Since the drive was long and I was not prepared to camp, my main objective of this trip was to capture one of the waterfalls. My favorite is Dingman Falls with a drop of nearly 40 meters or about 130 feet. I will surely be back there in the Autumn season, when the foliage is at its greatest in the area. As an enthusiastic outdoors person, I should be camping, though I have not done so in a while.

I photographed this falls before on a previous trip, however, it was during a dry time with no rain. As a result water flow was limited. You can tell from these photographs below. Notice the major difference. I also had much more cloud cover on the new visit, effecting the color tones. With a water level low like this, the falls reminds me of one of those miniature fountains often purchased as stress relievers. Think of this one as one of those water animated stress relievers at a much larger scale.

Here is a video clip I took while I was there photographing. 

Orchids

Perhaps one of the world's best know flowers, the orchid brought beauty and awe to people around the world. While I had the season and leisure on my side, I have made a collection of orchid photos from various encounters at gardens.

Death By Dragonfly

Most of us see dragonflies as graceful little creatures flying about. We often forget about their carnivorous behavior. I know that dragonflies are often difficult to photograph unless they are preoccupied. In this case, it was a meal. This fellow did not mind me coming in close to photograph what he was doing.

The dragonfly's predatory behavior is quite beneficial to us humans. Among the many prey items on the menu include bitting insects such as mosquitoes and black flies, only to name a few.

Zoo Portraits

I had my telephoto lens only and this Black Bear was really close. Nevertheless, I photographed only his face to catch whatever expression he was willing to show. It appears he does not like it in the zoo and that it is more like a prison. 

Rough skin, yet this American Alligator continues to smile. 

Forget the rooster and the alarm clock. This peacock will wake you up really good. From the looks on his face, he means business. 

Songbirds

My friend has a bird feeder on her property. This can call for a diverse amount of birds to pay a visit. She often recalls how a hawk would sometimes come and attack the birds gathered around the feeder. No hawk attack was reported when I was here. Instead, I got these photos.

Birds are very timid and often flee when they see people approach. I simply drove the car as close as I could to the feeder. Staying in the car, I rolled down the window, and pointed my lens out. Cars can serve as good cover when photographing wildlife.

Blue Heron Fishing

I used to go fishing perhaps well over a decade ago. The only thing I inherited from that sport was my continuing love for the outdoors. In the meantime, I enjoy watching others fish including this Great Blue Heron who just caught member of the panfish family. The fish's left eye is bulging out likely from a previous injury rather than action from the heron.

Algae Nap

I saw this Easter Painted Turtle Sleeping on a floating drift wood in a local algae covered pond. With his head down and eyes closed, I wondered if he was sleeping or dead. I hoped he was sleeping. Then he opened his eyes like a little baby. I found another side of the pond and took another photograph. You could perhaps say he was sleeping in an algae blanket.

It's nature shots like these that makes you adore the other living things in the planet. From looking at these I think I totally violated the rule of thirds. But hey, especially in modern art (which I'm not a real big fan of anyway), rules were always meant to be broken.