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Bees and the Bottle Brush

Whilst drinking my morning “Bica” (Portuguese Espresso-type Coffee) I couldn’t help notice the stunning colours of the Bottle Brush Plant (Callistemon) against the glorious bright blue morning sky. The Honey Bees where busy collecting from it so I grabbed the camera.

{Click image for a higher resolution, click Flickr Link in caption to view photo on Flickr}
Bee and Bottle Brush - D810, AF-S 300mm f/2.8 @ 300mm, f/6.3, ISO720, 1/4000sec - {Flickr Link}

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Polaris Star Trails

The Algarve is having some very clear evenings (and days too!) but the forecast is for patchy clouds over the coming days. The Moon is also not visible right now, therefore, last night I decided to make the most of the dark and clear sky.

Earlier in the day I went on a scouting mission to find something interesting to put in the foreground of a Star Trail photograph.

Interestingly enough, it’s the same location (different direction) that I shot my Sunset Photos last week. I wanted to create a circle around Polaris (AKA The North Star) so needed a view northwards. This spot was ideal, so I returned after darkness had set in.

After more than two hours in complete darkness on top of this hill with nothing but a herd of cows and the occasional Owl noise to keep me company,  I returned home with 195 long exposure (30 seconds each) shots.

These shots have been merged together in Photoshop to create the star trail. The ruin was lit on just the first shot with a small LED torch.

This effect of the stars moving is actually the earth rotating on its axis. Polaris is positioned near to the North Pole Axis (hence the name North Star or Pole Star) which is why it’s almost static while all the other stars appear to circle around it. 

{Click image for a higher resolution, click Flickr Link in caption to view photo on Flickr}
Polaris Star Trails - D810, AF-S 14-24 f/2.8 @ 14mm, f/2.8, ISO1600, 30sec (195 shots merged) - {Flickr Link}

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Algarve Serra Sunset

As the sun was starting to drop in the sky this afternoon, there was a slight haze appearing in the cloudless sky.

I had a hunch that this would be the start of a typical stunning Algarve sunset, so I headed for the hills.

I settled on top of a ridge with Monchique and Foia in the distance and waited for the sky to light up.

It didn’t disappoint!

{Click image for a higher resolution, click Flickr Link in caption to view photo on Flickr}
Algarve Serra Sunset - D810, AF-S 24-70 f/2.8E @ 24mm, f/16, ISO64, 1/6sec - {Flickr Link}

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Honey Bee’s are still hard at work in the Algarve

In this region of the Algarve, there are a lot of Honey producers and no matter where you go you will find Hives, even in very remote locations.

It might be near the end of December, but the Bee’s are still hard at work.

This one looks like it’s doing the Michael Jordon Air Walk!

{Click image for a higher resolution, click Flickr Link in caption to view photo on Flickr}
Honey Bee - D810, AF-S 500mm f/4, f/6.3, ISO360, 1/2500sec - {Flickr Link}

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Crested Tit

I was wandering around our land this morning to figure out some locations for hides when I saw a pair of Crested Tits in an Oak Tree.

Back in UK they only usually appear in the North of Scotland,  I’ve never seen one before.

Luckily, as I was scouting for hide locations, I had the camera with me so snapped this shot.

Ok, it’s not a great shot due to the messy background, but worth a share. I think this is a male as the crest is large and it has brown feathers on the underside.

{Click image for a higher resolution, click Flickr Link in caption to view photo on Flickr}
Crested Tit - D810, AF-S 500mm f/4, f/6.3, ISO800, 1/1250sec - {Flickr Link}

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Test shot of the Milky Way from the Garden

Since arriving in Portugal, I have been staring in awe at the night sky.

Tonight it was very clear, so I grabbed the camera and took a quick test shot of the Milky Way. It was directly overhead, so nothing to frame it against and also meant I couldn’t fit much of it in (even with a the 14-24mm set at 14mm!) so the result is great, but you can see just how clear it is.

A couple of hours north from here is Alqueva which is one of the darkest places on planet Earth. I will also be taking a trip there to photograph the night sky!

I will be looking for a great location to frame some shots of the Milky Way in the near future, so keep your eyes open.

Test Shot of the Milky Way
Test Shot of the Milky Way – D810, AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 14mm, f/2.8, ISO2000, 25sec

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