Islands in the Pines

[manumuskin]

Went out with Sophie today and did some more island hopping.Started out in drizzly weather in east Wharton and ended up in the sunshine in west Wharton.

This one appears to be some sort of panels laid down for snkaes to sun under??? there were three sets of these on this one island.They appear to be highly reflective and I can't imagine much heat building up under them like corrugated tin which is what most biologists lay down for snakes to hide under but these were definitely laid down like this,the other sets overlapped in the same way.

Now for the sun!

Now for a few HDR

I have a few videos I will link to here on youtube but they are not finished downloading yet.It may take a few hours.
Here is the first two vids

 

[Teegate]

Nice Al. I will watch the video's tonight. Are you going to check on the snake's later in the year to see if the traps are still active?

Guy

 

[dogg57]

Nice Job Al.Looks like that Black Wolf Might know ya

 

[amf]

Getting pretty good with the HDR. Gotta give it a try myself.

 

[manumuskin]

Nice Al. I will watch the video's tonight. Are you going to check on the snake's later in the year to see if the traps are still active?

Guy

I will probably go back late April or May and check them.They seem to be too reflective to build up much heat under them but I can't imagine what else they would be.I know they take a beautiful island and really junk it up.They are quite visible from a long way away.

 

[manumuskin]

Nice Job Al.Looks like that Black Wolf Might know ya

Thanks Dogg,Yes this wolf follows me everywhere,even comes home with me and sponges off my generosity

 

[manumuskin]

Getting pretty good with the HDR. Gotta give it a try myself.

Thanks AMF.It's taken me awhile to figure out the software.I used Photomatix and put the settings on Painterly (most surreal) and processed the shots,then put those into my Windows photo editing program to fine tune it.usually I cut the brightness a little add a little contrast,warm it up and just barely touch the color saturation.The one shot with the really red pine needles actually came out like that with no color sat,maybe I shoulda toned it down a little.

 

[NJChileHead]

Great pics Al, thanks for sharing.

 

[Gibby]

Manu, terrific set of pictures and video. Your videos don't have any shake. Does your camera have image stabilization or is the smoothness because of the editor in Youtube?

 

[Hewey]

Very nice, Al. I love the the island areas through out the pines. I have some nice islands close to my house in Crossley.

You are getting good with the camera! Very nice set of pictures!

Chris

 

[bobpbx]

I second what everyone said Al. I wish I'd a been there.

 

[bobpbx]

PS: the water in the bottom 3 videos is West side of Mullica, right?

 

[manumuskin]

Manu, terrific set of pictures and video. Your videos don't have any shake. Does your camera have image stabilization or is the smoothness because of the editor in Youtube?

My camera does have image stabilization but I noticed on two of the videos youtube asked me if I wanted youtube to stabilize it because it was shaky and I clicked yes.I hadn't noticed the shakiness but apparently you tube did.I'd like to have a tripod with the ball and swivel for shake free panning but they are some expensive.I was afraid I was panning too fast but I seem to have gotten the islands fairly well.Would love to have a helmet mounted GOPRO type camera.I was looking down so as not to go face first in the drink while trying to hold the camera level.As you can see one video I had the camera too high till I got to better footing and could look at the screen again.

 

[manumuskin]

PS: the water in the bottom 3 videos is West side of Mullica, right?

Bingo! Bob.Yes west side upstream end of the huge Beaver pond.The first vid is an island that is actually an extension of the ridge you recently mentioned crossing that touches 206 and I guessed where you were,this island is just to the east of that ridge and no doubt part of the same dune formation.

 

[manumuskin]

The first ten pics are from a chain of islands along Bull Creek.

 

[bobpbx]

Bingo! Bob.Yes west side upstream end of the huge Beaver pond.The first vid is an island that is actually an extension of the ridge you recently mentioned crossing that touches 206 and I guessed where you were,this island is just to the east of that ridge and no doubt part of the same dune formation.

Yes, I love that area too. The swale you crossed has great significance for Guy too, in regards to one of the plants he likes. It's found at the outlet at the lagoon. I recognized the swale first as you were crossing it in the video.

 

[Teegate]

The swale you crossed has great significance for Guy too, in regards to one of the plants he likes. It's found at the outlet at the lagoon. I recognized the swale first as you were crossing it in the video.

Al sent me his itinerary before he went and I noticed he would be in that area. I will be visiting there often in the morning this summer.

 

[manumuskin]

Whip and I used to canoe the Mullica every summer and had stopped on those islands back in the 80's but I didn't recognize them as such back then.Then looking at the aerials I figured I'd check them out and once out there recognized them as rest stops from the 80's back when we actually had time to do things like drop a canoe in the river.I hope I didn't trample any of Guy's plants

 

[Teegate]

I hope I didn't trample any of Guy's plants

You may have

 

[manumuskin]

I am going back to that island in may to photo the heather but will approach from the other side where it is much drier and avoid the medder.