tropicalbats.com
  • Home
  • Bats
  • Places of note
    • Suriname
    • Costa Rica
    • Norway
    • The UK >
      • London
    • The United States
  • critter essays
  • Birds
    • Suriname birds
  • tropicalbats blog
  • Coins: Errors, Varieties and Photography

Best of 2012

12/31/2012

0 Comments

 
With an almost  every day format for posting blog pictures, plus a few galleries of photos from various place, I have put up a lot of photography on the website this year.  I asked a number of my readers (or should I say viewers) to list their favorites from the past year.  I then compiled the results.

Here are the top five photos, a few honorable mentions, and some comments.

The top five photos are:

Number 5

Picture
This photo is from Cueva Rio de la Cidra in the Dominican Republic.
There were two ways to get to the bitter end of the cave.  One was a climbing traverse through a high lead, and the other was through this wet pinch.  Neither option was fun.  I took photos of folks on both routes, but this shot is the one that has proven to be the best shot from that bit.

Number 4

Picture
Ice crystals on a window, with the sunrise colors in the background
I had been kinda dared to take some ice crystal shots.  And while I am not one usually up for a dare, I thought I had a good location for such a photo.  I just waited for a bold sunrise for background light and there you have it.

Number 3
Picture
Meta Menardi spider
I like this macro of a Meta menardi spider.  It has clarity, composition, and a bit of a "floating on air" appeal.  However, I was surprised that it showed up as number 3 on the best-of list.  While this is a nearly technically perfect photo of the spider (separation between the right rear leg and the abdomen would have been nice), I honestly didn't think a spider would make the cut.

Number 2


Picture
A fly sitting on a bit of grape vine
This photo has a lot going for it, but it is of a fly!  My macro shots are always some of my best pics, but this year number 2 is not a frog, butterfly or other such mainstream cute critters.  This photo was taken on a mission to take a macro photo worthy of the blog.  I spent some time poking around the garden to find things to photograph.  As always, I had a bunch of dud pics, but this shot was pretty special.

Number 1
Picture
Red squirrel in the Fall in Oslo
This picture is a crowd favorite, and voted best of 2012.  I really like the shot, as it has great color and shadows on a most cute squirrel.  I couldn't have done anything more with the photo, and is pretty much the photo right out of my camera with very little editing.

Honorable mention
Picture
Red house in Oslo
This picture, taken after most of the leaves had fallen but before the snows, got a lot of good reviews, but only one of my best-of voters noted it.  I find it a well-made photo, but lacking the oomph to put it  in the top five.
Picture
This picture has has been a puzzle to viewers, and myself. It got enough votes to be in the Honorable Mention category, yet remains a bit of an enigma. I left the snowy town blue, instead of changing it to white. At the time, I thought this a better photo with the blue, and still think that is true.
Picture
Butterfly from Cambridge, Ohio
Most butterfly pictures are taken during the day.  However, I work at night, and when I see a butterfly it is doing whatever is the butterfly equivalent of sleep.  Here I got a chance to get right up to a butterfly head-on for a picture.

A few interesting thing to note.

Although I posted a lot of bird pics, none were amazing given the voting.  Or, that subject is just not what folks are interested in.

I was surprised that no one voted for the kite-surfers, as that was pic seemed good.

But thus 2012 comes to a close and another year opens up for photo opportunities.

Happy New Year!!!


0 Comments

Snow and Ice on the Lysakerelva

12/30/2012

1 Comment

 
Picture
Nice bit of fog coming off the river, but pic afflicted with "grey snow" syndrome. I like the composition, but hate the exposure.
Picture
Lysakerelva with snow
Picture
1 Comment

moss pattern

12/29/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
Looking forward to fireworks on New Year's Eve, I found this photo an interesting bit of nature's fireworks.
OF NOTE!!!

I have been compiling the votes and  whatnot , and have decided to put up the "best of 2012" photos on Monday, December 31.  As always, I will do this rather late at night here in Oslo, so depending on your time zone, might be best to check New Year's Day.



0 Comments

Moon and snowy stuff

12/28/2012

0 Comments

 
Christmas was white in Oslo this year, with a bunch of snow coming down Christmas eve to make sure the whole place looked great.  But then on the day after Christmas, we had a snowfall that was just the biggest, fattest snowflakes imaginable.  A couple pictures during that snowfall.
Picture
Big snowflakes falling framed by a grape arbor.
Picture
Fat snow falling in western Oslo
Picture
Snow and trees
Picture
Geometric of a roof near Oslo Sentrum
But I also had to go into town, after the snow had stopped the next day, and found a nice geometric with the roofs, windows, snow and light.

But today was mostly around the house, so tried to find something to do.  I chose to have a go at taking a moonset and moonrise on the same day, during a full moon.  The results are not my best work, but I gave it a shot.
Picture
Moonset, about 7:56am Oslo time.
Picture
Moonrise, about 4pm Oslo time
0 Comments

Katydid at Chivaton, Venezuela

12/27/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
This katydid was exactly the same color as the leaves.
0 Comments

Tivoli - Star Flyer

12/26/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Star Flyer at Tivoli is 260 feet tall, and you just get to sit in a litle seat.
0 Comments

Santas in Copenhagen

12/25/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
My intent was to photograph the humorous Carlsberg sign on the building in the background. But all these Santa showed up and made a rather interesting foreground that probably misses the Carlsberg sign bit altogether.
0 Comments

Street in Copenhagen, Denmark

12/24/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
0 Comments

another look at solar noon

12/20/2012

0 Comments

 
A bit ago I posted a shot at solar noon, which was then about 12:05pm and the sun was not yet at its lowest noon angle.  Today I am jumping the gun by posting a solar noon shot (12:15pm today) instead of waiting until tomorrow, the truly shortest day of the year.  Yes, tomorrow's "day" is just five seconds shorter than today, so we won't notice it, but I am very unlikely to be taking photos at 12:15 pm tomorrow, so here it is.  The sun angle is just 6.8 degrees above the horizon,
Picture
Solar noon in Oslo
0 Comments

Oslo and a deer

12/19/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
A pic from near the National Theater
Picture
A reindeer at the Christmas festival in Oslo
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Author

    Keith Christenson - Wildlife Biologist

    Categories

    All
    Akershus Fortress
    Angry Baby
    Aurlandsfjord
    Bat Coins
    Bats
    Bird
    Birds
    Blast From The Past
    Borneo
    Butterfly
    Camouflage
    Caterpillar
    Caving
    Comets
    Costa Rica
    Crazy Video Links
    Crazy Video Links
    Cricket
    Cuba
    Denmark
    Dominican Republic
    Festivals
    Finse
    Fish
    Flower
    Flowers
    Folk Museum
    Freia Chocolates
    Frog
    Frogner Park
    Geese
    Goose
    Grønland
    Harvestman
    Hawaii
    Hedgehog
    Holiday Cards
    Huk
    Ice
    Insect
    Ireland
    Isopods
    Jamaica
    Kolsastoppen
    London
    Mammals
    Mexico
    Mourning Cloak
    Mushrooms
    Naeroyfjorden
    National Day
    Norway
    Ohio
    Oslo
    Oslo Opera House
    Oslo Summer Park
    Panama
    Patterns
    Pennsylvania
    People
    Pond
    Puerto Rico
    Roof Animals
    Scotland
    Sognsvann
    Spiders
    Spring
    Suriname
    United States
    United States
    Venezuela
    Virginia
    Washington Dc Area
    Washington Dc Area
    West Virginia
    Woodpecker
    World's End
    Zambia

    Author

    Keith Christenson
    Wildlife Biologist


    RSS Feed

    Archives

    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    December 2011
    January 2011
    November 2010
    October 2010
    June 2010

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photo used under Creative Commons from Evil_Prince