Over the past few weeks I’ve had a few days here and there for weekend travel, and churches are a theme that I usually can add to as I drive around most locations. For example, on a recent long weekend in southern Georgia I shot over three dozen rural churches and then several more on Christmas weekend trip in Florida.
Old Church, Windsor, Florida, Alachua County (Year unknown)
The reason you carry a lens cloth in your pocket
This weekend included a fundraiser for the local Humane Society and I volunteered to help take some photos of the annual event held downtown. There were a wide range of dog breeds that seemed to be enjoying the sunny day as much as those on the other side of the leash. I’m not sure yet how much was raised but there was a sizeable crowd which hopefully will exceed the $100,000 from last year.
2014 Mutt March
The Battle of Olustee was the largest fight of the Civil War that took place in Florida. About 10,000 soldiers met on February 20, 1864 in the swamp north Florida spot near Lake City. And every year there is a reenactment that attracts a good number of hobbyists that represent the Union and Confederate armies.
Union soldiers line up for inspection before the main event
Last weekend when I was shooting at my first NFL game, the Jaguars were trying to tie the game late in the 4th quarter when the Bills’ Stephon Gilmore intercepted a Chad Henne pass in the endzone.
TV shot as the players celebrate the intercepton.
A friend sent me this TV screenshot taken just after the play so I thought it would be fun to show the play from this vantage point. Below is the interception from my angle.
Buffalo Bills vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, December 15th, 2013 (Everbank Field)
And since the season is wrapping up now I thought I’d create a new gallery with some more of the shots. Football Gallery
The midway at the County Fair 2013
If you don’t count Munich’s Oktoberfest, it’s been a long time since I’ve been to the County Fair. It’s passing through the city this week like it does each year in the fall so it seemed like time to see if anything’s changed since the last century. I wasn’t expecting much in the way of photo opportunities, but it was looking like a nice afternoon, so I brought a camera and lens just in case. Continue reading
Football season is back and I had the chance to shoot at a Division I FCS game this weekend.
Morehead State University players cool off on the sideline.
It was extraordinarily hot, but the teams still managed to score 88 points by the time it was called late in the fourth quarter due to lightning. An interesting fact about this particular conference (Pioneer League) is that athletic scholarships are not granted to the players.
Morehead State University Eagles vs. Jacksonville University Dolphins
Whenever there’s a shortage of time and I’m otherwise unable to get out with the camera, or even if I don’t feel like lugging a bunch of camera gear some place now that we’re in the days of high 90s and 100% humidity, I’ll sometimes make do with the activity in the backyard. Although in a developed area, the yard backs up to a section of undeveloped land classified “wetlands” sandwiched between busy roads, condo complexes and other sprawl. Fortunately, a variety of wildlife is still able to adapt and survive in what space is remaining. Continue reading
Least Tern sitting on a nest, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida (cropped)
May has been a good time in the past to photograph nesting birds along the coasts of Florida. A favorite of mine are black skimmers due to their atypical looks and interesting flight while they glide over the water searching for food. So I had hoped to find large numbers at Gulf Islands National Seashore as has been the case before. Unfortunately that wasn’t the result this year. Later during my visit I spoke to a park ranger who said that a couple years ago a coyote or other predator had done some serious damage to the nesting area so the birds have set up camp several miles west. You can still find the Least Terns (threatened species) nesting, but due to their small size and aggressive protection of their nesting areas (they tend to dive bomb people if you happen to wander too close), it’s much more difficult to get good images without potentially disturbing or overly stressing them. Fortunately there was other wildlife to see in this section of Santa Rosa Island.
JOE VOGAN Photo Blog 