Gone to See Norway 2007 Family Vacation. Day 2: Oslo to Bergen.
On Day 2 we herded the group and all of the luggage to the train station using public transportation. We then boarded the Bergen Railway high-speed train from Oslo to Bergen. All of these images were taken while on the train. The train stops at the highest point on the line at Finse (1222 meters above sea level). When we got to Bergen there was a bit of a glitch. The hotel where we were supposed to be staying didn’t have any records of our reservation. The hotel knew they had a problem with 20+ folks with luggage sitting in the lobby. After several hours of discussions and phone calls rooms were found for everyone. By then it was too late to see much of Bergen.
Train Conductor Signaling the Oslo to Bergen Train to Go. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs and 28-70 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 100, 70 mm, f/4, 1/60 sec). (David J. Mathre)Church Steeple from the Oslo to Bergen Train. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 310 mm, f/9, 1/320 sec). (David J. Mathre)Winter View from the Oslo to Bergen Train. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs and 10.5 mm f/2.8 fisheye lens (ISO 100, 10.5 mm, f/4.8, 1/90 sec). (David J. Mathre)Steam Rising. Image taken on the train from Oslo to Bergen Norway winter of 2007. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 175 mm, f/8. 1/250 sec) (David J. Mathre)Snow Making Machine. Image taken on the train from Oslo to Bergen Norway winter of 2007. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 400 mm, f/6.3. 1/160 sec) (David J. Mathre)Winter Cabin in Norway. Image taken on the train from Oslo to Bergen Norway winter of 2007. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 175 mm, f/8. 1/250 sec) (David J. Mathre)Conductor on the Bergen Railroad at Finse, Norway. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs and 10.5 mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens (ISO 100, 10.5 mm, f/4, 1/60 sec) (David J. Mathre)Bergen Railroad Engine at Finse, Norway. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs and 28-70 mm f/2.8 ens (ISO 100, 28 mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec) (David J. Mathre)Winter Stream in Norway. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs and 28-70 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 100, 70 mm, f/3.5, 1/50 sec) (David J. Mathre)
At the time of the 2007 trip I only had a DSLR for about 6 months. There were many things about it I didn’t know – I was very early in the learning curve. By reviewing and analyzing the old images, I learn from my mistakes. When I look at the images that I took during that trip I cringe knowing that I could have done a better job – composition, exposure, focus, etc. I typically include camera settings with the description to help when I analyze the images. Since then cameras have improved significantly. Likewise the software used to process the images has improved. The new software lets me fix or improve the older images, and in some cases I have reprocessed the images.
The predicted snow didn’t happen. Instead heavy rain last night (~ 1.8 inches. When I woke up it was foggy out and warm (~ 45 °F). During the day the temperature is forecast to drop 30-40 degrees with heavy winds. During the day the sky cleared so I plan to see and photograph the lunar eclipse (“Wolf Blood Moon”). It will be cold, and I will need to tie down the camera tripods.
Foggy Winter Morning. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 3200, 600 mm, f/4, 1/400 sec). (David J Mathre)
Individual images from the slideshow can be viewed here.
It snowed last night, but only about an inch. By afternoon, the snow melted and/or evaporated. A number of small birds (Dark-eyed Junco, Marsh Wren, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse), and a Blue Jay visited the bird feeder. A Red-bellied Woodpecker chased the Blue Jay away. Later on a Squirrel got up onto the bird feeder to feast on some sunflower seeds.
Individual images in the slideshows can be viewed here.
Winter Nature in New Jersey — Sourland Mountain Preserve.
It is supposed to snow again Saturday and Sunday then get real cold. I will have to go to the Sourland Mountain Preserve and see if the pond freezes over this year. Since this image was taken ten-years ago, it rarely gets cold enough for the pond to freeze. Somerset county park workers finally removed the sign from the middle of the pond. As you can see from the second image, the sign did look out of place in the middle of the summer.
It would be difficult to skate with the pond covered with snow. It is not very cold so you would probably fall through the ice if you even tried. Image taken with a Nikon D300 camera and 18-200 mm lens (ISO 200, 200 mm, f/7, 1/200 sec). (David J Mathre)No Skating Sign in the Middle of the Pond at the Sourland Mountain Preserve. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 70-200 mm f/2.8 lens with a 2.0 TC-E teleconverter (ISO 200, 210 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 sec). (David J Mathre)
Gone to See the World. Semester at Sea Spring 2016 Voyage on the MV World Odyssey. Day 11: Crossing the Pacific Ocean From Hawaii to Japan.
Aft Deck Statue Catching the Rainbow. Later that evening a Masked Booby decided to spend the night on the forward deck. Actually, I think after the bird landed it found out that there was not enough room to take off. The Masked Booby is a big bird. Before the students could harass it, or try to feed it bread crew members came out with a blanket to cover the bird. They then took it to an aft deck where there was room for it to take off and fly away.
Catching the Rainbow on the deck of the MV World Odyssey. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 11-23 mm lens (ISO 100, 11 mm, f/14, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)
Individual images from the slide show can be viewed here.
