OneWoman's View
Natalie Ammarell Photography
2021 Photography
Orlando Wetlands
Covid-19 was still with us as the year opened but two companies had stunningly brought vaccines to market in less than a year. So the race began - rate of vaccination across the population against ever-evolving virus, with now many variants in play.
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Late in February, as a member of the class of privileged folk (75+ and access to excellent health service system), I received two "jabs" in my arm and immediately planned a safe, solo photography expedition to Florida in early March. Following are some of the images from that trip:
Roseate Spoonbills were numerous at rookery in St. Augustine. Breeding feathers and colors bright, courtship rituals and nesting underway!
And group bathing seemed to be the "in" thing!!
Up high, the storks were swooping and calling, while the egrets were already tending nests and eggs...
Down below, the gators were fat and attracting all the attention of visitors.
And the aggressive snowy egrets were again tempting the gods by wandering around as gators slept.
Orlando Wetlands presented gorgeous late afternoon light and plenty of "photo opps".
Eggs and chicks and species co-existence at Gatorland...
And a few odd shots, too...
Merritt Island offered my dancing reddish egrets with their bows, peeks and graceful prances!
During this first trip of the season, I realized that the longest lens I had for my beloved Canon camera was simply too heavy for me to manage with my arthritic thumbs! And so I took the leap and purchased the new Sony Rx10iv camera - with a built-in lens that gains me greater focal length AND manageability. In April, I started testing it out at nearby Jordan Lake, with these as a few results:
Several shorter trips filled out most of 2021. The Covid Delta variant has kept us guessing about what kind of travel we might want to do. My booster shot is about to happen and I've got fingers crossed for photography trips next year.
