Black Eyed Susan and Fly

I took this closeup photograph of what is commonly called a Black-eyed Susan Flower at the Marshal Hampton park in Polk County, Florida. This flower is a member of the Sunflower Family and is common throughout the eastern part of the United States.

Anhinga 103

The Anhings is a large, primarily aquatic bird that is a very common sight on, in and near the waters of Central Florida. It's diet is reportedly made up almost exclusively of the fish it spears using it's beak. It is also known as a "Snake Bird, Snail Darter or some much less complementary names by the local fishermen. 

Whitetail Deer Button Buck 033

I captured this shy young Whitetail Deer buck in the woods of Central Florida during September of 2014. A very short time after I took this picture all I could see was a white flag bounding through the woods. I guess that I moved a little too much and spooked it.

An American Alligator wildlife picture.

I captured this image of an American Alligator at the Circle B Bar Reserve near Lakeland, Florida. The American Alligator has made a great comeback in the State of Florida since it's low point in the early 1970's. The Federal Endangered Species Act had a lot to do with the increase in numbers by legally protecting them and providing states that had a population guidance in managing them and their habitats. 

Black Crowned Night Heron

I took this picture of a Black Crowned Night Heron at the Circle B Bar Reserve in Polk County, Florida on March 27, 2015. I don't see very many of these Herons because they are reportedly most commonly active in the late afternoon to early morning. They are a medium large to large bird that preys mostly on small fish and frogs. 

Banana Spider on her web.

I took this picture of what might commonly be called a Banana Spider in some parts of the U.S. It is actually a part of the Orb Weaver spider family that is very common along the eastern seaboard of the United States of America. This particular spider is also commonly known as an Golden Orb Weaver. It is probably one of the Largest Orb Weavers. The females are frequently two to three inches from foot pad to foot pad. The males are typically much smaller and seldom seem to exceed one inch in diameter in my experience. 

I am so sorry, but I am having a technical problem with my computer and will not be posting for a while until I can repair the problem. I hope to be back in operation shortly. 

Snaggle toothed swimming Alligator

This American Alligator was swimming in the water off of the wading bird way trail at the Circle B Bar Reserve on March 14, 2015 when I took this wildlife photograph. The taxonomic name is Alligator mississippiensis, but it is commonly referred to as a gator or common alligator.  This was a medium sized American Alligator that was about five and a half foot long when it turned and started swimming in my direction. The telephoto function on my GE X2600 camera worked just fine for this photo and a short time later my legs did just fine at moving back away from the water. I was not in the mood to entice this gator with an appetizer named Chris Mercer.

Tenoroc Creed Reflections

I shot this photograph of the reflections on the water of a small creek in the Tenoroc state park. Though the day was hot it was cool and shady on that small bridge that spanned the creek. I do not know about you, but often it is important to get out of your rut and spend some time just enjoying nature. I ask you, what better way is there to do that than with a camera? I really do hope you are enjoying my vision that created the images in this blog. 

Black Swallowtail butterfly

This Wildlife picture is of what I believe is a Black Swallowtail Butterfly. The Swallowtail butterfly family is composed of large and colorful members on every continent except Antarctica. The pictured butterfly is commonly also called a "Parsnip Swallowtail" or "American Swallowtail". They are reported to be one of the easiest to raise in captivity butterfly's.

The Heron Hideout Trail

I took this picture of the Heron Hideout trail in February of 2015 on a rainy gray day in central Florida. Though they are rare, Florida DOES have rainy, gray days occasionally. The Heron Hideout Trail is at the Circle B Bar Reserve in central Florida. In my opinion it is probably one of the greatest places to practice wildlife photography in Florida. The reason I took this picture is that the water was reflecting a number trees along the path. Due to the weather that morning, I was somewhat disappointed in the wildlife photography opportunities that day. 

Here kitty, kitty, kitty

I was at the central park of Winter Haven, Florida when I took this picture of an apparently stray cat. At the time of this picture the cat was laying underneath a vehicle parked in the street not far from the library. I remember that it was a hot summer day and the cat was looking for a cool shady place to rest. 

Anole on a fence post

This close up picture of what I believe is a Brown Anole was taken on March 30, 2015. At the time it was preparing to engage in a courtship ritual by bouncing up and down before expanding the dewlap at the base of it's throat. The pouch is very colorful and probably attractive to females. Unfortunately, it is also attractive to predators also. The predator list is some what short, including snakes, several types of heron, hawks, crows, cats, dogs.......

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

I took this Insect picture of a yellow Tiger Swallowtail butterfly that was feeding on some red flowers somewhere in central Florida, but I can not remember where I was at the time. The EXIF data on the insect picture tells me it was on July 9, 2015. The scientific name of this butterfly is the Papilio glaucas. It is one of the larger types of butterfly and is very common on the north American continent.

Studebaker hood emblem

I took this picture of a Studebaker Hood Ornament at the Monthly Cruisin' Winter Haven Car Show in Winter Haven, Florida on August 2, 2014. It was on a 1964 Studebaker Hawk GT that appeared to me to be in very good shape for it's age. The best thing about these cars was that you did not need a college education to keep them running. Most people could, with the help of a Chilton's or Haynes automobile repair manual that was for that type of vehicle and some basic tools, fix most of the minor problems and many of the major problems. Nowadays you need a college education and several thousands of dollars worth of electronic diagnostic tools just to find out what is wrong before you need your hand tools. God, I miss the good old days.

Proudly perching Osprey

I was at the Circle B Bar Reserve in Polk county, Florida when I took this wildlife picture of a perched Osprey in early February of  2015. The Osprey's Latin name is Pandion Haliaetus, though it is frequently called a Sea Hawk, Fish Hawk, or Fish Eagle to name a few nicknames. This large predatory bird is specially adapted for catching fish, unlike the Bald Eagle, which fishes sometimes but has a much more varied diet. The talons on the Osprey Bird have adapted in to a circular shape that makes it much easier to hold onto wriggling fish. Another name for predatory birds is Raptor.

Sandhill Crane Colts at the Circle B Bar Reserve

My wildlife photograph (above) of two baby Sandhill Cranes was was taken at my favorite place to take a wildlife photograph; the Circle B Bar Reserve. These little Sandhill Cranes were not much over six inches tall at the time I got this picture. Over the last few years I have watched several sets of Sandhill Crane Colts grow up there. They are by far the cutest as relatively newly hatched chicks with their yellow fuzz and long legs. That is why I call them colts, because they remind me of newly born horse colts as they first learn to walk and run. In due time they will grow into a majestic bird that can be nearly four foot tall and have a wingspan of about seven feet, just like their parents.

Whitetail buck deer in velvet

Cooter Turtle closeup

I took this closeup picture of what I have tentatively identified as a Cooter Turtle that was in the driveway of the Circle B Bar Reserve on December 4 of 2014. I laid down in the roadway and placed my camera on the ground for a very steady picture. Of course I first made sure that no cars were coming. It was a cool day and I believe that the turtle had crawled out there to take advantage of both the sun and the sun warmed asphult roadway. When I was done taking this wildlife picture I very carefully picked up the turtle and removed it from the roadway by several feet to help keep it hopefully safe. 

Taxiing seaplane

I photographed this Piper Cub seaplane taxiing on Lake Jessie at JackBrown's Seaplane base in Winter Haven, Florida during August of 2014.The Piper Cub is an icon of American aviation similar to Ford's ModelT car, though less airplanes are built and flown than automobiles aredriven. Brown's seaplane base is a seaplane flight instruction 

facility that has been in operation since 1963.  

Cruisin' Winter Haven, Florida car show

I took this picture of a restored Model A Ford at the Cruisin' Winter Haven car show on August 2, 2014. The First production run of the Model A was from 1903 and 1904. This Antique car was from the second production run named the Model A and was first produced in October of 1927 but designated as the 1928 model. The Ford Motor Company produced this model (with various body styles) from 1927 through March of 1932 and produced 4,858,644 of them. 

Whitetail Deer fawn and doe

I was out walking in the woods of central Florida during the latter part of October, 2014 when I got really lucky and saw this doe Whitetail deer with her fawn. I would guess that it was only about about two to three months old. Down here in the south the breeding season starts much later than it does up north, so the birthing season is much later also. I found this link to be most informative: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw121. Whitetail deer are a major food source for the Florida Panther and Bobcat. Humans also have an apparently ample opportunity to prey on them also.

Lake Alfred Fire Department Fire Truck

I shot this photograph of one of Lake Alfred Fire Department's fire trucks at the Winter Haven, Florida Airport. It was parked in the parking lot without it's emergency beacons lit, so I presume the crew was either doing an inspection or planning possible scenarios in case of an emergency. Fire Firefighting is mostly a matter of training and planning how to do it in the safest manner possible.

When I was a volunteer Firefighter many years ago I learned that this was technically a combination pumper/tanker truck. What that means is that it carries an on board pump to pump the water through the hoses for usage on fires and it also has a several hundred gallon water tank aboard for up to about three minutes worth of water for the pump. It also carries a large amount of smaller equipment for use by the firefighters that is typically stored in compartments throughout the vehicle. There are many other types of emergency vehicles to complement the abilities of this piece of fire apparatus.What most people refer to as “Fire Trucks” are referred to in the fire fighting service as “fire Apparatus” because they are actually complex systems used to fight fires and deal with other public emergency concerns.

A LARGE BANYAN TREE

I took this picture of  the central base of the Banyan Tree at Cypress Gardens on July 26, 2015. Cypress Gardens opened on January 2, 1936, billed as a botanical garden. It was built by Dick Pope, Sr. and his wife Julie. It was one of the first, if not the first commercial theme park in Florida. It became known as the Water Ski Capital of the world, with over fifty world records being set or broken there. It was also used for filming numerous movies and commercials. Unfortunately, time and competition from other theme parks forced it to close. Ultimately, Merlin Entertaints bought the land and opened Legoland, Florida. Part of the reason that the Banyan Tree and some other remnants remain is that on April 14, 2014, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places and Legoland park oversees the maintenance and care of those areas. 

Komodo Dragon's Tongue

This animal Photo was taken by me at  local zoological facility using a telephoto lens setting on my camera. In case you fail to recognize this very large lizard, it is commonly called a Komodo Dragon. The actual species name is Varanus Komodoensis and it is the largest type of  Monitor lizard in existence today. Another common Name for it is the Komodo Monitor. It gets it's common name because it originates from Indonesia on the Islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang and Padar. In the wild it is an ambush predator that lies in wait to attack it's prey. It uses it's long yellowish tongue to sample the air for molecules of scent from it's prey while moving into it's ambush site. 

GREAT BLUE HERON HEADSHOT

I took this wildlife photograph of a Great Blue Heron's head at the South Lake Howard Nature Park in Winter Haven, Florida. The name is somewhat of a misnomer because it is more oriented to an exercise path system around a water reclamation project under the auspices of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection than what I would describe as a nature park focusing on wildlife. It is all in all a well designed park that would due justice to a much larger city. Not withstanding the above statements, I have managed a large number of wildlife photographs there. 

Komodo Dragon Stare

This animal photograph was taken by me at  local zoological facility using a telephoto lens setting on my camera. In case you fail to recognize this very large lizard, it is commonly called a Komodo Dragon. The actual species name is Varanus Komodoensis and it is the largest type of  Monitor lizard in existence today. Another common Name for it is the Komodo Monitor. It gets it's common name because it originates from Indonesia on the Islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang and Padar. In the wild it is an ambush predator that lies in wait to attack it's prey. 

Eagle Lake jumping spider

I took this closeup photograph of a small jumping spider that I had removed from my daughter's hair without her noticing while we were standing in Eagle Lake itself. Eagle Lake, Florida is apparently named for the lake. Historionics averted, I proceeded to take this insect photograph with an old Olympus FE-110 digital camera that happened to be with me that day. You never know what photographic opportunities may pop up to take advantage of. 

Brown's Piper Cub 001

I captured this photograph of a Piper J-3 Cub seaplane taking off from Jack Brown's Seaplane Base near Winter Haven, Florida on August 9, 2014. This flight facility offers flight training in single engine seaplane operation. This flight school has been in operation since 1963, when it was opened by Jack Brown and is still operated by his son, Jon Brown. Flying is an art that requires basic knowledge and skill backed up by plenty of practice. 

Floral Shop BIke

I shot this cityscape photograph in the historic downtown area of Winter Haven, Florida back in August of 2014. I had seen similar photographic art that had been taken in Europe where bicycles and small shops are more common in small towns. I decided to see if I could create a similar piece of art. This picture was taken fairly early in the morning to take advantage of the shadows and nearly empty streets.

Honeymoon Island Visitor Center

I was practicing a new architectural photography tip that I had read about while visiting the Honeymoon Island State park during June of 2015. It was early afternoon on June 20, 2015, which produced the fewest shadows and allowed the eye to be led to the roof of the structure without distractions. This is another type of photography that I am trying to learn the bare bones basics of to improve my skills and Marketability. 

Black Crowned Night Heron

I rarely see Black Crowned Night Herons because they are largely nocturnal and don't really move visibly until dusk or after. This particular night Heron was still up and about at about 8:40 AM on March 27, 2015 and I got several shots of it. These herons are much shorter and stockier than most other herons and the bills are much more solid looking. The taxonomic name is Nycticorax nycticorax.

White-tail Button Buck

I took this wildlife picture of a small White-tail Deer that was also a "button" buck. A button buck is generally under one year of age and it's first set of antlers appear to be "button sized" proturbances as opposed to "Spike" antlers, "Fork Horn" (four points) or multi-point antlers. In most of the states I have been in, button bucks are protected along with the antlerless (Doe) deers during "Buck" hunting season. The scientific name is Odocoileus virginianus and one of the slang names I have heard for them is "speed beef". The other names are commonly heard as frustrated hunters watch the white flag of a trophy class buck go bouncing through the woods. They are not really fit to repeat in what I presume is mixed company here. 

Alligator's Eye

I captured this wildlife image of an Alligator's eye on April 10, 2015 at the Circle B Bar Reserve. For some strange reason (the Alligator was about seven foot long), I decided that telephoto was the next best thing to a true up close macro shot: besides leaving the trail, crossing the swamp and sticking a camera in the face of a 'gator is considered harassment. Harassment frequently has dire consequences for the animal that is harassed after the animal defends itself and it's territory. It is really sad that the animal must die because some idiot was harassing it and it reacted. Please do not make me feel sorry for an innocent animal and remember that you are a guest in it's home.

My shot of an August full moon....

I took this nature photograph of the moon early one morning during August of 2014 from a public dock at the South Lake Howard Nature Park. In order to make the moon more clearly visible I had to change the background to black using Gimp's photo editing program. This photograph was taken with a GE X2600 Digital camera on a tripod. The X2600 is a great bridge camera that can be relied upon to deliver crisp sharp images straight from the camera if the photographer uses basic camera handling skills. Whenever possible, the use of a good quality tripod is one of those skills. This camera is called a "bridge" camera because it bridges the gap between a "point and shoot" camera and an SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera. A "Point and shoot" camera is typically a pocket sized camera that might or might not have a built in telephoto capability. It also has relatively little controll over the camera settings. It typically gives good "snapshot" pictures and is relatively inexpensive. An SLR camera is far more expensive, but has the capability of using many different lenses by changing them as needed. It also has a high degree of control over the camera exposure settings. It is a far more expensive phography system. A bridge camera typically has a single, though larger and more complex lense, and most of the basic exposure controls that you would find on an SLR camera.

Behold my Empire, Apprentice

I was at a local city park with my family when I took this picture of my wife and daughter on a simulated rock. My wife was wearing a jacket that was based on being a Sith from Star Wars. I titled this picture Behold my Empire, Apprentice. We are eagerly awaiting the release of  Star Wars: THE FORCE AWAKENS.

Yellow Hibiscus Flower

I took this closeup picture of a yellow colored Hibiscus flower in early August of 2014. While I can remember that I took it somewhere in Winter Haven, Florida, I do not remember exactly where. The Hibiscus can be either a flowering shrub (most common in my experience) or nurtured in to a small single stem tree. In the right frost free conditions the bushes can grow up to fifteen feet tall. The trumpet shaped flowers can grow to six inches in diameter and come in a variety of colors. While this plant is common in central Florida they do not seem to flourish farther north of here in my limited experience. 

Bearing in mind that "everything you read on the internet is true" (NOT).......the hibiscus has many medicinal uses. I have not tried any of these and I am not advising you to use any of them. I am not a health care professional and I do not give health care advice. 

Brown's Piper Cub

This vintage Piper Cub is owned by Brown's Seaplane Base at the Winter Haven Airport. It is probably one of the best known light aircraft produced by the Piper Aircraft company. It had an approximately ten year long production run, from 1937 to 1947. It was used extensively during WWII for many tasks such as artillary spotting, message carrying and basic flight training. I believe that this is a Piper Cub J-3 variant that has been modified to be a seaplane. In aircraft production terms it was probably comparable to Henry Ford's Model T automobile.

Harley Davidson Big Twin

When I had the Opportunity to capture this Image of a Big Twin Harley Davidson Motorcycle I took full advantage of it. Harley's are one of the few vehicles out there that actually do not depreciate in value the second that you ride them off of the showroom floor. There was a distracting vehicle behind it that is now gone because of a photo editing program called Gimp. The photo editing part is only a very small part of the free open source program.  Here is one of the results of my efforts. Look for more in the future as I find time to process the photographs. 

Molting Brown Anole

I got this photograph of a Brown Anole on a fence rail recently, but what is kind of unique is that it was in the process of molting. Moulting (old english) is a natural process whereby old skin, hair or feathers are shed to make room for new skin, hair or feathers. For a relatively short period of time the molting animal or insect can look drab or ill due to the process, even though the animal is physically fine. It took me a while to get close enough to get this wildlife photograph along with a series of others before the presumed Cuban Anole moved out of the photography range.

Eastern Pondhawk Dragonfly 003

I took this wildlife photograph of an Eastern Pondhawk Dragonfly in my backyard during June of 2014. I had several good opportunities to photograph it as it shot touch and go landings on the same twig. This dragonfly is also known as the common Pondhawk Dragonfly. It is a noteworthy predator in the insect classes.

A VERY LARGE WILD BOAR

I got this wildlife photograph of a very large wild boar foraging for food at the Circle B Bar Reserve in Polk County, Florida. I would estimate it's weight at approximately three hundred fifty pounds. They are a not uncommon visitor to the reserve and actually do a large amount of damage to the grounds.

Silver Back Gorilla

This is a picture of a "Juvenile" gorilla that is part of a zoological facility in central Florida. The only reason that it is still called "Juvenile" is because it is part of a group that in the wild would be composed of all male gorillas. The juvenile male gorillas are typically kicked out of the family group when they reach a size and age to be a challenge to the dominant male gorilla of the family group. The juvenile male gorillas then typically form a group until one meets a female gorilla (or gorillas) and forms a new family group. All Gorillas are also known as apes or great apes.  This one though will live out it's life in a controlled setting. 

A FEEDING OSPREY

I took this wildlfe picture of this feeding Osprey during the middle of June, 2013 at the Circle B Bar Reserve in Polk County, Florida. There are a large number of Ospreys that live in or near this nature preserve and feed in nearby Lake Hancock. I frequently see ten or more of these beautiful birds of prey flying over the lake. I caught this one sitting on the branch of a dead tree snag eating it's meal and occassionally calling out to it's mate. This bird of prey is a very large bird that is specially adapted to taking it's prey from out of the water. Part of it's adaptation is the curved talons that make it easier to capture it's slimy and squirming prey, fish. Often, these magnificent birds are also known as a fish hawk. The Osprey is far easier for me and my camera to get good pictures of when it is perched and I am using a tripod. Lunch time (their lunchtime) is the best time for me to take a wildlife picture of them. 

THE HAND PUMP AT THE COMMON GROUND PARK

  Another great place to create your art is at a local park or playground. Many of them have sculptures or statues and playground equipment to create unique images with or from. I have been to this playground with my children several times to play with them, or at least watch them play. I had an epiphany while I was there the last time with them and realised that if I came back there while they were in school I could actually photograph the park and it's features uninterrupted by having to keep track of my children while they played.
 This artistic photograph was taken the Common Ground Park in Lakeland, Florida while most of the school age children were in school and park usage was low. I took this picture under the shade of a picnic pavilion and used the little girl statue to augment the main subject of this photograph, the old fashioned water pump. As you can tell from the water in the air, this is actually a functional hand pump. Using a two second delay on the camera made it kind of hard to get the water flowing and back to the camera in time to get the picture of the water flowing without causing a blurred picture. This artist's photograph took many attempts until I was happy with the base image. I did do a small amount of touch up editing using my favorite editing program. 

ARMADILLO MEANS "LITTLE ARMORED ONE"

  I created this wildlife photo at one of my favorite shooting locations here in central Florida, the Circle B Bar Reserve. It is of a wild Armadillo that was foraging in the grass near the Nature Discovery Center. These Small placental mammals are covered in a very hard, leathery armoured shell. In fact, the word armadillo means "little armored one" in Spanish. There are at least two excellent reasons not to handle an Armadillo. The first is it's teeth and front claws. While it's bite can be serious, it's front claws are much more capable of causing severe injury and bleeding. They are probably almost constantly sharpened by the digging it does to eat. The Armadillo is not typically an aggressive animal and if you end up bitten or cut, it is almost certainly your own fault for trying to handle a live animal. The other excellent reason not to handle this animal is that it is a possible carrier for a disease known as Leprosy or Hansen's disease. In the state of Florida there has been a rise in the reported number of Leprosy cases though it is not a serious health threat to the public at this time. It is a treatable and probably curable disease nowadays, but in the past it was a probable death sentence by natural causes or at least a life in isolation to prevent the spread of the disease. As long as you are creating your wildlife photo from a reasonable distance you should not encounter any problems. 

THE FRONT END OF A FORD MODEL A TOURING CAR

  I created this artist's photograph of  the front end of what I was told was a Ford Model A Touring car. When it comes to antique vehicle's, I have to rely on the expertise of either the owner or someone else that probably does know more about what they are talking about than I do. This Artist's photograph was composed and created from the middle of the street in historic Downtown Winter Haven, Florida. (Safety hint), make sure that the street is blocked off for some function such as Cruisin' Winter Haven before setting up in the middle of the street. This antique vehicle was the second model series from a world renowned car company that has been in existence for over 120 years now. I was trying to create a unique perspective for this photograph by setting a lowslung tripod up for my camera. It was a fun and pleasant evening spent photographing several antique automobiles or classic cars. I hope that you are enjoying my blog and hope that you want to see more of my art. 

A LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPH OF CYPRESS GARDEN'S BANYAN TREE AT LEGOLAND FLORIDA.

I recently took this landscape photograph of a Banyan tree that is at what used to be Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven, Florida. Cypress Gardens unfortunately fell on hard economic times and was eventually purchased by Legoland. This tree was originally planted sometime in the 1930's and rumor has it that it was planted from or in a five gallon bucket at first. This majestic Banyan tree has obviously grown Tree mend us Lee (it is okay to grown, now). This Landscape photograph shows part of the walkway and the main cluster of the ever expanding tree. 

A historic Path at Cypress Gardens

I created this landscape photograph in late July of 2015 on a walkway at what is left of a historic site in central Florida. This sidewalk is in part of what used to be Cypress Gardens. I was walking along the pathway with an eye towards creating an interesting landscape photograph and this image called out to me to take it's picture. The intermittent rainshowers that afternoon made everything seem even more vibrant and beautiful. The sidewalk just naturally led my eye and camera to it. You can see my other great art at chrismerccerimages.  

A nicely restored Ford Model A

I created this piece of modern art in early August of 2014 near Main Street, Winter Haven, Florida.  You can see more great art from that day at chrismercerimages. This model A Ford was one of the displayed classic cars that day. The owner had a lot of time and effort in the restoration of this antique automobile. If you would like more information about some "Model A" clubs, my google search came up with this. 

White Tail Deer Fawn with it's mother.

I got this wildlife photograph of a Whitetail Doe Deer and her fawn in October of 2014. This wildlife photograph was taken in central Florida, which helps explain why the Fawn is still small and in spots. The breeding season typically starts later here in the south than it does up north. This means that a lot of Fawns are not born until sometime in August through October. If you are looking for my other great art, try http://chris-mercer.artistwebsites.com/.