A Few Images From My Recent Road Trip

I found this old Volkswagen van painted in the old 1960s style 'psychedelic' paint scheme in
Chincoteague.  (click to enlarge)

As many of you may know, a couple of weeks ago I took a short road trip to the Eastern Shores of both Virginia and Maryland.  I get a bit antsy when not being able to travel and explore and even more antsy when I can't regularly photograph.  

Note:  The Eastern Shore is a long peninsula running north/south bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Chesapeake Bay on the west.  It covers three states—Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. 

For almost all of us, this past year has been especially challenging, due to travel restrictions, businesses, parks, wildlife refuges, attractions, etc., being closed and especially some pesky virus being out there which has been devastating people's lives.  Add to that my wife and I selling our home, moving most of our belongings into storage then moving in with our daughter's family while we build a new house.  I predict (hope, really) there will never be another year in my lifetime as there was in 2020.

Red, Yellow and Blue—with a reflection!  The Exmore Diner in Exmore, Virginia (click to enlarge)

Around the end of February, I am really ready for winter to end and for the weather to improve.  This short trip, solo as much as possible for safety purposes, gave me the uplift I needed to make it through the rest of this winter.  Spring is essentially upon us as the bulb flowers have broken through the soil, the weather pattern has finally shifted, daylight is getting longer and the temperatures are rising.  All in all, for me, a good feeling.

I had three objectives for this three day road trip.  First, some quiet time (remember, we're currently living with our daughter, her husband, our two granddaughters, ages 8 and 11, our daughter's mother-in-law and two dogs).  Its going much better than I anticipated as there seems to be no stress, no short tempers, no conflicts, no aggravation, just an extended family happily living together until our home is completed.  However, quiet time and time alone seems to be more of a necessity for me as I age.

I was able to make both of my best two images of a Belted Kingfisher on this trip. (click to enlarge)

Second, I like to wander the back roads of the places to where I travel just to see what subjects I can discover that are interesting in several different ways—visually, historically and intellectually.  Part of this objective was driving to Deal Island, Maryland to see if the old 'skipjack' sail-powered commercial fishing vessels were still in use and based out of that small locale.  I've already posted a column about that part of my trip.  You can read about them and see some images here.

Third, as is usually my custom when going to the Eastern Shore, is to seek out and photograph birds of all sorts.  For this short trip I primarily targeted the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, but I also have visited the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Eastern Shore NWR, Bombay Hook NWR and the Assateague Island National Seashore on other trips.  There I found some wading birds, song birds, raptors, ducks, tundra swans, snow geese and various other flying critters.  Although I don't classify myself as primarily a wildlife or bird photographer, I do enjoy the challenge of finding them and then successfully capturing their images.  Bird photography is not easy, very challenging and I enjoy the challenge.

Male and female buffleheads. (click to enlarge)

I decided to only take one camera and a few lenses.  I wanted to go light.  For this trip I took my Nikon Z7.  I primarily used three lenses during my wanderings.  Most often, I used the excellent 24-70mm f/4 S lens.  I can't stress what an excellent, relatively small, lightweight and well-built, optic this is.  I've used it wide open and stopped down to f/16 and have not had a single complaint about the quality of the images it produces.  I didn't take a backup camera as I have very high confidence in the Z7's reliability and proper function. 

My second most used lens was the Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 F Mount lens with the Nikon FTZ adapter, used mainly for the bird photography portion of the trip.  If you wonder if the adapter has a negative effect on focusing or other lens operation, it doesn't.  I have used it with various F Mount lenses for two years now and I have found it does not slow down the focusing or impair quickly locking on to a subject.  I haven't seen any measurable difference in focus speed or accuracy using this F Mount lens on a new Z Mount camera.  The image quality from this lens is excellent as well.  On the other hand, this lens is big, heavy and a bit unwieldy—a beast!  I'm used to using my Olympus m4/3 long telephoto lenses (300mm f/4 PRO and 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO) which actually focus faster,  have given me a bit higher 'hit rate' and are much lighter and physically smaller than the Nikon lens.

Pungoteague, Virginia is basically this crossroads.  The building you see is the United States
Post Office.  I love it! (click to enlarge)

The third lens I used was the Nikkor 70-200mm f/4 F Mount lens, again, with the FTZ adapter.  This is another relatively small, but excellent lens.  In the past I always bought the big f/2.8 versions of Nikon's triad of zooms, but I now buy the slightly slower, smaller, lighter and less expensive lenses.  They serve me just as well.

I did bring my Nikon 14-30mm f/4 S lens but didn't encounter the occasion to have to use it.  The 24mm focal length was enough for what I photographed, but it as well, is an excellent optic.  Also, I didn't find a need for the polarizing or neutral density filters I always carry.

Juvenile American White Ibis.  There must have been a hundred of them feeding in a small
creek at low tide.  It was a challenge to isolate just a few in some sort of decent composition.
(click to enlarge)

One additional comment.  The gear I took was so called full frame.  That said I don't think there was any image that I made or situation I encountered that I couldn't have made images just as good with a camera and lens system with a smaller sensor.  There is so little difference in image quality from cameras and lenses among today's predominant sensor sizes, that in my experience, it seems for the most part to not really matter much anymore.  The two attributes I like about my Nikon Z7 is the ability to drill deep into an image with that 45.7mp sensor looking at all of the tiny details it has captured and the ability to crop in much more (without losing a lot of quality) than with my other cameras.  But as time passes and improvements in sensors and image processing software occurs, those high megapixel sensors will eventually be available in APS-C and m4/3 camera systems.  Maybe not 45mp, but more than the current 20-26mp.

Here are some additional images you might enjoy.

Tundra Swan (click to enlarge)

One of the famous "Wild Ponies of Chincoteague" grazing on the salt grass. (click to enlarge)

I'm not a hawk expert.  Others have reported a Sharp-Shinned hawk in this area.

Could this be one?  (click to enlarge) 

Deadrise oyster fishing boats moored on Deal Island. (click to enlarge)

The Visitor!  St, John's United Methodist Church on Deal Island, Maryland.
This black buzzard was roosting on the peak of the church roof and I thought
it made an interesting juxtaposition to the symbol on the steeple. (click to enlarge)

St. John's with a very interesting sky.  (click to enlarge)

A very rare catch for me, not him!  These birds are very skiddish and fast.  I had a lot of luck on my side. (click to enlarge)

Great Blue Heron 'stepping' out! (click to enlarge)

I think this is a Tri-Colored Heron.  Please correct me if I'm wrong. (click to enlarge)

Fishing shack in Harborton, Virginia (click to enlarge)

Another fishing shack in Harborton, Virginia (click to enlarge)

The Pungoteague Community Church.  I love the architecture of these small, white clapboard
country churches. (click to enlarge)

Finally, the Assateague Light as seen from Chincoteague. (click to enlarge)

A couple of days out alone with a camera and a couple of lenses can do a world of good for your attitude, disposition and outlook on day to day life.  I recommend trying it.

Join me over at my website, https://www.dennismook.com.  

Thanks for looking. Enjoy!  

Dennis A. Mook  

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