As a photographer, this can pose some problems: digital camera equipment and water don’t mix well. There are many types of dry bags and hard case that are completely water proof, and they are have their uses, but for hiking(wading) in the swamp, I have found one bag that really works well for me.

The problem with all the waterproof gear arises when I want to swap something out. I only have 2 hands and when there is water everywhere, it becomes a fun little juggling process. You may find a stump to rest things on, but thats never a guarantee. After some research, I found the Lowepro Flipside 300 AW. Perfect! What sets it apart is that it unzips from the “back”. To clarify, the part that faces your back is what would open up. So, combined with a waist strap, you can take off the shoulder straps and swing it around to the front, and have a “table” to rest things on in front of you. This allowed me to rest my camera, lens, filters, whatever on the back and have a free hand to switch out whatever I needed.

When I purchased the Flipside 300, it was the largest Lowepro made. It was a bit cramped for my gear, but I made do. Then the 400 came out. It was pretty much the same bag, but a bit wider, allowing for more lenses, and now an extra pocket on the “front” of the bag.

This pocket is really a huge upgrade, as the 300 was a bit sparse on storage for the little stuff and extras. This pocket on the 400 will usually be packed with a rain jacket, compass, snack bars, head lamp/flashlight, and notepad. It can really hold a lot. Another thing I consider and upgrade is dual water bottle holders. The 300 had 1 and a zip pouch on the other side for memory cards and small stuff.

Lastly, the 400 now comes with  padded waist straps, which, given its larger capacity, was a necessity. I have done 7 miles through knee to waist deep water with the 400 and it stays moderately comfortable when the waist straps are cinched in tight. I would never imagine doing that with the unpadded straps of the 300. Oh, and the AW in both means you get a packed and attached rain cover that can be deployed pretty quickly when the inevitable summer storm hits. Both also have a tripod strap on the back, its adequate, but not perfect.

Here you can see the 400 packed. Clockwise from top left is the Tamron 180 macro: then Canon 100-400, empty slot sometimes with cable release,  extension tubes, 50 1.8, 5d2 with 16-35, 1.4x, and Tamron 28-75. This is what I regularly take with me. Hope this is helpful, and if you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

Sometimes said to be the same as the Greater  Flamingo, most taxonomists now regard it as a separate species.  Sightings in the Everglades and Southern Florida are rare and many are considered to be escapees from the Hialeah Race track. One specimen banded in the Yucatan Peninsula was sighted in the Everglades, so I like to believe these were birds of wild origin. Regardless, this specimen and 4 of its friends were found in the Everglades in the winter of 2008.  The whole trip is written about here. For March you can purchase this image at a discounted rates.

Sizes

8×10/8×12 $20.00 10×15/11×14 $35.00 12×18 $55.00

If you put in at Riverbend, the first 5 or so miles is a twisted cypress lined tanic river. The water is stained by all the fallen leaves, and when the light hits the shallows, it glows orange. The river was full of wildlife, I saw many limpkins and other birds, wild hogs, turtles and gators.  It is also lined with several species of ferns, the most impressive being the leather fern, which had fronds over 6 feet tall.

At about the 5 mile mark, you will hit Trapper Nelson’s. He was known as the “Tarzan of the Loxahatchee” and had built a much visited zoo, until his mysterious death by shotgun in 1968. After this, the river opens up and you can see the transition from cypress to mangrove, with pines and sabal palms mixed in.  I don’t consider it as scenic but there are several active Osprey nests that keep it interesting.

I didn’t spend as much time in Jonathan Dickinson State Park, but did wander around for one sunset. I actually had pretty bad weather, but did manage this, showing the pine flatwoods, home to the endangered Gopher Tortoise.

This image was made back in August 2009, shortly after sunrise. My friend Rick Gomez had found it trapped in a tide-pool up by Blowing Rocks, in Jupiter, Florida.  It is illegal to touch them, but we decided that these little guys need all the help they can get, and so we picked it up and released it at a less rocky area of the beach. I believe about 1 in 100 survive to adulthood, and 1 in 1000 actually get to breed.

I used my Tamron 180 macro, and got down on my elbows and fired away hoping for some sharp shots in the low light. The rough rock took a toll on my elbows, but when you are in the moment, things like that don’t really register. Mosquitoes on the other hand, are pretty hard to ignore. I was lucky to get a handful of shots to pick through and liked this the best. In larger prints you can see the sky and fading sunrise colors in the sea turtle’s eye.

If you would like more info on sea turtles or want to help you can go here: Defenders of Wildlife

Tortured

Bacon!

A wider view and the wonderful glow that happens after the sun sets

Thorny Old Friends

Thanks for stopping in!

And just to pretty up this post, here is my first sunset of 2010. Nothing really for the portfolio as far as composition goes, but one of the best sunsets of recent memory. You can click on it to see it larger.

Under the Aspen Tree by Guy Tal

Sometime Last Century by Tony Kuyper

Both are inspiring photographers and I am glad I have something to look at besides my own photos. =)

Boca Chita Lighthouse is a beautiful lighthouse made form the local limestone, and using a 10-stop neutral density filter, was able to lengthen the exposure to about 100 seconds. With the last of the directional light hitting the lighthouse, this gave it a nice glow but allowed the clouds and palms to show a lot of movement in the image. I wanted to get something a bit different and think I succeeded. Enjoy!

Mangrove Magic

Boca Chita After Hours