A hodgepodge of pictures!

These pictures have been setup a bit randomly. From different times and places. They are my most recently processed images. Even in Digital photography there is much work to be done in the "darkroom" on computer before files are ready for my website. With my computer it actually takes an average of about 45min to 1 hour PER PICTURE you see here.


This is called a green Anole (forgive spelling here). Or the American Chameleon. It is not of the same family as regular chameleons, but it does change colors and can move it's eyes in that trademark way that chameleons do. I shot this one in Guam with a 15ft macro lens. They are shy and hard to catch. To make as little an impact as possible I try to avoid catching animals like this that may be injured.
Another look. They do some interesting displays but even at the macro length of more then 10ft away it became afraid and fled up the tree. Having a long-macro lens for small insects and animals such as lizards is priceless--I usually do this with extension tubes and a long wildlife lens of some kind. You can only focus out to say, 15 or 25ft--but that's enough for many birds and other wildlife that would be impossible to get close enough to without this kind of macro setup. I sometimes call this "teli-macro".

"The hub" This orb weaver from Guam could fit on a quarter legs and all. I painfully got into position at over 85F in 90 some humidity crawling under the vertical web so as to get these very delicate shots that provide a comprehensive view of this spider. One of at least a dozen that I did not get a chance to document this time in the Martial islands.

Another view of this spider. I must say that my new laptop has a brighter screen then my older system. So I will have to up my light levels in the future. I will do that for future pictures. Live and learn. I'm not going to back-edit every one of these pictures! Turn up your contrast or brightness to see more detail.
Now this is what I was looking for. Showing the characteristic web center and vertical web. This could be easy to mistake for other more common vertical web building spiders.



This is a Lynx spider. It's hairs look like spikes, but they are so sensitive that she would have ran had it not been for my macro extension and very careful approach. She is also protecting an egg sack.

Tulips, that came up just before I got home. An older woman lived here in this house a few years before I got here. Her bulbs still bloom every year offering me a chance to take pictures.

I must have 300 sunset pictures. This one just stood out in one folder of dozens and dozens as I was looking for postable shots, it's by no means "my best". I have so many pictures to go through before I do complete posts it is literally going to take a year to get through the backlog. These sunsets are some of the most incredible I have ever seen anywhere. When I realize that I almost certainly would have won a few sunset contests. I am getting into gear about some better shots I have that I will probably not post on my website. IT IS ILLEGAL to copy this or any other picture here without my permission. I have copyright status on all my pictures.

This was a shot I took on a local running club. One a very few I got of Guam's geology and rain forest with a compact camera. There was way too much mud and other dangers for me to bring my pro-cams so I was limited by that and the fact that I could not take my time if I wanted to finish the trail, being in a race before dark--I had little time to take a few snapshots with a small point and shoot camera.

In Lombok Horse cart transportation like this is very common. But in Bali where there are more people who can afford cars for Taxi services, they are far less common. There are places in Indonesia that nearly everybody uses a horse or horse cart of sometimes rather then getting around by moter-bike or cars. In Lombok I was very surprized how many people don' t have electic lighting and use horsecarts. Povertly level there is far worse Then Bali. I've spent a
week there or so back in 1994.

And here is Happy. The local cat. I've gotten him to pose before but just the other day I snapped this picture. I have never seen a cat act so nice and so much like a nice dog rather then a cat!
Another sunset from my Mom and Step dad's place. For several reasons there are some shots I probably won't put on my website and may enter contests with.

With my long macro lens I was able to catch these sand crabs. I had to sit motionless for quite a while. They are less then 2 inches long.


And here is another hiker. He was really nice to stay with me as I lagged behind a bit. It's hard to believe but the tiny island of Guam is crisscrossed by large fresh watter streams and rivers. The environment is defiantly tropical rain forest to some degree.
Another shot of the Bali Gecko or (Tokay gecko) I caught miraculously on the door to my hotel room. This guy did not get a chance to bite me, but shortly after I took this shot it took off and I had to catch it again. Geckos have one thing in common, they are not very bright. I was able to outsmart only two of them. I never thought I'd catch another one. They are very fast and move away from anyone at any distance. You have to be smarter then they are by guessing how to catch them without being seen before they can react. Once, out of going to Bali several times. In fact, I was able to photograph the half dozen things I went there for. I got very lucky and hope to be able to re-visit ASAP.
Now this was taken in Guam. Don't forget to click on it to see the full view. I'd call it "suicide Cliff" But I don't know it's real name. My mom can be seen on the right side of this shot sitting by the old busted out security wall. It's a shear drop about ten stories down to the rocks where the waves break up against the rocks. You don't want to fall off here, there would be no chance of survival. On the left of this picture is a memorial with flowers to someone who apparently died here. Allot of parties happen in places like this, it could have been anything. This was a spooky place. I have allot more pictures to show of it and the road leading to it.

This is a June beetle common in Guam. It seems to feed or breed on coconut seeds. But I have yet to identify it further. I need to spend more time on looking up my insects and spiders. One reason why I don't is that I want to find a species myself. If I see all the bugs in pictures and books--there's not as much fun as finding something you don't expect and have never seen before. So I get behind on exact identification. This may sound stupid but to makes things more interesting for me.


Rice paddies are all over the place in UBUD where I stayed. This is one of the best shots I got on this trip, there are more and some I did not have a chance to photograph this time.
A butterfly tries to make its' enemies look like it is a snake or animal with eyes. A good macro lens weather you buy it or build part of it yourself is very important for shots like this. Being several feet away from this butterfly vrs. just a few inches is a big deal. Now I get far more pictures because I don't have to get so close.


And here are some schoolgirls who posed for me. One thing about having a big digital SLR is that people assume you work for a magazine or news. So everybody gets in front of your camera and wants you to take there picture!

This is the inside of a temple of some kind. If I recall. They have several temples in the area dedicated to the Hindu religion. I like it because it is very non-violent and teaches respect for nature and admire it even though I am a Christian.

Here is some of the local life here. Women carry things on there heads. Sometimes it looks like they can carry 50 kilos on there heads! All manner of things are transported this way. Sorry about the contrast. Since I got a new computer I did not get the levels as good as I should have
as I already said.

COMING UP IN NEAR FUTURE POSTS

Guam's blasted out buildings. Urban jungle where I dangerously went to catch those shots most people would not try. Here someone made there bed nicely. This abandoned place was very dangerous and I tell people you can get killed or seriously injured doing this. Do NOT attempt. I have been hiking for years and am trained to notice details and dangers. I slowly walked
up on this place and found a whole bunch of weird stuff. More shots of this strange old place and the story behind Guam's homeless to come.


The rest of this car and the house it was parked by!

New and more and better insect and spider shots!

And more sunset and cloud pictures!

This reminds me of those books and early nature shows I watched as a kid. To me, It looks like the dawn of the Earth or life on another planet. This was taken not far from the tiny island in the other sunset pictures. I went out at low tide onto a sandbar to get this shot. Give me a couple of weeks and I will have allot more. I had to buy more portable hard drives to accomidate the files I made on this trip so many of them are not ready to be posted. Thanks for looking at my pictures. MOON SHOTS are coming up soon as well.