Osprey carries a freshly caught fish back to the nest where its mate waits, though he won't be allowed even a taste. I took this image over the Manasquan Reservoir in Howell, NJ on 4-18-2009. I've wrestled with whether or not I wanted to post this because the bird itself isn't in the best exposure and there isn't much feather detail there but I really like the way the size of the fish is the primary subject.

There is a back story here too. This is the female Osprey. Earlier in the day the male went out and brought back a fish only to eat the entire thing on a tree limb thirty feet from her. She glared at him the whole time. At one point, he flew over to the nest and waved the fish at her and then flew back to his tree limb. So later in the day when he was sitting on their eggs and it was her turn to go get a fish, she found the biggest one she could and when she returned, she made three quick circles around his head, wiggling this fish from side to side and then she took off to the inlet part of the reservoir off to the right where she ate the entire thing herself. Nothing like the fury of a woman scorned.

For more information on the Manasquan Resevoir, visit their web site at this web site.

For more information on Osprey, visit the Cornell Lab Of Ornithology.

View Large.

This shot made Flickr Explorer at # 147 on 5-13-2009.

Tags:   Osprey Pandion haliaetus Bird Animal Raptor Manasquan Resevoir Howell, NJ D300 Sigma 50-500mm Bigma 2009 Gregg Obst Explored VosPlusBellesPhotos

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View Large for full detail.

Two Mallard Hens fly into the Fleetwood Park during a lull in the snowfall on Saturday, 1-10-2009.

Tags:   D300 Nikon 70-200mm F2.8 VR-G Mallard Duck Anas platyrhynchos Duck bird birds animal animals wildlife 2009 Gregg Obst Fleetwood Park 1001 Nights yourbestshot 100+commentgroup

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Going back through my 2008 archives, I found this a shot of this Bald Eagle yanking a crappie bass out of the river, part of a series I shot on 11-29-2008 along the banks of the Susquehanna River in Maryland. This was perhaps my most productive day of 2008 for Eagle photography.

View Large to fully appreciate this animals enormous wingspan.

Tags:   Eagle Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus Gregg Obst Bird Animal Raptor Wildlife 2008 D300 Bigma The wonderful world of birds

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Sunflowers and bees back on an August day in a sunflower field at the Please Wash Me Car Wash in Elverson, Chester County, Pennsylvania. I normally save up a bunch of color film that needs developing and then head to the darkroom to do all the developing in one or two big batches to minimize chemical costs. Doing things this way often leads to "rediscovering" photos you forgot you shot many months ago or, like this one, bringing Summer color into a very cold, drab late November day.

4x5 for 365 Project details: greggobst.photography/4x5-for-365

Technical details:
Sakai Toyo 4 1/2 x 6 1/2" (half-plate) large format metal field camera with 4x5" film back.
150mm Caltar-S II F 5.6 lens in Copal BT shutter.
Circular polarizing filter on lens.
Kodak Ektar 100 color negative film shot at ISO 100.
1/15th second at F32.
Developed using Unicolor C-41 color developing kit and Beseler 8x10 color print drum placed on Unicolor Uniroller 352 auto-reversing rotary base.
4x5" negative scanned with Epson V600.
Cropped to the desired size in post.

Tags:   Sunflower Elverson Chester County Pennsylvania 4x5 back Large Format 4x5 Film Field Camera 150mm Caltar-S II F 5.6 lens Kodak Ektar 100 C-41 Color Negative Film Self Developed Rotary Development Uniroller 352 Beseler 8x10 Drum Gregg Obst 2014 4x5 for 365 project Sakai-Toyo 1/2 Plate

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A cabin typical of those used by George Washington's Revolutionary Army Soldiers during their encampment on the grounds of what is now the Valley Forge National Historic Site in Chester County, Pennsylvania.

This image concludes my 4x5 for 365 daily project for 2014. The project's goals were to force myself to shoot as much as possible in as many different settings and situations as possible with the 4x5 large format camera in order to learn the mechanics and the science behind this type of photography to the point where it becomes second nature. I think the project has served those goals well. Looking back over the project output I have no regrets though I do wish I could have included more portraiture in the mix of images. 2015 sets the stage for new challenges including the addition of a 5x7 camera to the mix and hopefully spending more time with some of the cameras that had to take a back seat to the 4x5 gear during 2014. I want to thank those who took the time to favorite photos on Flickr and like photos on Facebook and comment during the project. The support of viewers has made it easier to continue in times of self-doubt. I also have to thank my Wife for her never-ending support in not only this 365 project but in all my photographic endeavors, I really couldn't ask for a more loving and supportive woman to share my life with.

4x5 for 365 Project details: greggobst.photography/4x5-for-365

Technical details:
Sakai Toyo 4 1/2 x 6 1/2" (half-plate) large format metal field camera with 4x5" film back.
150mm Caltar-S II F 5.6 lens in Copal BT shutter.
Ilford FP4+ B&W film, shot at ISO 125.
Exposure was 1/15th second at F32.
Developed in Ilford DD-X 1+4 dilution for 6 minutes and 50 seconds @ 20 degrees Celsius using a Beseler 8x10 print drum placed on Unicolor Uniroller 352 auto-reversing rotary base.
4x5" negative scanned with Epson V600.
Cropped to the desired size in post.

Tags:   Valley Forge National Historic site Valley Forge Chester County Pennsylvania 4x5 back Large Format 4x5 Field Camera 150mm Caltar-S II F 5.6 lens Ilford FP4+ B&W Self Developed Ilford DD-X 1+4 Gregg Obst 2014 4x5 for 365 project Sakai-Toyo 1/2 Plate

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