If you have never really thought about how all that perfect looking produce appears at your local grocery store...there are many skilled hands involved in the growing, harvesting, and transport of our agricultural food supply.

Here, a field worker loads a truck with crates of hand picked green beans at sunrise. Because of the hot summer temperatures, harvesting crews are hard at work hours before daybreak, using headlamps to see their way in the dark wet fields.

Salute to these hard working men and women.

Lens is the DFA 150-450mm on the K-3II.

Thanks for looking.

[Image appears on the front page of the Brentwood Press, August 19th 2016]

Tags:   California contra costa county Brentwood laborer labor field farm green beans beand harvest outdoor sunrise sunset Pentax K-3II DFA150-450 150-450 morning sun light silhouette crates stack truck man worker lift carry Simoni Knightsen Discovery Bay published Press migrant workers laborers

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While in Texas last weekend, I joined my friends Lee M. and Martin R. for an adventure along the southern extension of the San Antonio River. We encountered dozens of goodies. Here, a powdered dancer damselfly stops momentarily on a dry tule.

Lens is the DFA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 on the K3II.

Tags:   Texas San Antonio Bexar county river San Antonio River southern extension Mission Trail dragonfly damsel damselfly dragon skimmer Powdered Dancer dancer insect bokeh DFA150-450 K3II telephoto outdoor

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Early morning dog walker and cable car atop Nob Hill, San Francisco.

Thanks, Bradley B for persuading all those cars not to hit us as we stood in the middle of California Street.

Lens is the D FA 150-450 on the K-3II.

Here's an earlier attempt: flic.kr/p/mARB2X

Thanks for looking!

Tags:   California San Francisco Street cable car trolley train car dog walk walker silhouette sunrise orange hill Nob Hill steep city SF San Fran Pentax K-3II mono landscape tracks rail rails cable

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Tonight's full moon breaks behind the Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton, San Jose, CA. I used The Photographer's Ephemeris to precisely plan this lineup, and when the moon popped up, my tripod was perfectly positioned with no need to make a last second running lateral correction, as is typical for me. The K3II's built in GPS embedded my precise location into the EXIF. This is a single frame, single exposure and there has been no manipulation of the size nor placement of the moon in any way. Here is my sequence of shots as proof: www.mikeoria.com/p241193605/eb54ad679

Lens is the DFA 150-450 plus a 1.4x teleconverter on the K3II. The equivalent focal length is 945mm before cropping.

Thanks for visiting!

Tags:   CALIFORNIA Lick Lick Observatory mount Mt. Hamilton Mount Hamilton observatory telescope astrophotography astro skyline Sky mountain silhouette Moon moonrise moonlight full moon PENTAX K3II DFA 150-450 telephoto TPE ephemeris MIKE ORIA www.mikeoria.com Mike Oria Photography

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Crescent moon from above the California Delta near Lower Jones Tract.

Lens is the D FA 150-450 on the K3II with a Tamron 1.4x teleconverter, cropped.

Tags:   moon crescent sky stars astro night mike oria lunar Pentax 150-450

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