Free Facebook Timeline Cover Photos

Recently, I switched to Facebook's new Timeline Layout. While I certainly don't like everything about it, I LOVE being able to put a big, panoramic image at the top of my page! What photographer wouldn't like that? I started going through all of my favorite photos and cropping them to 850 x 315, which is the exact size they need to be if you don't want any weird cropping or resizing when you upload them to Facebook.

After I made a bunch of cover photos for myself, some of my Facebook friends asked me if they could use a couple of them on their pages. I said, "Sure! Why not?" All of my cover photos have my credit in the bottom right corner so really, its free advertising for me. A few more people asked me if I had specific images of this or that, and I went back through my archives and made a couple of custom covers for them. Finally, I added a section to my web site where you can download ALL of my Free Facebook Cover Photos that I've made so far. If you have an idea for a Cover Photo you'd like to see, send me a message on Facebook and I'll see what I can do. =)

Otters at the Museum of Discovery and Science

Here's one of the otters in the new wing of the Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I was hired by the museum to photograph the interior and exterior of the new building, all of the new exhibits, and of course, the otters! The otters live in an open air habitat with a lake and waterfalls. On the inside of the new building, there's a glass wall where you can watch these playful creatures diving and swimming around underwater.

Nikon D7000 with 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 lens. Exposure: f/4.8 1/125 ISO 800. Weather: cloudy

Awww, a Valentine's snake?

I left my house this morning... alright, so it was 2 in the afternoon... that's morning to me, ok? Anyway, there was this snake right outside my door. I bent down to take a picture. At the same time, she raised herself up to get a better look at me or something. Did she want a Valentine's Day kiss? I have no idea. I left to get some lunch. If anyone knows what kind of snake this is, please let me know.

Whistling Squirrel

So I was just walking along, minding my own business, when I heard someone whistling. I'm pretty sure it was the theme song to the Andy Griffith show. I looked all around but all I found was this squirrel.

Portuguese Man o' War

Today, I took a break from my work and walked along the beach. I don't spend a lot of time on the beach during the day but it was quite windy and the ocean was rough so I pretty much had the beach to myself. Soon, I saw another reason why the beach was deserted. The shoreline was littered with seaweed and little blue balloon-like objects. Growing up on Fort Lauderdale beach, I knew these were Portuguese Man o' War. My parents had warned me about them as early as I can remember. Every year I hear about some unfortunate tourist who touched one in the ocean, stepped on one that washed ashore, or even tried to pick one up, not knowing what it was!

Contrary to popular belief, the Man o' War is not a jellyfish. It is a specialized siphonophore. Its blue "balloon" is an air bladder which it inflates to float on the surface of the ocean. Long, venom filled tentacles dangle beneath the surface, paralyzing fish that come in contact with them. The following is from the Wikipedia article:

Detached tentacles and dead specimens (including those which wash up on shore) can sting just as painfully as the live creature in the water, and may remain potent for hours or even days after the death of the creature or the detachment of the tentacle.

Stings usually cause severe pain to humans, leaving whip-like, red welts on the skin which normally last about forty-five minutes after which it should subside. However, the venom can travel to the lymph nodes and may cause, depending on the amount of venom, more intense pain. A sting may lead to an allergic reaction. There can also be serious effects, including fever, shock, and interference with heart and lung action. There have even been deaths, although this is rare. Medical attention may be necessary, especially where pain is intense or there is an extreme reaction.

Insect Macro

Tonight I saw this little guy was on the wall outside my house. He was small too- not much bigger than a house fly. Even stranger, he sat there for 15 minutes while I experimented with light sources and took dozens of pictures with my macro lens only about an inch away! I used my vintage manual focus 55MM/F2.8 Micro-Nikkor lens with an extension tube, and a flashlight for the light source. Nikon D200, ISO 400, F2.8 @ 1/15.

I have no idea what kind of insect this is. I've never seen anything like it. The lower body looks like a bee but what's up with the green metallic upper body? Any ideas?

Argiope Spider

The Argiope Spider or "St. Andrews Cross Spider" spins conspicuous lines or spirals of silk into its web to prevent larger animals or birds from accidentally destroying it. I think its an amazing evolutionary trick. According to Wikipedia...

The average orb web is practically invisible, and it is easy to blunder into one and end up covered with a sticky web. The very easily visible pattern of banded silk made by Argiope is pure white, and some species make an "X" form, or a zigzag type of web (often with a hollow center). The spider then aligns one pair of its legs with each of the four lines in the hollow "X," making a complete "X" of white lines with a very eye-catching spider colored bright yellow on a field of black or variegated red white and yellow stripes forming its center.

I saw this spider in my mom's yard and I had to break out the macro lens. The spider didn't seem to mind me bringing my camera and lens within an inch of her body to get this shot. =)

Lizard in the grass

I moved in really, really slow just to see how close I could get. Usually these small lizards will dart away in the blink of an eye. I think this one thought he was hidden in the blades of grass. Nikon D200, ISO 400, F5.6 @ 1/60.