Tag: Birds

Guest Photographer: Steve Roth

English version, Guest Photographers/ Fotógrafos Invitados

The second in my series of “Guest Photographers” is Steve Roth, a fellow member of the Boynton Beach Camera Club.  I have had the privilege of being a member in BBCC since 2015 when I retired from practicing pediatrics.  Since I have learned so much from the club about improving my photographic skills, I decided to feature the amazing accomplishments of other members.

In his previous professional life, Steve was an architect in the Miami area.   He grew up in New York but came down to Miami in the mid-1960s.  He moved to Palm Beach County in 2007 and in addition to photography, remains active playing golf. 

When Steve sent me 15 of his favorite images to choose my favorites, I found it to be a difficult task.   His style displays precision editing with attention to the finest detail in his use of natural light. 

Beautiful Dahlia

“Beautiful Dahlia” shows off the details of the petals of a slightly off-white flower.   It is often difficult to maintain perfect focus in a close-up of a flower, but Steve pulls it off very well.

Mother and Child

“Mother and Child” was taken in Bali.  The macaques freely roaming throughout the island are excellent subjects.  I love this portrait of the mother with her baby clinging to her because both are staring straight at the photographer. 

Thai Floating Market

Steve’s capture of the vendor in the “Thai Floating Market” shows his ability to physically position himself to achieve the utmost photographic impact. 

Vietnamese Flower Girl

His image of the “Vietnamese Flower Girl” catches the warmth of a typical street scene with the brightly colored flowers offsetting the pure whiteness of her dress.

Mother and New Arrival

In “Mother and New Arrival,” Steve has caught the newly hatched heron chick under the careful eye of his mother. 

Cambodian Student

My favorite picture from Steve’s portfolio is his portrait of a Cambodian girl in her schoolroom.  This image, taken with available light through an open window, tells a beautiful story of a student’s attention to her teacher.

Steve wins many of the monthly competitions in our camera club.  He consistently deserves the highest scores and is constantly showing us his full range of photographic subjects. 

I want to thank Steve Roth for allowing me to interview him for my blog.  My next guest photographer will be Herb Zaifert. 

Our Daily Wildlife Show

English version

Sitting at our breakfast table every morning during the pandemic, we think about the many opportunities we have had to travel over the past ten years.  As I look back on the places we have visited, I realize that sometimes the best place to be is at home.

Following our hour-long walk, we prepare our breakfast and sit facing our backyard lake.  Within minutes, the nature show begins.  On a typical morning a lone roseate spoonbill flies onto our lawn. He spends a good half hour enjoying the vegetation on the lakefront.  A wood stork , a noisy limpkin, a two-foot-long iguana and a couple of ibises often join him, oblivious of one another.  A mother duck and her brood of 12 newly hatched ducklings wanders across the lawn and makes their way down to the lake. 

On other days, a gaggle of Egyptian geese flies onto the lawn, squawking away.  We often see egrets, herons, anhingas and an occasional colony of tortoises.  Once in a while, we see a group of playful but aggressive lake otters.  

More than once, my wife has reminded me of the times that we have paid for expensive excursions while traveling so that we could witness the local wildlife.  Most of the time, we are disappointed because by the time we finally arrive at the location late in the morning, the animals have already escaped the hot sun. The only time that I can recall seeing a truly amazing animal show was in South Africa where we would go out before sunrise in order to capture the early morning activity of the wildlife in search of their food. 

I have to say that this has been an enjoyable summer for our bird and animal viewing.  From the comfort of our early morning kitchen table inside our air conditioned home, we have witnessed some of the best nature shows.  The price is right, our view is completely unobstructed and we don’t even have to dress up for the occasion!