New Year's Eve

I went back to Liberty State Park today. It was cloudy and started to rain, but I still managed to take a few close-ups:

Horned Grebe:



American Coots:


American Black Duck:


Cormorants keeping watch:


Inquisitive Rock Pigeon:

2011 Pictures

This is the rest of my pictures from 2011.

Liberty State Park and Jones Beach

All pictures from the trips to  Liberty State Park and Jones Beach

2011 Birding Photos

I finally finished editing all the pictures I've taken this summer and fall while trying my hand at birding. Here is the link to see the best ones:

2011 Birding Photographs

Sunrise and Ruddy Ducks

I've been wanting to take pictures of a sunrise over Manhattan for a long time. I have been listening to the radio weather forecasts for several weeks, waiting for a morning when the clouds are clearing up after the previous night's rain. Finally it happened, and here are the results:





As I was leaving, I noticed a flock of Ruddy Ducks (and one Canvasback) floating on the Hudson, so here they are as well:

NY Auto Show 2011

IMG_1345, a photo by upsurge99 on Flickr.

The auto shows always have the coolest cars!

Turnpike

IMG_1615, a photo by upsurge99 on Flickr.

Ah, there is nothing like a morning spent under the NJ Turnpike!

Cape Cod 2010

Cape Cod 2010, a photo by upsurge99 on Flickr.

You can't tell from the picture, but it was definitely not beach whether when I took it - it must've been below freezing!

Walnut Canyon, Arizona

Walnut Canyon, Arizona, a photo by upsurge99 on Flickr.

Just an interesting texture on this dead tree near Walnut Canyon.

Yellowstone Raven

Nom nom nom (Yellowstone National Park), a photo by upsurge99 on Flickr.

I took this picture in the parking lot of Yellowstone's Grand Canyon overlook. Even though it was late May, the snow was still on the ground. There were a couple of ravens looking for easy pickings on the ground, and this one found a piece of an apple.

Tulip Festival

IMG_1375, a photo by upsurge99 on Flickr.

Another picture from Longwood Gardens. Every April, they have a tulip show with more than 200,000 tulip flowers in bloom.

Longwood Gardens

IMG_1427, a photo by upsurge99 on Flickr.

I was playing around with a macro lens in Longwood Gardens (Kennett Square, PA), and took this picture.

Provincetown, MA - Dec 2010

Cape Cod 2010, a photo by upsurge99 on Flickr.

It took me several days to find a spot and to have the right weather to take a great sunset picture in Cape Cod. All I remember now about it is that it was really cold!

Zion National Park - Angel's Landing

Zion National Park, a photo by upsurge99 on Flickr.

It was raining when we started our climb up to Angel's Landing in Zion National Park. At one point, there was even lightning. Given that Angel's Landing is 1500 ft above the floor of the canyon, that might have been a good time to turn back, but I am glad we didn't. It was still raining all the way up, but on the way back, the clouds disappeared. I took this picture on the way back, from inside a side valley looking out to the main Zion canyon. I like how graceful the silhouette of the tree is against the Navajo sandstone cliffs.

Twelve Significant Pictures in Any One Year

Grand Teton National Park, a photo by Oleg Gurvits on Flickr.

Hi everyone, and welcome to A Good Crop!

My name is Oleg. About a year ago, I became armed with a Canon DSLR camera and a decent set of lens. I've discovered that I like taking pictures, and that some of these pictures are interesting, unusual, and beautiful. I also know that many of my friends (hello there!) take really good shots, and I thought it would be a good idea to bring them all together in one place.

Send me your suggestions, any pictures that you've taken - either recently or long time ago - that are visually stimulating or depict interesting subjects. I also have a small collection by now that has a few good shots. Also, every picture usually has a story behind it, which is as interesting as the picture itself. Whenever we publish a picture, we will publish the story that goes with it as well.

In the spirit of Ansel Adams, we will be very selective. Any trip can generate hundreds of shots, but usually only a few, or maybe even just one - or sometimes none - that are capable of truly astounding viewers. To enforce the quality, we will publish just one picture every day. (I will always give full credit to the author, and link to their site if they have one.)

At the end of the year, we will collect the 12 pictures that got the most positive reviews and put them into a special gallery. I will make some prints of them available to those who are interested. I am sure each set will be considered a truly good crop!