Miscellaneous » Kelsey Wellons Photography

Bald Cypress

2025-07-13T10:29:00Z

Bald Cypress at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens on July 11, 2025. I attended a special photography event at Brookside Garden's butterfly exhibit July 10. Being cloudy out mid-morning after the event, I strolled around the property again. Right outside the greenhouse where the exhibit is, this tree stood out. I was unsure what type it was and some searching later on led to a Bald Cypress ID. I had not seen one locally as they prefer wet conditions like swamps and rivers. I planned to go to Kenilworth the next morning as the lotuses were in peak bloom, not expecting to find dozens of the cypress. Since it is marshy, tidal, and is sprawled with pools of water for lilies and lotuses, it is perfect habitat for these trees. I look forward to photographing their cones again on a future visit.

Lens - NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR @ 370mm on Nikon Z8

Squirrel

2024-04-11T22:29:00Z

Squirrel hidden among the blossoming tulips on April 8, 2024. A sunny morning led me to Brookside Gardens for some newly blossomed flower photos. My original intent was to re-create a shot from several years ago with a variety of colors in the tulip patch, isolating a lone color from the other. The small patch only had red tulips planted and the other patches nearby were a mix of white and yellow - not giving enough of a color difference for a stand-out shot. There were two squirrels on the perimeter of the white and yellow patch, happily foraging on the ground. They were occasionally sticking their heads up around the perimeter. I waited a short period and they eventually went further into the tulip patch, allowing me to get some shots with the unbloomed tulips obscured in the foreground.

I continue to be impressed with the sharpness of the Nikon 180-600. While having a nearly 8 foot minimum focusing distance requires careful positioning, it allowed me to photograph some unique flower shots at 600mm.

Lens - NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR @ 410mm on Nikon Z8

Red-spotted Purple

2022-09-04T18:29:00Z

Red-spotted Purple on September 4, 2022. Howard County Bird Club had our annual Dick Smith Memorial Butterfly Walk at the Elkhorn Garden Plots this morning. Our group of about 17 meandered around the plots looking for interesting butterflies. Nothing rare was seen. It was a hot morning so that may have had an effect on the butterflies we saw.

We had a group of 7 left around noon and wandered into the large garden plot enclosure which is a gated open-space with no individual enclosures. One Red-spotted Purple was seen before our walk started but was in bad light. Someone yelled one was in good light nearby. I stood for a few minutes photographing it and waited for it to close its wings. Their wing color is not as dramatic in dull light so I appreciated that the sun was behind me while photographing. Red-spotted Purples are beautiful butterflies and one of my favorites.

Lens - Tamron 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 @ 600mm on Nikon D500

Red Fox

2021-01-31T22:29:00Z

Red Fox on January 31, 2021. We received a couple inches of snow by midday. Despite the cloudy conditions from snowing, I headed out with my camera towards Lake Elkhorn on foot around noon. It was a bit bitter outside so I took the shortest way down onto the trail. My camera was stowed away in my hiking bag as I did not think I would run into much until I was close to Elkhorn. Under Rt. 32, plenty of sparrows were fluttering about and feeding. I stopped and got my camera ready.

After several minutes, every bird flew off across the path and out of sight. I then noticed a Cooper's Hawk now sitting on the shore, disappointed in a missed meal. The hawk flew off and as I was watching it, I noted a medium-sized creature wandering through the bush on the opposite shore. My first guess was groundhog but I thought perhaps a fox. Fox turned out to be correct! I tried to get a better shot without having its eyes blocked by grass but it was hard. With the cold, breathing with my camera at my face was causing my viewfinder to fog up. It did know I was there, even with the water separating us. It parted ways for me after a short period and ran off further into the woods.

A pleasant surprise for the first significant snowfall of 2021. It was very cold outside and trekking in hiking boots with my camera is slightly unpleasant but I am glad I went out. The fox made the trip worth it!

Lens - Tamron 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 @ 600mm on Nikon D500

Alligator - Huntington Beach State Park

2018-06-28T13:43:00Z

One of many alligators seen at Huntington Beach State Park, SC. There are hundreds of alligators in this particular park throughout the marsh. While we did not see this happening, one occasionally has to stop their car or back away on foot as the alligators use the roadway and trails to cross between the marshes. In this part of the marsh, there is a paved bike trail approximately 6 feet above the marsh's water level. This allows you to view the alligators (and other wildlife) very closely but caution is still needed as one of the alligators we saw nearly started making an attempt to cross from below.

Lens - Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD @ 400mm on Nikon D5500

Ebony Jewelwing

2018-05-31T21:42:00Z

Ebony jewelwing at Howard County Conservancy - Mount Pleasant. I initially thought they were dragonflies but was easily corrected by a simple Google search. I have been seeing these same species at various places around the Columbia area, particularly around streams and rivers. My first photos of them were on a trail in Patuxent Research Refuge - North Tract but under a lot of shade. This particular one was perching in the fields of tall grass in the early AM. While my telephoto lens is not a macro lens to get close-up detail, I do enjoy having a blurred background when I am able to get good shots of insects and butterflies.

Lens - Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD @ 400mm on Nikon D5500

Wood Frog

2018-05-25T21:40:00Z

Wood frog at Howard County Conservancy. There is a small manmade pond in the gardens. We found one frog when we first observed the pond but heard others. On a second look several minutes later, we were able to spot 3 more. Even with the early morning sun reflecting off the water, the frog shots came out better than I expected.

Lens - Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD @ 400mm on Nikon D5500

Garter Snake

2018-05-02T21:38:00Z

Garter snake at Font Hill Wetlands Park. I was trying to get closer to one of the green heron I saw in the stream while barely stepping into the short grass. I was focused ahead of me (and not below) when I looked down and saw this not far from my feet. I jumped back several feet and took some shots of it sticking it's tongue out at me (which meant it wasn't threatened but "tasting" the air). It did slither away shortly after.

I learned a very important lesson to remember what lurks in the grass when I go off the paths. And another reason to make sure I've got sturdy shoes and covered legs and ankles!

Lens - Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD @ 400mm on Nikon D5500

Calvert Cliffs State Park

2018-04-29T21:38:00Z

First visit to Calvert Cliffs State Park in Lusby, MD. It's a 2 mile flat hike to get to the cliff viewing area. The fastest path to the cliffs is the red trail, which is mostly bordering a swamp. The cliffs are unable to be walked under currently due to erosion and the possibility of rock slides. There are orange fence and barriers up to prevent people from straying away from the main beach. Outside of the view, the other draw to this particular park is finding shark teeth and fossils that wash up on the beach.

I used my telephoto lens to take this. I took several shots with my wide-angle lens but we were too far away to get any meaningful detail.

Lens - Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD @ 140mm on Nikon D5500

Blue-eyed Grass

2018-03-24T21:38:00Z

Blue-eye grass at Wilde Lake. I took photos of these flowers for my husband to use as a background. This is my first non-birding post in over 2 months and only the second in 3 months. Now that spring has arrived, I will have some flower photos mixed in with my bird photos.

Lens - Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD @ 400mm on Nikon D5500

Lincoln Memorial Sunrise

2018-01-14T20:36:42Z

Lincoln Memorial on 12/25/17. Even though it was windy and cold (25° with wind chill), we spent several hours Christmas morning in D.C. We drove to the National Mall at 7 AM. There were few people outside and only one other photographer in the Memorial. Tripods are typically not allowed in the Memorial due to how busy it is but the parks police was allowing it (due to no one else being there). You can see how windy it was by looking at the water on the Reflecting Pool.

This photo was shared by Capital Weather Gang on Facebook later the same day.

Lens - AF-P DX NIKKOR 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6G VR @ 10mm on Nikon D5500

Howard County Police Helicopter

2017-12-04T19:38:00Z

Howard County Police helicopter. It had circled around a small area of King's Contrivance several times before I grabbed my camera. I wasn't able to find any information on the police Facebook page but it was circling around for about 15 minutes before it flew off.

Lens - AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G VR II @ 200mm on Nikon D5500

Pittsburgh Night Skyline

2017-12-03T20:36:42Z

Long-exposure of Pittsburgh taken from the top of Mt. Washington. Taken from the Upper Incline Scenic Overlook just to the left of the Monongahela Incline. My husband's family is from Pittsburgh so we took a drive downtown the night before Thanksgiving. The temperature was in the 30's, which felt much colder with the wind on the top of the mountain. A tripod was used and no post-processing was done. The long exposure made for good light trails on cars. The river also looks very smooth.

Lens - AF-P DX NIKKOR 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6G VR @ 20mm on Nikon D5500

Columbia Mall Plaza #2

2017-11-25T21:36:42Z

Ed Kidera metal sculptures at the Mall in Columbia outdoor plaza. This is a small portion of a sculpture of a man and woman holding a flower together. I was able to avoid the busyness of the merchants in the background by crouching down. I kept the tree to add more color to the background.

Lens - AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II @ 48mm on Nikon D5500

Columbia Mall Plaza

2017-11-25T20:36:42Z

Ed Kidera metal sculptures at the Mall in Columbia outdoor plaza. These sculptures have been here for several years but this was the first time viewing them. Rust from the metal that has started forming on the ground adds a small touch.

Lens - AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II @ 18mm on Nikon D5500

Great Blue Heron

2017-10-30T12:38:00Z

Great Blue Heron at Patapsco Valley State Park - Avalon/Orange Grove area. I had a hard time spotting him in the tree. I wasn't able to get much closer as I misstepped into the river, causing enough noise for the heron to fly upriver and out of sight.

Lens - AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G VR II @ 200mm on Nikon D5500

Nighttime Flight

2017-10-11T20:36:42Z

Plane flying into BWI from our balcony October 7, 2017 at 8:42 PM. I had the shutter open for 20 seconds while having a negative exposure to not have the image be bright. There was some still some noise after post-production I was unable to smooth out without having the small details blend together.

Prior to writing this, I attempted to research which flight was inbound at that time but was unsuccessful. It was a lesson learned to look at real-time flight tracking while taking pictures of airplanes.

Lens - AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II @ 55mm on Nikon D5500

Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3

2017-10-01T20:56:12Z

Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3 "Yellow Peril" at Smithsonian Air and Space Museum - Udvar-Hazy Center. Taken December 2016. I was just starting into DSLR photography at this point last year. Unlike the pictures I took of the Discovery shuttle, I was able to get no people in this image. As the original image was dull and less vibrant, I brought out the colors of the plane while lightening the background to give more focus to the subject.

Lens - AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G II VR @ 36mm on Nikon D5500

Deck of Cards

2017-09-27T00:36:42Z

My husband requested a picture of a deck of cards for one of his programming articles. I used a black construction paper background that appears as almost velvet after post-production. I wanted to lay out the cards in a tidy fashion.

Lens - AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II @ 48mm on Nikon D5500