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Category: nature photography

March 29, 2026

Capturing Spring’s Early Flow with My Microscope Lens

This is a tight shot I snapped of a spring vinca flower that reveals the pent-up energy about to blossom over the landscape. Below are a few more spring pics I captured with my microscope lens mounted to my iPhone.

That anything living can break through the barren, winter-scarred ground always seems like a miracle. Yet, of course as the fading winter releases its brutal grip and the temperatures begin to rise, early spring begins this annual rebirth.

I’m always delighted during these first days before spring really kicks in. That’s when you need to make an effort to spot the signs. Though tiny, they’re everywhere. The trees are still barren, but the first flower buds are already starting to make their move.

Look Closer

I think we’re likely a week or two away from ‘opening day’ here in southern Connecticut. (That’s when you look out the window and almost fall over from the impact of spring’s stunning return.) 

I took my Panasonic Lumix mirrorless camera outside this week to take a few early-spring test shots but found my results underwhelming. Maybe it was too soon. 

Then, I thought for a moment and realized I just needed to get a little closer to nature’s magic. So, I pulled out my SANDMARC microscope lens for my iPhone and screwed it onto my iPhone case (also made by SANDMARC).

When I bought this lens system last summer, I wasn’t sure how often I would use it. Well, this was clearly one of those moments.

So, I set out to try again.

Early Days

The images I captured were not your typical bright and colorful spring collection. The shots were necessarily darker with my microscope lens pressed close to the flower buds. 

But this framing style also created a more intimate result, revealing a view of a young spring not yet fully formed.

Time to Expand the View

My microscope lens provides an especially narrow depth of field. Much of each image blurs away from the tight focal point. As a result, I think I’ve captured more of nature’s organic flow in action. 

And this flow will soon burst onto the landscape. Then, it will be easy to expand the view.

I couldn’t be happier being able to see this preview.

Hello, spring!

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March 1, 2026

My Ode to the Fading Winter

There is an upside to this year’s brutal, wicked-cold winter. Simply that it’s coming to an end. And now it’s time to start looking for spring.

Yes, there are colder places on this planet with more extreme winter conditions right now. But let me just say as I don my weatherman’s hat from the greater New York City area… it’s been a brutal winter. 

Blizzard. Ice. Single-digit temperatures. Yeah, lots of fun.

I like to say it’s been “wicked cold.”

That line harkens back to a past life when I lived up in the Boston area and just about every winter was brutal. “Wicked cold” was simply… winter. 

But I’ve softened considerably across years of experiencing coastal Connecticut’s gentler winters. And now, it’s been something of a rude (re)awakening.

I will say, however, that shoveling all the snow hasn’t been quite as difficult. Why is that? Well, we’ve got the power of a high school sophomore on our team. And that’s made a huge difference. #TeamLester #grateful.

Power Up

I’m also grateful that we haven’t lost power across these winter storms. Sure, I charge everything up, including my portable power banks. But… as we all know, without a full generator back-up system, portable power banks will only cover you for so long.

Plus, I know we’ve got an exit strategy. #thankstofriends

Wicked Fun

But here’s the really good news. Wicked cold doesn’t necessarily have to mean wicked bad. Winter can be wicked fun.

  • Plus, I’ll always take the bite of brisk over summer humidity.
  • A fire in the winter fireplace is always a special experience.
  • And I’ve got admit, there’s a certain satisfaction that comes with surviving a certain amount of adversity.

And suddenly, spring is right around the corner.

Hello Spring?

Yes, it’s early, but I hope we’re close to that tipping point. Not to predict, but I see early signs beneath the retreating snow line.

And to celebrate this pending seasonal shift, I present to you yet another
Barrett poem.*

Ode to the Fading Winter

My weatherman’s hat is placed on my head, 
To report on single digits I dread. 
From cold New Yorks streets to the Norwalk shore, 
It’s wicked cold, like Boston days of yore. 
Though I’ve softened in the years in between, 
This brutal frost is a rude, chilly scene.

The shovel goes fast, I’m happy to say, 
With my high schooler’s strength to lead the way. 
Go #TeamLester! We have strength in the snow, 
Using three shovels and stacked in a row.
With an exit plan and friends close at hand, 
We’re weathering storms across frozen land.

But wicked cold days can be wicked fun, 
More than humidity and summer sun. 
Fire in the hearth and pride in the soul, 
When you’ve survived the freeze and reached your goal. 
The struggle stings, but the win is so sweet, 
As we clear ice and the slush on the street.

Now snow retreats and the sun starts to climb, 
We’ve reached the tipping point, it’s about time! 
The signs of the green are starting to show, 
Peeking from patches of melting white snow. 
Goodbye to the ice and winter’s sharp sting, 
I’m ready to say a “Hello” to spring.

*Editor’s note: I prompted the videos and structure of this poem into existence using a little GenAI assistance via Google Gemini and Flow. Thank you!
(My ice photos are still the real deal.)

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January 11, 2026

Family Vacation Activities Near Delray Beach, Florida

From alligators to birds and butterflies in wetlands and nature centers, there’s an abundance of wildlife to safely enjoy (from a distance) when vacationing north of Fort Lauderdale. Here’s what we did.

If you’re planning a Florida vacation in the Delray Beach and Boca Raton area, you might be looking for a few activities to pop into your schedule beyond beach time and browsing the shops on Delray Beach’s Atlantic Avenue. During our recent Florida visit, my family and I greatly benefited from some local expertise on this front. (Thank you!) 

And so, I thought I’d pay it forward by sharing four of our fun outings.
(I’ve also included a few photos and video clips I captured along the way.)

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens
Who knew there’s a century-old connection between Japan and Boca Raton that began with a Japanese agriculture colony? Strolling through these 16 acres of Japanese gardens and exploring the museum exhibits can easily take a few hours. (You can rest up and refuel at the cafe.) It’s all an amazing experience.

Here are some of the serene moments I captured with my DJI Osmo 3 gimbal camera…

Butterfly World
If you want to hang out with 20,000 butterflies in three open-air aviaries, this is the place to go. In addition, Butterfly World, features exotic bird aviaries and exhibits with cool bugs (safely enclosed).

I tried to capture some slow-motion video of butterflies in flight using my Osmo. It’s a lot harder than you’d think, but a few butterflies took pity on me and cooperated with my camera.

Green Cay Wetlands and Nature Center
This nature center features a 1.5 mile elevated boardwalk that winds through 100 acres of wetlands. There are birds absolutely everywhere, making this habitat a photographer’s paradise. I passed by people sporting huge lenses on their cameras. One photographer was even rolling around his impossibly massive lens in a little wagon. (He told me he used to work for the NFL.)

Needless to say, I had a bit of lens envy while I walked about. Still, I stayed focused on my own experience and found my own photographic Zen…

Everglades Holiday Park Airboat Tour
For a bit of ‘adventure,’ we headed down to the famous Everglades and Everglades Holiday Park in search of alligators in the wild. And we were not disappointed.

For me, the other highlight was spending time on an actual airboat, which Hollywood has romanticized in TV and movies for decades. 

Airboats are loud (they give you earplugs to wear), and I found it thrilling to experience the ride at full throttle.

All this said, here are a few tips:

  • Choose the private airboat tour option. Yes, it’s more expensive, but being on a smaller airboat without a canopy helps avoids the more traditional ‘tour bus experience.’ And it helps you feel like a private observer in this incredible environment as opposed to an intrusive tourist.
  • Go early. We arrived at 8am, and our airboat was the first one out for the day. We didn’t see or hear any other airboats for the next hour. But when we got back, the docks were teeming with people, and many packed airboats were heading out. That’s just not going to make for the same journey. 
  • You need to wake up early to hit your 8am arrival time, because it takes about an hour to drive to Everglades Holiday Park (west of Fort Lauderdale) from Delray Beach. So, plan your breakfast accordingly.

While we did spot a few alligators, birds were everywhere. Here’s some of the wildlife we saw…

Don’t Forget Your Beach Time
While it’s always great to spend time exploring the surrounding area when you’re on vacation, it’s also nice just to hang out on a Florida beach. And that’s exactly why we chose Delray Beach as our home base.

For me, that means sunrises.

Enough said.

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