Levy Preserve

Levy Preserve was introduced to me by a friend several years ago and it is one of my favorite spots in Nassau County.  I have been to the preserve in several different seasons, and I can truly say that I never grow tired of this place.  Whether I am just out for a walk or want to take pictures, this is quite a beautiful spot.  The views from the top are wonderful.  You can see the point and theatre at Jones beach, the water, and on a clear day you can even see the New York City Skyline.  They even have a fishing pier and kayak tours.  I love the way the shell paths crunch beneath my feet.  Check out this link to read about Levy Preserve.  http://toh.li/preserves-and-nature-areas/norman-j-levy-park 
Here are some photos from my recent visit to Levy Preserve.  All of these photos were taken with the Canon SX 40HS.

The picture of the kayaks on the top was the original shot.  Post production with GIMP was done on the photo on the bottom.  If you look closely you should be able to see that the sky in the photo on the right has more definition.

This duck was photographed using the on board camera setting for 'vivid colors'.  I like using this setting at times as it gives a certain pop to the picture.  The algae almost has a fluorescent glow and the brown in the duck's feathers is enhanced.

Here is another example of the 'vivid colors' setting.  

Here is an example of the shutter speed set at 1/1250 of a second to freeze the water droplets coming off of the duck's bill.

In this picture, I was trying to slow down the shutter speed to make the water appear smooth.

This turtle was a great subject.  I don't even know how many pix I took of him, but I got him from every possible angle.  I didn't even realize there was a fly on the bamboo until I downloaded the pix onto my computer.

Lastly, here is a little example of the zoom on the Canon SX 40HS.  I really experimented with some of the settings on this camera during this trip to the preserve.  I can't really say that I knew what I was doing, but I had a great time!