User: `Rhododendrites`

Long-time Wikimedian who decided, a few years ago, to try to take better pictures to contribute to Commons. I feel like I've learned a lot from this community, and continue to do so. Always welcome photography tips/constructive criticism.

Though I take pictures of lots of things, a few areas of concentration are the New York City area in general, protests, conventions (not so much in 2020), and birds (much more so in 2020). If you're in NYC (or coming to NYC) and want tips or to plan a photography outing, let me know. There are several Wikimedian photographers here.

My main camera is an Olympus OM-D E-M5 mark ii (micro four-thirds format). I like it, but don't know if I can recommend the format any longer. Olympus announced in 2020 that they plan to get out of the camera game. The future of its camera business seems unclear at the moment, possibly being transferred to another company, and Panasonic is the only other company making the gear (with some compatibility issues around the way they do their image stabilization). I hope it'll look up, but we'll see.

This is my main account for contributing to Wikimedia projects. From March-July 2021, I contracted with the Wikimedia Foundation, researching the impact of Suggested Edits on Commons. My WMF account is User:Rhododendrites (WMF), which is now inactive. Edits I make through this account are strictly as a volunteer.

Rhododendrites

rhododendrites AT gmail DOT com
@Antisomniac

[gallery] (FP-VI-QI)

 
Featured Pictures - the birds
Image 1Blackpoll warbler in a flowering dogwood tree in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 2European starling in Central Park
Image 3Juvenile Forster's tern calling for its parent in Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 4Downy woodpecker with a leaf on its nose in Prospect Park
Image 5Female hooded merganser resting on the Central Park Reservoir
Image 6Great black-backed gull in Quogue, NY
Image 7Immature cooper's hawk in Prospect Park
Image 8Golden-crowned kinglet
Image 9Pine siskin in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 10Great blue heron on frozen pond in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 11Green heron in Prospect Park
Image 12Great blue heron in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 13Immature herring gull manipulating a clam in Marine Park, Brooklyn
Image 14Anna's hummingbird in Pacifica, California
Image 15American robin
Image 16Scarlet tanager eating a berry in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 17Western tanager which popped up in NYC, far from its usual range
Image 18Purple martin in flight in Cape May, New Jersey
Image 19Blue jay in Prospect Park
Image 20Killdeer at the South Cape May Meadows
Image 21Black-and-white warbler in Prospect Park
Image 22Field sparrow in Central Park
Image 23Eastern wood pewee in Central Park
Image 24Western gull sitting on a boat in San Francisco Bay
Image 25Winter wren in Prospect Park
Image 26Tree swallow on a nest box in Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 27Northern mockingbird on a fence in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
Image 28Gray catbird watching a hawk fly overhead in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Image 29A rescued Eurasian eagle-owl
Image 30Cape May warbler in Prospect Park
Image 31Great egret stabbing the water in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 32Tufted titmouse with a seed in Prospect Park
Image 33Female northern cardinal in Central Park
Image 34Red-tailed hawk yearbook photo, class of 2022, Central Park
Image 35Brown thrasher (snow-nosed variety) in Central Park
Image 36Cedar waxwing in pokeweed in Prospect Park
Image 37Close-up of a white-throated sparrow in Central Park
Image 38American coot in Prospect Park
Image 39Male northern shoveler in Marine Park, Brooklyn
Image 40White-throated sparrow in Prospect Park
Image 41First winter laughing gull in Riverhead, New York
Image 42Mute swan and cygnets on a duckweed-covered pond
Image 43White-breasted nuthatch on a suet feeder in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 44Northern mockingbird in a "tail up" display in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 45Piping plover in Queens
Image 46Ruby-crowned kinglet in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 47Gray catbird in Central Park
Image 48Red-tailed hawk rescue
Image 49Black-capped chickadee at a feeder in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 50American robin making a dog whistle-like alarm call in Prospect Park
Image 51Marsh wren singing at Hammonasset Beach State Park
Image 52Rehabilitated eastern screech owl
Image 53White-breasted nuthatch doing its nuthatchy pose in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 54Semipalmated sandpiper at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 55Northern rough-winged swallows in Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 56American tree sparrow in Central Park
Image 57Ospreys in a nest on Sandy Hook, New Jersey
Image 58Song sparrow on Lookout Hill in Prospect Park
Image 59Downy woodpecker foraging in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 60Short-billed dowitcher in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge East Pond
Image 61American oystercatcher family portrait on Fort Tilden beach
Image 62Northern waterthrush in Central Park
Image 63Northern shoveler pair "shoveling" together in Marine Park, Brooklyn
Image 64Bay-breasted warbler in Central Park
Image 65Marsh wren singing at Hammonasset Beach State Park
Image 66Veery in the Central Park Ramble
Image 67Redhead in Central Park
Image 68House wren doing its best eel impression guarding its nestbox.
Image 69Three ring-billed gulls in Red Hook
Image 70Ring-billed gull in a rainbow over Niagara Falls
Image 71Juvenile American robin
Image 72Cedar waxwing in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 73Male northern cardinal in Central Park
Image 74Immature mute swan in Prospect Park
Image 75House finch with a sunflower seed at a feeder in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 76Juvenile yellow-bellied sapsucker in Prospect Park
Image 77Northern flicker looking out from its nest in the Central Park North Woods
Image 78Gray catbird in Prospect Park
Image 79Chipping sparrow on a grave in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 80Ring-billed gull in flight over Red Hook, Brooklyn
Image 81Gray catbird with a chokeberry in Prospect Park
Image 82Lesser yellowlegs at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 83Palm warbler in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 84Baltimore oriole (immature/female) in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 85Lesser yellowlegs wading at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 86Yellow-bellied sapsucker in Central Park
Image 87Wood duck drake vocalizing in Central Park
Image 88Male yellow-rumped warbler singing in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 89Male black-throated green warbler in Prospect Park
Image 90Tufted titmouse floofed up in Central Park
Image 91Great blue heron lurching its head back to swallow a brown watersnake in Green Cay Wetlands
Image 92A rescued American kestrel that couldn't be released so is now serving as an "ambassador" bird
Image 93Common grackle showing off its iridescence in Central Park
Image 94Huge flock of gulls just after they were spooked by something during a horseshoe crab feeding frenzy in Cape May, New Jersey
Image 95Ovenbird in Prospect Park
Image 96White ibis in Ocean City, New Jersey (I kind of prefer the uncropped version)
Image 97House sparrows in Central Park
Image 98Mute swan cygnet pontoon on a duckweed-covered pond
Image 99Fish crow cawing in Red Hook, Brooklyn
Image 100Blue jay fledgling calling for its parent in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 101Male house sparrow in Prospect Park
Image 102European starlings on a birdhouse on Staten Island
Image 103Snowy egret in Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 104Red-necked phalarope at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 105Canada goose gosling in Green-Wood Cemetery
Image 106Ring-billed gull preening/bathing in Marine Park
Image 107Northern cardinal female in Central Park
Image 108Piping plover chick in Queens
Image 109Mourning dove perched in Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Image 110Ring-billed gull in Red Hook, Brooklyn
Image 111Female brown-headed cowbird chattering in Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
 
Featured Pictures - everything else
Image 1Rooftop farm on the Lower East Side
Image 2Hell Gate Bridge, with a scow being towed along the Hell Gate section of the East River
Image 3Abandoned car in Marine Park, Brooklyn
Image 4Bigfin reef squid at Monterey Bay Aquarium
Image 5Maroon Bells. Easily one of the most awe-inspiring natural scenes I've experienced.
Image 6Bee balm seedhead
Image 7Burberry rainbow cape at the Camp: Notes on Fashion exhibition
Image 8Male tiger swallowtail butterfly in Central Park (missing its tails)
Image 9Pond sliders in Prospect Park
Image 10TWA Hotel
Image 11Composite of a clementine with/without peel
Image 12Familiar bluet in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Image 13Quarry in Makhtesh Ramon
Image 14Group photo of four pears
Image 15Juvenile Nubian ibex on a wall at the edge of Makhtesh Ramon
Image 16Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco (18-frame panorama)
Image 17Waldemarsviken in Stockholm
Image 18Hudson Yards in New York, taken from the top of Hudson Commons (9-frame panorama)
Image 19Optical illusion on the floor of the Florence Cathedral
Image 20Ash tree behind a columbarium in Mount Auburn Cemetery
Image 21Redbeckia occidentalis
Image 22Daubeny's water lily
Image 23Bow Bridge in Central Park (panorama)
Image 24The Dyker Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn is known for lots of elaborate Christmas lights, earning the nickname "Dyker Lights"
Image 25Open Ocean exhibit at Monterey Bay Aquarium
Image 26Cattlianthe Gold Digger ‘Orglade's Mandarin’ orchid
Image 27Pond sliders (red and yellow) and a river cooter fighting for basking space
Image 28Comme des Garcons at the Met
Image 29Panorama of the once-active waterfront of Sunset Park, Brooklyn
Image 30Makhtesh Ramon
Image 31Crook Point Bascule Bridge in Providence. It's been stuck in the open position for 50 years. A local landmark, but slated for destruction soon.
Image 32Florence seen from the Duomo terrace
Image 33Manhattan at night, looking north from Rockefeller Center
Image 34White (leucistic) eastern gray squirrel perched on a tree in Brooklyn
Image 35A mural of patients in the long-defunct Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital
Image 36Algal mat in Marine Park, Brooklyn
Image 37Boston Public Garden
Image 38Razor clamshell dress from spring/summer 2001, in the Sleeping Beauties exhibition at The Met
Image 39Saint Christopher Street in Valletta
Image 40California sea lion in La Jolla. My first experience seeing wild sea lions in person. It was ... loud. This one just looked downright majestic in the sun.
Image 41Great golden digger wasp in Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Image 42Stata Center at MIT
Image 43Frizzle sizzle
Image 44Coney Island Mermaid Parade
Image 45Toronto Reference Library interior from the top floor
Image 46Green iguana panorama in Palm Beach County
Image 47One World Trade Center through the Oculus
Image 48Eldridge Street Synagogue
Image 49American lady butterfly on a purple coneflower
Image 50White (leucistic) eastern gray squirrel with a peanut
Image 51The Seaside Sanatorium in Connecticut
Image 52Two juvenile Nubian ibex
Image 53Fulton Center skylight
Image 54Rice paper butterfly with light shining through in Butterfly World, Florida
Image 55Eastern gray squirrel in Central Park
Image 56Triq San Patrizju facing the Basilica Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Valletta, Malta
Image 57Coleus
Image 58California sea lion nap time at La Jolla Cove
Image 59A [pretty dodgy] bridge along a cliff path at the edge of Makhtesh Ramon
Image 60Condenser at the defunct Chestnut Hill Pumping Station
Image 61Jun Takahashi dress for Undercover in the Sleeping Beauties exhibition at the Met
Image 62Ship in the San Francisco Bay fog. Got lucky with the dramatic fog on this one, which opened up just enough to frame the ship in light.
Image 63Memorial to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting, taken just after Stonewall Inn was designated part of a National Monument
Image 64Sarracenia leucophylla
Image 65Magnolia x veitchii bud
Image 66Monarch butterfly
Image 67Oculus
Image 68Prospect Park Vale of Cashmere covered in lesser celandine, with a leucistic white squirrel in the distance
Image 69Alexander Hamilton Custom House Collector's Room ceiling. Had to be a bit obnoxious to get this one, setting up a little tripod in the center of a crowded room and actually getting down on the floor to frame it. Who doesn't like a nice ornate ceiling with a nautical theme, though?
Image 70Crocuses in early spring.
Image 71Hell Gate Bridge
Image 72Defunct Chestnut Hill Pumping Station in Boston
Image 73Bluebells in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Image 74Monarch butterfly
Image 75Window in a cafe in San Gimignano, Italy
Image 76City Hall Station in Manhattan, abandoned since 1945 because it looked cool but didn't
Image 77Wonder Wheel sign on Coney Island
Image 78Lincoln Center during Pride at dusk
Image 79Sasheer Zamata at a Time's Up event during the Tribeca Film Festival
Image 80Lower Manhattan panorama
Image 81Glass blower. This was moments before he accidentally dropped it. Heartbreaking (and vasebreaking). Talented folks here, though, and I actually went back a while later and took a class. Got a piece of lit up frozen spaghetti to prove it.
Image 82Eastern chipmunk with stuffed cheeks in Prospect Park
Image 83Salix catkins
Image 84Abandoned building in Floyd Bennett Field
Image 85Raccoon in Central Park
Image 86Moss-covered oak trees in the Bothe-Napa Valley State Park
Image 87Sunset sky over Governors Island, NYC (panorama)
Image 88Pier 66 and Hudson Yards
Image 89A mural of patients in the long-defunct Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital
Image 90Sukkah at Congregation Emanu-El of New York
Image 91Quogue Village Wetlands Preserve
Image 92Panorama of the Apennine Colossus in Tuscany
Image 93An island (with ospreys) in Trustom Pond in the fog
Image 94Black Lives Matter mural in Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Image 95Northern elephant seals in Ano Nuevo, California
Image 96Maroon Bells
Image 97Male eastern amberwing dragonfly in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Image 98Male elephant seal resting between fights in Ano Nuevo
Image 99Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge East Pond
Image 100Chinese mantis ootheca in Marine Park, Brooklyn
Image 101Coney Island Mermaid Parade (no, this is not a picture of Rhododendrites)