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