Steve's New Gallery

Smile of the Day and Dog of the Week Now at the Link Above

2011-02-07T07:36:00.001-07:00

At the Butterfly Garden in Cerro Plano

New Smile of the Day

2011-02-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

I just returned from Monteverde Cloud Forest an hour ago. My sister and I spent a couple of days photographing hummingbirds. I'll upload them and get them online ASAP. On the way back in the shuttle we passed these happy folks and I hung out the window sitting on the sill while the driver didn't miss a beat and didn't slow down at all. Joanne held one of my legs so I didn't fall out. It was a great rip and we both were able to get some photos we were relatively happy with. No es perfecto pero poco bueno, or words to that effect.
More later.

Sunset Smile of the Day

2011-02-01T18:45:00.000-07:00

Mar by the sea with rain squalls in the sunset.

Flower of the Day

2011-02-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

Scowl of the Day

2011-02-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

A cat pissed off that he walked right through a sticky spiderweb at the lint corner.

Smile of the Day

2011-02-01T09:38:00.000-07:00

Banana flower and gardener at Green Forest

Smile of the Day

2011-02-01T09:33:00.000-07:00

Smile of the Day

2011-02-01T06:08:00.000-07:00

The fresh fruit and veggie guy-Jader-mi amigo.

Smile of the Day Doggy

2011-01-30T09:19:00.000-07:00

The mighty Scuby graces the Smile of the Day with her smiling expression and joyful jumping in the mangrove pond behind the beach at Playas del Coco

Juvenile Dog of the Week

2011-01-30T09:12:00.000-07:00

A three pounder charges the camera at Coco.

Smile of the Day

2011-01-30T09:08:00.000-07:00

Shy smile from Faveola, a Coco Beach beauty

Junior Smile of the Day

2011-01-30T09:05:00.000-07:00

This gal is so proud to be able to ride her bike on the beach with Dad at sunset.

Smile of the Day

2011-01-30T08:57:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Zara serving coffee in the mornings at Zouk Santana in downtown Coco, Costa Rica

Hot Off the Card

2011-01-29T08:56:00.000-07:00

Just finished selecting these images from the past 24 hours. Several Smiles of the Day contenders and a couple of Dogs of the Week.

Smile of the Day

2011-01-27T10:04:00.000-07:00

Irresistible smile at sunset at Coco beach.

Birthday Smile of the Day

2011-01-25T13:12:00.000-07:00

Feliz Compleanos Alison

Meditative Moment of the Day

2011-01-24T11:41:00.000-07:00

A man and his dog bask in the afterglow of sunset at Playa del Coco

Sunset Smile of the Day

2011-01-23T17:51:00.000-07:00

Tatiana and friend

Photographer Smile of the Day

2011-01-23T13:49:00.000-07:00

Tres amigos at Coco

Smile of the Day Couple

2011-01-23T13:45:00.000-07:00

Steven and Maria on vacation at Playa del Coco

Wave Jumpers of the Day

2011-01-23T13:43:00.000-07:00

Fun jumping in the surf at Coco

Smile of the Day Family Beauties

2011-01-23T13:41:00.000-07:00

This family of beauties at Coco sunset

Smile of the Day Vacationer

2011-01-23T13:39:00.000-07:00

My sister Joanne relaxing in the sunset at Coco Beach

Smiles of the Beach

2011-01-23T13:34:00.000-07:00

Twin bikinis and Coco surfer dudes

Smile of the Day

2011-01-23T07:42:00.000-07:00

For fantastic crepes visit Danielle at the Creperie in Playa del Coco. We go there often for a great start to the day and to meet Canadians.

Smile of the Day

2011-01-23T07:39:00.000-07:00

One of several great smiles today at the Creperie in Las Palmas, a condo development in Playa del Coco.

Bird of the Week

2011-01-18T19:06:00.000-07:00

I spotted the silhouette of a Motmot on a wire as I returned to my condo after shooting the beach at sunset. On a whim I took a shot on autoflash and it made a cool colourful photo of a motmot at dusk.

Bird of the Month

2011-01-18T19:03:00.000-07:00

Carole Beaupre noticed orioles roosting in a palm tree near her condo. I arrived after several photographers had taken pictures so this bird is already awake. I took four or five shots with a small built-in autoflash on an inexpensive Sony Alpha 10 mp DSLR. This is the only one that was in focus. I manually focused to avoid laser focusing on the poor bird. We won't be disturbing him again. It was very interesting that he would not leave the safety of the palm for the night darkness.

Smile of the Day

2011-01-15T17:39:00.000-07:00

A smile at the beach in the afternoon

Primate of the Day

2011-01-15T11:45:00.000-07:00

A howler wipes the mango juice from his face first thing in the morning. Photographers taking monkey shots should be aware of the angle of view to avoid mango juice and other stuff dropped from above. Be sure the monkeys are not taking shots of humans-they are incredibly accurate when peeing and they can throw a stool more than thirty feet with some degree of accuracy. Telephoto lenses are best and never ever climb up a tree to get a picture of a monkey. All the other photographers on the ground will get great shots of a photographer falling out of a tree.

Jane's Birding Tip

2011-01-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

Don't feed motmots potato chips. They often confuse them with the leaves that the male offers the female. A female getting offered a sour cream and onion might just turn down the advances of an eligible male. Ladies prefer leaves-if the ladies are motmots.

Smile of the Day

2011-01-15T11:01:00.000-07:00

Sunset smile at Playa del Coco

Collision of the Week

2011-01-14T15:37:00.000-07:00

It was baby-puppy collision and puppy won, dusting himself off and running around in circles. Baby cried a bit but was fine .

Flower of the Day

2011-01-14T15:12:00.001-07:00

A sunpatch on a Bird of Paradise

Bird of the Day

2011-01-14T15:07:00.000-07:00

Motmot

Smile of the Day

2011-01-14T15:04:00.000-07:00

Paola sells crispy flatbreads during her school vacation

Smile of the Day

2011-01-13T09:58:00.000-07:00

Only Tarzans need apply.

Smile of the Day

2011-01-11T06:26:00.000-07:00

Happy hammockers at Coco Beach

Smile of the Day

2011-01-05T07:01:00.000-07:00

Two amigas having a good time at Coco Beach

Smile of the Day

2011-01-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year-Feliz Anno Nuevo 2011-01-01
Is this how you feel today? This giant locust in Playa del Coco is happy to be able to warm up in the morning sun right in the street. There is no traffic at all. That's because the 36-hours of fiesta and all-night fireworks kept a lot of people out late. The whole town seems to be sleeping. A few folks who restrained themselves last night were out early checking on downtown. It was already totally cleaned up at 8 am. Last night it was ankle-deep in party debris. I stayed home except for a brief foray into downtown at 10 pm. Things were just beginnning to get rowdy-streets were jammed with people. Fireworks were going off in the crowd. Nobody seemed to mind. A half kilometre of tailgate parties lined both sides of the street and every fifty feet had a major sound system booming out different music. People sprayed beer all over everyone at New Years apparently. I watched CNN for the top stories of the year. Then had three separate naps during the party the Columbians were having next door. I think the last thing I heard was a drunken version of the Columbian National Anthem then the lights went out and all was quiet. That was at 4:30. I slept until first light at 6 and went out for a look at the beach. Beautiful sunny morning with about 20 people out walking already. No litter-everything was clean and quiet. No loud salsa outbreaks until 10 am when it seems to have started all over again. Have a great New Year's Day and 2011.

Smile of the Night

2010-12-31T12:28:00.000-07:00

Belly Fire Dancer at Pacifico Beach Club last night.

Smile of the Day

2010-12-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

Two more Costa Rican beauties at Coco beach for the sunset

Smile of theDay

2010-12-30T15:11:00.000-07:00

My happy Columbian neighbor-today is his birthday.

Sonrisa del Dia

2010-12-28T17:10:00.000-07:00

SMILE of the DAY Isabella

Costa Rica Smiles

2010-12-26T15:23:00.000-07:00

FELIZ NAVIDAD Merry Christmas everyone. I've returned to Costa Rica for the winter and there are even more smiles here this year. Here are some of my friendly faces from the past month. I'll begin Smile of the Day as soon as I get past the holidays. Right now the festivities are ramping up-last night was a combination hourly fireworks outburst alternating with loud music, singing and heavy drinking-I'm leaving the last for the locals. Hundreds of people descended on the beach yesterday and the numbers doubled by sunset. In the morning I walked on the beach and was almost the only one except for Joe Zappia from Ottawa. By 5 pm there were a few tents and this morning there were twice the number of tents. Today there have been 6 incoming jets flying over Coco to the airport at Liberia. Tonight promises less sleep and more noise. All part of the crescendo towards Nuevo Anno(New Year's). The ocean is warm and I swam a few hundred metres yesterday. This morning there was a cool manta ray visible from shore and about 60 pelicans flew over looking for fish. Hopefully the sardines will come into the bay soon because then the pelicans will put on a diving display. Plus the Mahi Mahi will come closer to shore and become a little cheaper when the locals start catching them. Today I bought 15 lbs of assorted limes, oranges and grapefruits of several different varieties-fresh picked. I'll juice about half and eat the rest. 4 bucks.

Have a great boxing day and stay warm and cozy in the great white north.

Bubble Gum Smile

2010-11-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

Signs of Fall

2010-10-27T08:54:00.000-06:00

Canada geese lift off in dawn's early light near Edmonton.

Drowning in Maple Leaves

2010-10-18T06:26:00.000-06:00

Fall Palette

2010-10-17T12:50:00.000-06:00

Leaves of the eastern hardwood forest in Ottawa. Look up, zoom in as you spin around, using a slow shutter speed and you might get something like this.

Beautiful East Kootenay

2010-10-04T10:49:00.000-06:00

This scene shows the Kootenay River with the Steeples in the background, a classic East Kootenay scene familiar to those travelling Hwy 3 between Fernie and Cranbrook.

Fernie Runaround

2010-10-03T15:52:00.000-06:00

View pics and order prints or get a digital download of today's Fernie Runaround through the link at the bottom of this page.

Another Day Another Bear

2010-09-30T17:46:00.000-06:00

I was taking pictures of the last sun on the leaves down by the river last night. When it was almost dark I packed up my tripod and headed back down the trail. Two walkers came along and said to be careful because there was a bear a hundred metres away. They pointed to a small car parked by the bushes, saying: "It's right beside that car." Of course it was my car but the bear was in the bushes on the far side so I was able to open the driver's side door and get some pics, ready for a quick jump into my vehicle. There are lots of bears in Fernie right now feeding on mountain ash berries and apples. Be careful out for a walk as the bears get bolder as it gets dark. And don't go raiding your neighbor's apple tree after dark-you might have company.

Smile of the Day

2010-09-28T19:39:00.000-06:00

A black bear in an apple tree huffing at the camera.

Soggy Weather

2010-09-20T16:41:00.000-06:00

Soggy weather might suck for some of us who want to get out and enjoy the final few days of summer but it's great for cottonwoods. If you haven't been to see the Morrissey old-growth cottonwoods you are missing one of Fernie's best natural attractions. The world's oldest cottonwoods are right here in the Elk Valley, protected by the Nature Conservancy. You don't have to be a tree hugger(rednecks have been spotted here) to appreciate the awesome size of these trees. Go west on Hwy 3 from Fernie and take the turnoff at Morrissey. Cross the bridge and park. The new sign shows where the trail begins and it is just a ten minute walk in a natural forest.

Fernie Cover Photo

2010-08-27T07:48:00.000-06:00

A high flying biker at the Fernie Bike Park

Smile of the Day

2010-08-26T09:54:00.000-06:00

Hmmm, how on earth can we market Fernie in summer? These two Fernie beauties enjoy summer by tubing down the Elk River. If you really want a great summer experience come to Fernie, Canada's most scenic mountain town.

Smile of the Day

2010-08-24T08:58:00.000-06:00

Hey look! It sticks to my hand.

Photo Tip of the Day

2010-08-20T11:55:00.000-06:00

When skies get smoky from summer wildfires get up for sunrise and stay up for sunset when the sun gets filtered by the polluted atmosphere, making for cool reddish skies. Watch the fenceposts, power poles and other perches for raptors silhouetted against the warm light.

Photo Tip of the Day

2010-08-18T12:40:00.000-06:00

This could be a reflected clump of grasses in a flooded rainforest in South America. Or it might be grasses reflected in a puddle at a housing development in Edmonton. Always watch for little calm pools of water when you are looking for photographs. Reflections are often exotic even when they are in your own backyard or neighborhood. Tip: When photographing reflections when the sly is cloudy try exposing on the plus side. Most digital cameras have a +/- button these days.

Wilderness Lake of the Week

2010-07-29T15:54:00.000-06:00

First light of a summer's day illuminates the cliff face of the mountain reflected in Raven Lake BC

Canada Day

2010-07-02T06:53:00.000-06:00

A great Canada Day in Ottawa as Queen Elizabeth visited Parliament Hill along with about a hundred thousand other people.

Art Card of the Week

2010-06-25T04:46:00.000-06:00

I noticed that the rufous hummingbird buzzing around my Rocky Mountain garden kept returning to these red flowers so I used a tripod-mounted camera to capture the little bird in various positions. Then I superimposed the different frames to create this photo montage. This image is available in my pro gallery for notecards and digital downloads.

Art Card of the Day

2010-06-19T06:57:00.001-06:00

I photographed an Orca from a small boat on a calm day in Johnstone Strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland of BC. This image is a photopainting created from the original image which was taken on slide film then scanned. I then used digital brushes to smooth out the pixels. This image is available through my Shutterfly Pro Gallery as art cards and enlargements.

Art Card of the Day

2010-06-16T18:09:00.001-06:00

I've just made a gallery of art cards to sell in gift shops here in Ottawa. This is one of the first selections by a cardseller. It's a picture of my dear old cat Sammy when he was younger and curioser. Here he stopped to smell the flowers.

Thank You Costa Rica

2010-06-08T14:28:00.000-06:00

Many thanks to all the great people of Costa Rica. I had a wonderful 5 months learning a little about your country, culture and natural beauty. I've created this photo-painting to express my impression of the cloud forest of Monteverde. Enjoy and hope to see you all again next year.

Pura Vida-Steve

2010-04-29T07:11:00.000-06:00

Pura Vida

Smile of the Day

2010-04-19T07:22:00.000-06:00

Two smiles waiting for the bus in Coco

Smile of the Day

2010-04-13T12:21:00.000-06:00

A smile from Playa de Coco

Smile of the Day

2010-03-31T07:17:00.000-06:00

Photo enthusiasts on the beach at Coco

Smile of the Day

2010-03-30T08:54:00.000-06:00

Santana beats the heat in Costa Rica

+37 Smile of the Day

2010-03-15T20:06:00.000-06:00

Ahhhhhh. Mmmm. That's better.

Smile of the Day

2010-03-14T20:57:00.000-06:00

Sara, Costa Rica smile of the day at Playa de Coco

Smile of the Day

2010-03-13T07:44:00.000-07:00

A happy smile brightens up the office

Birthday Smile of the Day

2010-03-11T12:48:00.000-07:00

Pamilla on her birthday.

Costa Rica Smiles of the Day

2010-03-10T06:52:00.000-07:00

There are truckloads of happy surf women everywhere on the Nicoya Coast. Contact www.canticoecotours.com

Smile of the Day

2010-03-07T16:26:00.000-07:00

Smile of the Day

2010-02-28T07:40:00.000-07:00

A young photographer at Playa de Coco

Smile of the Day

2010-02-27T12:58:00.000-07:00

What a job! Diving in Costa Rica.

Insect Bite of the Day

2010-02-27T12:56:00.000-07:00

Do not scratch your elbows if you have a mosquito bite there because it could get infected and look like this. WHEN IN Costa Rica avoid getting bitten if you can. If you do, just try not to scratch it. A dressing helps. Photo tip of the day: keep on the lookout for unusual photo ops that can capture some of the rougher sides of the travel experience. Blisters, sunburns and insect/snake/spider bites can help[ colour the experience for armchair travellers. It will also get you images that will wake up your live audience.

Smile of the Day

2010-02-25T10:10:00.000-07:00

White dog on black beach

Shutterfly | Photo Books

2010-02-23T16:54:00.000-07:00

Shutterfly Photo Books

Bird of the Week

2010-02-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

Finally had a good opportunity to get a photo of a Mot-mot

Smile of the Day

2010-02-18T09:49:00.000-07:00

A shy smile from beautiful Veronica

Smile of the Day

2010-02-16T17:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Lino.

Nicaragua Smile of the Day

2010-02-14T17:27:00.000-07:00

If you go to San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua drop in at the Iguana Bar, the best place in town to drink and eat. You'll find friendly faces there too.

Smile of the Day

2010-02-06T09:56:00.000-07:00

Stephanie and amigo.

Smile of the Day

2010-02-06T07:16:00.000-07:00

A beautiful smile from Argentine

By Popular Demand

2010-02-05T14:18:00.000-07:00

Okay, smile of the day is back. I've been negligent in finding smiles. Here's Cynthia, a visitor from San Jose.

Smiles of the Day

2010-01-19T12:05:00.000-07:00

People smile in Costa Rica a lot so I've combined some of the recent candidates for smile of the day into one collage. To see the full size individual images go to the Picas Web Albums link at the right.

Smile of the Day

2010-01-17T07:55:00.000-07:00

A puppy smile on the beach at Playa de Coco, Costa Rica

Smiles of the Day

2010-01-14T18:02:00.000-07:00

Accidentally ran into a wedding paarty while they were getting their photos done so I took a few shots. Turns out it was the family of Joe Zappia from Ottawa and friends of an old friend of mine, Cathy Clement. See the Accidental Costa Rica wedding shoot album at right below under "Picture Collections".

Smile of the Day

2010-01-13T08:17:00.000-07:00

Happy play in the pool with Daddy

Smile of the Day

2010-01-12T09:03:00.000-07:00

A local smile on the beach at sunset in Playa de Coco, Costa Rica. Things have quieted since the holidays and a few snowbirds are beginning to arrive from Canada. The Guanacaste wind blew with a fury two nights ago and yesterday the seas were too choppy for even the dive companies but today it is calmer and cooler, about 32 C.

Smile of the Day

2010-01-08T11:21:00.000-07:00

A young Costa Rican beauty sits on an overturned boat smiling to itunes at the beach in Playa del Coco

Smile of the Day

2010-01-02T07:47:00.000-07:00

A beautiful smile at the beach. If you wait until the minute or two after the sun goes down, you will have wonderful light for taking pictures of faces.

Smile-of-the-Day

2010-01-01T05:43:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year from Costa Rica

Smile of the Day

2009-12-30T04:23:00.000-07:00

There we were, broken down in slimy tropical mud on an ecotour. When it got dark, far out in the jungle of northern Costa Rica, without proper tools, in a rental van, things were not looking optimistic -no service station for hours, and only the odd pinneapple farm somewhere out there in the dark. Then, out of the darkness came a group of guys who had obviously been somewhere out drinking.
In other places in the world this might have been an unsettling, even dangerous situation(Imagine being broken down in the dark in some North American neighborhoods). These guys however, immediately reassured us that "We are country people, we don't come with guns, we come with love.) One guy simply crawled under the vehicle in the goo and spent fifteen minutes trying to remove the damaged piece of vehicle with his hands. Then he got up, dissappeared for a half hour, while everyone stood around (still drinking beer). Then he reappeared and spent another half hour woking with vice grips. His pride in being able to rescue us is obvious. So this is our smile of the day, maybe the smile of the month.

Smiles-of-the-Day

2009-12-28T06:05:00.000-07:00

Souvenir girls in downtown Coco, Costa Rica.

Smile of the Day

2009-12-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

A beautiful little smile brightens the day by the pool where I live.

Smile of the Day

2009-12-25T12:55:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noel and Feliz Navidad everyone. It's a nice sunny hot day here in Costa Rica. Many families have come to the beach for a few days to celebrate and the town of Playa del Coco is filled with tourists. Smiles are everywhere, including on this Yellow Snapper, my Christmas turkey.