From my perspective

				[{"id":1908,"link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/2024\/12\/29\/the-seals-of-sandy-hook\/","name":"the-seals-of-sandy-hook","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Sandy-Hook-harbor-seals-1-scaled.jpg","alt":"Sandy Hook harbor seals"},"title":"The Seals of Sandy Hook","excerpt":"","content":"Due to hunting and pollution, 30 years ago, Atlantic harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) were almost never seen in Sandy Hook Bay. Now, the water is cleaner water, fish they hunt is more abundant, and there are more protections in place. As a result, every fall, harbor seals head south from Canada and New England to escape the harsh winter. From November through March, hundreds of harbor seals can now be seen in the Sandy Hook Bay where they'll \"haul out\" - get out of the water to rest, escape predators, digest food, and warm up. Harbor Seals are the most common of three seal species that call","author":{"name":"Juan Melli","link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/author\/juanmelli_h1x4ak\/"},"date":"Dec 29, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-12-29 03:21:50","modifiedDate":"2024-12-29 03:31:31","modifiedDateGMT":"2024-12-29 03:31:31","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":2,"sec":21},"status":"publish"},{"id":1875,"link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/2024\/12\/24\/painted-buntings-in-jersey-city\/","name":"painted-buntings-in-jersey-city","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Painted-Bunting-Harsimus-Cemetery-1-scaled.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Painted Buntings in Jersey City","excerpt":"","content":"A very rare visitor to New Jersey, May 1958 was the first occurrence of a painted bunting according to William Boyle Jr's The Birds of New Jersey. Since then, they've increased in frequency, with 27 individuals recorded from 1993 to 2009, and more since then. Called \"siete colores\" (seven colors) in Mexico and \"nonpareil\" (without equal) in Louisiana, painted buntings are sometimes considered the most beautiful bird in North America. They're rare in New Jersey, especially now when they're usually wintering from South Florida to parts of Central America. Male painted bunting at Harsimus Cemetery This December, a male painted bunting - the more strikingly colored of","author":{"name":"Juan Melli","link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/author\/juanmelli_h1x4ak\/"},"date":"Dec 24, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-12-24 18:27:50","modifiedDate":"2024-12-26 22:01:07","modifiedDateGMT":"2024-12-26 22:01:07","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":1,"sec":13},"status":"publish"},{"id":1842,"link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/2024\/11\/26\/two-nyc-icons\/","name":"two-nyc-icons","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Statue-of-Liberty-ESB-6-scaled.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Capturing Two NYC Icons in One Shot","excerpt":"Two of New York City's most iconic symbols - the Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building - lie 5.1 miles apart - one in Midtown Manhattan and the other in the Upper Newark Bay. So how - and from where - can you capture them in one photo?","content":"Two of New York City's most iconic symbols - the Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building - lie 5.1 miles apart - one in Midtown Manhattan and the other in the Upper New York Bay. So, is the image below real or Photoshopped? It's absolutely real. From the right angle - and with the right focal length - these two icons can made to appear as if they're in close proximity. Where would you go to take a photo like this? Looking at a map, a straight line from the Empire State Building through the Statue of Liberty goes almost exactly to the Tear Drop Memorial,","author":{"name":"Juan Melli","link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/author\/juanmelli_h1x4ak\/"},"date":"Nov 26, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-11-26 11:17:00","modifiedDate":"2024-11-26 18:39:16","modifiedDateGMT":"2024-11-26 18:39:16","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":3,"sec":14},"status":"publish"},{"id":1786,"link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/2024\/11\/18\/sandhill-cranes\/","name":"sandhill-cranes","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Sandhill-Crane-41-scaled.jpg","alt":"Sandhill cranes fighting"},"title":"Sandhill Cranes in New Jersey","excerpt":"While sandhill cranes are the most abundant crane species in the world, it's not incredibly common to see one in New Jersey. However, they have been spotted with increasing frequency, especially during migration, and I had the chance to see them in three different locations within two weeks.","content":"While sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis) are the most abundant crane species in the world, it's not incredibly common to see one in New Jersey. However, since they were first seen in New Jersey in 1992, they have been spotted with increasing frequency, especially during migration. Recently, I was fortunate to see sandhill cranes in New Jersey on three occasions within 2 weeks. Miry Run My first time seeing a sandhill crane in New Jersey was at the Miry Run Natural Area in Hamilton (Mercer County). This crane, which appeared to be an immature bird, lacked the distinctive red crown in adults. Sandhill Crane at Miry Run Walked","author":{"name":"Juan Melli","link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/author\/juanmelli_h1x4ak\/"},"date":"Nov 18, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-11-18 02:25:01","modifiedDate":"2024-11-26 16:55:19","modifiedDateGMT":"2024-11-26 16:55:19","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":1,"sec":25},"status":"publish"},{"id":1739,"link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/2024\/11\/12\/palisades-peregrines\/","name":"palisades-peregrines","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Peregrine-Falcon-2-scaled.jpg","alt":"\"Una,\" the adult female peregrine falcon on the Hudson Palisades"},"title":"The Palisades Peregrines","excerpt":"By the 1960s, the use of pesticides like DDT led to the local extinction of peregrine falcons in the Eastern United States, and the species was listed as endangered in 1970. A ban on DDT in 1972 combined with captive breeding and reintroduction efforts led to the remarkable success story as the falcon saw its historic U.S. range restored. Fortunately for those of us local to Greater New Jersey Metropolitan Area, there is a pair of peregrines that live on the cliffs of the Hudson Palisades year-round: \"Una\" and \"Prince.\"","content":"By the 1960s, the use of pesticides like DDT led to the local extinction of peregrine falcons in the Eastern United States, and the species was listed as endangered in 1970. A ban on DDT in 1972 combined with captive breeding and reintroduction efforts led to the remarkable success story as the falcon saw its historic U.S. range restored and was removed from the U.S. Endangered Species List in 1999. This elegant bird is impressive not just for being the fastest animal in the world - capable of diving over 200 mph - but also for the immense distance it's known to travel. With a name that","author":{"name":"Juan Melli","link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/author\/juanmelli_h1x4ak\/"},"date":"Nov 12, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-11-12 20:32:00","modifiedDate":"2024-11-26 16:55:07","modifiedDateGMT":"2024-11-26 16:55:07","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":1,"sec":57},"status":"publish"},{"id":1712,"link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/2024\/09\/15\/turnpike-exit-15x-new-jerseys-egretpalooza\/","name":"turnpike-exit-15x-new-jerseys-egretpalooza","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Secaucus-egret-roost-6-scaled.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Turnpike Exit 15X - New Jersey's Egretpalooza","excerpt":"You might not expect to find an explosion of nature in New Jersey's most densely populated County - wedged between Newark and Manhattan - and immediately next to one of the busiest railway stations in the country and Exit 15X on the New Jersey Turnpike Eastern Spur, but you would be wrong. Very, very wrong.","content":"You might not expect to find an explosion of nature in New Jersey's most densely populated County - wedged between Newark and Manhattan - and immediately next to one of the busiest railway stations in the country and Exit 15X on the New Jersey Turnpike Eastern Spur. Map showing Secaucus surrounded by Essex and Hudson Counties, the New Jersey Meadowlands, and Hudson River You would be wrong. Very, very wrong. Welcome to the Secaucus Egret Roost. It turns out that a stone's throw from the Hackensack River in the New Jersey Meadowlands, the trees surrounding an unassuming pond right next to the Turnpike is potentially (at least","author":{"name":"Juan Melli","link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/author\/juanmelli_h1x4ak\/"},"date":"Sep 15, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-09-15 01:12:25","modifiedDate":"2024-09-15 11:09:38","modifiedDateGMT":"2024-09-15 11:09:38","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":2,"sec":25},"status":"publish"},{"id":1617,"link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/2024\/08\/30\/five-days-in-titcomb-basin\/","name":"five-days-in-titcomb-basin","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Titcomb-Basin-5-scaled.jpg","alt":"Titcomb Basin sunset reflection"},"title":"Five Days in Titcomb Basin","excerpt":"A friend and I spent 5 days backpacking in the Wind River Range in August 2024. While last year we explored the Cirque of the Towers area in the southern Winds, this year we sauntered further north throughout Titcomb Basin and Indian Basin.","content":"A friend and I spent five days backpacking in the Wind River Range in August 2024. While last year we explored the Cirque of the Towers area in the southern Winds, this year we sauntered further north through Titcomb Basin and Indian Basin. Day 1 We started at the Pole Creek Trailhead and within 100 feet of the parking lot, we were immediately excited to see a mother and calf moose grazing. It was dark, making it difficult to photograph. Moose Cow and Calf Just after dawn and a few miles from the trailhead, I saw a shadow cross the trail above me from the corner of","author":{"name":"Juan Melli","link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/author\/juanmelli_h1x4ak\/"},"date":"Aug 30, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-08-30 18:44:00","modifiedDate":"2024-09-09 13:44:31","modifiedDateGMT":"2024-09-09 13:44:31","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":6,"sec":49},"status":"publish"},{"id":1497,"link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/2024\/04\/28\/not-a-valley-of-death-but-a-valley-of-red-ochre\/","name":"not-a-valley-of-death-but-a-valley-of-red-ochre","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Zabriskie-Point-3-scaled.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Not a Valley of Death, but a Valley of Red Ochre","excerpt":"As we drove past the limit of Death Valley National Park, we pulled over for the obligatory photo opportunity at the Death Valley National Park sign. At the bottom of the sign is a subheading: \"Homeland of the Timbisha Shoshone.\"","content":"As we drove from Las Vegas just past the limit of Death Valley National Park, we pulled over for the obligatory photo opportunity at the Death Valley National Park sign. At the bottom of the sign is a subheading: \"Homeland of the Timbisha Shoshone,\" a long-overdue recognition which was added shortly after the signing of the Timbisha Shoshone Homeland Act in 2000. Life in this hot and arid region is not easy, but the Timbisha have called this area home for over a thousand years, and it certainly is incongruous to recognize the place in which you've lived as a valley of death. In fact, it's quite","author":{"name":"Juan Melli","link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/author\/juanmelli_h1x4ak\/"},"date":"Apr 28, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-04-28 01:09:38","modifiedDate":"2024-04-29 14:49:52","modifiedDateGMT":"2024-04-29 14:49:52","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"open","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":5,"sec":48},"status":"publish"},{"id":1472,"link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/2023\/12\/30\/between-mama-bear-and-her-cubs\/","name":"between-mama-bear-and-her-cubs","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Bear-cubs-4-scaled.jpg","alt":"Two bear cubs in a tree"},"title":"Between mama bear and her cubs","excerpt":"We were in dense woods when we saw him: A black bear about 100 feet ahead. I did what you're supposed to do when you encounter a bear - I reached for my camera.","content":"We had just finished a day of repainting the famous 2\" by 6\" white blazes on my adopted section of the Appalachian Trail in Worthington State Forest. We were in dense woods about a half mile from the trailhead when we saw him: A black bear about 50 to 100 feet ahead, off to the right side of the trail, next to a stream. I did what you're supposed to do when you encounter a bear - I reached for my camera. But I was too slow. He had already taken off, darting across the trail ahead of us and scampering into the woods to our left,","author":{"name":"Juan Melli","link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/author\/juanmelli_h1x4ak\/"},"date":"Dec 30, 2023","dateGMT":"2023-12-30 19:24:00","modifiedDate":"2023-12-31 00:29:46","modifiedDateGMT":"2023-12-31 00:29:46","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"open","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":8,"sec":49},"status":"publish"},{"id":1367,"link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/2023\/10\/24\/the-view\/","name":"the-view","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Monument-Valley-Room-With-A-View-1-scaled.jpg","alt":"The view from our balcony"},"title":"A Room with a View","excerpt":"Staying at a hotel room in Monument Valley with an unforgettable view from our balcony created an opportunity for capturing the same view at multiple times of the day, including during the special golden and blue hours.","content":"Monument Valley and \"The View\" As part of a road trip of Arizona in April of 2023 (see the full photo gallery from the trip), we spent two nights in Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park at the only lodging in the park, the very appropriately named The View Hotel. Strategically positioned and sensibly designed to blend in with the environment, each room features a private balcony that faces east towards an unforgettable classic view of West Mitten Butte, East Mitten Butte and Merrick Butte. The View Hotel in Monument Valley National Tribal Park with West Mitten Butte, East Mitten Butte and Merrick Butte prominently featured If you","author":{"name":"Juan Melli","link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/author\/juanmelli_h1x4ak\/"},"date":"Oct 24, 2023","dateGMT":"2023-10-24 01:25:56","modifiedDate":"2023-10-26 19:27:51","modifiedDateGMT":"2023-10-26 19:27:51","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"open","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":3,"sec":28},"status":"publish"},{"id":1311,"link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/2023\/08\/28\/look-behind-you\/","name":"look-behind-you","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Look-behind-you-sunset-scaled.jpg","alt":"Sunset in the Wind River Range"},"title":"Look behind you","excerpt":"I often have a vision in mind for how I want to a landscape photo to look. When the light is changing, it's easy to get caught up in trying to capture the moment, but it's also important to look around and behind you, because you never know what you might be missing.","content":"On our third night in the Wind River Range, we camped by Shadow Lake, on the \"back\" side of the popular Cirque of the Towers. I was hoping for a colorful sunset, and we were fortunate to get one - with the peaks illuminated bright orange and the clouds illuminated pink and orange, contrasting with the ominous grey-blue clouds further in the distance. Alpenglow on the back of the Cirque of the Towers behind Shadow Lake I had a specific vision in mind for the photo and was focused on snapping multiple shots as the colors changed, using longer exposures to smoothen out the choppiness of the","author":{"name":"Juan Melli","link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/author\/juanmelli_h1x4ak\/"},"date":"Aug 28, 2023","dateGMT":"2023-08-28 22:06:15","modifiedDate":"2023-08-28 22:29:50","modifiedDateGMT":"2023-08-28 22:29:50","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"open","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":0,"sec":56},"status":"publish"},{"id":1260,"link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/2023\/08\/27\/yellowstone\/","name":"yellowstone","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Yellowstone-11-scaled.jpg","alt":"Grand Prismatic Spring"},"title":"Yellowstone Wildlife & Natural Wonders","excerpt":"An intact ecosystem with bison, wolves, bears, moose, and more. Hydrothermal features, including nearly half of the world's active geysers. Geologic wonders like the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. Any one of these traits would be a must-visit destination. Yellowstone has them all and more.","content":"An intact ecosystem with bison, wolves, bears, moose, and more. Hydrothermal features, including nearly half of the world's active geysers. Geologic wonders like the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. Any one of these traits would be a must-visit destination. Yellowstone has them all and more. Wildlife On March 1, 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act, creating the world's first national park. All the large mammals present on that day are in Yellowstone today, including grizzly and black bears, mountain lions, elk, bison, pronghorn, moose, bighorn sheep, and wolves - which were reintroduced beginning in 1995. We visited in August, when","author":{"name":"Juan Melli","link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/author\/juanmelli_h1x4ak\/"},"date":"Aug 27, 2023","dateGMT":"2023-08-27 21:37:09","modifiedDate":"2023-08-29 00:06:34","modifiedDateGMT":"2023-08-29 00:06:34","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"open","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":3,"sec":3},"status":"publish"},{"id":1188,"link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/2023\/08\/20\/five-days-in-the-winds\/","name":"five-days-in-the-winds","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Wind-River-Range-14-scaled.jpg","alt":"Alpenglow on the back of the Cirque of the Towers behind Shadow Lake"},"title":"Five Days in The Winds","excerpt":"On August 11-15, 2023, my father, a friend, and I spent 5 days backpacking in the Wind River Range, a combination of on- and off-trail travel that included the famous Cirque of the Towers and the less-visited Desolation Valley.","content":"On August 11-15, 2023, my father, a friend, and I spent 5 days backpacking in the Wind River Range, a combination of on- and off-trail travel that included the famous Cirque of the Towers and the less-visited Desolation Valley. \"The Winds\" are part of the Rocky Mountains in Western Wyoming and are part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, with the Continental Divide running down the crest. Our route spanned two national forests and wilderness areas - Bridger-Teton National Forest to the west of the divide and Shoshone National Forest (the country's first national forest) on the east in the Bridger and Popo Agie Wilderness Areas. Trip planning","author":{"name":"Juan Melli","link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/author\/juanmelli_h1x4ak\/"},"date":"Aug 20, 2023","dateGMT":"2023-08-20 20:19:50","modifiedDate":"2023-08-22 20:55:07","modifiedDateGMT":"2023-08-22 20:55:07","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"open","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":"<a href='https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/tag\/backpacking\/' rel='post_tag'>backpacking<\/a><a href='https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/tag\/wind-river-range\/' rel='post_tag'>Wind River Range<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":4,"sec":51},"status":"publish"},{"id":1171,"link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/2023\/07\/11\/spearfishing-and-lessons-on-wildlife-photography\/","name":"spearfishing-and-lessons-on-wildlife-photography","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Great-blue-heron-spearfishing.jpg","alt":"Great blue heron spearfishing"},"title":"Spearfishing and Lessons on Wildlife Photography","excerpt":"I used to see photos like this and think the photographer got lucky, was in the right place at the right time, and snapped the shutter at just the right moment. Getting a shot like this does take some luck, but luck is only part of it.","content":"Over the weekend, I took 3,000+ photos of birds in Liberty State Park, ending up with a handful I was really happy about. This one might be my favorite - a Great blue heron that speared a small fish, with the water dripping below tinged pink from its blood. I used to see photos like this and think the photographer got lucky, was in the right place at the right time, and snapped the shutter at just the right moment. And I still think getting a shot like this is part luck - but now I see that\u2019s only part of it. You have to get all","author":{"name":"Juan Melli","link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/author\/juanmelli_h1x4ak\/"},"date":"Jul 11, 2023","dateGMT":"2023-07-11 11:33:38","modifiedDate":"2023-08-29 00:06:51","modifiedDateGMT":"2023-08-29 00:06:51","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"open","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":3,"sec":0},"status":"publish"},{"id":1089,"link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/2023\/05\/23\/10-tips-for-hiking-with-kids\/","name":"10-tips-for-hiking-with-kids","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Tripod-Rock-web.jpg","alt":""},"title":"10 Tips for Hiking With Kids","excerpt":"Like parenting in general, hiking with kids can be extremely rewarding or frustrating, and it will probably be a bit of both. I partnered with The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey on a piece for NJ Family magazine on hiking with kids.","content":"This post initially appeared in NJ Family Magazine. My son was seven the summer we took a backpacking trip to the Grand Canyon. After a long day of hiking almost 5,000 vertical feet to the canyon floor, he found a nondescript rock at our campsite and asked if we could bring it home to mom. Me and my sore shoulders had an immediate thought:  no way were we hauling a dumb rock nearly a mile uphill. I decided to approach my answer as an opportunity to discuss Leave No Trace principles and explained that \u201cwe leave only footprints and take only pictures \u2013 not even rocks.\u201d This","author":{"name":"Juan Melli","link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/author\/juanmelli_h1x4ak\/"},"date":"May 23, 2023","dateGMT":"2023-05-23 13:49:49","modifiedDate":"2023-05-24 12:38:21","modifiedDateGMT":"2023-05-24 12:38:21","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":5,"sec":32},"status":"publish"},{"id":1013,"link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/2023\/05\/15\/east-hudson-trails-map\/","name":"east-hudson-trails-map","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Bull-Hill-web.jpg","alt":""},"title":"East Hudson Trails Map","excerpt":"A full-circle moment that brings me great joy - one of my photos of the Hudson River running between Storm King and Bull Hill taken at dawn from a ledge on the Washburn Trail will be featured on the back cover of the new East Hudson Trails map set.","content":"I'm very excited to share that one of my photos will be featured on the back cover insert for the new New York-New Jersey Trail Conference 2023 East Hudson Trails map set which will be available in print in a few weeks. It's a shot of the Hudson River running between Storm King and a shoulder of Bull Hill that I took at dawn from a ledge above the quarry on the Washburn Trail. This is a kind of full-circle moment that brings me a lot of joy. For years I had used the Trail Conference maps to plan hikes. Across the top, each map reads \"Made by","author":{"name":"Juan Melli","link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/author\/juanmelli_h1x4ak\/"},"date":"May 15, 2023","dateGMT":"2023-05-15 12:50:00","modifiedDate":"2023-05-24 12:44:01","modifiedDateGMT":"2023-05-24 12:44:01","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":1,"sec":1},"status":"publish"},{"id":1011,"link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/2023\/04\/21\/photographing-antelope-canyon\/","name":"photographing-antelope-canyon","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Upper-Antelope-Canyon-2-web.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Tips for Handheld Photography in Antelope Canyon","excerpt":"Tripods are no longer allowed in Upper Antelope Canyon, making the dark slot canyon both a photographer's dream and nightmare (at least mine) that needs to be tackled with handheld photography in a fast-paced, crowded setting.","content":"Upper Antelope Canyon is a photographer's dream and nightmare (at least mine). I recently got back from a trip of Arizona where I got to visit the canyon. It's been on my list of places that I've wanted to see and photograph. It's a beautiful, colorful narrow slot canyon formed by erosion. The Navajo call it Ts\u00e9 bigh\u00e1n\u00edl\u00edn\u00ed, which means \"the place where water runs through the rocks.\" It's naturally dark which is harder to shoot, and it's extremely popular, so you're sharing it with dozens of people at a time who are in your shot and bumping into you. You can only go with guides who","author":{"name":"Juan Melli","link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/author\/juanmelli_h1x4ak\/"},"date":"Apr 21, 2023","dateGMT":"2023-04-21 15:05:00","modifiedDate":"2023-05-24 12:55:20","modifiedDateGMT":"2023-05-24 12:55:20","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":1,"sec":54},"status":"publish"},{"id":1016,"link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/2022\/10\/01\/two-pictures-two-stories\/","name":"two-pictures-two-stories","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Kilimanjaro-juan-dad.jpeg","alt":""},"title":"Two photos, two stories","excerpt":"One photo is of me and my dad on top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. It's a photo of triumph, but it's a deception. The other photo is of me and my dad with the people without whom we certainly wouldn't have made it.","content":"On the left is me and my dad on top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, a trip he has been looking forward to for a long time. It's a photo of triumph, but it's a deception. The other photo is of me and my dad with the people who helped us get there. In fact, we certainly wouldn\u2019t have made it without them. I expected a physical challenge - the final summit night is a 4,000 foot climb up a 25-30 degree grade starting around 11pm - but it was harder than anything I anticipated. On the way up, I got a mild case of acute mountain sickness, feeling","author":{"name":"Juan Melli","link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/author\/juanmelli_h1x4ak\/"},"date":"Oct 1, 2022","dateGMT":"2022-10-01 18:17:00","modifiedDate":"2023-05-24 13:30:43","modifiedDateGMT":"2023-05-24 13:30:43","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":1,"sec":32},"status":"publish"},{"id":1001,"link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/2022\/05\/25\/why-im-a-trail-maintainer\/","name":"why-im-a-trail-maintainer","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/NYNJTC-sign-web.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Why I'm a trail maintainer","excerpt":"I wasn't always an avid hiker, but in a few short years, I went from hiking skeptic to becoming a trail maintainer with the volunteer-based NY-NJ Trail Conference.","content":"Post originally appeared on Hike the World. I asked my wife and kids why they think I volunteer as a trail maintainer:  \u201cBecause you care.\u201d \u201cTo get outside the house.\u201d \u201cBecause you like hiking.\u201d I nodded. All are true. But the reasons I wanted to become a trail maintainer - and why I\u2019m passionate about it - run a bit deeper.  For most of my life, the idea of hiking was not appealing to me. I can remember being on vacation, thinking of hiking as \u201cexercise,\u201d and wondering why anyone would want to do something strenuous when we were there to relax. Years passed as a non-hiker,","author":{"name":"Juan Melli","link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/author\/juanmelli_h1x4ak\/"},"date":"May 25, 2022","dateGMT":"2022-05-25 17:41:00","modifiedDate":"2023-05-24 13:33:46","modifiedDateGMT":"2023-05-24 13:33:46","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":4,"sec":6},"status":"publish"},{"id":1020,"link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/2021\/09\/19\/hitting-the-hiking-trail-with-booker\/","name":"hitting-the-hiking-trail-with-booker","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Juan-Booker.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Hitting the (hiking) trail with Sen. Booker","excerpt":"One September weekend, I had the great privilege of guiding U.S. Senator Cory Booker on a hike in the Jersey Highlands along with NY-NJ Trail Conference Executive Director\u00a0Joshua Howard.","content":"It was a real honor and rewarding experience to get to guide U.S. Senator Cory Booker on a hike in the Jersey Highlands this weekend, along with NY-NJ Trail Conference Executive Director\u00a0Joshua Howard. Besides discussing the history of Pyramid Mountain - from the glacial action, to the Leni-Lenape who lived in the area, to the 1980's preservation effort - we also enjoyed some fun poses with the famous, almost impossibly balanced Tripod Rock - the focus of an ancient calendar site, with nearby solstice stones. Sen. Booker at Tripod Rock We got to hike a new trail currently under construction and see the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference AmeriCorps","author":{"name":"Juan Melli","link":"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/author\/juanmelli_h1x4ak\/"},"date":"Sep 19, 2021","dateGMT":"2021-09-19 14:24:00","modifiedDate":"2023-05-22 19:24:14","modifiedDateGMT":"2023-05-22 19:24:14","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.juanmelli.com\/category\/all\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":1,"sec":28},"status":"publish"}]