What the Blog?!

I’m back home in the office, for just two days, before heading out to Moab for our next DLWS event. I had the opportunity to create this four image pano of White Pelicans while I was shooting in FL that I wanted to share with you. It was taken with Sharon’s 70-300VR, I just twisted at the trunk making mental notes of the beginning and ending points and then assembled it in a heartbeat in CS3 with Photomerge. It was a cool opportunity that I just couldn’t pass up. I just finished storing and backing up 9078 images from FL reminding me I had this to share. I would really love to make it larger for you to see, but can’t. Here’s why.

I wanted to take a moment to address what many folks are seeing lately. If you look at my images anywhere else but on MY blog, you will see a white box with my copyright rather than the image. I’ve received everything from nice emails to those from outraged folks saying how dare I block the images (seriously, how dare I). In January we had over 900 instantiates of image theft, mostly from our blog. Everything from taking just an image to stealing the ENTIRE blog and making it their own occurred. Now, I’m not sure what part of copyrighted image folks don’t understand, not sure why some reader services think they have the right to grab my images (and bandwidth in some cases) but we’ve been left with just a few options. Contacting folks and informing them they are thieves got old and a huge waste of our time. Shutting down the blog really crossed my mind because hey, this is just a freebie I do to share a little photographic inspiration. Since those options weren’t working for me, we’ve gone to implementing a viscous code so when someone steals our images (because that’s what it is, an illegal act that we are now pursing in some cases) all you see is a copyright.

This goes way beyond copyright issues. The photographs I post have a special meaning to me so I share them in the hopes that at times, they grab your heartstrings. I’m trying to point blank influence you into getting involved in wildlife photography and our wild heritage. While image theft is nothing new to us, the recent wave of over the top, gotta have and screw you attitude though has our head spinning. There’s no doubt I’m a big target (in ever sense of the word), always have been and if I’m lucky, I always will be. I can deal with that, I can’t deal though with the theft of my personal property, my heart & soul. We’re not shutting down the blog or website but we will do everything we can to keep honest people honest and the rest, well, they’re hearing from us in not so friendly terms. So, if you don’t see my images and only text, you now know why and, that you’re looking at a pirated site. You want the full bull, MooseNews Blog is the only place.

PS…those who have been very courteous and professional and shared our blog content via just a link, we thank you!

PSS…thanks for all the kind emails in support, they mean a lot to us. But please, no more emails with suggestions how to “solve” the problem. It’s not as cut and dry as one might think.

Be it so humble

FL Base Camp was great, thanks everyone!

 

I can’t thank enough my own “personal” videographer Jason for spending so much time making me look good. Look at him, hard to believe this was his first “wildlife” video.

 

But ….there’s no place like home!

Pinch me, please!

It was a great morning and we only had literally, a couple of birds. But they performed which is all we needed. This young FL Brown Pelican just kept diving right in front of us, taking of, diving, it was great fun. We had this massive flock of Double-crested Cormorants fly over for hours it seemed like. And we wrapped up with this loan adult FL Brown Pelican giving us a real up close fly by. Wow…it was killer!

Photos captured by D3, 600VR w/TC-17e on Lexar UDMA digital film

We Just Winged it Today

American Oystercatcher, Black Skimmer and Osprey were just three of the 21 species we photographed today. And this was on the fly!

Photos captured by D3, 600VR w/TC-14e on Lexar UDMA digital film

Exotic Nights

We headed out looking for egrets and herons and get treated to Roseatte Spoonbills and

this killer flock of Glossy Ibis. We had a Coops flying about that we think kept the ibis stirred up so they circled for the better part of 30mins giving us the ability to photograph them in flight every way possible, including vertical. I’ve never seen so many giant smiles as those on the Base Camp group as they walked to the cars.

Photos captured by D3, 600VR w/TC-14e on Lexar UMDA digital film

Pass the Spaghetti

Oh heck, I just had to go down to Venice Rookery again if for no other reason then to just simply watch life go by. Since I had a whole bunch of photographers who have never been there, it made it all the better. This Great Egret is coming in for a landing at the rear of the colony. I was all set to get the final flaps when the tress of the colony got in the way.

And of course, no trip would be complete without Great Blue Heron images. This one is bringing in grasses to his mate waiting in the nest to win some favors. It’s that “birds and the bees” time and they’ll do anything for a little whoppie.

Photos captured by D3, 600VR w/TC-14e on Lexar UDMA digital film

On Your Belly!

It was background control lessons today at Pass-a-Grill Beach (no, I’m not making that name up). The Base Camp trainees were on their bellies using Panning Plates to literally rest their long glass on the sand to totally eliminate the busy shell beach. This Willet was just strolling by kicking a stone down the beach like any ole kid.

This Sanderling went down the beach looking into every shell looking for a morsel left by the tides.

Photos captured by D3, 600VR w/TC-14e on Lexar UDMA digital film

No Slouching!

I have no doubt that this is how my Base Camp trainees see me already after just 24hrs. “Stop that Chimping, turn off the histogram, watch that background, don’t splash the water!” Base Camp is not for the meek. But then….

 

there are the moments it all pays off. I was far man out on this photo of the Wood Stork. It walked right up to one trainee and basically kissed his feet. That’s what hard work brings to the wildlife photographer. The simple rewards of a beautiful morning, great bird and close encounter you can enjoy forever in your images!

Photos captured by D3, 600VR w/TC-14e on Lexar UDMA digital film

A Peli Night

The skies are gray, the wind is from the east and the photography was hot! This might appear to be a image of Photoshop wizardry, but it’s really a photo where making the FL Brown Pelican “technically perfect” made the gray skies disappear. All I did was simply drop a white point and black point on the pelican to remove the gray color cast and it removed, the gray color cast…and gray sky. I was in a “play” mood tonight trying out some new things just because I could.

We had a huge mass of pelicans to photograph so I spent my time trying to find a pattern amongst them. It was good fun!

Photos captured by D3, 70-300VR on Lexar UDMA digital film

No More Bird Puns

That’s all I head from McNally for the last week, “no more bird puns, I feel peaked too death.” And then last night, what does he do, sends me a email with about 40 bad bird puns, enough to blog with all week! SOoooo

Singing the praises of Moose Peterson this morning were this pair of Laughing Gulls.  They got a real giggle out of being in front of my lens.

Getting its bill into things was this Black Skimmer.  It couldn’t wait to get its feet wet in this bird photography thing.

Don’t worry Joe, I’m just getting warmed up for ya bud!

Photos captured by D3, 600VR w/TC-14e on Lexar UDMA digital film

How'd you spend the weekend?

With Josh here, it’s time to go to work (I got to goof off last week, I wasn’t the boss). Josh & I spent time behind the camera photographing this nesting Great Horned Owl (and chick)

and time in front of the camera. We filmed the next in the series of online classes for Kelby Training (bird photography). We filmed SO much, I’ve actually lost my voice. Heck, it’s going to take Jason weeks and weeks to edit and create another master piece. FL Base Camp just started so I gotta get up early and shoot….trust you had a great weekend as well!

Great Horned Owl, photo captured by D3, 600VR w/TC-14e on Lexar UDMA digital film

Moose, photo by Josh Bradley, Canon 20D

How’d you spend the weekend?

With Josh here, it’s time to go to work (I got to goof off last week, I wasn’t the boss). Josh & I spent time behind the camera photographing this nesting Great Horned Owl (and chick)

and time in front of the camera. We filmed the next in the series of online classes for Kelby Training (bird photography). We filmed SO much, I’ve actually lost my voice. Heck, it’s going to take Jason weeks and weeks to edit and create another master piece. FL Base Camp just started so I gotta get up early and shoot….trust you had a great weekend as well!

Great Horned Owl, photo captured by D3, 600VR w/TC-14e on Lexar UDMA digital film

Moose, photo by Josh Bradley, Canon 20D

Bozeman MT DLWS 2008

You asked for it and the DLWS Staff is going to deliver! We’ve added back the 6th 2008 DLWS event and man, I can’t wait! 09-12 Nov, based out of Bozeman MT we’ve got two, never before shoots lined up that, well, simply we just can’t wait to bring folks! We won’t all be wearing cowboy hats but to say it’s a western theme is an understatement. But who knows, may be we’ll all have an opportunity to photograph Joe McNally riding a horse off into the sunset. I don’t want to give too much away but with all our 2008 events full, I wouldn’t wait too long to register. Look forward to seeing you there…partner!

Nothing to Sneeze at

 

We headed out to No Beach, Fort DeSoto this am for a lot of fun with literally, just a couple of birds. What I mean is, we only photographed a couple of individuals, all performing and performing. We start out with this Tricolored Heron.

Right below him, and in, literally right below him was this White Ibis. They were both on an exposed root that created the perfect perch to watch the incoming tide and any tidbits it might carry.

Then to the left of the other two was this Great Egret which let us get real close. We were joined by the legendary people and food photographer Scott Kelby this morning which guaranteed a lively time. I have no doubt he’ll have a comment or two on his blog next week. Being the glass pusher I am, I made sure Scott shot with my 600VR

Photos captured by D3, 600VR w/TC-17e on Lexard UDMA digital film

White Ibis night

We were treated to a new, secret rookery and it was way cool! The light wasn’t the best so in making lemonade, I went to more graphic and biological. Both photos are of pairs of White Ibis that had just come back from a day of foraging. The trick was watching the branches blowing in the wind, the bouncing birds and the slow shutter speed. Had to count on peak of action to get a sharp image. The top image was taken at 1/45 and the bottom image at 1/6 (to gain the DOF).

Photos captured by D3, 600VR w/TC-17e on Lexar UDMA digital film

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