Just Where Were You?

Jun 16, 2010 | Landscape Photography

Just were was I last week? I’ve had a whole bunch of people as that question so thought I’d best fill in some of the blanks. We were shooting at the ranch of Steve Bentson. He has created a place where photographing young Golden-fronted Woodpeckers is down right simple.

He purchased 370 acres of native TX habitat and has turned it not only into a preserve, but a heaven for bird photography. Sitting at his Pondesto Blind, photographing this Great Crested Flycatcher was really easy!

[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp3296.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]

And photographing this gorgeous little Painted Bunting is just as easy. Steve’s secret? Well, in a land where there is no water, he has created water features that not only attract the birds, but the photographers. He has built custom, permanent blinds at the water features. Some blinds are just for the morning and others are just afternoon blinds. Some are sunk in the ground to shoot at water level and some are above ground. All are just great opportunities which is why I keep going back to Steve’s year after year. This time I brought back 32 species from five days of shooting. Not too shabby!

Photos captured by D3x, 600VR w/TC-20e3 on Lexar UDMA digital film

Finally, Saw & Photographed One

Jun 15, 2010 | Landscape Photography

[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp3612.swf, 585, 431[/swf]

I have 427 species of birds in my files, so adding new species is kind of a challenge. I’ve seen over 650 species so it’s even more of a challenge to see new species since I stay within North America. But there are some kinda common species that despite my looking for them, I’ve just not seen. Well this past week I finally got to see and photograph the Dickcissel. It’s just a little grassland sparrow but I’ve always thought there were pretty cool with those markings. And like normal, once I saw them and made my first click, I saw them all the time and had plenty to click. It’s a simple pleasure in life, seeing a new species. It was a good day!

Photo captured by D3x, 600VR w/TC-20e3 on Lexar UDMA digital film

Dear Mother Nature: What Did I Do?

Jun 9, 2010 | Landscape Photography

Where here in So Texas starting our Texas Bird Base Camp. We’re here in June when no one in their right mind would sit in a blind because it’s bloody hot and dry. We’re talking 103 – 105 degrees as daily highs. Now you might remember back in January when I was in Yellowstone bemoaning the fact it was bloody warm, a balmy 20-25 degrees rather than -20. Well now I’m bemoaning the fact it’s cold, only 90 degrees. Not only is it cold here, it’s all green from all the rain! Yikes! It makes me wonder what I did to piss off Mother Nature?

But in all seriousness, that really is how this business goes. Every spring for the past thirty years, I have had projects lined up to work on and every year the vast majority get postponed or canceled due to weather. It can be frustrating at times, a blessing at other times. It has made me appreciate when it does all come together and learn how to make a lot of lemonade when it doesn’t. I wrote about this just these last couple of times when photographing the F-86E and it all applies the same to photographing wildlife.

What you see here is one of the highlights that come with working with birds in Texas, the Crested Caracara. This is a great bird which most don’t realize is a scavenger just like a Turkey Vulture. But they are such characters and are so visibly colorful that they instantly grab your attention. So while it is cold here in TX and I might only get to photograph 40 species of birds rather than 60, one of those species will be this beautiful creature. So if I did upset Mother Nature, my apologies and thanks for being so good to me in any case!

Photo captured by D2xs, 600AFS on Lexar digital film

NYC Bird’s Eye View

May 24, 2010 | Landscape Photography

[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_BMP1997.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]

While in New York, Stephanie, Sharon & I explored the island from a bird’s eye perspective. We started at the end of the island looking up towards the Empire State Bldg.

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Then we went up to the 102nd floor of the Empire State Bldg and from this view, we’re looking back down from where we had shot up from.

[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_BMP1958.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]

Turn 180 degrees and here’s the view looking up toward Top of the Rock and Central Park. On the 102nd floor of the Empire State Bldg, you have to shoot through the glass. I could see the tint in the glass when I shot it and figured I could remove it in post using color correction but alas, there is still a funny tint to the images that reminds me of old time post cards. Not decided if that’s a good thing or bad thing.

[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_BMP2258.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]

Then there is the view from the Top of the Rock looking back at all you see in the above photos. What fascinates me about these images is the light. The different times of day, direction and quality of light both ambient and artificial. It really dances in the Big Apple!

Photos captured by D3s, 18AF / 50AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film

Springtime in the Sierra

May 23, 2010 | Landscape Photography

Yeap, it’s May 23 and it’s snowin here in the Sierra. It seems every year just when the daffodils boom, it snows. Doesn’t really help their growing effort but I do love the oxymoron the photo opp provides.

Whenever there’s fresh snow, I think photography. Tracks in the snow, patterns of the shrubs and trees trying to find air, critters scratching out a living, there always seems to be something for the camera.

[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_BMP0392.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]

This morning when I went out, I instantly look at the daffodil bed and thought photo opp. Then panic set in as the dogs headed straight for it. The whole mountain heard me yell stop!

Thankfully they left me a couple of buds with snow on them. The play of the color, white and yellow and the pattern of the snow outlining the blossoms just sucked me in. Anyone who happened to drive by just saw my butt sticking up in the air, not the most scenic way to start the day, but I was having fun!

Photos captured by D3x, 105VR on Lexar UDMA digital film

Simple Click – Canyonland NP

May 20, 2010 | Landscape Photography

Simple, gorgeous! What makes it all happen though are the winds that came along with the thunderstorm kicking up the dust for the light to play with.

[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_BMP9620.swf, 585, 473 [/swf]

The click made with the 70-200VR2 with -2exp comp dialed in. Beauty just doesn’t come any simpler!