Jan 9, 2014 | Wildlife Photography
As the bewitching hour edged closer, I got ready. I had just brought the rig Df/800mm out and set it up when I looked out the window to see the Townsend’s Solitare sitting on the bird bath looking directly at me. Busted! It was the third time it had made an appearance at the birdbath since the 1st, at least that we saw but he had the best of me this time. I was simply too late to make the click. I watched him and once he had his drink and flew off, I opened up the door to shoot.
Well, just a few seconds later the flock of Evening Grosbeaks appeared. There was about twenty hitting the feeder and the birdbath. It was one helluva a commotion as they went back and forth between the two. The Mountain Chickadees, Pygmy and White-breasted Nuthatches came in as well as a lone Pine Siskin. And for about five to seven minutes, the feeders looked like the normally would, full of activity. And then, swooooch, they are all gone and it’s dead quiet again.
The photos I’m after are the approach to the feeder or the birdbath. This morning I set up on the couple of pine boughs they alight on prior to jumping to the birdbath. This is because as this moment in time, the light was the best at this one spot. I prefocused on the branch and waited for them to land. Ya, you could chase them about with your lens as they land but the activity is so fast and so brief, this is usually an unproductive approach. I like the light on the first image, like the feel of the second and the attitude of the third. I like best I had some critters to photograph even if it were for only a few minutes. If the cycle holds, I won’t see them tomorrow but just in case there is a change, the lens will be set up and the coffee ready. And of course, need some snow!
Jan 9, 2014 | B&W Photography
This is why I always have a camera (” target=”_blank”>P7800) with me on our walks. Simple beauty!
Jan 7, 2014 | Landscape Photography
I grabbed the camera and the wife, got in the truck and headed out when I saw we had a couple of clouds. No, didn’t strip down and do a snow dance. I’ve tried that with no success. With the whisper of light and wisps of clouds, I actually wanted to do a little landscape photography (lack of birds is showing).
Not real rocket science here. Shooting the Df / 58f1.4AFS, I looked for as much B&W drama the heavens were going to provide. This means a ratio of clouds to sky with a pattern to the clouds working the eye around the sky, to the ground and back up again. Considering the offerings the last two weeks (bald skies), I’m in love with these photos. Come on east coast, blow westward, would ya?
Jan 7, 2014 | Landscape Photography
While the east coast is receiving all of our snow, we’re down to dirt on our property. Just to give you a reference, in a “normal” year we would have about 8-10 feet of snow right now! So besides cutting into my, sitting by the fire on a snowy day writing and reading time, the weather we’re not getting is killing my bird photography! I love photographing birds in snow! In a normal January, we’d be going through 300lbs of seed, we’ve not gone through 100lbs in the last two months. If I could, I’d get up in a hot air balloon and blow the ridge over California out of here to get all that cold, white stuff heading east. With now snow in the forecast for at least the next ten days, what’s a critter shooter to do?!
If you have ever watched my Kelby Training Class on Beginning Wildlife, you’ve seen the intensive feeders and bird baths we have on our property. And while they bring in the critters, at times like this when the snow doesn’t force them to our offerings, we have to watch things even closer looking for patterns. When critters have a smorgasbord to select from, they work them all a little at a time so no one gets wiped out. This is when they have that luxury and with no snow on the ground. For example all those pine nuts that fell during the fall that would be covered with snow, are exposed and available. The pattern we noted at our feeders and bird baths is every other day activity around 0930. So I have the 800mm set up and I’ve been shooting with the Df, anything that shows up. It’s been really slim pickings. These are Pygmy Nuthatches that typically only come in when there are other birds at the feeder. Light is not the greatest but it keeps the skills workin waiting for, that darn snow!
Jan 3, 2014 | Landscape Photography
At 36000′ eastbound, I look down from my window at the frozen landscape below, valleys whose ridge tops are kissed by a cloud front moving across the area. The puffies dot the fog that lays in the valleys accenting the magical topography as we scream past at 400mph. The challenge of getting the camera to the window, remove all reflections and make the click in the heartbeat our travel permits. Oh, I love the window seat and watching our world as we fly past it! It just energizes my imagination to no end.
The reality is, I’m on a snow and ice covered boardwalk in Yellowstone, laying down on the get close to the patterns in the hot springs as my imagination goes wild with the story in my head to match what I’m seeing. To make the photograph happen, you only need a few things. First is the wild imagination and often, that doesn’t happen until you have what it takes to let it run wild. You need to have the clothes so laying down in snow and ice doesn’t phase you. Yes, I am nut and I don’t get cold easily so for me, this part is simple. Next, you need the lens that will permit you to get close and shoot wide. I like the 18-35AFS now for doing this, but this shot was taken with the 14-24AFS using High Speed Crop. You need to shoot wide to get the feeling of a big sweep of the landscape. It’s my basic formula for creating visual depth, getting close and than tilting the lens out to bring in the sweep. And with that combo, you see in the photo what my wild imagination was playing in my head. Oh, the fun of photography! Have a great weekend gang!
Jan 2, 2014 | Landscape Photography
I hope you had a great first day of the year. We sure did which started with a great surprise. Around 0900 every morning for the last two weeks, our baths and feeders are stormed by twenty or more Evening Grosbeaks. A great bird and a favorite of ours, we watched them the first few days and then we, sorry to say, took the activity for granted. During this activity, a number of other species come in as well, the other normal host of characters that share our land with us.
I was heading to the door to put out another bird feeder (we bring it in each night so the bears can’t get it) when I saw a bird at the bird bath that was not one of our usuals. In a heartbeat I knew it was a Townsend’s Solitare. A bird species that lives at high altitude, we’ve seen them in other canyons nearby and usually a thousand feet higher in altitude, but never in our area and never before at our bird bath! I instantly called Sharon and together, we watched it. I slowly opened the door and it didn’t flinch, it just kept on drinking. What a treat!
While Sharon watched, I slowly backed up heading to the office to grab the 800mm. I get it back to the door with the Df attached and just put my eye to the viewfinder when it flew. Bummer! I left the camera in place and went on fixing waffles. Well, no more than fifteen minutes later it came back. Without hesitation I started shooting. No, the photos aren’t the best, plastic bird bath with heater unit but that’s not was I was working towards. I wanted to break the “jinx” as I think of it, getting those first shots on film so I can calm down, move forward and get better shots (yes, have lots of them in my files already). At the same time, I wanted to get it use to us so I can move and improve the photos. It came back one more time while we were eating breakfast and than left with the rest of the gang. I’m hoping tomorrow it returns with the flock when I’m ready for it, better perch and flash set up. It’s Jan 01 and wow, what a start!
