Birds of the Rio Grand Valley, pt2

01.01.2013 Pages are in the process of being updated. In the meantime you can watch our videos on our YouTube Channel as well as all Videos are available on iTunes as Podcasts!

Here’s the 2nd in the two part series of Moose Cam from our Texas bird shoot earlier this summer. This was shot at the premier raptor blind in North America. The main show is the Crested Caracara and Harris Hawk. Previously, I had only photographed the Caracara here, the Harris illuded my lens. Not this time! The Harris Hawks performed, performed and performed. As you’ll hear, we shot a lot at this blind. And besides the two raptors, other birds come in which make for great photography as well. In fact, a very special bird came in and posed. Who? You’ll just have to watch.

Like Pt1, Pt2 has a bit of TLC put into the final production. Hope you enjoy it. And if you want to experience this amazing photography for yourself, come join us next June when we do it all over again!

Photos captured y D3x, 600VR w/TC-17e on Lexar UDMA digital film

Eastern Sierra Landscape Workshop

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There is probably no more beautiful locale in the fall in the Eastern Sierra. A couple of fans have asked over and over and over again for me to do a landscape photography workshop here in the fall. They finally twisted my arm. Oct 08-11 this year, we’ll cruise from Lee Vining to Lone Pine photographing some of this lands most amazing landscapes.

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We have a huge laundry list of locales to visit: Mono Lake, fall color everywhere, Lee Vining Canyon, Bristlecone Pines (weather dependent), Alabama Hills, Death Valley, Ultra Wide Panos, Star Trails, long days with tons of digital darkroom time (OK, hours), it will be a tiring event!

We’ll be based one night in Mammoth Lakes, two nights in Lone Pine. It’s limited to just 5 shooters with only a couple of spots available. The price is $1100 which includes instruction only. If you can handle four days of Moose, landscape photography and no sleep, this might be just for you. Just as a FYI, this is just days after the Las Vegas Photoshop World, a five hour drive from Mammoth. If you want in on the fun, give the office a call 760.924.8632.

The top photo is of the Tufas of Mono Lake captured by D3 & 24-70AFS. Bottom photo is Mt Williamson, D3 and 24-70AFS. This is just a small sample of the possibilities the Eastside presents.

Success comes from Planning!

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We’re getting ready to go north again, heading to Brooks so Sharon can camp with griz  (she really loves that now). We’re going to be there for a week so there’s a few things to get ready, checked out and packed so all we do is have fun while at Brooks. We won’t be able to ship stuff up to ourselves because of our travel schedule, so everything we need has to go with us. You probably think that since we do this so much, heck, camped with the griz just last summer at McNeil, it’s kinda no-brainer for us. Well…..

What’s changed in a year? The first thing is, I’m older so we have a little bigger high country tent that it a bit taller. I learned from last time that normal luggage doesn’t work well at Brooks (pictured here are the luggage handlers), so we had some new waterproof duffles made for us at Nomar. The m4300 Dell has been replaced with the m4400. All new battery usage, time table to learn. While we have a new tent, it doesn’t come with a 120v plug. So testing for battery consumption goes on as I type. Being tired of buying notebook specific batteries, I’m trying a new external battery that I’ll report about later. New is the Moose Cam, dealing with its power and storage is something new to the mix. Then there is the main thing, photography.

I’ve not been to Brooks for eight years, alot has changed photographically since then. The last time I was shooting there it was with a D1 and 400f2.8AFS. Now it’s the D3x & D3, FX rather than DX so that begs the question, which lens to take? We’re going to be up with my shooting bud Kevin Dobler and his wife. Kevin & I have worked Brooks twice before together. After looking at my images from previous trips (something I always do prior to heading out) and talking it over with Kevin, right this moment I’m not sure which lens I’m taking, 600VR, 200-400VR or both. I’ve shot there previously with the 300f2.8 and 400f2.8 with an effective focal length of 450mm and 600mm. Since everything has to go up there on my back, I’m not sure what to do. It will be a couple of long days thinking…..

Photos captured by D1, 300f2.8AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film

No Clouds in the Forecast

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It’s a daily ritual with me when I’m home. Checking the day’s weather forecast, both what the weatherman predicts and what I predict looking at the radar and other stats. The forecast  for today was for a sunny, clear, cloudless day. Looking at the numbers though, I had a gut feeling that thunderheads could form late in the afternoon over the valley. By dinner, dark clouds covered the valley. With Jake on alert in case we needed to run to chase the light, I kept watch on the deck. Then the light broke, breaking right over my head!

What you see here in this Gallery are just 36 of the 249 images I took in 38mins of great light. It was gorgeous!The photography was pretty straight forward. The WB was set to cloudy, wanted that warmth. Exposure Comp varied from -1 to -1 1/2. Other than walking up and down the length of the deck and getting a stiff neck from shooting up, I just simply enjoyed the show. Image processing: none, these are Jpegs right out of the camera. The Sierra, the Range of Light, produces amazing skies, great show for finishing up the day and a glass or Merlot!

Photos captured by D3x, 45PC-E on Lexar UDMA digital film

Birds of the Rio Grand Valley, pt1

01.01.2013 Pages are in the process of being updated. In the meantime you can watch our videos on our YouTube Channel as well as all Videos are available on iTunes as Podcasts!

Earlier this summer, Jake & I spent an amazing week in Texas on the border photographing birds (which is why we’re going back). I started off with good intentions of doing a running Moose Cam during the whole week. Well, after the 1st day, I realized I really didn’t have what I needed to make a video and shoot stills at the same time. It was either one or the other so, the video stopped after the first day.

But what I got the first day doesn’t suck, it most definitely does more than give you a feel for the great photography the Valley provides on a daily basis.  This is pretty much your classic small bird blind set up with water being the main attraction for the birds. You’ll find these (this is part 1 of a two part series) Moose Cams are a little different then previous versions. How, well you’ll just have to watch to find out. Enjoy!

Photos captured by D3x, 600VR w/TC-17e on Lexar UDMA digital fiml

Moose Cam captured by Canon HF-10 on Lexar digital film

One of the great wildlife spectacles

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The Red Knot’s amazing congregation and feasting on the Delaware Bay has long been on my bucket list to see and photograph. This little colorful shorebird makes one hell of a journey twice a year. On its way north, it depends on refueling at Delaware Bay and the Horseshoe Crab annual coming ashore to lay its eggs. I’ve seen some amazing photos come from there. The Red Knot though isn’t doing so well, and Delaware Bay doesn’t sound like it’s faring much better. You might want to give this a read and put it on your calendar for next spring. I know I have now.

This photo is a real small flock of Red Knots coming in for a landing on Pass-a-Grille Beach, FL. I was laying down on the job when I made this photo, using a Panning Plate to get a bird’s eye view of life on the sand. I went low because as you can see, the sea mist was pretty heavy and the color of the water (the background at any angle except low) had an icky color. So down I went. I located myself in a locale where the shorebirds seem to be feeding so I just waited for them to come to me.

Photo captured by D3, 600VR on Lexar UDMA digital film

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