Monument Valley is such a spectacular place that one camera at a time is simply not enough! I have always had at least one camera out on the balcony shooting either Time Lapse or Interval Timer while I’m either shooting stills beside it or, out and about shooting. In the past, I used a tripod, which works, but I didn’t really like how it hogged the space on the balcony. Then the thought struck me, what about the Benro Supadupa monopod with its Benro VT4 3-Leg Monopod Base? As you can see, it could be tucked back in the corner out of the way of using the balcony and keeping it out of anyone else’s sight. I had concerns about this working prior to arrival but once set up and especially after seeing the results, I can’t recommend this combo more highly! In fact, this is the first trip where 100% of the Time Lapse / Interval Timer sessions were successful. It’s small and light. Supadupa steady … wow!

They feel the safest on the face of rocks where gravity would take you or me down, fast! They are born up on those faces and spend most of their life there foraging, playing, living. This ewe band on Hardy Creek, Tower Rock, MT are no different. Shooting from the road below, time is your best tool for making the shot (along with long glass). In the late summer evening, the band moves about foraging, the older ewes often leaving the lambs to their own devices, and we all know what kids do with the parents are away. One of their games is what I think of as “tag.” It’s an essential life game as they figure out their footing and path on a rock face that seems to have no paths or footing. This play keeps them going to new heights.

It was 04:30, and we’re on the ramp in Minot, ND, positioning aircraft for our A2A Photo Clinic. Yeppers, it’s dark and cold with the prairie breeze sending a chill down the spine. The romance meter, though, is peaking big time as the silence and skies conjure up times and history. I’m looking at the lights on the field, the moon in the sky, and as I was chalking the Hurricane, the thought came, and I said to myself out loud, “I wonder?” The exposure range between the Hurricane and the moon is such, I knew the moon would have no detail. Then there are the lights on the runways, would they draw the viewer’s eye. I had nothing to loose so once all the aircraft were staged, I set down the camera and went click. I’m so glad I did. There was just enough light to open up the Hurricane, there were a couple of stars that poped out, and shooting at the low angle minimized all the light at the airport. I love the results, and it comes from knowing when the thought crosses my mind to follow it. I wonder …

Lake Kissimmee and its birds, especially the endangered Snail Kites are a special part of our wild heritage. In this short video, I go through some of the basics of when, where, and why you want to shoot at this location. Enjoy!