Forster’s Tern – A Dive And Then Something Special
One of these shots immediately became one of my favorite bird photos and we can’t even see the bird’s head. (4 photos)
Tag: reflection
A Coyote Exhibiting Self Awareness?
Greater Yellowlegs In Flight
Yesterday morning was my first time out shooting in 29 days. It (mostly) felt very, very good. (3 images)
Horned Grebe At Bear River MBR
I rarely get opportunities with Horned Grebes but I got one yesterday. I’ve photographed this species a few times but I believe this is the first Horned Grebe photo I’ve ever posted to my blog.
Coyote Fascinated By His Own Reflection
I love being a witness to moments like this in nature because they can strongly suggest conscious self-awareness in animals.
American Avocets At Bear River MBR Yesterday
By this time of year many American Avocets have already paired up and some of them are beginning early nesting activities.
Western Grebes – Old And New
Two days ago I visited Bear River MBR on the first full day it was open after being closed because of flooding. It was an interesting preview of things to come.
Landing Barn Swallow – Are You Fooled By What’s Happening Here?
Sometimes I have to rely on subtle clues to figure out what’s really going on in my own images. And I was there!
A Western Sandpiper, Shutter Speeds And Another Quirk Of Reflections
Here’s another reason I like to use relatively fast shutter speeds when photographing birds..
Western Grebe And Chick – An Interesting Image For Three Reasons
Back brooding grebes are always fun to photograph but this image holds additional interest for me even beyond the “cuteness factor” of the chick.
Posing Yellowlegs On A Rock Stage
On a visit to Glover Pond last week I found this Greater Yellowlegs resting on a rock surrounded by relatively clear, still water which I thought made a nice setting for the bird (even though the rock also provided some compositional challenges).
A Coyote, A Reflection And An Interpretive Error On My Part
Three months ago I posted some shots of a coyote intrigued by its own reflection in the Great Salt Lake. I rejected one photo I liked because of what I thought was a metal wire that ruined the image. I should have paid more attention…
A Curious Coyote, A Reflection And A Compositional Quandary
Two days ago we found this coyote exploring along the Antelope Island causeway. We watched it gnaw on a duck or shorebird carcass (possibly falcon leftovers, based on past experience) and then it continued to look for something, almost anything, to eat. When it reached the end of a rocky spit jutting out into the Great Salt Lake it entertained us with some interesting behavior.
Mallard Reflection
“Reflecting” my need to work with an image with some color for a change (after all of the snow, brutal cold and gray skies we’ve been having) and also inspired by some recent discussion with blog reader Sue Johnson regarding reflections, I’ve chosen to post something this morning that’s a little different for me. Last July I found this wild female Mallard posing and preening on a perch I liked and in warm, early morning light. 1/320, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light As I gained experience as a photographer I found myself gravitating away from reflections, often preferring instead the fine detail typically available in traditional portraits. But for my tastes, this image provides both – good detail and a strong reflection. I like the setting, pose, perch, light and reflection. In fact I like the reflection (bird and water colors) at least as much as I do the live bird. The image may be a little tight for some but it’s very close to full frame, shot vertically, and I just didn’t have as much wiggle room as I would have liked. I thought I’d present the image for your consideration anyway… Ron
A Compositional Conundrum
I intended this post to be a single image for my “Just A Shot That I Like” feature. It didn’t turn out that way. Six days ago I found this Great Blue Heron on the edge of a small, partially frozen creek with an almost vertical snow bank directly behind and very close to the bird. The heron was patient with me and I was close so I tried a variety of compositions using my 500 mm and 100-400 mm lenses. The incredibly fast shutter speeds were because of the bright snow and my forgetfulness in adjusting settings as I was juggling two cameras and lenses. In the end I couldn’t decide which composition I preferred so I’m presenting three of them here. 1/5000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, natural light This relatively tight vertical shows good detail on the bird and I like the close view of the swirly marks on the snow behind the heron made by a wing as it landed. 1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 500, 100 – 400 @ 400mm, natural light Some folks gravitate toward whole-bird reflections so I’m also including this composition. Ideally I’d prefer the bird to be slightly further left in the frame but cropping off the left makes the image too narrow vertically for my tastes and I have no more room on the right (image was taken vertically and is close to full frame). 1/6400, f/5.6, ISO 640, 100 – 400 @ 400mm, natural light A horizontal composition with the heron slightly smaller in the frame shows more of the…
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A Coyote Exhibiting Self Awareness?
Greater Yellowlegs In Flight
Yesterday morning was my first time out shooting in 29 days. It (mostly) felt very, very good. (3 images)
Horned Grebe At Bear River MBR
I rarely get opportunities with Horned Grebes but I got one yesterday. I’ve photographed this species a few times but I believe this is the first Horned Grebe photo I’ve ever posted to my blog.
Coyote Fascinated By His Own Reflection
I love being a witness to moments like this in nature because they can strongly suggest conscious self-awareness in animals.
American Avocets At Bear River MBR Yesterday
By this time of year many American Avocets have already paired up and some of them are beginning early nesting activities.
Western Grebes – Old And New
Two days ago I visited Bear River MBR on the first full day it was open after being closed because of flooding. It was an interesting preview of things to come.
Landing Barn Swallow – Are You Fooled By What’s Happening Here?
Sometimes I have to rely on subtle clues to figure out what’s really going on in my own images. And I was there!
A Western Sandpiper, Shutter Speeds And Another Quirk Of Reflections
Here’s another reason I like to use relatively fast shutter speeds when photographing birds..
Western Grebe And Chick – An Interesting Image For Three Reasons
Back brooding grebes are always fun to photograph but this image holds additional interest for me even beyond the “cuteness factor” of the chick.
Posing Yellowlegs On A Rock Stage
On a visit to Glover Pond last week I found this Greater Yellowlegs resting on a rock surrounded by relatively clear, still water which I thought made a nice setting for the bird (even though the rock also provided some compositional challenges).
A Coyote, A Reflection And An Interpretive Error On My Part
Three months ago I posted some shots of a coyote intrigued by its own reflection in the Great Salt Lake. I rejected one photo I liked because of what I thought was a metal wire that ruined the image. I should have paid more attention…
A Curious Coyote, A Reflection And A Compositional Quandary
Two days ago we found this coyote exploring along the Antelope Island causeway. We watched it gnaw on a duck or shorebird carcass (possibly falcon leftovers, based on past experience) and then it continued to look for something, almost anything, to eat. When it reached the end of a rocky spit jutting out into the Great Salt Lake it entertained us with some interesting behavior.
Mallard Reflection
“Reflecting” my need to work with an image with some color for a change (after all of the snow, brutal cold and gray skies we’ve been having) and also inspired by some recent discussion with blog reader Sue Johnson regarding reflections, I’ve chosen to post something this morning that’s a little different for me. Last July I found this wild female Mallard posing and preening on a perch I liked and in warm, early morning light. 1/320, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light As I gained experience as a photographer I found myself gravitating away from reflections, often preferring instead the fine detail typically available in traditional portraits. But for my tastes, this image provides both – good detail and a strong reflection. I like the setting, pose, perch, light and reflection. In fact I like the reflection (bird and water colors) at least as much as I do the live bird. The image may be a little tight for some but it’s very close to full frame, shot vertically, and I just didn’t have as much wiggle room as I would have liked. I thought I’d present the image for your consideration anyway… Ron
A Compositional Conundrum
I intended this post to be a single image for my “Just A Shot That I Like” feature. It didn’t turn out that way. Six days ago I found this Great Blue Heron on the edge of a small, partially frozen creek with an almost vertical snow bank directly behind and very close to the bird. The heron was patient with me and I was close so I tried a variety of compositions using my 500 mm and 100-400 mm lenses. The incredibly fast shutter speeds were because of the bright snow and my forgetfulness in adjusting settings as I was juggling two cameras and lenses. In the end I couldn’t decide which composition I preferred so I’m presenting three of them here. 1/5000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, natural light This relatively tight vertical shows good detail on the bird and I like the close view of the swirly marks on the snow behind the heron made by a wing as it landed. 1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 500, 100 – 400 @ 400mm, natural light Some folks gravitate toward whole-bird reflections so I’m also including this composition. Ideally I’d prefer the bird to be slightly further left in the frame but cropping off the left makes the image too narrow vertically for my tastes and I have no more room on the right (image was taken vertically and is close to full frame). 1/6400, f/5.6, ISO 640, 100 – 400 @ 400mm, natural light A horizontal composition with the heron slightly smaller in the frame shows more of the…