Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! - As I sit quietly watching the glow of the video monitor, I'm reminded once again just how fortunate we all are.  Our lives are blessed with so many gifts––the richness of the creative process, the support and enthusiasm of creative people like you, and the love of family and friends.  The opportunity to pass along knowledge and share beauty is a great reward to my soul.  As we pass from this year to the next, my hope is that you, too, are finding new ways to share your gifts and talents with those in need.

Sheila and I have enjoyed sharing our travels and imagery with you this year and your comments have been a welcome companion along the lonely roads of the west. We both wish you all the very best 2012 has to offer!

For those wishing to sign up for the 2012 Pictures of the Day, click here...

Photographing the Total Lunar Eclipse - Dec. 10, 2011

Lunar eclipses occur several times per year, but total eclipses are a little more rare. We have a chance in the Western US (plus Alaska, Hawaii, and much of Asia) to see it in totality right near sunrise tomorrow. The image above was taken a year ago near Colorado Springs and is composed of a series of individual shots composited together using Photoshop. A 300mm lens with 1.4X teleconverter was used.

There are a number of good resources to predict the timing of eclipses which will help you plan your photographic strategy.

For example, it's generally a good idea to plan on some sort of foreground to make your shots more interesting to the viewer. This can be rock formations or mountain peaks. In the case of the Colorado Springs area, we have the Garden of the Gods rock formations and Pikes Peak - both worthy foreground subjects. Below, you'll see an example taken last year during the totality. The rock was light-painted by a strong flashlight during the 30-second exposure. This was published in Sky & Telescope Magazine several months ago.

Here's a useful link to more info on the eclipse tomorrow (from the EarthSky blog). To calculate the eclipse timing, we take you to the U.S. Naval Observatory. This will customize the timing for your particular location. For Colorado Springs, we have the following data:

From US Naval Obs (http://www.usno.navy.mil/USNO/astronomical-applications/data-services/lunar-ecl-us)

                    Total Eclipse of the Moon

                   COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO

                            o  '    o  '

                         W104 48, N38 51

                     Mountain Standard Time

                                                      Moon's

                                                Azimuth   Altitude

                                     h  m            o        o

Moonrise               2011 Dec 09  16:03          60.9     ----

Moon enters penumbra   2011 Dec 10  04:31.8       277.5     27.1

Moon enters umbra      2011 Dec 10  05:45.4       287.5     13.6

Moon enters totality   2011 Dec 10  07:05.7       299.0      0.2

Moonset                2011 Dec 10  07:09         299.4     ----

It turns out that totality begins about 7:05 AM Mountain Standard Time, which is very close to sunrise. Here's a handy sunrise/sunset calculator that will help you plan whether to shoot at night or at sunrise (moon over the mountains at sunrise, for example). Be sure to check off "Moonrise/Moonset" and "Civil Twilight", which is the time the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon and when landforms (under clear skies) are clearly distinguished. This would be the time when you usually can start photographing your "sunrise" images.

Making a calendar for Colorado Springs, we get the following data:

Twi: 6:36am
Sunrise: 7:06am
Sunset: 4:37pm
Twi: 5:07pm
Moonrise: 4:54pm
Moonset: 7:09am

So, the important info would be the entry into the umbra (main Earth's shadow), which starts at 5:45 AM, the start of totality (7:05 AM), Civil Twilight (6:36 AM) and sunrise (7:06 AM).

If you wanted to photograph some recognizable landforms for viewer interest and a sense of scale, you'll want to be in position and photographing by civil twilight (6:36 AM) and the light from sunrise and any leftover light from the lunar eclipse should be relatively balanced. Note that at totality, the moon will be just above the horizon (for us here in Colorado), so if there are high mountain ranges, or other obstructions, we'll miss totality. There will still be opportunities for a partial eclipse, however.

If you wish to use the Garden of the Gods rock formations or Pikes Peak for your foreground, you'll note that as the moon enters the umbra, it is still 13.6 degrees in elevation, which may (not having measured this just yet) put it just above the mountain range here. Good locations might include the Garden of the Gods Visitor Center parking lot or the overlook off Mesa Road. I believe locating yourself at the main parking lot next to the formations will be too close to include the moon.

Another good bet would be to drive west on Highway 24 to Wilkerson Pass and (using large telephoto lens) photograph the moon before it sets over the Collegiate Range.

Looking forward to seeing your pictures!

Photographing Forests

I'm often asked to judge photo contests or to perform portfolio reviews and one of my pet peeves is overly contrasty images. These are usually the easiest to discard, as they hurt my eyes. It's also very difficult to pick out any detail. Usually, the highlights are blown out (no detail) and the shadows are blocked up (no detail). Yuck!

There are ways of modifying the light of the direct sun when photographing smaller subjects, such as wildflowers, and we use diffusing disks quite a lot during our wildflower tours. Forests are a different story, though! You just can't hold up a large enough diffuser to soften the light in a forest scene! Therefore, I always check the weather forecast for cloudy or overcast conditions and plan my shooting schedule accordingly. Clouds make a great diffuser!

As Sheila and I were photographing the various redwood forests in Northern California, the light conditions changed from day to day. Some days were cloudless and some were a perfect overcast. It seems I always need to prove to myself that - by golly - you just can't capture a decent forest scenic in sunny weather (as below), so most of the shots taken this day were discarded. This first shot was photographed with full sun and I tried my best to shoot only in the shade most of the time, but this is often what I'm presented with for review by novice shooters.

Redwood forest scene shot in full sun.

This first shot had a lot more contrast prior to adjusting in Lightroom. I toned down the Exposure and brought up Fill Light, which evened things out quite a bit. But there are still bright highlights, which tend to pull the eye away from the central subject matter. It's OK, but not great.

Redwood forest scene shot in overcast skies.

While it's difficult to find a comparable scene when we're traveling from park to park, this one is fairly typical. There are no bright highlights and the tonal value of the scene as a whole is a lot more consistent. Much easier on the eyes!

Image Stabilizing Lenses and Tripods!

Most photographers fail to read the manuals that accompany their newest toys and I admit, I'm one of them. I feel the sign of a quality product is one where you don't have to read how to use it! However, when it comes to image stabilized (vibration reduction) lenses, this can be a major mistake. How many of you realize that most IS/VR lenses require the mode to be turned OFF when tripod-mounted?

Frankly, I have been guilty of this more often than not, and I always wondered why some images were just a bit fuzzy. I always assumed I had jiggled the setup during the exposure. I decided to create an example as I was photographing in Redwoods National Park in Northern California.

I mounted my Canon Rebel T2i body with 24-105mm IS lens on my tripod and photographed a redwood trunk from about eight feet away. I used no filters, and because I was shooting in shade, adjusted the white balance to "Cloudy". I was very careful to avoid shaking the setup during exposure. Then I exposed a shot with IS turned ON and another with IS turned OFF. Once I returned home, I cropped out a small area in order to magnify the surface of the bark. No processing or sharpening has been performed - both images are straight out of the camera. See how much sharper the second image looks? Because digital camera include an infrared (IR) filter which increases blur slightly, it would look even better with a bit of post-process sharpening.

Cropped image as shot with IS turned ON.

Cropped image with IS turned OFF.

Why I Use Polarizing Filters for Vegetation

Most photographers know polarizing filters are useful to reduce reflections - mainly for wet objects, such as boulders in stream shots, or to enhance rainbows or darken skies, allowing clouds to stand out more clearly. Many do not realize they are essential for reducing reflections in vegetation. This came across loud and clear during our trip through the Redwoods National and State Parks in Northern California.

I was shooting in Jedediah Redwoods State Park near the Oregon border and tried shooting the images below with, and without, a polarizer. As you can readily observe, there is a lot of reflection from the ferns and other foliage.

What's also quite interesting is that you don't need full sunlight for the effect to occur. Normally, the greatest polarization effect is 90 degrees from the direction of the sun (as this picture was shot). But in this case, the sky was completely overcast (the best time to photograph forests, by the way). The filter had a very great effect, as you can see! Do you also see that the colors are a deeper, truer, green?

Neither shot was adjusted...these are both straight out of the camera using auto-exposure and aperture priority mode...

Which would you rather hang on your wall?

Scene without polarizing filter.

Scene with polarizing filter.

When purchasing a polarizing filter, be sure to buy one that will fit your largest lens. You can always use reducing rings to fit to smaller diameter ones. You'll also want to be sure to select a circular polarizer, as these will work best for auto-focus cameras.

Be careful when using a polarizer on a wide-angle lens 16-35mm) - especially, the super-wide lenses (10-18mm), as the thicker lens may cause shadowing (vignetting) in the corners of your images. This is primarily an issue for full-frame cameras...not so much with the cameras using the smaller APS-C-sized imagers. The other issue with wide-angle lenses is that the polarizer may cause the tonal value of the sky to vary from left to right. This is why they are usually not recommended for this case. A similar issue presents itself when shooting a series of images to be used in a panoramic. As the angle of the filter changes in relation to the sun, the tonal value of the sky will change, making it near impossible for the panoramic software to fit the pieces together resulting in a consistent tone in the sky.

Crater Lake, OR

Crater Lake, OR - The last time I visited Crater Lake was when I was in my early teens, so its been on my list for many years. We finally were able to get there to photograph it November 1st during our tour up the West Coast. Its depth of 1,943 feet makes it the 7th deepest lake in the world and deepest in the U.S. Compare this image with the commemorative stamp issued September 5th, 1934. This was part of a series of stamps issued that year from 1 to 10 cent denominations that honored major national parks. Camera settings: Canon Rebel T2i with 24-105mm lens, ISO 400, 1/400 second at f11.

Ansel Adams on "Creativity"

"I cannot command the creative impulse on demand. I never know precisely what I'll photograph. I go out into the world and hope I will come across something that imperatively interests me. I am addicted to the found object. I have no doubt that I will continue making photographs till my last breath."


I wholeheartedly agree - do you?

Building Your Business

How do you build your business, whether it be photography or anything else?

It's just a matter of "getting your name out there" and marketing your product! Easier said then done, as I continually find out. One of my mentors, John Shaw, once said that when you're in the field shooting, you're spending money, and when you're in the office working, you're making money. I've tried to take that to heart.

Networking is probably more useful in pulling in business than anything. But most people don't understand what networking really means. It's not approaching a group handing out your business cards and going around to everyone saying "buy my product - buy my product". You need to work on establishing relationships with people, learning their needs and offering value to them. I try to freely share things I've learned - even with my competitors. Hopefully, by adding value to the community at large, it will "pay back" eventually. Almost every job I've been offered is one in which I've established a relationship with the buyer.

Then there's that whole social media marketing thing. SMM marketing guru, Kevin Knebl, says that people tend to do business with those they "know, like and trust". While he feels that SMM may be just a momentary fad, he believes strongly that if you simply follow the teachings of Dale Carnegie, in "How to Win Friends & Influence People" (which I'm reading now), you'll outperform the majority of business people in whatever field you're in.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Picture of the Day - 7/10/2011

(R-L) (Daughter) Linda & (Husband) Robb Parsons and Robb's cousin, Darin - Just after completing a two-day bike ride called the Double Triple Bypass - a 100+ mile ride over three major mountain passes (each way). The ride started in Evergreen, ending in Avon (just past Vail) the first day. The second day was the reverse. Of course, there was rain and hail both ways. Sheila and I were able to get pictures of both Robb and Linda during the break stations along the route. I'm sure I would have given up halfway up the first pass! Settings: ISO 800, shutter 1/80th second at an aperture of f7.1.

Picture of the Day - 7/9/2011

Baby Mountain Goats, Mt. Evans, CO - Just west of Denver, you'll find the Mt. Evans Highway (CO-103) - the highest paved road in the U.S. climbing to over 14,000 feet in elevation. At the end of this road, herds of mountain goats generally hang out - sometimes right in the main parking lot at the top. They are somewhat habituated to humans, so it's possible to get close-up photos of them without the very large lenses generally used for wildlife photography. We were photographing them for quite a while and near the middle of the day, I saw these two newborns playing on the rocky overhang. I couldn't resist taking several shots. I used my 100-400mm lens (at 400mm) to frame the scene. Settings: ISO 200, shutter 1/1000th second at an aperture of f8.

Picture of the Day - 5/24/2011

Peacock Displaying, Oklahoma City Zoo, OK - Here's the last B&W conversion done at my recent workshop and this will be the last of the PODs, now that I'm caught up from our recent travels. More will come as we continue traveling through the summer. I was just ready to leave the zoo near closing when I saw this male peacock starting to display - certainly reason enough to postpone my departure! Because of the multitude of colors in the tail, I had to be careful during the B&W conversion to adjust individual color channels carefully to avoid ruining the detail. Extra sharpening and mid-tone contrast was added to enhance the edge detail in the patterns. This was taken with a 100-400mm zoom telephoto lens, handheld, using image stabilization. Settings: ISO 1600, shutter 1/50th second at an aperture of f10.

Picture of the Day - 5/23/2011

Upper Antelope Canyon, Page, AZ - I have two more B&W conversions made during the B&W Print workshop in Santa Fe I'd like to show you. These are both created from past images made during March this year. This one of Upper Antelope Canyon with the light beam is similar to a previous shot I posted in color. These beams last only a few minutes, so you need to know exactly where to be in the canyon during the time it appears. Our Navajo guide was a great help in getting us to the right place at the right time. This was a tough conversion because of the extreme difference between the highlights and shadows. Settings: ISO 800, shutter 1.3 second at an aperture of f8.

Picture of the Day - 5/22/2011

Red Rocks, Abiquiu, NM - Here's one last shot taken at the Red Rocks area across from Abiquiu Reservoir. This is one of several colorful Mesas in this area. One goal during the process of B&W conversion is to enhance the foreground by adding sharpening and mid-tone contrast. I also added additional contrast in the sky and clouds. Additional burning and dodging provides emphasis on the main subject and balances out the tonal variations that may be distracting. These are the same techniques used by Ansel Adams in the darkroom, but converted to today's current digital tools. Settings: ISO 200, shutter 1/40th second at an aperture of f16 for good depth of field.

Picture of the Day - 5/21/2011

Yucca at Red Rocks, Abiquiu, NM - Here is a B&W converted image of a small yucca plant - maybe 8 inches tall - in the Red Rocks area across from Abiquiu Reservoir, off Highway 84 in New Mexico. This was shot at a wide aperture to blur out the background, focussing more attention on the subject. I also thought it looked nicer cropped square. It required a lot of cloning (removal) of debris in the foreground and background in order to simplify the image.

Picture of the Day - 5/20/2011

Cross at La Santa Rosa De Lima Ruin, Hernandez, NM - Here is a B&W converted image of the cross at the ruins of La Santa Rosa De Lima Chapel near Hernandez, NM. This is close to where Ansel Adams made is famous "Moonrise Over Hernandez" image and where Georgia O'Keefe lived in Abiquiu (near Ghost Ranch).

Picture of the Day - 5/19/2011

Upper Antelope Canyon, Page, AZ - Here is a converted image of Upper Antelope Canyon - a popular slot canyon near Page, Arizona. This was a tough image to convert because of the dramatic dynamic range between highlights and shadows. The important subject in the picture was the light falling on the tumbleweeds, so I let the shadows go black. I like the effect, however...what do you think?

Picture of the Day - 5/18/2011

Zabrisky Point, Death Valley, CA - As a part of our workshop, I had brought several candidate images from home to convert to B&W and Dante's View in Death Valley was one of my favorites. Here's the converted image after massaging it using Lightroom. We'll be going even deeper into B&W conversions today. What's interesting about George DeWolfe's conversion techniques are that, as a past student of Ansel Adams and Minor White, he has translated their darkroom techniques to the digital realm to create a "presence" or depth to the 2D image. He's also pulled in specialized techniques from painters, such as outlining objects to make them stand out better.

Picture of the Day - 5/17/2011

Red Rocks, NM - As a part of our workshop, George DeWolfe had us spend the afternoon photographing in the Red Rocks area just north of Abiquiu, the town where painter, Georgia O'Keefe, spent several years. While the day started out overcast, the clouds eventually became nicely photogenic and served as perfect backdrops for the gorgeous rock buttes. We'll be converting some of these to B&W tomorrow! Settings are ISO 200, aperture f11 and shutter 1/250 second. The original and B&W conversion are shown for comparison. I like how both came out, but which do you prefer?

Picture of the Day - 5/16/2011

Santa Fe Architecture - As a lover of all types of architecture, I rarely walk around Santa Fe without a camera. Even the doorways are unique, Here, I show a very typical slice of Santa Fe adobe-style architecture in the soft light of the setting sun. I try to simplify my compositions, as well as look for complementary colors, and this image fits my style nicely. Settings are ISO 200, aperture f5.6 and shutter 1/2000 second.

Picture of the Day - 5/15/2011

Moonrise Over Santa Fe Workshops - Sorry; a play on Ansel Adams' famous, Moonrise Over Hernandez. Sheila and I arrived in Santa Fe last Sunday and we were scouting out the location of the well-known (to photographers) Santa Fe Workshops site near the Old Town District, where I'll be taking a week-long black & white print workshop. I just happened to catch the rising moon over the administration building and as a tribute to Adams, converted the color image to B&W. Settings are ISO 200, aperture f5.6 and shutter 1/1600 second. For more info on Adams famous image, click here and scroll down a bit.

Picture of the Day - 5/14/2011

Blue River - Here's a continuation from yesterday. A little further downstream, I came across this group of small waterfalls. By shooting down low, I was able to capture reflections of the sky in the water, giving a nice complement to the red bedrock. I used a slow shutter speed to depict movement of the water. Settings are ISO 100, aperture f20 and shutter 1/5 second.

Picture of the Day - 5/13/2011

Golden Potholes - I'm attending the annual Moab Photo Symposium and as a part of the program, joined one of the many afternoon photo shoots - this one led by organizer, Bruce Hucko. We headed for a somewhat hidden creek flowing over sandstone bedrock, just east of Moab. After hiking about a mile, we had dropped down to the creek and were ready to make photographs. As we worked out way downstream, I came across these potholes filled with recent rainwater. By photographing from a low vantage point, I captured reflections of the red rocks. Settings are ISO 100, aperture f16 and shutter 1/6 second. Because I was shooting in the shade, I used a cloudy white balance to counteract the bluish color cast in the rocks.

Lower Antelope Canyon - 2

Another section of Lower Antelope Canyon showing the multiple hues of oranges, yellows and browns.

Lower Antelope Canyon - 1

Tour participant, Stan, composing a shot in Lower Antelope Canyon. We're shooting in the canyon about 50 to 80 feet below the ground surface. These canyons are best photographed during mid-day; an unusual time for nature photography, but the reflected light bounces all through the canyon causing the walls to glow multi-earth tones.

Upper Antelope Canyon - Light Beam

Upper Antelope Canyon, near Page, AZ, is unique in that at certain times in mid-day, sunlight will shine for brief moments in various parts of the canyon. This was about a 1/8th-second exposure at f4.5 and ISO 400.

Monument Valley Sunset 1

This was a memorable sunset looking west from the edge of Monument Valley. It lasted for about 30 minutes and we were able to take several panoramics.

Monument Valley Sunrise 3

One more sunrise from Monument Valley. This was taken a little later than Sunrise #2 and we allowed the sun to create a starburst effect as it rose in the early morning sky. To get this effect, just allow a little of the sun to poke from behind the rock and shoot with your aperture closed down to f22, or smaller. The edge diffraction causes the burst.

Monument Valley Sunrise 2

Getting out of the sack prior to sunrise has its rewards! Fortunately, we were camped right on the rim above the valley, so I simply stepped out of the trailer to capture this view of the Mittens.

Monument Valley Sunrise 1

Sand dunes, totem pole and YeiBiChei rock formations at sunrise. We hired Navajo guide, Frank, from Blackwater Tours to bring us in here well before sunrise. For once, we had some interesting skies. Normally, it's rather bland just at sunrise.

Picture of the Day - 3/20/2011

Foxie Posing in Phlox - Foxie is always so accommodating! We placed her in the midst of (I believe) a field of Drummond Phlox. She posed so nicely for us during her "photo shoot"; turning her head first one way and then the other - sometimes smelling the fragrance drifting in the wind. What a happy dog! Settings: ISO 400, 1/160th second at f13, 28-300mm lens.

Picture of the Day - 3/19/2011

Texas Wildflowers (cont.) - Texas did not have the near rains of last year, so the predictions for wildflowers have been scaled back some. However, there are very good pockets of colorful flowers around Kerry and Richard's place east of San Antonio. This is farm and ranch country and Sheila and I drove around the nearby roads on the lookout for colorful patches. We ran into this one near a local Baptist church and I couldn't resist the layers of color in this composition. From front to back, Texas Paintbrush, Bluebonnets, what appears to be Missouri Primrose and more Texas Paintbrush and primrose. There is a good Web site for Texas wildflowers here: http://www.texaswildflowerpictures.com/

Picture of the Day - 3/18/2011

Texas Wildflowers - Sheila and I are visiting her sister, Kerry, near San Antonio for the next week. One thing I was hoping for was that we would be in time for at least the first blooms of Texas wildflowers and we weren't disappointed. Texas Hill Country" west of Austin (primarily). There are nice pockets of flowers here and there, despite the fact we're a little further south than the prime areas. I took this picture in a vacant lot southeast of San Antonio, but there were nice areas along both sides of the road. Most of the flowers are Texas Paintbrush with some unidentified pink and yellow flowers. There is a good Web site for Texas wildflowers here: http://www.texaswildflowerpictures.com/

Picture of the Day - 3/15/2011

Pelicans in Flight, Boca Chico Beach, TX - Sheila and I spent the morning at Boca Chica Beach, the southernmost beach in Texas and just across the Rio Grande from Mexico. It's possible to drive your car out along the beach there and the few people there were usually fishing. While Sheila collected seashells, I walked Foxie and photographed the brown pelicans and other seabirds in the area. The pelicans typically fly in long lines parallel to the shore. Settings: ISO 400, 1/4000 second at f8, 28-300mm lens handheld.

Picture of the Day - 3/14/2011

Sunset in Laguna Atascosa NWR - We moved our camp to Brownsville, Texas, and spent most of the day in the Laguna Atascosa NWR - famous for the elusive ocelots living there. Unfortunately, they are nocturnal, so the chances of seeing one in the wild are very slim. However, there were plenty of waterfowl and other birds. This scene was taken on the Lakeside Road near the visitor center. Settings: ISO 200, 1/250 second at f5.6, 400mm lens on tripod.

New Workshop and Tour: Nat Coalson and I will be leading a new all-day photo shoot and Lightroom seminar at Garden of the Gods Park and Visitor Center, Saturday, June 4th. The cost is only $119 and you may register here. I'm also in discussions with a tour operator and guide service for a photo tour of Costa Rica in early November. We'll have room for a maximum of six participants. Please email me for more info.

Picture of the Day - 3/13/2011

Sunset in Mexico - We're camped right on the Rio Grande where we can see across to the wilderness and wildlife preserves in Mexico. Friday night, we were walking the dog right around sunset and captured this palm tree with the setting sun. I love the orange sky here...who says you can't/shouldn't shoot into the sun? Settings: ISO 1600, 1/1000 second at f25 28-300mm lens, handheld.

Picture of the Day - 3/12/2011

Santa Ana NW Reserve, McAllen, TX - This is the fourth and final day of the Summit, so I'm including a photo taken last Wednesday of the group of us walking out to the trailhead of the Santa Ana NWR near McAllen. This was one of the better spots to photograph aquatic birds and we ran into several - roseate spoonbills, grebes, egrets, cormorants and many others. Settings: ISO 200, 1/800 second at f5, 100-400mm lens.

Picture of the Day - 3/11/2011

Green Jay, Martin Reserve, TX - This is the third day of the Summit, so I'm including a photo taken last Tuesday of another green jay, a common species this time of year. It was taken from a blind at the Martin Reserve. They never rest for very long, so you need to be fast on the shutter. Settings: ISO 200, 1/1000 second at f4, 600mm lens and fill flash with Better Beamer magnifier.

Picture of the Day - 3/10/2011

Buff-Bellied Hummingbird, Hidalgo Pumphouse Reserve, TX - This is the second day of the Summit, so I'm including a photo taken Wednesday of a buff-bellied hummingbird (Amazilia yucataneous), a common species this time of year. It was resting on this branch for quite a while, affording me the chance to manually focus the lens deep into the bush. Settings: ISO 200, 1/40 second at f13, 400mm. This handheld shot was only possible by using an image-stabilized lens.

Picture of the Day - 3/9/2011

Green Jay, Martin Refuge, TX - The NANPA Summit started today, so to spare you from more rug pictures (joke from last year), I'll show you another image from the Martin Refuge taken last Tuesday. The green jay is one of the more colorful and plentiful birds in the area tis time of year. South Texas happens to be the location for a convergence of two major bird flyways, as well as the northern terminus for many of the tropical birds flying up from Central and South America. As such, the area around the Rio Grande River is rich with diverse birdlife. Settings: ISO 200, 1/3200 second at f4. Fill flash set at -2/3rds shot through a Better Beamer magnifier.

Picture of the Day - 3/8/2011

Roadrunner, Martin Refuge, TX - I spent the afternoon today at the Martin Refuge (www.martinrefuge.com) sitting in a blind and photographing the myriad of birds found here. Joining me in the blind were, photographers, Jon Fuller (Moab Photo Tours) and Jack Panseca (27 Birds). The blind was about three feet below grade, so we were able to set up tripods with lenses just above ground level for perfect eye-to-eye photography. Dominant birds included green jays, yellow-fronted woodpeckers, cardinals and long-billed thrashers. We did manage to photograph a roadrunner, who (very politely, I thought) posed for us in various spots, turning his head first one way and then the other, just showing off the the cameras. I was using the 600mm lens with the Canon 1D Mk2 body with a 12mm extension tube to bring the focus a little closer. The refuge management had constructed a couple small ponds and several nearby natural-looking perches. Settings: ISO 200, 1/4000 second at f4. Fill flash set at -2/3rds shot through a Better Beamer magnifier.

Picture of the Day - 3/7/2011

Sunset over the Rio Grande River, near McAllen, TX - Sheila and I arrived to the RV park about 5 PM today. Our camp spot is very close to the edge of the Rio Grande River in South Texas. It's in the high 70s and slightly humid, but otherwise pretty comfortable. We just finished a nice visit with good friends King and Sharon near Austin and will be spending this week at the NANPA Summit (www.nanpa.org), an annual nature photography conference. As I was reheating leftovers, I noticed the sun was preparing to set, so I ran out to the river's edge and grabbed a few shots. Settings: ISO 200, 1/125th second at f6.3. I cropped the image at the top and bottom for a better composition. Note the ugly posterization around the sky - a good reason to have saved this as a TIFF, rather than a JPEG (with associated loss of bit depth/resolution). Makes for a classic picture, though. The next two days, I'll be spending on wildlife preserves, so hopefully, will capture a bird or two.

Picture of the Day - 3/5/2011

Meerkats, Oklahoma City Zoo - It's probably not possible to take a bad meerkat picture! Oklahoma soil contains a lot of brown clay, which colors their coats. Settings: ISO 400, 1/640 second at f8, 360mm lens.

Picture of the Day - 3/4/2011

Mountain Lion, Oklahoma City Zoo - The Oklahoma City Zoo has been fixing up their displays over the last several years, primarily to make the enclosures more natural-looking. This mountain lion was photographed through a plexiglass viewing port, which allowed for unrestricted photography. Many zoos still have fencing that tends to interfere with picture-taking, but we'll be talking about zoo-photography and how to overcome this in the March newsletter. Because this was taken in the shade, the lighting was nice and even, however, there was a slight blue color-cast that had to be corrected by adding a little yellow. I liked the natural-looking pose, but this requires a lot of patience - a good trait for wildlife photographers!

Picture of the Day - 3/3/2011

Pops Store and Restaurant, Oklahoma City - Our last stop during our visit to Oklahoma City was to the famous Pops Restaurant and soda pop store. Located just off the historic Route 66, the store sells hundreds of exotic soda pop. Sheila and I also split a whopping-big chicken fried steak dinner - a classic meal in this area. While we were eating dinner, I noticed a sunset was happening and captured an image of their multi-colored soda pop bottle, which I estimate is about 75 feet high.

Picture of the Day - 3/2/2011

Peacock Displaying, Oklahoma Zoo - Sheila and I visited her cousin, Jeanne, near Oklahoma City. Jeanne is an artist who paints wildlife portraits and enjoys visiting the zoo to make "reference photos". We spent the next couple days there and in our wanderings, found this peacock displaying for the ladies.