Pages

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Nikon D7000 Is Here!



Well I finally got my hands on Nikon's latest DSLR so I thought I would share my initial impressions. I've only had it for a few days and haven't put it through its proper paces yet, but I will hopefully be doing that soon. So I'll just briefly talk about what I've seen so far.

BUILD AND QUALITY
My first thought was about size, for some reason I thought it was going to be bigger than it is. I had read that it was slightly bigger than the D90. Slightly might be an over statement. The D7000 is a sliver taller but otherwise the dimensions seem to be almost identical. As a matter of fact, at first glance they appear to be the same camera.

When you look a little closer you start to see some small but significant differences. First is the quality throughout the camera. The D7000 has a PRO build to it. The rubber grip is solid and and seems to be higher quality material that is easier to hold. The weather sealed body magnesium alloy body also feels nice. There are also little upgrades like the clasps for the camera strap resemble that of the D300+ camera bodies.

It also seems that there aren't any more buttons than the D90 but again you have to look closer. The mode dial is now a dual dial. It is the "Mode Dial," which includes the "Aperture Priority", "Shutter Priority" etc. It now includes U1 and U2 modes which can store and recall customized shooting settings. The second part of the dial is the "Release Mode Dial." This is where you select "Continuous High", "Continuous Low" etc. But it now offers a "Quiet Mode," which is a single shot where the noise is reduced. I also found that it reduces camera shake which I will talk about another time. The D7000 also offers "Mirror Up" mode which was not available on the D90. Using the "MU" mode you can press the shutter once to move the mirror up, then press it again to actually trigger the shutter. The remote mode also has a "Mirror Up" option. When you press your remote the mirror will go up, and the second time you press it the shutter will be trigger. This is an excellent option when you are trying to reduce camera shake.


AUTO FOCUS
The 39 point auto focus system is new for the D7000 and with it comes several options that were previously only found in the D300+ bodies.

Another feature not available in the D90 is Auto focus Fine Tune. I found the D90 to be excellent in focusing lenses correctly. But once I did some testing with a "Lens Align" type device I noticed there was some minor front and rear focusing issues on various lenses than can now be corrected on the D7000. That said, my D7000 seems to back focus more than the D90. Again, this can be resolved with the AF Fine Tune.

There is an option for release type. The shutter can be trigger for "Release" which means it will go when you press the button no matter what. Or, it can be set for "Focus" which means it will only trigger the shutter when the "In-Focus Indicator" is displayed. The D90 had no such option.

Focus Tracking with Lock-On is now an option. You can set it to be "OFF" so the camera will immediately adjust the AF if the distance to the subject changes. This requires excellent panning for moving objects, because the AF will quickly jump around. You can also set it to "1 -Short" through "5" giving you more or less time if the distance suddenly changes. An example of how this works is if your tracking a bird and it goes behind a tree. If the setting is "OFF" then it will immediately focus to the tree, otherwise it will wait the selected amount of time for the bird to come out from behind the tree and reacquire it.

That's probably enough for one day but I'm just scratching the surface of the new abilities of the D7000. If your a D300(S) or an FX shooter some of this isn't news to you. But it does illustrate that many PRO features are now available in the D7000 line.

*Amendment - I wanted to update this post to say that I found a couple of the lenses I was using had a back focusing problem beyond the D7000. I tested the lenses on a D90 and D300 and found the back focus pretty consistent. Fortunately with the D7000 and D300 you are able to fine tune adjust the focus into proper calibration.

I will soon be posting a high ISO test of the D7000 vs previous generation cameras, the D80 and D90. I will also share more observations and experiences with the new camera.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Photo of the Day! Cascade River State Park, MN

Cascade River State Park, MN
Nikon D90|Lensbaby Composer|F5.6|ISO 200|1/8

I went camping twice last summer at Cascade River State Park in northern Minnesota. I was playing around with my settings, lenses and angles. I decided to throw on my Lensbaby and see what I could get with it. Well, I think it turned out pretty darn good. This image took 2nd place in a contest last summer.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Photo of the Day! Stretch Your Wings!

 
Nikon D90, 500mm f/4 AFS @ ISO 640, f/5.6, 1/1250

This mallard duck is stretching his wings and drying off after getting wet while eating in the almost freezing water.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Photo of the Day! Soft Landing


Nikon D90|300mm f2.8 @7.1|TC14|ISO 400|1/1000

Chad and I were out looking for bald eagles today. We did see a few, but not many. So we headed to our reliable duck spot. I was looking for landing and just about to land shots. Here is my favorite so far.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Photo of the Day! Winter Gull


Nikon D90|300mm f2.8|TC14|ISO 400|f8|1/2500

This gull is from my shoot today along the Minnesota River. I was out looking for eagles and did find a few. Since the water is still flowing its difficult to predict where the eagles will fish. The gulls however aren't as picky!

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Photo of the Day! Grand Teton National Park

Mormon Barn Pano
Nikon D90|24mm|ISO 200|1/80| 2 shot pano

This is one of my favorite photos from Grand Teton National Park. I decided to share it with because I received my print of it yesterday in the mail from Whcc.com. Let's just say that I'm VERY happy on the way it turned out!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Photo of the Day! Red Tailed Hawk


Nikon D90, 300mm f2.8, TC14, @ 420mm, ISO 200, f5.6, 1/1250

Birds of prey are often my favorite subject to photograph. Last fall when we were driving looking for moose in Grand Teton National Park this hawk was perched perfectly atop of a fence post. Two U-turns later we were shooting out the car window at this beautiful raptor.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Location & Wildlife Photography



As a developing wildlife photographer there are many obstacles you must overcome before you can achieve sucess. You may have desire, passion and determination, but it's just not that easy. Once you get past the gear and that long lens you need, then you have to go find the wildlife. If your a hunter or birder which led to your passion, then have a head start on the rest of us because you will know more about finding wildlife than most.

When I started I would wander around wooded areas looking in the trees for birds to chase, deer to randomly approach me or a hawk to stumble upon. As you might imagine I didn't have much success early on. So if you're like I was, hopefully this article will be of help to you. Let me also say that I'm not beyond this problem. The biggest challenge in wildlife photography is to locate and approach the animals. But I will try lessen the learning curve.

2010021601803-Edit

One option is to decide what wildlife your most interested in, then start researching some good places to locate approachable animals. Some examples of this are:

Sandhill Cranes, Bosque Del Apache, NM in November
Burrowing Owls, Cape Coral, FL from Feb-May
Water Fowl, Various southern states from Florida to Arizona.
Wolves, Grizzly Bear, Black Bear, Elk, Bison, Coyote, Yellowstone National Park, Autumn.

p20090410180322-3-Edit

If frequent road trips and airline tickets aren't in your budget then your left with specializing in your local area. Find what species are abundant AND approachable in your area.  This might be birds that go to your bird feeder but aren't found in other parts of the country. Even if all you have in your area are Cardinals and Chickadees, then try to get the best Cardinal and Chickadee images possible. One thing to remember is more people are interested in buying a Cardinal image than a species of bird they've never heard of. Also try public places where the animals are accustom to people.

There is sometimes a bit of a learning curve for new wildlife photographers and I hope this post has helped a bit. Remember, the key is finding wildlife that is approachable. The biggest thing is don't get frustrated. Get out there, enjoy being outside and witnessing nature.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Photo of the Day! Ely, Minnesota Landscape

Ely, MN
Nikon D90, 20mm, f/16, ISO 400

While camping at Bear Head State Park in northern Minnesota I took off in the car looking for animals. Although, I didn't find any bears, wolves, or moose I did came across this beautiful landscape.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Photo of the Day! Teton Range

 
(click for larger view) Nikon D90, Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 @ 32mm, ISO 200, f/13, 5-shot Panorama

This is one of the many from our recent trip to Grand Teton National Park. This panorama shows most of the Teton Range. This image was taken near Schwabacher's Landing.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Photo of the Day! Goldeneye in the Snow!

 
Nikon D90, Sigma 150-500mm OS, @ 500mm, 640 ISO, f/7.1 1/320 

The scene is getting snowy around here and the ducks and water birds are making their way through to their wintering grounds. The migration is an opportunity to photograph water fowl that are normally spread out and hard to find. Most of them are skiddish though, and difficult to approach. They can make a challenging subject.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Photo of the Day! Common Tern

 
Nikon D90, 500mm f/4 AFS @ ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/3200

 This is a Common Tern that I photographed during the "Chad almost fell into the lake with his 500mm f/4" day. Fortunately I kept my lens above water and ended up with this image. Check out the Photographer Insurance post for the whole story.

 


Thursday, November 18, 2010

Thoughts on Grand Teton National Park

Oxbow Bend
Nikon D90, 50mm f1.4, ISO 200, f16, 3 shot HDR

To start with, I would spend a lot more time in GTNP than we did on our previous trip. Last September we arrived in GTNP in late Sunday afternoon, so we weren't able to see or do much before the sunset. We spent all day Monday then most of the day Tuesday in the park. We did hit most of the iconic photography spots, but we didn't get to spend as much time as we would have liked at each one. We hit up Oxbow Bend both mornings, although, we weren't actually planning on visiting Oxbow the second time do to time constraints. We also hit Schwabacher Landing, the Mormon Barns, Wilson Rd (moose), Jenny Lake, and Jackson Lake. We definitely hit a lot of places but for short periods of time.

If you are into landscape photography, GTNP is definitely the place to be. Equipment that I would make sure to have with you, a strong stable tripod, remote shutter release, and a circular polarizer filter and a wide angle lens.

Mormon Barn
Nikon D90, 50mm f1.4, ISO 200 f16, 2-3 shot HDR stitched with CS5

My advice, try to do something new or at least new to you. We all know that GTNP has been photographed over and over again. So, how can you do something different? Try shooting HDR (high dynamic range), a panorama, or do what Chad did and turn around and shoot the opposite direction as everyone else (See Chad's blog post on HTC EVO 4G as a Camera). Shoot as much as you can in the early morning and late evening. Remember GTNP is a photographers paradise, so get there early before all of the other photographers!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Photo of the Day! Baby Big Horn Sheep


Nikon D90, 70-200 VR, @200mm, f4, ISO 1000, 1/640

I took this on my way out west at Badlands National Park. I found this little guy running around while its mother was grazing near the road.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Spotlight: "American Eagle" and Inspiration

In this Spotlight article I wanted to share some of my favorite content to stratch that wildlife or photography itch when you can't be out there yourself. Today I'd like to talk about PBS Nature's American Eagle. I first saw American Eagle a few years when I was getting serious about wildlife photography and photographing bald eagles for the first time. It started with the common love of bald eagles, but this film also hit home because it was near home. Many of the scenes in this film were shot in the upper Mississippi River Valley, which is in my neck of the woods.

This documentary quickly became a source of inspiration for me. Neil Rettig is the primary film maker on the American Eagle project. Neil is a Wisconson native and has many other excellent films such as Raptor Force. It quickly became a dream of mine to produce work like Mr. Rettig's. The scenes of the eagles and the story behind it was very moving. I figured that my version of the story would be still images. Now with DSLR's producing HD quality video I hope to also capture some motion along with my still images of my favorite bird of prey.



I've included a video of some behind the scenes footage of the making of American Eagle and an interview with Neil Rettig. A DVD or Blu Ray of American Eagle are available on Amazon of which I've provided a link. If your interested in bald eagles, raptors, wildlife photography or film making I strongly recommend owning a copy. I watch it often for inspiration during my annual eagle photography.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Photo of the Day: Wings of an Angel

Trumpeter Swans
Nikon D90, 500mm, ISO 500, f7.1, 1/2000, EV+1/3

Another season that is fast approaching us is the Trumpeter Swan season. Not far from my house, along the Minnesota River, the water doesn't freeze over because of a nearby power plant. A large concentration of Trumpeter Swans hang out every winter. This photo was taken last January. It was somewhere around 5 degrees below zero.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Song Bird Photography - Sucess!


Nikon D90, Nikkor 500mm f/4 AFS + TC 14 @ 700mm, ISO 500, f/11, 1/640

One of the biggest challenges for me when I started wildlife photography was actually finding wildlife to photograph. Nothing is more frustrating than wanting to go shoot something but not sure where to go. Derek and I started by going to the zoo where there are many subject at the ready. But after a while we wanted wild subjects.

Another great place to looks is bird feeders. Unfortunately Derek and I didn't have access to our own backyard feeders. So this forced us to use bird feeders at public places such as parks, wildlife areas and the zoo. The problem was none of those feeders offered the flexibility of modifying the area for optimal shooting conditions.


Nikon D90, Nikkor 500mm f/4 AFS + TC 14 @ 700mm, ISO 500, f/11, 1/640

In order to solve the problem of having a location with reliable subjects, I recently spoke to a property manager of a local park and wildlife management area. I got permission to place feeding stations at locations of my choice. I found spot at the edge of a wooded area, near a pond with both morning and evening light.


Nikon D90, Nikkor 500mm f/4 AFS + TC 14 @ 700mm, ISO 500, f/11, 1/640

It has been a couple of weeks now and the feeders are being frequented by many birds. I stop regularly to check the feeders and refill them. Earlier this week was the first time I spent time photographing there. All of the photographs shown above were from that shoot. It sounds like such a simple thing but this is a point of pride for me, because now I have my own reliable area for song birds!

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Photo of the Day: Bull Elk

Bull Elk, YNP
Nikon D90, 300mm f2.8 @2.8, 1/1600, ISO 400

I was standing among many other photographers in a grassy field between West Yellowstone and Madison in Yellowstone National Park. I stood watching (more than shooting) this huge bull elk, I was in awe of his size. His herem were roughly 10 female elk which were near by feeding.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Photo of the Day! Whispering Creek!

Whispering Creek 
 Nikon D90, Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 @ 13mm, ISO 200, f/22, 2.5 sec

This photograph is from the Lake Louise area of Banff National Park. There are a lifetime of photographic opportunities that include breath taking mountains  and vistas in the park. But there are also beautiful creeks, rivers and waterfalls seemly everywhere throughout the Canadian Rockies. I was really impressed by the beauty of these creeks and wanted to make sure to photograph them. In this photograph I was using a super wide angle lens and got in close to the water. The water was cold and the rocks were slippery so I had to concentrate on keeping myself dry! I titled this one Whispering Creek because of the peace of the creek as it was hidden in the mountains whispering the flow of water in its solitude.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Photo Adventure on the Lake!



It's always fun going out to take photos, but it's more fun when you plan a small trip. Last Monday Chad and I went out to Lake Waconia on a boat to look for migrating ducks.

We ended up finding Loons, Canvas Backs, Coots, Geese, Gulls, Mallards and Ring-necked ducks. We first ran into the loons. They were somewhat easy to get close too in comparison to everything else we saw. We would wait for the loons to dive down then we would use the trolling motor to zoom in a little closer.



Once we got what we felt was enough loon photos we moved on to a large bay that had hundreds of Coots in. Mixed in with the Coots is where we found the Ring-necked ducks and Canvas-backs. While sitting low in the boat and using the trolling motor we attempted to get in close. Since the coots where extremely skiddish which made everything else in the bay skiddish too.

Once we flushed everything away we headed to the north end of the lake where there is a man-made rock point (see insurance blog post!) where there are always gulls hanging out. Most of the gulls flew away as soon as we got near, but some hung around for us to make a couple of photos.



As you can see, avian photography is difficult to say the least. You are never guaranteed anything when you go out, but that is half of the fun. When you do come home with a photo that you love it makes all of the near misses worth the while.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Photo of the Day: Lone Peak



I made this image two years ago while packing the ski's into the back of a friends truck. This was my first view of Lone Peak in Big Sky, MT. As everyone was getting excited for a long day of skiing I quickly ran back into my house and grabbed my camera. It wasn't until I fired off a couple of shots when the others realized the beauty of the morning.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Photographer Insurance



Hopefully my insurance agent won't read this.. =) Last spring I had a very close call that almost cost me big! I had recently bought my Nikkor 500mm f/4. When we got on the boat to photograph Tern's I joked about how all of my equipment was covered except my shinny new lens. My procrastination in updating my policy almost cost me big!

I'm always willing to push the limit to get the shot and I decided it would be best if I got off the boat and walked on a rocky point to get a nice low angle. I got off the boat in about four feet of water when I realized I was standing on very slippery boulders. The boat had backed off and I was on my own. In seemly slow motion, I started to fall. I toppled over in the water holding my 500mm f/4! Somehow through luck and concentration I was able to keep my lens above water!

Derek watched the whole thing from the boat. He said it started with fear then quickly changed to all out laughter. The worst part was that due to my antics the birds got spooked and flew off.

This is a topic that should be obvious but is often overlooked by many photographers. If your a pro and are making a living from photography, hopefully it's something that was at the top of your to do list. But many amateurs overlook it.

You might think it's expensive or a big hassle. But the truth is that in many cases you can add a personal articles policy to your homeowners insurance. I use State Farm Insurance and it was fast and easy to set up. The best news is that it is very affordable! You can typically cover thousands of dollars of gear for a couple hundred dollars per year. All types of photographers will benefit from this type of piece of mind. But for us wildlife photographers, I'd say it's a necessity!



In the end I was able to get a few shots from the boat, but it wouldn't have been worth it if I lost the lens due to my laziness on something so simple. If your a pro you likely need a policy for working photographers. I'd suggest joining one of the professional photographer associations such as PPA or NPPA and getting insurance though them. If you an amateur, call up your homeowners insurance agent and get it set up today, it's worth it!

Photo of the Day! Splash Landing!


Nikon D90, Nikkor 500mm f/4 AFS @ ISO 640, f/5.6 1/1250

This is a female mallard coming in for a splash landing. This was taken a couple of weeks ago at a local pond.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

HDR (High Dynamic Range)

Cascade River State Park, MN
Nikon D90, 14mm, f18, ISO 200

Click the image to view it larger in our gallery!!

HDR is something Chad and I have incorporated into our work flow over the last couple of years. So, what does HDR mean?

Here is what Wikipedia has to say:
In image processing, computer graphics, and photography, high dynamic range imaging (HDRI or just HDR) is a set of techniques that allow a greater dynamic range of luminance between the lightest and darkest areas of an image than current standard digital imaging techniques or photographic methods. This wide dynamic range allows HDR images to more accurately represent the range of intensity levels found in real scenes, ranging from direct sunlight to faint starlight.[1]

Basically, HDR means that we can pull out detail in shadows and dark areas that the camera can't get in a single exposure. The human eye can see these details but our camera sensors can't.

Here are the 7 images I used to create the image on the top of the page.
-3


-2


-1


0


+1


+2


+3


Many people haven't jumped on board with the emergence on HDR. In my opinion HDR is here to stay. HDR has helped Chad and I bring our landscape photo to a whole new level.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Photo of the Day! Firehole Falls, Yellowstone!


Nikon D90, Sigma 24-70 f/2.8, Hoya ND16X @ ISO 200 f/22

This was from our recent trip to Yellowstone. This is at Firehole Falls which is between West Yellowstone and Old Faithful. Firehole Falls is a cool area and worth stopping by. So much of the park is beautiful, so this spot is just one of many.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Photo of the Day! Split Rock Lighthouse Reflection

Split Rock Lighthouse, MN
Nikon D90, 50mm f/1.8, ISO 200, f16

Split Rock State Park is one of my favorite places in Minnesota to photograph. Each season on the north shore brings something new!

Thursday, November 4, 2010

My Pix for your Wildlife Fix!


Yellowstone: Battle for Life

If your like me and you can’t always be in a magical place like Yellowstone, Grand Tetons or Banff, then you need to do something in your down time to get your fix. So I decided to start a new segment called, My Pix for your Wildlife Fix. I’ll share some of my favorite nature, wildlife and photography content.

Since our Grand Teton / Yellowstone trip is still fresh in my memory, I thought I’d start with my favorite Yellowstone film. Yellowstone: Battle For Life. This Yellowstone documentary is a BBC film by Executive Producer Michael Gunton. After doing some research I found that was a US version and a British version. The British version is broken down into individual episodes for the seasons and the US version is a single two hour special. They also have different narrators.

This film is well paced and informative. I’ve found that some older wildlife documentaries put me to sleep, but not this one. The photography is this film is stunning. If your looking for inspiration this is an excellent place to start. The film revolves around motion images that if frozen would be outstanding still photographs. During each of these sequences I couldn’t help but think, Now thats a shot. Then seemly the next scene I would repeat myself. One after another of amazing landscape and wildlife sequences.

The sound and production qualities are outstanding and the film was won numerous awards. My only nit pick might be the narrator of the US version. Jason Hildebrandt narrates with a sometimes over the top intensity but it does make for impactful narration. I can’t comment on the British narrator Peter Firth.

Wildlife mentioned in order of their first appearance. Bison, Elk, Pronghorn, Wolves, Grizzly Bear, Clark’s Nutcracker, Beaver, Moose, Big Horn Sheep, Bald Eagle, Coyote, River Otter, Red Fox, Ground Squirrel, Canada Geese, White Pelican, Calliope Hummingbird, Osprey

Hopefully this exceptional film will tie you over until you can make your next trip outdoors. Save it for a rainy day, inspiration or anytime you can’t get out to your favorite spot. The good news is either Blu-Ray or DVD can be had on Amazon for a very reasonable price. 

Wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone in 1995, under their watchful gaze, no elk is safe.
As it gets colder, one animal here gets stronger.

Photographers:
John Aitchison
Jeff Hogan
Shane Moore
John Shier
Paul D. Stewart
Stephen De Vere

Areial Photographers:
Chris Chanada
Peter Davis
Gary Kauffman
Simon Werry

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Photo of the Day! More Wolves

Grey Wolf
Nikon D90,Sigma 150-500 shot @290mm, f/9, ISO 250, 1/400

Continuing with the wolf theme this week. Today's photo is from the Wolf and Grizzly Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, MT.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Wolves in Lamar Valley


3 Shot HDR Panorama, Nikon D90, Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 @ 24mm ISO 200 f/13

When preparing for our Grand Teton / Yellowstone National Park trip Derek and I had some preconceived ideas about the wildlife we would be able to photograph. The only time the word wolf was mentioned was, That would be awesome to just see one, but at no point did we actually think we would be able to photograph them.

To our surprise we actually saw a wolf in Grand Tetons near the Antelope Flats area. We made a quick u-turn and tried to photograph it, but by the time we pulled over, it was gone. I think we both believed we were lucky to have the sighting, but thought it would probably be our last. Then Yellowstone happened.

We spent three nights in Yellowstone and saw unbelievable landscape and wildlife. We spent the last day in Lamar Valley. Since we started south in Grand Teton National Park and worked our way north, Lamar Valley was saved for last.


Nikon D90, Nikkor 500mm f/4 AFS + TC 14E II @ 700mm ISO 800 f/5.6 1/1000

We found an elk kill in the morning that was being picked over by coyotes. It was a really cool experience seeing the coyote, but it was nothing compared to what we saw that evening. We spent the day driving the valley. We made our way back to the elk kill for the evening when the light would be better. When we arrived at the kill there were three times as many cars parked in the area. Derek asked someone if it was coyotes they were watching and we couldn't believe their response, WOLVES!



This quickly became our best wildlife encounter ever. First, we got to share the experience with our wives who were with us. Second, wolves have long been one our favorite animals. For several hours we watched a fascinating interaction between a group of four coyotes and two wolves. The wolves spent most of the time lying in the distance napping. The coyotes kept a close eye on the wolves and approached slowly. The coyotes would howl and bark seemly to ask for permission to fed from the carcass. As an added bonus we got to watch a bald eagle circle the area and assess the situation. The habitat was perfect, an open area with a rock creek bed and small creek running through. There were grasslands, sparse trees and mountains in the background. The scene was so surreal I even mentioned to Derek that it seemed like a episode of PBS Nature was happening before our eyes. As the sun got low we got what we waiting for. The black wolf cautiously approached the elk (and the on lookers) and fed!


Nikon D90, Nikkor 500mm f/4 AFS @ 700mm ISO 1600 f/5.6 1/800

As I said, this was the most exciting wildlife experience ever and once it was over, it really sank in. I made a quick photograph of the area where this all took place. As we were packing up the bald eagle land on the top of a pine tree right in front of us. We quickly unpacked and were able to get some more amazing photos of this amazing place. Now we can't wait to go back to Lamar Valley!

Bald Eagle in Yellowstone National Park 
Nikon D90, Nikkor 500mm f/4 AFS @ 500mm ISO 800 f/5.6 1/80

This is the part of the video we put together for the trip. The full length video can be found HERE.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Ring-billed Gull: Photo of the Day

Ring-Billed Gull
Nikon D90, Sigma 150-500 @500

This is a  Ring-billed Gull from when we were out shooting Bald Eagles. Eagle season is fast approaching now and it will bring along many other species and opportunities.