I wish all of you, new friends made in 2011 and old, a Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Prosperous 2012. If you don’t celebrate Christmas, then I wish you the Happiest of Holiday Seasons. I hope each of you have the opportunity over the next few days to spend time with those you love and to reflect on how lucky we all are. It goes by fast folks so make the most of the time you have. If you are like me, and worked your tail off the last 25 years to provide for your family, then I have this simple piece of advice for you……..There is no time like the present. Its never too late to make a difference in a loved ones life! 🙂
I have a lot to be thankful for. Not the least of which are my 3 wonderful kids and a very understanding wife who puts up with a lot being married to me ;-).
I plan on giving the 4 of them as much of my time as I can over the next week, so I will be scarce on the social media scene until the New Year.
I have been asked by family, friends and readers what gift suggestions I can make for photographers on their gift lists. I figured it was time to share those suggestions with everyone. In creating this list, I held 2 things constant. I don’t receive compensation from any of the product producers and they are products I use and love. I also kept the list to 5 products I use regularly. So without further ado……
1) The Blubb. Blubb
The Blubb is the tool that makes using your vehicle as a blind possible. Its a must have if you plan on shooting from your car or truck. I also use this on the window sill of my garage window allowing the garage to become a blind for a set of feeders I have a few feet away!
2) Aqua Tech Sensory Gloves.
Finding that balance between the ability to use the cameras controls and staying warm is something that all outdoor photographers struggle with. In particular, those of us that chase good light are always cold (good light comes mostly early morning and late afternoon. I wear these gloves regularly. They are however, not good for real cold climates. I have tried using thin liners on colder days with good success. However they are not for snowy conditions. For such conditions I recommend using Cross Country Skiinig gloves with thin liners.
3) The Art of Bird Photography I & II.
These 2 books are must reads for anyone that wants to learn about avian photography. Arthur Morris is one of the masters in this space. He provides tons of information on his website about wildlife photography. The Art of Bird Photography I & II
4) Captured by Moose Peterson Captured
This book is a compendium of Moose’s life as a wildlife photographer and endangered species expert. Its filled with information on how he has done it! When I say “done it” I mean everything. Setting up his business, networking, making great images, good and bad lessons learned. It’s all there in a gripping story, a great read.
5) Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
If you plan on doing landscape photogrphy this software suite is a must have. Its easy to learn and the suite of tools is incredibly powerful. This software will alow you to do things to your images that would require 100’s of hours of training if you were to use just Photoshop.
(Note): I do not enhance my wildlife photos. I follow photojournalism standards with my wildlife photograhy. However, I consider landscapes to be art and do utilize software to enhance the image in order to help relay the strory I am trying to convey. This decision is completely personal.
All Photos curtoesy of the website links provided.
As many of you know I love to do research. I have been doing quite a bit of research on wildlife and birds in general over the last few years. I started following some new birders via their websites, the result of both in person meetings at birding events, Facebook (BwBTC) and Google+. Those people are Mia McPherson, Kathie Brown, Steve Creek, Scott Simmons and Dan Huber.
As I spent more time researching their websites, I was drawn to a common online magazine that they were all contributing to. That magazine or portal is Birding is Fun. Birding is Fun is a great place to learn about birds, gather information, and be presented with resources to further your birding education. So far I am really impressed with the people involved with Birding is Fun and look forward to learning more from their contributors. I am honored that they presented my profile on their website today.
It is amazing how many House Finches have been present at the feeders this year. Last years honors for family of the year were split between White Throated Sparrows and Dark Eyed Juncos. Neither of those species are yet to be found but we do have about 8-12 House Finches.
Male House Finch ProfileMale House Finch with SeedMale House Finch Day Dreaming
While I have had fun with all of the birds in my yard, I am hoping for some more variety over the coming weeks. I bought enough bird seed this weekend for more variety!
Images captured with Nikon D700, 600mm f/4 w/TC-14e II on Lexar Digital Film
Blue Jays are difficult to photograph at a home studio. I have found over the last 3 years that no matter how long I stand still, make no noise or even move, the Blue Jays won’t return to the feeders I am photographing. That is however, until 3 minutes after I go back inside :-). I have been fortunate to have 2 pairs of Blue Jays staying around our home this winter and laying glass on them is one of my priorities!
Blue Jay with NutBlue Jay On Perch
One of the ways I have combated this issue is by changing my feeder locations to take advantage of some natural blinds on my property. So far the results of these new locations are very promising with one exception. The sun goes down on this area very early in the afternoon which deprives me of the sweet afternoon light.
Images captured on Nikon D700m 600mm f/4 VRII and TC-14e II on Lexar Digital Film
I received some very interesting correspondence regarding last Monday’s post (link here). The responses were mostly complimentary but some seemed to infer a message that I was not trying to convey. After reading all the comments on the post and some direct emails, I think I was not clear in my message. So I will be blunt today. I love birding and bird photography. My post was only trying to share the fact that I have differing expectations when I undertake one vs. the other. I wasn’t trying to infer that one needed to take sides or that one activity was superior to the other! There were some comments about both birders and bird photographers (mostly photographers) not behaving properly and maintaining a philosophy of “get the shot at all costs”. I have seen this behavior myself and think it is wrong. We as birding/wildlife advocates need to do whatever we can to stop any behavior that would jeopardize the welfare of the wildlife we are observing. I have always practiced “No image is worth the welfare of the subject” during my wildlife photography and viewing attempts.
Tufted Titmouse with Seed
One interesting perspective came from Robert Mortensen over at Birding is Fun (link here). I really enjoyed how he used the umbrella to describe different aspects of birding that make up its own ecosystem. I think that umbrella could be expanded to encompass all wildlife, not just birding. But Robert’s post started me thinking a little differently. I have a few ideas that I am going to let germinate but plan on sharing with all of you shortly. Again thanks for the great “debate” and all the comments. I’m glad so many of you enjoyed the topic and hopefully you are thinking differently about this as well!
Black Capped Chickadee with Fall Foliage in Background
