Silhouettes in Bosque

May 6, 2020

One of my favorite places to photograph is in Bosque del Apache, NM. Bosque is famous for unique skies filled with every color hue imaginable plus lets not forget the birds! Silhouettes are a creative way to make use of low lighting situations like pre-dawn and dusk allowing photographers to take full advantage of those incredible sky colors.

To create a silhouette you need to expose for your background and not your subject. When putting your subject between you and the light source this will render your subject underexposed –almost black depending on the amount of available light. By capturing silhouettes you will be able to extend your time in the field as they require a lower ISO than a regular shot

I will be conducting a workshop there November 23-27, 2020 and I have 2 spots available if you are interested.

In post-processing I adjust the black and white points and juice the colors a bit. I will be going over my post processing steps during my workshop. See some examples below, click on the image for a larger, sharper version.

Four Cheetah and Wildebeest by Lori Ellis

May 2, 2020

A bit of good news! Lori Ellis just won a bronze medal in the PSA-OCEAN STATE INTERNATIONAL Exhibition of Photography OSI 2020. Her winning image was captured during our yearly Kenya photo tour to the Mara. The death grip by the one cheetah whose head is wrapped around the head of the wildebeest makes this a winner! Huge congrats Lori! I asked Lori to share a bit about the shot…

From Lori:

This image was taken on my trip to Kenya in September 2019 with Denise Ippolito and Paul McKenzie. We had been watching four cheetah lounging in the late afternoon sun when we noticed a storm approaching. Our guide told us that the cheetah would soon be hunting because the other animals were distracted in the rain making hunts more successful for the cheetah. As if on cue, the cheetah began stretching and walking towards a herd of wildebeest. We followed at a distance, and all at once the cheetah sprang into action. Within seconds they pounced on this wildebeest, using their combined strength to bring him down. I only had time to squeeze off a quick series of shots, and was delighted when I reviewed the images later that not only were all four cheetah visible, but also the wildebeest’s eye.

Bio
Lori Ellis lives with her husband Randy in Northeast Pennsylvania. She loves to travel and photograph both wildlife and landscapes. She still works full time, but hopes to retire in the near future and spend quality time travelling the countryside with her husband and camera.

Website
https://www.loriellis.net/

American Oystercatchers

April 30, 2020

This morning I was going through images and ran across some of my American Oystercatcher photos. I have always loved these amazing birds and they are extremely fun to photograph.

I am drawn to their colorful bills, but what really appeals to me is their behavior. Once they feel that their nest scrapes or their mate are being threatened or intruded on, they take to the air and start screaming, then give chase. Always returning to the original spot once their chase is over. Oystercatchers have a lot of patience when they feed their young. They tenderly pick up the meal and try over and over again for a good hand-off.

I often wonder if the swarms of people I see photographing these unique creatures on the beach appreciate every single detail about these birds as I do, or if they are just in a hurry to collect shots. Spending time in the field with your subjects is the great reward in photography.

Silvery Grebes- A Moment to Remember

April 25, 2020

One of my favorite grebes is a Silvery Grebe with its striking red eye. I photographed some in Patagonia a few years ago and would like to share that experience with you.

It was in December and the winds in Chilean Patagonia are notorious for being strong and brutal. It’s very common to experience all four seasons in one day but in December the katabatic winds can exceed well over 50mph at any time —you just never know. Nothing could be more true for our time there.

We photographed the grebes for a few days as they were busy mating and interacting. There were loads of them working diligently carrying large bundles of nesting material in their bills back to their mates. They spent a lot of time bickering and fighting over these nests; they even had coots trying to steal their nests. Though they are small they can be fierce when it comes to defending their property. Watching this behavior was extremely fun and kept our attention.

The grebes had built their floating nests very near to the shore. On one of the days there seemed to be a lot more of the hustle and bustle as they hurriedly worked to strengthen their nests. They tried desperately to board these makeshift nests so that they could copulate, even well before the nests were able to stay afloat. As we left that evening the skies were looking ominous and a storm was sure to come. I couldn’t help but think of those grebes and their half floating nests as the winds and rains lasted all night long.

Early in the morning our small group anxiously returned to the location where our worse fears were realized, all of the small nests had sunk and the grebes were now more frantic than ever to get these nests back up. I watched as one pair in particular worked against the strong winds trying to secure their half sunk nest. All the time fighting off other grebes that tried to overpower them.

I was shooting with a long telephoto lens on a tripod in a seated position. Then the unthinkable- the female got on top of the nest, her head was facing us and we all hammered down. Smiles filled our faces. Then she turned away from us and we all were groaning and secretly begging her to turn to face us again. Then without a moment’s notice she let the wind part her feathers and she began to lay an egg…holy*** are you kidding me, no, it can’t be…but it is, she is laying an egg. I turned to look at David Tipling who was one of the folks with me and he smiled with a wink. I could not believe my eyes and to my amazement she laid that egg then lifted slightly to shiver it out completely. I was shocked and delighted at the same time as tears were lining my eyes. It was a moment to remember.

Just Checking In

April 23, 2020

I have received so many kind emails and notes asking me how I am holding up. I imagine that everyone is pretty much struggling with all of the park closures and recent changes that have been forced on us because of this Coronavirus. My friend and co-leader, Paul McKenzie who lives in Hong Kong right near Wuhan where the virus originated. said “The virus is completely under control here with only 0-4 new cases each day and all of these are travelers from the UK and US. All are tested at the airport and all arrivals have to go straight to quarantine or hospital. There is now zero transmissions in the local community. Basically night and day vs the US”. That gives me hope that we will reach that point soon. Until then we need to hang in there and be strong one day at a time.

I am attaching a few images below to hopefully brighten your day.