More From the Sunflower Series

Yesterday afternoon I worked on the background of the sunflower images. I added more texture in the form of flowers between the sunflower perch and the fall background. Around four o'clock the lighting got really nice and I climbed into the photoblind and photographed birds for about half an our or so. I came away with about a dozen or so images that I really liked. After editing and processing I narrowed my favorites down to four images. Two each of Red Breasted Nuthatches and Chestnut Backed Chickadees. God's precious love upon your day, chris All images were created with aCanon 7D MkII camera and a Canon 100-400 L IS USMv.1 lens.#TeamCanon

Working the Set Up

Yesterday afternoon I worked on changing the background for the sunflower set up I have been using in the backyard. I thought a fall color background would go very nicely with the sunflower. This morning with a new sunflower in hand I went out into the backyard to photograph the birds. Upon arrival I discovered that the squirrels had devastated the feeder. So the first order of the day was to put up a new bird feeder. I have a love/strong dislike relationship with the squirrels. They can be a lot of fun to photograph but they do take a toll on my bird feeders by chewing them apart. I spent less than half an hour photographing birds almost non stop as they kept coming into the perch one right after the other.It sure kept my eye glues to the viewfinder of the camera! After editing the images this morning this Red Breasted Nuthatch ended up being my overall favorite. God's light and love to all, chrisThe nuthach image was created with my Canon 7D MkII camera and a Canon 100-400 L IS USM v.1 lens at 350mm on a Manfrotto 055 XPROB Pro tripod. The camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 800, F 8.0 at 1/200th of a sec. Fill flash was provided by a Canon 550EX flash set to -2 stops. #TeamCanon

Sunflower Kind of Day

Todays' photoblog was created with a nod to Jack Brock. He is one of the most talented and prolific bird photographers that I know. Please check out his bird photography on Facebook. He is always posting something new and creative. He posted some birds with sunflowers recently and I decided to create something of a similar nature. Last night I went out into the backyard and did the preliminary work on the set up. This morning I headed out to the backyard with a sunflower in hand and completed the set up. I photographed the Chestnut Backed Chickadees for about half an hour. After editing these three images were my favorite. Thanks, Jack. God's love and blessings to all, chris All of the images were created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L is USM v.1 Lens. The camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 800 and the exposures varied. Fill flash was provided by a Canon 500EX flash set to -2 stops. Please check out the book, Secrets of Backyard Bird Photography for more information on how to photograph birds in your backyard. #TeamCanon

Flying High

Whenever I fly I always try to get a window seat. I love to look at the clouds and the geography of the landscape below. I just find it fascinating.You never know what you might see! Here are some images from two of our flights over Europe this last summer. God's blessings upon your week, chrisAll of the images were created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Tamron 18-200mm lens. #TeamCanon, #WithMyTamron

Above the Clouds

I've been going through my images from this last summer looking for ones that catch my eye. Here is one from our flight from Poland to Spain. There was the coolest contrail sitting just above the clouds. This image was captured with my Canon 7D MkII and a Tamron 18-200 at 18mm. The camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 400, 1/800th of a sec. at F 8.0. God bless, chris #TeamCanon, #WithMyTamron

My Little Corner of the World

One for fun from yesterday afternoon. Canon 7D MKII and a Canon EF 28-135 IS lens. I hope you are having a nice weekend. God bless, chris

Postcards from Greenland

Well not exactly post cards. But I was super excited to see Greenland from the air when we flew over it in daylight on our return trip from Europe this last summer. The whole return flight was cloudy except for flying over the ice cap of the southern part of Greenland. 80% or 666,000 sq. miles of Greenland is covered by an ice cap that is roughly 6,000 to 9,00 feet deep. That's a lot of ice! This summer the ice cap saw the highest and lowest temperatures ever recorded there during the summer. On July 4th they recored a low of -33C at Summit station and in the same month on the 28th they recorded a high of +1.9 C. The most disturbing sight for me to see was the ice melt in center of the ice cap around one of the rocky peaks poking up through the ice. Though this year the ice sheet data shows no net loss for this year pending checking some more incoming data. God's blessings upon you weekend, chris Canon 7D MkII exposure varied. #TeamCanon

Brief Time With the Hummingbirds

Last night I recharged all of the batteries for my flashes. This morning I went out into the backyard and set the flashes up and photographed the hummingbirds for about half an hour.There were a lot more hummingbirds coming to the feeder. Many more than I expected. In fact I often times had to wait because there was a traffic jam of birds trying to all get to the feeder at one time. I was working on verticals and these two ended up being my favorites. I couldn't decide between the two so I posted both of them! God's precious love to all, chris Both images were created with my usual set up of a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Canon 100-400 L IS usm lens. The camera settings used were Manual mode, ISO 100, F 8.0 at 1/200th of a sec. A multi flash set up was used consisting of five Canon 540EZ flashes set to 1/16th power. #TeamCanon

Dreamland: Never Stop Learning

Last night before I drifted off to sleep I was day dreaming of the images I wanted to create this morning. As I lay there I was envisioning all of the steps I needed to take to make these images happen. We all know of the best laid plans of mice and men. They don't always work out the way we had planned. Such was the case with this morning. I really had to work to figure out what was going on. First off there was a major glare . There was a huge hot spot on the background I was using. I had to move the backdrop numerous times to eliminate it. The second and biggest problem was the expposures. They ended up being all over the map. I finally learned that the flashes weren't fully charging and were either not going off or they were firing at less than a full charge. I can be a slow learner some times. I remembered from last year that the rechargeable Enloops batteries can only be used at most two times and here I was attempting a third time. There is always something new to be learned in photography. That is part of what makes it fun and exciting. I had to slow down and let the flashes fully charge between each shot. the my exposure somewhat stabilized. I got some really nice images this morning and in this case I relearned something along the way. Time to recharge all of the batteries! God bless, chrisAll of these images were created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM V.1 lens supported on a Manfrotto 055 XPROB pro Tripod with a Bogen heavy duty ballhead.. Flash was provided by six Canon 54EZ flashes set to 1/16th power. The camera settings used were. Manual mode, ISO 100, F14.0 at 1/160th of a sec.#TeamCanon

Hummingbirds!

The earth is slowly tilting away from the sun. It's almost the end of summer! It has taken me all summer to get around to doing some hummingbird photography. On Friday I stopped off at the nursery and purchased some petunias and zinnias. Friday night I put freshly charged batteries in all of my flashes. Then early on Saturday morning I worked for close to an hour getting everything all set up in the backyard. Placing flashes, choosing and setting up a colorful back drop. Then moving the photoblind into place etc. By the time I was finished I was able to photograph for about half an hour before the ambient light got too bright to photograph with. I left everything set up and I photographed for a short time Sunday afternoon. Last night I covered the flashes with plastic bags because it looked like it might rain. I'm so glad I did because we had a little rain last night and it has been lightly showering all morning. Checking outside this morning there were only four hummingbirds coming to the feeders. God's love and blessings upon your week, chris All of these images were created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM V.1 lens supported on a Manfrotto 055 XPROB pro Tripod with a Bogen heavy duty ballhead.. Flash was provided by six Canon 54EZ flashes set to 1/16th power. The camera settings used were. Manual mode, ISO 100, F14.0 at 1/160th of a sec.#TeamCanon

Way Back

Right now I'm working on a huge non photo project. It's a major archeological dig! I'm attempting to get our garage cleaned of all it's boxes. It's amazing all of artifacts that are being unearthed. Many, many items are destined to be recycled, donated or sent to the landfill. Here is an image of me from a backbacking trip to Stanislaus National Forest, Central California in July of 1974. Notice my trusty Argus C3 camera is slung around my neck. I believe this image was taken by Dale Tressler. God's light and love upon your day, chris

Another Misty Magical Morning

Little Lake Valley in Northern California this morning. God's blessings upon your weekend, chris

#TeamCanon This image was created with a Canon 7D MkII and a Canon 100-400 IS USM v.1 lens. AV mode, ISO 400, F16.0 at 1/ 1/250th of a sec.

Time for a Close Up!

Here is a close up of a Western Gray Squirrel stopping by the old backyard water hole for a drink. This image was made using a water set up that I created and built. Bird feeders were placed around its edge to entice the birds and squirrels to come in. It's really cool to get an intimate portrait of a squirrel drinking. God's precious light and love to all, chris This image was made with Canon 7D MkII camera and a Tamron 150-600 mm G2 lens at 552mm. The camera was supported on a Manfrotto 055 XPROB Pro tripod with a Bogen 3055 heavy duty ballhead. The camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 800, F11.0 at 1/60th of a sec. Fill flash was provided by a Canon 550 EX set to - 1 and 2/3rds stops. #TeamCanon, #WithMyTamron

Waiting for the Sunrise

A couple of weeks back I pre visualized an idea that I had for an image. I was walking down our driveway and a grasshopper jumped up in front of me and hopped across the driveway. Almost immediately I had the idea of an image of a grasshopper silhouetted on dried grass against the rising sun. Yesterday morning I gathered up what I needed to create that vision. I captured a grasshopper on the driveway and set up some dried grass on a table in my studio upstairs. What I could have really used was a wrangler to help keep the grasshopper contained. I almost lost it once before I finished photographing it and setting it free. I'm sure it has a whopper of a story to tell its grasshopper friends. God's love and blessings upon your day, chris This delightful image was created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Canon EF 70-300 f 4-5.6IS USM lens at 115mm. The camera was supported on a Manfrotto 055 XPROB Pro tripod with a Bogen heavy duty ballhead. The camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 800, F 11.0 at 1/80th of a sec.#TeamCanon

Rounding Up the Strays

Here are a round up of images from the past few days around the little backyard pond I set up in the backyard. Steller's Jays, Western Gray Squirrels, a Chestnut Backed Chickadee and some Douglas Tree Squirrels. God's precious light and love to all, chris All of these images were created with a canon 7D MkII camera and a Tamron 150-600 mm G2 lens on a Manfrotto 055 XPROB Pro tripod witha bogen 3055 heavy duty ballhead. #TeamCanon, #WithMyTamron

Patience Required

Wildlife photography requires a lot of patience in waiting for the right moment. Yesterday afternoon it was really hot outside when I set up my photoblind and camera next to the small water feature in the backyard. Almost immediately after I had settled in a Douglas Tree Squirrel showed up at the same time as Papaya the Blasted Cat! I had to climb out of the blind and capture the cat which quickly begun stalking the squirrel. After depositing the cat indoors I sat and waited for the squirrel to return from its chirping in the trees above the blind. It didn't take too long and it came down and resumed feeding on the black sunflower seed I had placed in a small feeder off to the side of pond. I knew that eventually it was going to get thirsty. I focused and composed my camera on the most likely spot that it was going to come for a drink and waited. Birds came and went as I waited. I waited and waited. Another squirrel arrived and was warned off with guttural chatter by the little squirrel I was watching. I waited and waited some more. Then it turned and climbed up over the rocks right where I had been focused for a cool refreshing drink. After recomposing slightly I made several images. It was well worth the wait. God's blessing upon your week, chris Canoon 7D MkII camera and a Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di G2 Vc Usd Lens. #TeamCanon, #withmytamron

Stopping in for a Drink

This morning I was up at sunrise. I went out into the backyard and set up a small pond feature on some saw horses. It was at eye level next to the bird feeder. With a bit of fussing around I got things looking pretty nice before I settled into the photoblind. After a long, long wait a Western Gray Squirrel came up to the pond for a drink. I managed to make three images of it drinking but this one was my favorite. God's blessings and protection to all those being affected by the earthquake and the hurricanes. chris This image was created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Tamron 150-600mm F5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 lens at 213mm. The camera was supported with a Manfrotto 055 XPROB pro tripod with a Bogen 3055 Heavy duty ballhead.The camera settings used were AVmode, ISO 800, F 8.0 at 1/100th of a sec.#TeamCanon, #withmytamron

Over the Shoulder

Yesterday was a perfect day for photographing birds. It was heavily overcast and threatening to rain. In fact it was starting do drizzle when the last images were taken. I love overcast light for the saturated colors it brings out in the birds plumage. I set up my tripod and camera as close as I could possibly get to the hummingbirds favorite perch in my backyard. No photoblind I just stood not moving with my eye to the camera waiting. I was primarily focused on capturing that over the shoulder look that shows off the back of the hummingbirds. It was fun with the hummingbirds zipping around me back and forth to the nectar feeders. Sometimes the buzzed me pretty close. Thank you Lord that it is Friday. If you can please take some time out to pray for the people of Texas,Mexico,Florida and the Caribbean. With the hurricanes and earthquake they are going through a lot. God bless, chris All images were created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a TAMRON | SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 lens on a Manfrotto 055XPROB Pro tripod with a Bogen heavy duty ballhead.#TeamCanon, #withmytamron

Fine Day for Portraits

Yesterday the lighting was perfect as it was early morning and there was a light cloud cover overhead. I was all set up for photographing small birds. A Steller's Jay and a Western Gray Squirrel came into feed. I couldn't very easily back off my zoom lens without scaring them away. So I settled for some portraits. It's pretty cool that you can see our house in their eyes. Both images were created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a TAMRON | SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 lens. On a tripod in AV mode, ISO 800, F 8.0 #TeamCanon, #withmytamron God's love and blessings upon your day, chris

Da Claw!

Have you ever wondered how squirrels can run straight down tree trunks as well as run straight up them. First off it has to to with the fact that tree squirrels have sharp claws that are perfect for digging into bark to climb. Second of all and probably the coolest thing is that its ankle joints that are adapted to be super flexible. They can rotate 180 degrees. Try that with your ankle! When a squirrel wants to climb down it rotates its ankle and feet, digs its claws into the trunk and hang from its back legs as it is coming down.I hope that you are having a great week. God bless, chris #TeamCanon, #withmytamron

Memories

Today on a trip downtown a Sooty Grouse ran across the road in front of me and the flew up to a low hanging branch of a fir tree. My mind was flooded with the memory of the first grouse I ever saw as a kid. I was about ten years old and early one fall morning we were hiking into the upper Colorado River to fish for Brook Trout. We used to bring a cast iron frying pan and some canned white potatoes. We would catch a bunch of fish and fry them up for lunch on a fire right next to the river. Along the trail on the hike in a Dusky Grouse ran ahead of us and flew up onto an overhanging branch that was about six feet off of the ground. It stayed in place while we all walked under it down the trail. That memory has stuck with me all of these years. It was really nice to see the Grouse this morning as I have been seeing less and less of them over the past few years. God's blessings upon your week, chris #TeamCanon, #withmytamron

Heading Into Fall

This morning we awoke to a very smoky sunrise. There are both air quality and heat alerts for the days ahead. We have numerous fires to the north of us in California, Oregon, Washington and Canada. All of them are sending smoke southward to us. Out in the forest now there is the arrhythmic drop of acorns everywhere. It's hard to put into words to describe the sound of acorns rattling down through the branches and the hitting the leaf covered forest floor. Sitting out listening to the sounds of the forest you begin to think that there are forest creatures all around you. The acorns provide food for many forest creatures that will store them up to eat later or to bulk up on now to make it through the wet winter up ahead. Deer and bears especially put on a lot of weight eating acorns(mast) through out fall. I hope that you are having an enjoyable weekend. God bless, chris The acorn image was created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Canon EF-S60mm F 2.8 Macro USM lens supported on a Manfrotto 055 XPROB tripod. The camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 800 F16.0 at 1/5th of a sec. #TeamCanon