That's A Lot of Bull!

I spent a good portion of today editing images from a cattle round up I attended on Saturday. I've got many, many more images to go. The ranch had several massive bulls. Here is one of them. Let's just say that I gave them a wide berth and stayed out of their way especially since I was on foot and not on horseback. More images of the round up to follow over the next few days. God's light and love to all, chris Image created with a Canon 7D and a Canon 28-135 lens.

Journey Back in Time

One of the more unusual aspects of living in Willits the small town near to which I reside in northern California is its proclivity to attract people and vehicles that seem to be in a time warp from the nineteen sixties. Maybe it's the draw of all of the old communes that used to be in this area or all of the concerts that we have in Mendocino County. Perhaps it's all of the marijuana that is grown here. I just I just don't know... Come summer they just seem to pop out of nowhere. Once the growing season ends the majority of them just seem to blend back into the landscape and disappear. God bless, chris

Passin' Thru

I live outside of the little town of Willits which is bisected by Highway 101. 101 runs the length of the west coast of the United States passing through from Southern California all the way through Oregon to Northern Washington State. During summer there are people passing through from all over the world to see the tall spires of redwoods and the crashing waves of the Pacific on the North Coast. There are also a lot of concerts and events ranging from motor cycles runs to concerts on the Eel River that people are traveling to see. There are people headed the other way as well to spend time visiting San Francisco and see the famous Golden Gate Bridge. Willits is just a little spot along the way to other places. It's a beautiful spot to those who take the time to stop and enjoy it. A bit of small town calm and beauty in a fast paced world.Here is one of our little towns claim to fame the Willits Arch spanning Highway 101. God's love and blessings to all, chris Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D, Canon 10-22 lens at 12mm. Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a 3055 Ballhead. Camera Settings- AV Mode, ISO 100, F22.0, Shutter speed of 3.2 seconds .

Young Buck

This morning I was up and at'em just after five. I wanted to find some deer before they bedded down for the day and they are too hard to find. I checked my favored spots and I found one nervous young buck right beside the road. He was unsure if he should bolt or just keep on feeding. Luckily for me he decided to hold and I was able to photograph him out the car window before he decided to take off. Later on I spotted some twin fawns but they were wise to the ways of the world and they were gone off into the woods in a matter of seconds. A beautiful way to start the morning. God's love and blessings to all, chris Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D and a EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM at 200mmm. Camera Settings Used- AV Mode, ISO 400,F 5.0 at 1/800th of a sec.

When Two Beauties Meet

This morning I found a beautiful red flower at one of the schools where my wife works. I clipped a small branch and brought it home to photograph the hummingbirds this afternoon. Just when I thought I was done photographing hummingbirds here I am photographing them again! These are my my two favorites of the beautiful flower and the gorgeous hummingbirds coming together. What a perfect combination. May God bless you richly, chris Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D,Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens, Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a Bogen 3055 Ballhead.. Camera Settings- Manual mode, ISO 400, F Stop F14.0, Shutter Speed 1/200th of a sec. "Secrets of Backyard Bird Photography" by J. Chris Hansen available on Amazon and other fine book sellers.

Hummingbird Week Day 7

As a conclusion for hummingbird week I set up a small perch for the hummingbirds to land on next to the feeder. I knew that this would be a great way to get some images of hummingbirds showing off their gorgets to intimidate other hummers from using the feeder. It worked like a charm and I was able to create some really gorgetuous images. Here are some fine male Anna's Hummingbirds showing off. God's love and blessings to all, chris Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D,Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens, Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a Bogen 3055 Ballhead.. Camera Settings- Manual mode, ISO 200, F Stop F14.0, Shutter Speed 1/200th of a sec. "Secrets of Backyard Bird Photography" by J. Chris Hansen available on Amazon and other fine book sellers.

Hummingbird Week Day 6

I took yesterday off for a social whirlwind of commitments. Why do these things all pile up onto the same day? This morning I was up and in the photoblind a few minutes after seven. Hummingbirds are really hungry in the morning after going without food during the night. With their extremely high metabolism they are ravenous for nectar in the morning. I had a few hummingbirds hovering around me this morning as I was setting up. Some are pretty fearless. They are so cool. Here are a some of my favorites from this morning. God's love and blessings to all, chris Camera equipment used Canon 7D Canon 100-400 IS (4) Canon 540 EZ flashes set to 1/16th power Camera exposure settings- Manual mode, ISO 200, F Stop F14.0, Shutter Speed 1/200th of a sec. "Secrets of Backyard Bird Photography" by J. Chris Hansen available on Amazon and other fine book sellers.

Hummingbird Week Day 5

This afternoon I ventured out to photograph the hummingbirds with a Petunia plant. It had some beautiful blossoms for the hummers to enjoy. It was a bit windy in the backyard so not quite as many hummingbirds made an appearance as normal. It didn't matter much as there were still enough to have fun with and I really enjoyed photographing them. They in turn enjoyed the free food! God's light and love to all, chris Camera equipment used Canon 7D Canon 100-400 IS (4) Canon 540 EZ flashes set to 1/16th power Camera exposure settings- Manual mode, ISO 200, F Stop F14.0, Shutter Speed 1/200th of a sec. "Secrets of Backyard Bird Photography" by J. Chris Hansen available on Amazon and other fine book sellers.

Hummingbird Week Day 4

Yesterday afternoon I put out a Salvia flower for the hummingbirds to feast on. I must say that they preferred the Fuschia flowers better. I still got some great images though. Hummingbirds are a lot of fun to photograph. God's blessings to all, chris Camera equipment used Canon 7D Canon 100-400 IS (4) Canon 540 EZ flashes set to 1/16th power Camera exposure settings- Manual mode, ISO 200, F Stop F14.0, Shutter Speed 1/200th of a sec. "Secrets of Backyard Bird Photography" by J. Chris Hansen available on Amazon and other fine book sellers.

Hummingbird Week Day Three

Hummingbirds and Fuschia flowers go together like peanut butter and jam. They are just made for each other. Yesterday when I was in the big city of Ukiah, Ca I purchased a small fuschia plant for photographing hummingbirds. This morning when I set it out next to the nectar feeder they were on it within minutes of me placing it there. From then on the hummingbird photography was close to being non stop. My only down time was in waiting for the flashes to recharge as the batteries are starting to run low. I must say I had a rather splendid time. God's love and blessings to all, chris Equipment used Canon 7D Canon 100-400 IS (4) Canon 540 EZ flashes set to 1/16th power Camera exposure settings- Manual mode, ISO 200, F Stop F14.0, Shutter Speed 1/200th of a sec. "Secrets of Backyard Bird Photography" by J. Chris Hansen available on Amazon and other fine book sellers.

Clean and Simple

I had about half an hour to photograph some hummingbirds this morning before we went on a shopping trip to the big city of Ukiah, CA. To save some time I decided to keep it as simple as possible. I clipped one of Lenore's red roses and loaded it up with sugar water and set it out. It didn't take long after setting it up for the hummingbirds to find it. They loved it and it and I loved the great opportunities to photograph them. Blessings to all, chris Equipment used Canon 7D Canon 100-400 IS (4) Canon 540 EZ flashes set to 1/16th power Camera exposure settings- Manual mode, ISO 200, F Stop F13.0, Shutter Speed 1/160th of a sec. "Secrets of Backyard Bird Photography" by J. Chris Hansen available on Amazon and other fine book sellers. Posted by Chris Hansen at 2:04 PM No comments:

Lots of Hummers

As we edge closer to summer I am having a lot more hummingbirds visit my feeders. There are many immature birds that have fledged that are hungry and they are looking for stable food supplies. For me it's a bonanza because there is a lot more hummers to photograph. It is however more difficult to ID many species from each other in the immature stages. On the wing they all look very similar. Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon I had a fun time photographing the little flying jewels. The activity in late afternoon rarely stopped. I had a great time listening and watching all of the aerial battles around the feeder. Here are some images for you to enjoy. God's tender love and blessings to all, chris Equipment used Canon 7D Canon 100-400 IS (4) Canon 540 EZ flashes set to 1/16th power Camera exposure settings- Manual mode, ISO 200, F Stop F14.0, Shutter Speed 1/200th of a sec. "Secrets of Backyard Bird Photography" by J. Chris Hansen available on Amazon and other fine book sellers.

Chasing the Moon

Last nights photography was rather frustrating. Primarily due to my poor planning. I wanted to photograph the moon just as it crested the ridge line to the east of us. Great idea don't you think? The idea simple in form was hard to execute. Mainly because about twenty minutes before it was supposed to rise I thought it would be a good idea to look it up on TPE (The Photographer's Ephemeris) so I could use my compass to line up the shot of where the moon was going to rise. This is where my biggest obstacle arose. My main computer that died recently is the one that has TPE on it. Our home computer doesn't have it. My attempts at a quick download of the program failed because our computer also doesn't have Adobe Air which it also needed. So much for that idea. I went out into the backyard and waited for the appointed time for it to rise. That much I did know from checking the moonrise and set times in the local weather report. When it rose it was a bright, bright orange behind a tall row of redwood trees blocking my view! I ran quickly to the car and searched for a better view point. Coming down off of the ridge I found a decent spot and I hurriedly created a few images. Below is the best one. This month's moon is called the "Strawberry Moon". It was named by the Algonquin tribes of Northeastern North America. In Europe it was called the "Rose Moon". After photographing the moon I went home and I made sure to install Adobe air and TPE on the family computer. I'll be ready next time! Blessings to all, chris Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens, Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a Bogen 3055 Ballhead. Camera Settings- Manual mode, ISO 400,F 5.6, shutter speed Squirrel 1/250th of a sec.

New Pine White

Yesterday afternoon I ran into a very cooperative Pine White Butterfly in the backyard. I ran as quick as I could back inside and grabbed my camera,tripod and a macro lens. I love how it stands out on the petunias. God's blessings, chris Created with a Canon 7D and a 100mm macro lens. Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a Bogen 3055 Ballhead. Camera Settings- AV mode, ISO 400,F16.0 , shutter speed varied.

Lenore's Roses

Lenore's roses in the backyard had a profusion of blossoms this spring. I'm guessing one of the best. This morning I figured I had better create an image of some of them rather quickly as they are past their prime and will soon need to be dead headed. I cut four of the best and put them in a vase on the dining room table with a black background dropped behind the table. I lit them with a single snooted light overhead . I liked the simple elegance of it. God's blessings to all, chris Camera Equipment Used- One snooted Alien Bee 1600, Canon 7D,Canon 28-135 lens at 135mm, Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a Bogen 3055 Ballhead. Camera Settings- Manual mode, ISO 100,F16.0, shutter speed 1/200th of a sec. at f16.0

Turn on the Light and They Wiill Come

One of the interesting things about living in a forest is the amount of moths that are found here. From mid spring to fall if I leave an outside light on at my house by morning there will be an amazing amount of moths gathered around it. Though not as colorful as butterflies they come in a stunning array of patterns and beautiful earth tone colors. While not always the gardeners friend they are extremely important. Moths are a cornerstone species in that they provide food at a critical time for migrating bats and the protein in the form of caterpillars and larvae for baby birds. It helps illustrate how important a role the simple moth can play in the grand scheme of things. For without them entire populations of birds and bats can suffer. Here are a few images of moths from my backyard after leaving the light on. God's precious love to all, chris All images created with a Canon 7D and a 100mm macro lens. Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a Bogen 3055 Ballhead. Camera Settings- AV mode, ISO 400,F16.0-F22.0 , shutter speed varied.