I'm King of the House Finches or It's a Creative Process

I spent the last two mornings photographing mostly House Finches from my garden blind out in the Little Lake Valley of Northern California. There have been a few other birds but seems like it has been House Finches all morning long. I was using my white picket fence set up with some beautiful flowers. With this set up I created close to nine hundred images over two long mornings. That is a lot of House finches! After the first edit I whittled that down to sixty two images that had some promise. The others were rejected for chopped off tails, beaks, being out of focus or just poor composition. Some images were discarded just because I didn't like them! In the afternoon I went through and did a second edit in which I picked some of my favorites out of the sixty two. These are my select images. Someone else might have picked something entirely different but these were my best choices. Sometimes it's just a matter of taste or a bit more detail in the eye. Enjoy the images and have a blessed day, chris All images were created using techniques from the book, "Secrets of Backyard Bird Photography". This book is available wherever fine books are sold.

Farmer's Market

On Saturday we did a quick trip up to Arcata, CA and back. We went to watch Annika play in an Ultimate Tournament. Before the tournament we decided to hit the farmer's market. It was really crowded so we had to park about five blocks away. I didn't want to leave Badger the Wonder Dog in a hot car so I decided to bring him along which turned out to be a pain because they don't allow dogs into the market. In the end we took turns going through the stalls and holding the dog. The end result was I didn't get much time for photography. It was kind of a speed photo walk through the veggies. Afterwards we went and watched Annika play. She scored one goal and her team won their match against the Humboldt Hags. After the match we had a great dinner of crepes at Renatas. A lovely time was had by all. Enjoy the veggies and God bless, chris All images were made with a Canon 7D and a Canon EF-S 17-85 mm lens handheld and on the run!

I Joined the Lemmings!

Okay, I'll admit it! Tonight I was out there with thousands of other photographers photographing the "Super Moon Eclipse". I joined the Lemmings! Though I will say that I didn't go out of my way and track down some exotic backdrop or foreground to go with it. I was pretty lazy and just photographed it from my backyard. I'm kind of glad I did too because the whole first part was hidden in a cloud layer and I missed it. In the afternoon I did a diligent search using "The Photographer's Ephemeris" so I would know exactly where the moon was supposed to rise. I was all set up and waiting and nothing happened. I waited and waited and no moon. I went back and checked the time and the bearing and they were correct. So where did the moon go? When I went back outside I could see a really thin moon trying to shine through a pretty heavy layer of moisture on the horizon. As time passed the moon rose above it and it got a lot better. I stayed and watched the whole eclipse and I must say it was pretty cool. God created a vast and incredible heavens to keep us in awe. May you have a blessed day, chrisAll images created with a Canon 7D and a Tamron 150-600mm lens at 600mm on a Manfrotto 055 XPROB Tripod with a Bogen 3055 heavy duty ballhead.Exposures varied wildly with the changing light.

Doors

Yesterday we went to the big city of Ukiah, CA to pick up some flooring materials for our house. After twenty -four years it's time for a major change. After picking up the stuff we shared a delicious Caprese salad made with heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil and mozarella cheese. Along with the salad we shared a small salsiccia pizza. It was all yummy. All right I'll get back to the photograph. When walking back to the pick up I was just about to get in when the old metal doors of this body shop across the street caught my attention. On impulse I made two frames of it. This is the one I liked the best. I'm not usually into images of urban decay but for some reason this really appealed to me. Door within a door. May you have a wonderful Saturday filled with joy, chris Image created with a handheld Canon 7D anda a Canon EF-S 17-85mm lens at 59mm. Camera settings used were AV mode,ISO 800,F 5.6 at 1/100th of a sec.

Scattered Images from My Mind

Here are a mix of images from throughout this week. Starting with my view of the Little Lake Valley in the evening and the sunset over the Mendocino Coastline and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Then a flower from a bunch Lenore picked up at the florist. These are followed by some House Finches and one White Breasted Nuthatch that remained almost motionless in this same postion for almost close to five minutes. I think there was a hawk really close by because no other birds came to the bird feeder during that time. last but not least there is "Badger the Wonder Dog" who spent some time sleeping at my feet when I was in the photoblind this week. May you have a wonderful and blessed weekend, chris All the bird images were created using techniques covered in, "Secrets of Backyard Bird Photography" available in both hardbound as an E book at most online Book seller and regular book stores.

Aw Nuts

It's amazing what you hear in the forest right now outside my house. Tock, tok,twish and Tock, tock and twack. The ripe acorns are falling every few minutes or so and hitting tree trunks and branches as they fall to the leaves or my deck waiting for them below. This is an important event for deer, bears, squirrels and a variety of birds like Band-tailed Pigeons which gorge themselves on acorns. They can fuel up and store up on mast to help them survive the upcoming winter. Mast is the fancy name for the acorns and nuts of forest trees. Some years there can be an abundance of acorns like this year. Some years it can be pretty lean. Many people are of the belief that a heavy fall of acorns indicates a big winter ahead with lots of rain and snow. We shall soon see in the upcoming months if they are correct. May you have a blessed day, chris This image was created with a Canon 7D and a Canon 28-105 lens at 105mm set on a Manfrotto 055 XPROB tripod with a Bogen heavy duty ballhead. Camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 800, F 8.0 at 1/25th of a sec.

Some More Birds

Here are some of the highlights of photographing with the Old Garden Gate on Monday. All images were created with a Canon 7D and a Tamron 150-600mm lens. The techniques used are covered in the book, "Secrets of Backyard Bird Photography". God's love and blessings upon your day, chris

One More for the Old Garden Gate Series

This morning I went out to the photoblind in the Little Lake Valley. When I arrived I was pleased to see a flurry of birds leaving the bird feeder when I walked up to the blind. It took me awhile to get set up. I restocked the bird feeders and set up the gate. After getting into the blind it didn't take too long for the birds to come back. There were Dark Eyed Juncos, House Finches, White Breasted Nuthatches and Oak Titmice as well as couple species of sparrows. I was kept pretty busy finding different angles and compositions to photograph all the birds coming in. By the time the light got too bright I ended up filling a CF card with images. It took me a couple of hours to edit it when I got home. My favorite image was one of the Dark Eyed Juncos. I'm going to add it to my Old Garden Gate series of images. I'll post some of the other images tomorrow. God's love and blessings to all, chris This image was created with a Canon 7D with a Tamron 150-600mm lens at 400mm on a Manfrotto 055XPROB tripod with a Bogen heavy duty ballhead. Camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 800, F 7.1 at 1/160th of a sec. The techniques used in the creation of this image are covered in the book, "Secrets of Backyard Bird Photography". It is available at most online booksellers and major book stores. You can find it a Amazon in both hardbound and ebook editions. Copy and paste the following address into your browser. http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Backyard-Photography-Chris-Hansen/dp/1937538559

Pigeon Portrait

I went out and sat in the photoblind this morning for a couple of hours photographing both Band-tailed Pigeons and Steller's Jays. In fact those were the only birds that came to the bird feeder. I heard a couple of Mourning Doves and one Pileated Woodpecker as well as some Nuthatches but none of them made an appearance. This Bandtail portrait was my favorite from the morning. Photographed with a Canon 7D and a Tamron 150-600mm lens at 600mm. Camera settings were AV mode, ISO 800, F 8.0 at 1/60yh of a sec. God's precious light and love to all, chris To learn more about photographing birds in your backyard please check out my book, "Secrets of Backyard Bird Photography". It is available in both hardbound and as an ebook at most booksellers and online at Amazon. Paste the following into your browser. http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Backyard-Photography-Chris-Hansen/dp/1937538559

One More for the Old Garden Gate Series

Late this afternoon I spent close to two hours waiting in the backyard photoblind for a Steller's Jay to come down to the bird feeder. Aren't birds supposed to be nice to you on your birthday? The lighting started going pretty fast and my shutter speeds dropped below a thirtieth of a second. One Jay finally dropped down and I took as many images as I could. After editing them I found one that I really liked. Please enjoy one more for the old garden gate series. God's love and blessings to all, chris This image was created with a Canon 7D and a Tamron 150-600mm lens at 213mm on a Manfrotto tripod with a Bogen ballhead. Camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 800, F 8.0 at 1/15th of a sec. #TeamCanon

Clearing Away the Fog

This morning arrived with heavy fog and the bright morning sun trying to push its way through. I dropped Lenore off at work and by the time I got back home there were angel rays breaking over the ridge top. I grabbed my camera and photographed the sunshine peeking through the branches of the tan oak in our front yard. Now I'm off to varnish the woodwork in our house. God's light and love to all, chris Image created with a handheld Canon 7D and a Canon 28-105 lens at 40mm. AV mode, ISO 800, F 16.0 at 1/200th of a sec.

Thank You Lord for the Rain

Today is sweater weather and I'm having hot soup for lunch. Right now it is raining softly and I've got all of the doors open to let out the fumes from the wood stain. After I finished staining all the woodwork this morning I noticed I was starting to feel a little heavy headed. I think I'm better off with a little chill in the air than the stain fumes. It is so awesome to hear the rain coming down. I pray it is drenching Lake County to the east helping with the Valley Fire. God bless, chris Image taken handheld with a Canon 7D and a Canon 28-105 lens at 78mm. ISO 800, f16.0 at 1/20th of a sec.

Sanding Away

Today and the next few days are going to be non photography days. Right now our house looks like one of those abandoned houses with all of the furniture covered up in drop cloths. After 24 years of living the woodwork in our house is in need of a major overhaul. Most of the wood will be fine as most of the nicks and scratches can be sanded out. Some of the windowsills are too far gone from the ravages of the sun. Those we have already sanded and painted. Today I am finishing up all of the sanding and tomorrow I will stain it all with a pretty neutral natural looking stain. Then on Thursday I will start laying down some marine varnish to protect it. It's going to look practically new again. I think God does that with us sometimes too. He lets us go and do our own thing and then he brings us back around to where we should be by knocking off all the rough edges we have begun accumulating. God bless, chris

Steaming It Up

There wasn't a sunrise to be seen yesterday morning due to the heavy smoke from the devastating fire to the east of us in Lake County. Please hold them in your prayers as so many people have lost their homes in this fire. Willits was a buzz of activity yesterday. They had Airport Day at the Willits Airport and Howard Hospital had an open house with tours of the brand new hospital. Wow, is it fabulous! What an incredible facility. Last but not least Roots of Motive Power had its big fall steam up. They had stationary steam engines, steam donkeys,a steam shovel and a steam crane as well rides on the steam locomotive and train. The Roots volunteers were on hand demonstrating the equipment and explaining how things worked.What an incredible collection of train and logging equipment.

Just a Peek

Do you ever have one of those days where you don't feel creative? Today is one of those days for me. There are too many home projects that need to be done right now that are cluttering my mind. This mornings sunrise was a bit delayed due to the cloud cover over the Mendocino Range. Here is the sun just breaking out above the clouds. May you have a blessed day.I'll be sanding and painting, chris

Some Call'em Weeds

The past four mornings I have driven with Lenore to work. Every time we have made the turn off of Highway 101 onto Commercial Street in Willits there has been a nice patch of color that has caught my eye as we have made the turn. In the strip between the sidewalk and the road a gorgeous patch of Chicory was blooming. This morning I made the effort to stop and photograph it on the way back home. As I was photographing one of the blossoms a bee came in and fed off of the nectar of the blossom. On my drive home I was thinking the Chicory was beautiful and it had something to give. Some people consider Chicory to be a weed. Aren't we lucky that God doesn't think of us that way? He has the same love for all of us regardless of who and what we are. Like the Chicory we also all have something wonderful to give. What can you give today? chris Image created with a handheld Canon 50D and a Canon 28-105 lens at 93mm. Camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 200, F 11.0 at 1/200th of a sec.

The Face Only a Mother Could Love

Last night when I was working on the computer a shield bug landed on the wall above the computer probably drawn in by the lamp light. Shield bugs get their name from the fact that the back of the exoskeleton resembles a shield like a knight or soldier would carry into battle. I captured the little insect and this morning I very carefully transferred the bug onto a seed head to photograph it. Many shield bugs can protect themselves by emitting a blast of foul chemicals. That is why they have earned the name "Stink Bug" from many people. Enjoy a couple of close ups of one of God's creations, chris Image created with a Canon 7D and a 100mm macro lens. AV mode, ISO 400, F 8.0 at 1/160th of a sec.

Images From the Old Garden

Once summertime hits there aren't many birds to photograph where I live. My house sits in the forest on a ridge top so after awhile I run out of bird species to photograph. For more variety I go down into the old garden of a ranch house in the Little Lake Valley. The ranch sits astride a small creek with some riparian habitat on both sides. There is pasture land to the west and oak woodland to the east. With this great mixture of habitats there is a nice mix of birds to photograph.This morning I photographed White Breasted Nuthatches, House Finches and one Eurasion Collared Dove that landed on the bird feeder as I was packing up to leave. All the images were photographed with a Canon 7D and a Tamron 150-600mm lens on a Manfrotto tripod. God's light and love to all, chrisIf you are interested in learning about photographing birds in your backyard please check out my book, "Secrets of Backyard Bird Photography". It is available at most online booksellers in both hardbound and as an Ebook. Copy and paste the following into your browser to see it on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Backyard-Photography-Chris-Hansen/dp/1937538559

Waiting

Today was all about waiting for the perfect moment. I set up a hummingbird perch and feeder at eye level and climbed into my backyard photoblind. I had the image in my mind that I wanted to create and I just had to be patient. Early on the lighting was too direct and it made the background and the hummingbird way too bright. The hummingbird also kept landing with its back to me and I wanted to see the gorget all lit up. I waited and waited. I was just about to call it quits and I convinced myself to stay a little bit longer. It was a good decision to wait. A male Anna's Hummingbird landed in perfect light facing me with its gorget all a fire. I had my image. God's blessings upon your day, chris Image created with a Canon 7D and a Canon 100-400 IS lens and a 20m extension tube for close focusing. AV mode, ISO 800, F 8.0 at 1/200th of a sec. If you want to learn more about hummingbird photography please check out my book, "Secrets of Backyard Bird Photography". http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Backyard-Photography-Chris-Hansen/dp/1937538559 There is a chapter dedicated to hummingbird photography.

Old Garden Gate #2

It took me a long time to finish processing images from yesterday morning. There were just a lot of images that caught my eye. Here are two of my favorites. God bless, chris Both images created with a Canon 7D in AV mode on a tripod. If you are interested in learning more about this type of photography please check out my book, "Secrets of Backyard Bird Photography", on Amazon and other online book sellers. Copy and past the following address into your browser for a look http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Backyard-Photography-Chris-Hansen/dp/1937538559