Blacktail Deer

On WednesdayI went downtown to meet Lenore for lunch. We had a great lunch and on the return trip home I decided to look for some deer to photograph. Blacktail deer are fairly territorial so I knew the most likely places that I could find them. There weren't any at the first two spots but at the third I found four of them. I'm really out of practice at photographing deer! I kept getting the eyes in focus and then I would chop off the tips of their ears in the frame. After a little bit of effort I came away with some decent images that show off their black trademark tail. God's love and blessings to all, chris All images were created with a handheld Canon 7D MkII and a Tamron 150-600 mm G2 lens. Fill flash was provided by a Canon 550 EX flash set to -2 stops. AV mode, ISO 800, F 8.0, shutter speeds varied. #TeamCanon, #tamron

Old School Change the Font

I ran across and old typeball for an IBM Selectric Typewriter a couple of weeks ago. These typewriters were manufactured from 1961 through 1984. They used a printhead element called a typeball to print with. They were nick named golf balls. These golf ball heads were used to set the font for whatever you were typing. They came in at least a dozen different fonts including Hebrew. If you wanted to change fonts you had to put on a different typeball. A big pain if you needed to change fonts in the middle of a sentence. Later models of the Selectric had some memory storage and were the forerunners of modern word processing using computers. God's light and love to all, chris This image was created using a Canon 7D MkII and a 100mm macro lens. Lighting was provided by four LED light panels. the typeball was placed upon a black sweep. The camera settings used were, AV mode, ISO 800, F13.0 at 1/100th of a sec. The camera was supported with a Manfrotto 190 XPRB tripod with a Bogen 3055 Heavy duty ballhead.#teamcanon

Wonders of the Woodpile

The most common resident of the woodpile has to be the bark beetles. They lay their eggs and then the larvae chew into the soft inner bark leaving intricate patterns into the wood. Here is one from yesterday morning when I was gathering some wood from the stack. God's love and blessings to all, chris This image was created with a Canon 7D MkII and a 100 mm macro lens. The camera settings used were, AV mode, ISO 800, F13.0 at 1/80th of a sec. The beetle was placed on a white sweep with four LED light panels. Two lights on the beetle and two on the background. #teamcanon

All Alone

One of the sure signs of spring where I live is the blooming of the Daffodils. In our backyard we have about a dozen or so of them. This year only one of them bloomed all by itself. All alone in the big backyard. I wonder if it is lonesome? Blessings upon your day, chris This image was created with a Canon 7D MkII and a 100 mm lens on a ground pod. The camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 800, F 5.0 at 1/1600th of a sec.#teamcanon

Another Resident of the Woodpile

While rearranging the wood pile I also ran across one of our native snails. Here is a Shoulderband Snail. I love the ruddy red color of their bodies. It contrasts quite well with the dark shells that they have. This image was created with a Canon 7D MkII and a 100mm lens on a Manfrotto tripod. #teamcanon Have a blessed week, chris

Local Lizard

Nothing can get your adrenaline pumping like picking up a piece of firewood to find a nine inch long lizard underneath it. Featured here is one of the bigger Northern Alligator Lizards that makes its home in our woodpile. It was held temporarily captive today while I photographed it and then set it free in a section of woodpile that we probably won't be getting to for quite awhile. I hope that you are having an enjoyable weekend. God bless, chris These images were created with a Canon 7D MkII anda 100 mm macro lens on a Manfrotto 190 XPROB tripod with a Bogen 3055 Heavy duty ballhead. Lighting was provided by window light and a gold reflector. #teamcanon

Slender Salamander

Oh, the things I find at the bottom of the woodpile. Last time Jay and I were working on the woodpile we found a Coastal Giant Salamander. Yesterday afternoon while looking for some dry wood (we have had a bit of rain you know) I found a Slender Salamander. With their dark coloring they really blend into the forest floor. This one was buried in the damp forest duff under a piece of wood and I would have probably missed it had it not just barely moved its tail. This was probably meant as a distraction as their tails can easily detach and they can escape and then grow a new one. These guys are really small with very large adults being about five inches long. The is one pictured here was only about two inches long.God's blessings upon your weekend, chris Image created with a Canon 7D MkII and a 100mm macro lens. I used four led light panels for a light source. #teamcanon

Day Late and a Dollar short

Apparently yesterday was the "International Day of Trees and Forests". Obviously I missed it. So in honor of that I am posting an image of the Tan Oak trees and forest next to our house. We live in a mixed coniferous forest with Redwoods, Douglas Fir, Madrones and Tan Oaks. This area was logged in the 1960s and the Tan Oaks being a dominant tree grow much faster than Redwoods or Firs when there is light. So when it was logged it opened up the area to light and there are a lot of Tan Oak trees.The Firs and Redwoods are currently at an age where they slowly seem to be trying to take back over. God's light and love to all, chris This image was created with a handheld Canon 7D and a Canon 100-400 IS v.1 lens at 100mm. The camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 1600, F 11.0 at 1/125th of a sec.#TeamCanon

Tail

We awoke to gray skies and scattered rain showers this morning. Now at lunch time the sun is breaking through. Thank you Lord for springtime. Earlier today I put up a new perch with some fungi on it. Very few birds came. I was hoping for some Steller's Jays but not a single one made an appearance. What that left me was squirrels. I think i'm stuck in a squirrel rut! Check out the beautiful tail on this Western Gray Squirrel. God's precious light and love to all, chris This image was created with a Canon 7D MkII and a Canon 100-400IS v.1 lens at 135mm. A Canon 550EX flash was used for fill flash set at -2 stops. The camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 800, F 8.0 at 1/200th of a sec. The camera was supported with a ground pod on our window sill.

Some More Squirrels

A lot of photographers won't photograph squirrels. Then there are some of us that really enjoy photographing them. I obviously fall into that category. I really enjoy watching them. They are such a cool little creature. Photographing squirrels also gives me great practice in focusing and composing a moving subject which carries over into photographing other subjects. Beside that they are just fun to photograph and can be quite challenging to create beautiful images with. I will admit there are times when I'm photographing birds that I can't stand them. Usually that can simply be solved by placing a squirrel feeder just for them off to the side to use to keep them out of the way. Here are some squirrel images from my backyard this weekend. I love some of their expressions. God's love and blessings upon your week, chris These images were created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens. Fill flash was provided by Canon 550 EX flash set to high speed synch and -2 stops exposure. The camera settings used were, AV mode, ISO 4000, at a variety of shutter speeds and settings. The camera was supported on a ground pod on our window sill. #teamcanon

Ain't No City Pigeon

The wild Band-tailed Pigeons have made their return joining the few resident Bandies that stayed through the winter. Earlier today five of them came into the bird feeder for a morning snack. I was photographing Jays and Squirrels and I could hear them calling up in the trees above me. Suddenly one was on the perch in front of me. I very slowly moved to recompose the lens and clicked the image. Then one after the other they came down from the trees. This was one of three of my favorite images. May you have a blessed weekend, chris It was photographed with a Canon 7D MkII and a Canon 100-400 IS v.1 lens. A Canon 500EX flash set at -2 stops was used for fill flash. The camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 800, F 5.0 at 1/250th of a sec. The camera was supported on a ground pod. #teamcanon

Northern Alligator Lizard

Yesterday while getting a piece of wood from the wood pile I found this young Northern Alligator Lizard under a piece of wood. I did a catch and release. I photographed it then put it back out on a sunny spot this morning where it can warm up and then find a new spot to shelter the last bit of winter. May you have a blessed weekend, chris This image was created with a Canon 7D MkII and a Canon EF-s17-85mm lens at 85 mm.The camera was supported on a Manfrotto 190 XPROB tripod with a Bogen 3055 heavy duty ballhead. Camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 400, F 16.0 at 1/25th of a sec. The lizard was photographed on a white sweep using 2 LED light panels as a light source.

Cool Foggy Day

We awoke to a gorgeous day with very light clouds and the sun was shining. In a blink of an eye the fog rolled in and turned everything gray. It's not bad for photography as the fog is like a giant light diffuser bringing out nice bold colors. Yesterday I put up a new perch using a really beautiful oak branch covered in lichens and moss. This morning I put it to use photographing the Western Gray Squirrels and Steller's Jays as they came to feed. My favorite image was of this Gray Squirrel. It was perfectly posed. God's blessings upon your days, chris This image was created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a TAMRON | SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 lens at 150mm. Fill flash was provided by Canon 550 EX flash set to high speed synch and -2 stops exposure. the camera settings used were, AV mode, ISO 4000, F 5.0 at 1/250th of a sec.#teamcanon, #tamron

Swift Water Rescue Training

Yesterday while photographing kayakers I stumbled upon an interagency swift water rescue training. It was being held between Calfire and the Laytonville Fire Department. They were learning and practicing swift water rescue technique. I watched them learn how to right their capsized rescue raft. How to toss a Throw Bag and how to walk in current safely as a group using a pike for support. These techniques are valuable to know where people need rescue from the swiftly flowing waters of the creeks and rivers of this region. I hope I never need their services! God love, blessings and protection to all, chris All images were created with a Canon 7D MkII and a Canon efs 17-85 mm lens. #teamcanon

Rollin' on a River

One of the best kept secrets of Mendocino County is the Eel River. It's one of the most beautiful river systems in California. It has some concerns but I won't go into those today as it has some great rafting and kayaking as well. Sunday Lenore and I drove up looking for kayakers but we got up on the river too late and we missed them. This morning I went up a little earlier and managed to catch them on a short run from Legal Bridge down to about half way to Dos Rios. It was a game of photograph and chase. I would find and photograph them and then race ahead of them to the next rapid, park and then do it all over again. It was a lot of fun. The conditions were pretty hard to photograph in as believe it or not it was too nice a day. It was bright, sunny and hot! If you are interested in learning more about white water kayaking either in the surf or on the river a great resource is Liquid Fusion Kayaking. They have great qualified instructors and can be reached by phone or through their website. https://liquidfusionkayak.com/ The also offer some much tamer trips if you are interested. I hope you are having a great week. God bless, chris All images were created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and either a Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens or a Tamron 18-200 mm lens. #teamcanon, #tamron

Day for the Birds

Today was a non photography day. First thing in the morning I filled and hung up the hummingbird feeders. Some of the first migrant hummingbirds are starting to show up. Hopefully I've got them up high enough to keep the bear away from them. When I raised them up last fall it seemed to do the trick. Afterwards I set about building some nest boxes. I built a dozen bird houses in all. One large owl box and eleven medium sized nest boxes. I'm looking forward to seeing how many get used. Thank you Nick and Scott for the free wood. The wood is just perfect for bird houses. If you get a chance please put up some nest boxes too. Cavity nesting birds will use them. They are fun to watch and will help keep your gardens bug free of cut worms etc. God's blessings upon your week, chris#teamcanon, #tamron

Blasted Bear!

I really like bears. They are such a beautiful animal. I also respect them as they are incredibly powerful. You can't believe what one did to our neighbors trash enclosure. It was completely ripped apart.We have a six foot wire deer fence around our backyard to keep the deer out from eating our plants. Now at one place it is only about three feet high. A bear just crushed it down to climb over. What could it possibly want that it would do that? I haven't had any bear problems since last fall but last night I left my bird feeder hanging up with about a cup worths of bird food in it! The bear came over the fence (Sort OF) and then knocked down the bird feeder and hauled it away. I found it crushed and torn apart down in our garden. Luckily it wasn't one of my nice bird feeders but one that I had made out of a recycled plastic almond milk container. For the bears safety and ours it looks like I will have to start bringing in the bird feeders in again at night.Below is an image of the crushed feeder and an image of the likely suspect from our trail cam. God's love and blessings to all, chris

Snowy Day Grays

We have gone from snowy day jays to grays. Western Gray Squirrels that is. I had a blast photographing the squirrels in the snow on Sunday as they came the bird feeder for a snack. Often times I will give them their own feeder to keep them occupied. But not this time while it was snowing. I loved the way the snow clung to their fur and whiskers. What a visual treat! After having so much fun there were a lot of images to edit. In fact I'm still not done and I really need to take a break. Here are four images that I have really liked so far. I hope that your week is going well. God's precious love and blessings to all, chris These images were all created with a Canon 7D MkII and a TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 lens with a Canon 550EX fill flash set to -2 stops. Camera settings varied. #teamcanon, #tamron,#takenwithmytamron, #canon

Snowy Day Jays

One of the things things that I love about living in the coastal range of Northern California is that we live high enough up in elevation that it snows. It doesn't snow too often and it rarely stays long enough that I ever need to shovel it. The county road crews do a great job of plowing and if I ever really do need to get out I can with four wheel drive. Just drive slow and easy and I rarely have a problem and I've never gotten stuck. Thank you Lord. Saturday night it started snowing pretty heavily. I went out in the dark and put up a mossy perch next to the bird feeder. In the morning the Steller's Jays were coming into it and loving all of that free bird seed. It snowed off and on all day. I really enjoyed getting the chance to photograph birds in the snow. By Monday morning all of the snow was melting away and today there are just scattered patches. I ended up with a lot of really nice images. After some editing I narrowed today's offering down to three images.Tomorrow I'll edit the squirrels. God bless, chris These images were all created with a Canon 7D MkII and a TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 lens with a Canon 550EX fill flash set to -2 stops. Camera settings varied. #teamcanon, #tamron,#takenwithmytamron, #canon