Knothole Bird Feeder

I set up a knothole bird feeder in the yard to try and capture some close up images of the Black-headed Grosbeaks. I put it right next to my platform bird feeder . Then I cleared out all of the bird seed from the platform feeder forcing them to look for food close by. After settling into the photoblind the birds started coming in. They were looking all over the place until a Steller's Jay discovered the small hole. It looked at it quizzically for a bit and then dove right in grabbing a few seeds and flying off. The jays really got into it. After they left the grosbeaks gave it a try. They were actually easier to photograph because when one of them would land on the feeder they would park themselves and keep feeding for quite awhile. Here are three of my favorite images. God's blessings upon your weekend. To all of you Americans out there, Happy Fourth of July! All of these images were created with a Canon EOS 7D MKII camera and a Canon 100-400IS v.1 lens. #teamcanonusa

Shelter in Place Photography or Simple Set Up

Yesterday I created a super simple set up for photographing birds in my yard. The chances are that if you have a bird feeder in your yard you can set up something similar. I stacked up two piles of some old cinder blocks underneath our bird feeder and put a branch across between them. You don't have to use cinder blocks you could use trash cans or sawhorses. Just something that would be close to eye level when you are sitting in a chair looking at it. I made one stack higher on one side than the other. Then I removed the perch off of the bird feeder so that the birds would have to land on the branch before they could fly up to grab food from the feeder. I set up my photoblind with an old office chair inside roughly eight feet from the branch. I used a pop up blind from Ameristep. You could use an appliance box or a camping tent for a blind. I had no shortage of birds coming to the feeder! I photographed Steller's Jays, Juncos and Black Headed Grosbeaks along with some squirrels.If you are interested give it a try. For more ways to photograph birds check out my book ,Secrets of Backyard Bird Photography. It is available on most online book sellers including Amazon. God's light and love to all, chris All images were created with a Canon EOS 7D MKII camera and a Canon 100-400IS v.1 lens with a Canon 550 EX Speedlight set to - 1 1/3 rd stops. #teamcanonusa

Portrait of a Fat Squirrel

Outside right now the rain is pouring down cats and dogs plus some deer and field mice thrown in. Perfectly lovely day to sit and process some images I'm behind on. After turning on my computer and opening my library up the first image I see is a misfiled image of a fat squirrel. I love the fine details of the whiskered face and the pose though I'm not fond of the rumpled fur and fat chubby body below. Hmmnn... am I having fat discriminating thoughts about a poor squirrel? What strange thoughts for a rainy day.Perhaps something to really think about on a deeper level. Especially if I apply it to the humans in my own world. I crop the image and decide it makes a really nice portrait. My thoughts move on to the task at hand. God's blessings upon your day and Thank you, Lord for the rain, chris This image was created with a Canon EOS 7D MKII camera and a Canon 100-400 IS v1 telephotolens at 400m. The camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 800 F 8.0 at 1/50th of a sec. A Canon 550 EX Speedlight was used for fill light.#teamcanonusa

Knothole Feeders

I built two new knothole bird feeders this last week and I have been trying them out in the yard. I just have to remember to take them in each time I use them or the Gray Squirrels will tear them apart to get to the seed. On Friday the birds were using them non stop. They love that black sunflower seed. Here are a few sample images from the feeders. All images were created with a Canon EOS 7D MkII camera and a Canon 100-400IS V.1 lens.The camera settings varied. #teamcanonusa, #teamcanon God's love and blessings to all, chris

Fall Migration or Goodbye to the Hummingbirds

We are definitely moving into fall because over the last weekend most of my hummingbirds moved on. Some probably headed over to the coast and others likely moved further south. Migration is on especially for the hummingbirds. This afternoon when I went out into the backyard to do some hummingbird photography there were only three hummingbirds left. As usual Papaya the blasted cat showed up to scare them away. I didn't mind too much because the hummingbirds aren't that afraid of the cat unless she is right next to the feeder. As soon as she had passed by they were right back. I created almost sixty images and after uploading them to the computer I had about eight images that I really liked. Overall this image was my favorite. It symbolizes fall really well. God's blessings upon your weekend, chris This image of an Ann's Hummingbird was created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Canon 100-400 IS V.1 lens at 220mm with a 12mm extension tube added to it for close focusing. Lighting was provided by four Canon 540EZ Speedlights set to 1/64th power. The camera settings used were M mode, ISO 400, F 11.0 at 1/160th of a sec. If you want more details of how to photograph hummingbirds please check out chapter six of my book, Secrets of Backyard Bird Photography at your local library or on Amazon. It isavailable both in hardbound and a s an Ebook. #teamcanonusa, #teamcanon, #secretsofbackyardbirdphotography

Repeat Offender

Oh no another snake! I spotted this Garter Snake hunting goldfish in our garden pond this afternoon. I grabbed my Canon 7D MkII, a 12mm extension tube for close focusing and my Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens. I then crawled on my belly to the edge of the pond and focused on the snakes eye. The snake stayed in place until I stood up and then it slithered into the pond. The camera settings used were AV mode,ISO 400, 1/800th of a sec at F 8.0. The camera was handheld with the lens foot on the ground. Photographed in Mendocino County, Northern California. #TeamCanon God's love and blessings to all, chris