Fall Portrait

This morning I went out to the photoblind to create some more images for the, "Off the Hook", series of images I'm working on. I set up a separate feeder for the squirrels off to the side of the pond so they wouldn't bother me when I was photographing birds. After sitting in the blind for about fifteen minutes the birds started pouring in. At first there were a lot of Steller's Jays. No other birds would show up when they were around! Later the chickadees and some nuthatches stopped by. The lighting started to get too bright around ten and I was thinking about packing it up when a Western Gray Squirrel showed up. I sat watching the squirrel when it hit me that with the bright fall background this would make a great fall portrait. I zoomed in tight on the squirrel waiting for it to lift its head to look around and take a break from feeding. After a couple of tries I got it. Fall is almost upon us and this is a great image that shows off the fall colors. God's light and love to all, chris This image was created with a Canon EOS 7D MKII camera and a Canon 100-400IS v.1 lens at 400mm. Fill flash was provided by a Canon 550 EX Speedlight set to -1 2/3rds stops. The camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 400, F 8.0 at 1/2,500th of a sec. #teamcanonusa, #teamcanon

Thanksgiving Leftover

This afternoon when I was cleaning up I found some left over Big Leaf Maple leaves that had been used to decorate our Thanksgiving table. This evening I grabbed one ofthem and photographed it on a white background. i hope that you had a great day. God bless, chris Canon 7D MkII camera and a Canon EFS 17-85mm lens.

Trailside

Thank you Lord for the rains. It has rained off and on for the last few days. During one of the breaks the sun came out and I went for a short trail walk up Willits Creek. Along the side of the trail I noticed these three Big Leaf Maple leaves lying side by side. Such a simple and beautiful sign of fall. God's blessings upon your weekend, chris Photographed with a handheld Canon 7D MkII camera anda a Canon EF-S17-85mm lens at 38mm. Thecamera settings used were AV mode, ISO 400, f 11.0 at 1/25th of a sec.

Brrrrrrrrr!

Fall is beginning to head out and winter is just around the corner. It has been cold in the morning lately. All of the Montanans, Siberians, Alaskans and North Dakotans etc. will be laughing at this but here in Northern California on the coast it has been in the high twenties the past few mornings. Frozen puddles and frost. Time to get that wood stove stoked up and going. Below are some frosty Oak leaves that I photographed before going to work out at the gym this morning. I hope you are having a great week. God bless, Chris All images were created with a handheld Canon 7D mkII and a Tamron 18-200mm lens. Exposures varied.

Time Marches Slowly Onward

If you are lucky enough to live where the seasons change you get to observe nature at its best as you watch one season gradually roll into the next. Fall is one of my favorite seasons for getting to see the leaves change in beautiful hues of yellow, oranges and reds as they slowly shift into brown. Early in the morning while taking the dog for its morning constitutional I spotted this one particular Tan Oak leaf that had holes in it. They were probably from an insect chewing into it and I found it interesting. I grabbed my camera, macro lens and a tripod and made a variety of images of it. After editing them this one was my favorite. It truly captures the passage of time. For this leaf is slowly turning back into the earth from which it had sprung. God's light and love to all, chris This image was created with a Canon 7DmkII and a 100mm macro lens on a Manfrotto 190XPROB tripod with a Bogen 3055 Heavy duty ballhead. The camera settings used were, AV mode, ISO 800, F 16.0 at 1.6 seconds.

Creeks are Flowing

This morning I took a short walk next to Willits Creek along Thimbleberry Trail. I was hoping that all of the fall color hadn't been knocked down by the rain. Luckily it hadn't and I was able to create a few nice images along the way. When I got to the first creek crossing I found a dead deer from a Mountain Lion kill. That made me a bit nervous and I made my way out of there back to the car. They've got to eat too. Just so long as I'm not on the menu! God's love and blessings to all, chris All images were created with a Canon 7D mkII and a Canon EF-s-17-85mm lens. Exposures varied.

Sunrise Silhouette and Some Squirrels

You can sure tell that fall is just around the corner. There was a coolness in the air that we haven't felt for quite awhile. I'm sure there are many more warm days ahead but it was nice to wake up to some cool air this morning. There were also some clouds on the horizon which made for a nice silhouette of one on our favorite trees in the backyard a nice healthy Madrone. I also threw in some squirrels from early Sunday morning. Drive safe out there school is now in session in most parts of the world. God bless, chris

BRRRRRR !

For where I live it has been pretty chilly. Yesterday morning in the Little Lake Valley it was 17 degrees F and this morning it was 26. Earlier today I grabbed my camera, tripod and a macro lens for a walk along the banks of Willits Creek where I photographed frosty Big Leaf Maple leaves. It was definitely a hat and gloves required kind of morning. The beautiful leaves made it all worth it. God's love and blessings to all, chris Canon 7D and a 100mm macro lens. AV mode ISO 200, Exposures varied.

Reflection

This morning both Lenore and I were up before sunrise. I must say that with the shortening days that is much easier to accomplish. We went for a walk and then I grabbed my camera and tripod and went and photographed a leaf in the pond in our backyard. I just loved the light coming through and the mirrored reflection on the water. My thanks to Karolina Fonseca Moreira for the image idea. If you want to see some beautiful bird photography from South America please check out her photography. God's love and blessings to all, chris Image created with a Canon 7D on a Manfrotto tripod using a 100mm macro lens. Camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 800,F 8.0 at 1/25th of a sec.

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.

When It Rains

We have been praying for rain and out prayers have been answered! The forecast is for rain through next week with a brief break tomorrow. The fungi are loving all this moisture and are popping up everywhere. My photography has been limited to brief dashes outdoors during short breaks in the weather and whatever indoor ideas I can find or create like playing around with some light painting. What I really want is a downpour because I have an idea for an image I have had planned out for sometime now. Hopefully I can roll that image out for you to see really soon. In other news Friday night three bears came for a visit during the heavy rain. The dog started barking and I went to the upstairs deck to find out what was going on. Before I could reach the deck I heard a horrible bawling from outside below the deck. I stepped out and saw a bear running toward the house. I yelled it turned and ran the other way. I went back inside and grabbed my flashlight. When I went back out I spotted two bear cubs in the fir tree out front. Momma was in the background phlumping that she wasn't happy. I'm not sure why the bear was bawling but I'm sure not going out into the pouring rain and dark to find out. On Saturday I walked out and found that they had bent over the metal poles holding up my bird feeders so they could eat the bird seed. We had really small acorn crop in early fall so I think the bears are really hungry with winter coming on. God's love to all, chris Images created with a Canon 7D, Fungi used a Canon 100-400 IS lens. Settings used. ISO 400 F11.0 at 1/250th of a sec. The light painting was done with a Canon EFs-10-22mm lens ISO 400 f 11.0 at a 30 second exposure. The camera was supported with a Manfrotto 055 PROBX tripod and a 3055 heavy duty Bogen ballhead.

Nature's Palette

God gives summer a beautiful send off with the brilliant colors of fall. I grew up in Colorado so at this time of the year I long for the broad swaths of the quaking aspens rolling up the mountainsides. They are long past now being replaced with the winters snows. One needs to be content in ones circumstances and I have learned that there are many beautiful fall colors to be had where I live now. The oaks, maples and willow trees are equally beautiful in their own way as are many of the ornamental trees found in the parking lot at the dermotologists office! Here is a sampling of color from the parking lot yesterday when I took Annika to an appointment in Ukiah,CA. What an incredibly beautiful day it was. God's light and love to all, chris

In the Rut

This morning on my drive down the mountain into town I noticed a buck off to the side of the road with several does. I was about to drive on by when I noticed he was phlegming towards one of the does. Phlegming is the way that bucks determine if a doe is in estrus and ready to breed. They do this by sticking out their neck and head, curling their lip back and then opening their mouth wide and sucking in air. They suck the air in over their Jacob's Organ to see if there are any females are in season. This particular buck was swinging his head around from doe to doe. Just after I took this image he bolted after one of the does and took off in pursuit of her. She ran across the road and down a hill with him in pursuit. Love er lust is in the air. God bless, chris

Fall Squirrel

This morning it really felt like a fall day. I definitely needed a sweatshirt to keep me warm in the photoblind this morning. I must admit my shorts and sandals were feeling a bit cool. My goal today was to create an image of a bird or a squirrel that had some nice fall colors to it. I only photographed for a short time but I came away with an excellent image of a Douglas Tree Squirrel that has a nice fall feel to it. I'm really happy with it. I was really excited to see that the number of followers of this blog now is very close to nine hundred. If you like this blog and the photography in it please pass this site onto your friends. It would be great to have over a thousand followers! God's light and precious love to all, chris

Last Flight Before Winter

Yesterday a large moth landed on the window outside of our living room. Annika pointed it out."Dad look at that unusual moth". It was rather different. For one thing it was rather large almost and inch and a half in length and the other odd thing about it was that almost all of the scales on its wings were worn away. Here was a survivor making some of the last flights of its life before it died. I photographed it this morning and then set it free onto the outside of the house. God's precious light and love to all, chris

Bulking Up on Acorns

Right now if you are looking for deer in the area where I live most of the time you will find them eating acorns. This morning that is where I found this little 3x3 and a spike. It was difficult to get an image of them looking up because the majority of the time they had their noses down looking for acorns in the leaves. They eat an amazing amount of acorns in preparation for the upcoming winter. God bless, chris

Settling Into Fall

The beginning of fall has brought early rains to Northern California. During a short break in the rain today I photographed some fallen leaves and the bounty of a nearby apple tree. God gives us ample subjects to photograph this time of year. God's light and love to all, chris

The Fawns are Losing Their Spots

This morning I went out specifically to photograph some deer. Mainly because I haven't done that in awhile. I found quite a few but the one I liked the most was this curious young Blacktail fawn. When I got home and I was processing the images I noticed a few things about the image I hadn't picked up on when I was creating it. The end of summer is coming up pretty fast. The fawns are losing their spots. The spots are slowly fading to brown and aren't as distinct as they were before. The poison oak is turning red and has white berries. All signs of the ending of summer and moving into fall. That reminds me I still need to finish staining a few spots on my deck. God's love through out the seasons to all, chris

My Annual Fall Color Tour

Just about every year I make my own personal fall color tour through part of Mendocino County.I drive up over Red Hill into the Rock Tree Valley. I ford Tomki Creek and then drive out Hearst Road to the bridge on the Eel River at Emandahl. Then I backtrack to Tomki Road and the come up over Berry Canyon Road and back to Willits. Today was no disappointment as the fall colors were the best that I have seen in many years. It was just beautiful. The sky was cloudy and it was mixed with high fog that gave the leaves a rich saturated coloring. I had a wonderful drive and made it back just in time to have a quick lunch with Lenore. God's precious light and love to everyone, chris

Work in Progress

I have been working towards creating a Douglas Tree Squirrel with fall colors in the background behind the squirrel. I was up and at it early this morning again. I'm making progress and I'm having a lot of fun doing it! They are such cute little critters. God's love and blessings to all, chris