Shield Bug Silhouette

I captured a shield bug/beetle off of the screen of a window in our front yard. I thought it would look cool in silhouette on a leaf. Tonight I set it up with a leaf and a lamp in the studio before I set it free out in the front yard. God's precious light and love to all, chrisThis fun image was created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Canon EF-S-60mm macro usm lens on a Manfrotto 055 XPROB tripod.The camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 400, f 20. at1/100th of a sec.#TeamCanon

Waiting for the Sunrise Silhouette

One more installment on the sunrise silhouette series. So far I have a fly, scorpion and today a bark beetle. I wonder what I can think of next? We have been working on stacking wood for the winter so you never know what we might find that I can use. Maybe a tiny salamander? Who knows? So many questions! God bless and have a great weekend, chrisThis image was created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Canon EF-S 60mm macro lens on a Manfrotto tripod. The camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 100, F 4.5 at 1/13th of a sec. No beetles were harmed in the making of this image though it was probably terribly irritated before being released in the forest near my house.#TeamCanon

On the Hunt

I love to create silhouettes. Among my favorites are trees against sunrises or sunsets. On a much, much smaller scale I love to do little creatures as well. Sunday morning I got the idea to do a scorpion. First stop was to the woodpile to find a scorpion which didn't take too long. Next I grabbed a nice rock from the backyard and got to work using a macro lens on a tripod. I took quite a few images to get one that I felt looked right. This was fun image to create! We are off to a good start for the week. God's love and blessings to all, chris This image was created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Canon 60mm EF-S Macro lens supported by a Manfrotto 055 XPROB tripod with a Bogen heavy duty ballhead. The camera settings used were AV mode,ISO 200, F 8.0 at 1/200th of a sec. #TeamCanon

Breakfast at Sunrise

While I was waiting for the sunrise yesterday morning it occurred to me that the nectar feeder hanging on our clothesline would make the perfect silhouette. I positioned myself down low to the ground directly behind the feeder and waited for the sun and a hummingbird to line up. God's precious love and blessings to all, chris This image was vreated with a Canon 7D mkII camera and a Tamron 150-600 mm G2 lens at 162mm on a Manfrotto tripod. The camera settings used were AV mode,ISO 800,F 22.0 at 1/1,600th of a sec.#TeamCanon, #withmytamron

One From the Archives

I'm feeling under the weather today. I ended up up sleeping away most of the afternoon and the evening. I guess I need to be on a beach in Costa Rica. I hope you are having a lovely weekend God bless, chris

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

Monochromatic Monday

This morning I was up a little after six thirty. I was checking to see if our deck was dry enough to stain as I power washed it yesterday. When I looked to the east I could see the mountain layers covered in a thin layer of fog with the silhouette of the Madrone tree. I went back inside and grabbed my camera and a telephoto lens. Soon one image led to another all without color. just another "Monocromatic Monday". God's love and blesings upon your week, chris all images created with a handheld Canon 7D and a Canon 100-400IS v1 lens.

Beetle in Silhouette

This morning I was working on photographing a Bark Beetle in silhouette climbing up a rock. I was having troubles. I needed to have Jay or Annika for my beetle wrangler. Right now it is a work in progress. When I get there I will know it. For now accept my simple image of a beetle in silhouette. God's light and love to all, chris Image created with a Canon 7D and a 100mm macro lens supported on a Gorilla Pod. AV mode, ISO 800, F 11.0 at 1/50th of a sec. #TeamCanon

Valley Down Below

This morning arrived without fanfare as there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was crystal clear and as such there wasn't any grand pink sunrise to photograph. I gave up all thoughts of photographing any sort of landscape until I noticed a thin layer of fog upon the valley floor. My eyes were instantly drawn to all the treetops of oaks, redwoods and firs sticking up from the fog. I ran downstairs and grabbed my cameraand a couple of telephoto lenses. I love to photograph landscapes with a telephoto lens. It just brings out things that you don't normally see with the naked eye. I started with a 400mm telephoto and then I switched to a 600. After editing the images this one taken with the 600 was my favorite. I especially like the oak trees in it. May you have a blessed day, chris

Fiery Sunset

I knew that we might have a really nice sunset with the fog rolling in all day yesterday. So when I was in the kitchen cooking dinner I was watching the sun go down with anticipation. As the sun got lower and lower I could see streaks of pink staring to appear. When my dish of Cajun Spiced Cabbage was done cooking I turned off the burner and tossed on a lid to keep it warm then I grabbed my camera and made a quick walk down our road. The sun was almost down and I could see a really cool redwood branch that would look great silhouetted in the sunset. I stepped downhill off the road so that I could include the branch into my composition. Checking the back of the camera I repositioned myself and tried again until I had what I wanted. What a gorgeous sunset. It was like the sky was on fire. This image was created with a handheld Canon 7D and a Canon 100-400 IS lens at 130mm. The camera was set in AV mode for more control. I used an ISO of 200, F 11.0 for good depth of field to keep both the branch and the distant sunset in focus. A shutter speed of 1/125th of a sec. May you have a blessed day, chris

Simple Gifts

This morning I was up and around photographing an expansive sunrise and colorful clouds across the horizon. There was this little Oak twig that kept getting into my composition. A burst of inspiration hit me that the slender little twig was very beautiful as a silhouetted subject all on its own. I shifted my focus to the twig and I came up with a little piece of the sunrise that was quite beautiful. Enjoy the little gifts that God puts before you today, chris Image created with a Canon 7D and a Tamron 150-600mm lens at 150mm on a Manfrotto 055XPROB tripod. Camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 200, F 8.0 at 1/80th of a sec.

Dreams

When I was out at the coast recently the fog came creeping in as it often does. The timing was just right for a kayak to paddle by in the dwindling light. As soon as I saw it I knew it would make for a great silhouette. I waited for the kayaker to get closer to some rocks ahead of it for a nicer composition. The lack of light from the fog rendered everything into black and white even though this is a color image. This image was created with a Canon 7D and a Canon EF-S 17-85 mm lens at 85mm. Settings used were AV mode, ISO 400, F 18.0 at 1/2,500th of a sec. God's love and blessings have a great evening, chris

Redwood Sunset Silhouette

Today was not a photography day. I was much too busy to pick up my camera until it was almost sunset. Then I grabbed my camera and tripod and walked down the ridge looking for something interesting to put in front of my lens. After a short walk I could see that there weren't enough clouds to make a grand sunset with clouds I was going to have to try something different. It was then that I noticed two Redwood Trees growing side by side. "Hmmmnnnn..." I thought. That would make for a nice composition. I worked the Redwoods over pretty good trying different angles and focal lengths. This image ended up being my favorite. I should have titled today's photoblog sisters. For some reason the redwoods reminded me of two sisters growing up side by side through thick and thin always there for each other. God's love and blessings upon you, chris Image created with a Canon 7D and a Tamron 150-600 at 200mm set on a Manfrotto 190 XPROB tripod with a 3055 Bogen Ballhead. Camera settings used were ISO 100, F 13.0 at 1/30th of a sec.

Revisiting an Old Scene

I spent a great time yesterday photographing Acorn Woodpeckers. I also revisited two old images that I have photographed in the past. One of the ways that you can improve your photography is to reshoot old scenes that you have photographed before. You can try another angle, photograph from either a higher or lower position. Try visualizing it from a different location. If you photographed it at sunrise try shooting it at sunset instead. In my particular situation I have photographed this one oak tree before. The last time I photographed it was about a year ago when I photographed it at sunrise in beautiful pink light. Yesterday the fog was thick as I drove past it on my way to my photoblind. Hmmnn.. I thought to myself. "That looks pretty interesting in the fog. I photographed from a couple different angles and then chose the best one for today's photoblog. The farm implement too has been photographed before. I think it was it was just last week. This time I noticed the silhouettes of the horses behind it added an added dimension that was really cool. As the horses grazed I kept moving my tripod trying to get a good angle of them. I was also shooting through a deer fence. This was done by putting the camera lens right up against the fence and not stopping don too far to allow the fence pattern to show through. So when you are out photographing a landscape or a scene again in the future look for ways that it can be photographed in a new and different way. God's love and blessings upon your weekend, chris Both images photographed with a Canon 7D and a Canon 100-400 IS lens supported on a Manfrotto 055PROBX tripod with a Bogen 3055 ballhead.

Good bye Wyoming Hello Prairie Dogs

I paid my respects to the silhouetted cowboy and his dog as I left Wyoming at the Colorado border. I don't know who the artist is but it makes for a wonderful image early in the morning. This was day 13 of my trip and I was headed south on I25 to Loveland, Colorado and then on to Denver for my trip home in NorCal the following day. I was up way before the crack of dawn as is the norm for any kind of a photography expedition. My first major stop was to the Prairie Dog Colony on the east side of Loveland. Sadly this colony may not be there very much longer as the property is up for sale. Who knows what will become of them once the property is developed? I photographed some great behaviors of the eating and greeting. I even got an image of one barking out it's warning out to the rest of the colony. When you see one getting ready to bark you have to leave plenty of room at the top of the frame for them to leap up to. From there I stopped by for short visit to my brother and sister in laws and then I drove past my old house and photographed Barnes Ditch where I spent many a day fishing,swimming, tubing and ice skating in my youth. I'm sure that in this current day of lawsuits and safety none of that is allowed now. My final stop in Loveland was to visit my second Mom, Joanne Burke. Check out her artwork it is fantastic. I call her my second Mom because I was always over at her house when I was growing up. From there I drove with my friend Dan and his girlfriend Julie back to Denver where I got another chance to photograph Zack Julies dog. Dog images are a lot of fun to make especially when you have a great dog like Zack t work with. Such a handsome fellow! God's love and blessings to all, chrisAll images created with a Canon 7D and a Canon 100-400 IS lens. Settings and exposures varied.

"Surreal Sunset"

I'm stuck in sunset mode and I need a reboot! I could tell that the sunset was going to be amazing tonight because it was smoky all day long. Sure enough sunset found me about a hundred feet down the road from my house photographing one of the most surreal sunsets that I have seen in awhile. A smoke covered sky with clear skies and then fog down below over the ocean. It was totally amazing! Though I do pray that they get this fire under control soon as it is continuing to spread putting many fire fighters and homes in danger. Please pray for God's love and protection for all, chris Image created with a Canon 7D and a Canon 100-400 IS lens at 200mm. Camera settings used - AV mode, ISO 400,F22.0 at 1/300th of a sec. Camera was on a Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a Bogen 3055 Ballhead.

"Sunset Silhouette"

The Lodge Lightning Complex Fire has been putting a lot of smoke up into the air. This makes for some very red sunsets. Last night was no exception. We went for a walk down our road and I brought my camera along just in case. I created quite a few images but this one was my favorite. The top of a fir tree in silhouette with the Mendocino Coast in the background. God's love and blessings to all, chris Image created with a Canon 7D and a Canon 100-400 IS lens at 250mm. Camera settings- AV mode, ISO 400,F16.0 at 1/100th of a sec.Camera was on a Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a Bogen 3055 Ballhead.

Rude Awakening

I love dogs. I don't like dogs when they wake me up at six fifteen in the morning to go to the bathroom. That is exactly what Badger the Wonder Dog did this morning. Which ended up allowing me to capture this beautiful sunrise over the Little Lake Valley that I would have slept through. Thank you Lord for sunrises and great little dogs. God's tender blessings upon your day, chris

Stars Come Out At night

This evening we drove down to Redwood Valley in celebration of Lenore's birthday.( Happy Birthday Lenore my Love!) We went to Marios for some Italian food. It was delicious. On the trip home we pulled off the highway onto one of the really wide pull outs so I could photograph the night sky. It was really hard to time my images between cars. Luckily we are far enough north on 101 that we don't get a horrendous amount of traffic and I was able to get a few thirty second long exposures in. My favorite one is this one with an oak tree in silhouette. God's light and love to all, chris

Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D, Bower 8 mm lens. Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a 3055 Ballhead. Camera Setting- Manual Mode,ISO 6,400,F3.5, Shutter speed 30 sec.

Seashore Silhouette

I spent part of this morning editing the images from yesterday at Pt. Reyes National Seashore. I love silhouettes so I have to share this one of a couple rock fishing off of the rocks at McClure Beach. I really liked the dramatic light from the fog. God's light and love to all, chris

Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D and a Canon 28-135 at 135mm. Camera Settings- AV mode, ISO 400,F 22.0 at 1/1,600th of a sec., E.V -2 stops