"Bright Eyes"

Chestnut Backed Chickadees are both fun to watch and photograph. They are a bright, brave little bird. They are quite bold and will often get quite close to me when I am in the backyard. They think nothing of stealing sunflower seeds right out from under a Steller's Jay when it isn't looking. This morning I photographed them for about forty five minutes or so in the backyard photoblind using a white studio backdrop to emulate a snowy background. I loved the end result with its bright eye clearly standing out in the image. God's love and blessings to all, chris This image was created with a Canon 7D and a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens at 320mm on a Manfrotto 190 XPROB tripod with a Bogen 3055 heavy duty ballhead. Camera settings used were +1 Exp. AV mode, ISO 400, F 8.0 at 1/60th of a sec.#TeamCanon,

Fall Favorites

Fall brings out some of the most incredible colors in all of God's creation. Bright reds, soft pinks, brilliant oranges and golden yellows all on brilliant display. My all time favorite has to be the Quaking Aspens. That's probably because I grew up in Colorado and I'm rather partial to them. Living for a long, long time now in Northern California I've come to appreciate the Big Leafed Maples and the Black Oaks. Surprisingly though one of my all time fall favorites is the often overlooked Bracken Fern. They have such a delicate form which when it is backlit reveals some beautiful color on the forest floor. There is a patch of them in our front yard that when the light hits them just right at sunset is just spectacular. May you have a blessed and wonderful week ahead, chris This image was created with a Canon 7D and a 100mm macro lens on a Manfrotto tripod. AV mode, ISO 400, F 8.0 at 1/25th of a sec.

Beauty of Fall

This morning one of the flower heads in the yard caught my attention. It was so beautiful in the soft morning light. It had the perfection of beauty that is not perfect, not permanent, and is incomplete. Yet it was still very beautiful. So similar to the way God loves us. We are imperfect in our beauty and yet he loves us anyway. He is what makes us complete. Have a great Saturday, chris This image was created with a Canon 7D and a 100mm macro lens. On a Manfrotto 055 XPROB tripod with a Bogen 3055 ballhead. Camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 400, F 22.0 at 1/6 th of a sec.

"I'll Be Waiting..."

With the start of the rains we are using the wood stove a lot more to heat up the house when it gets chilly. Earlier this week when I went to grab a piece of firewood for the woodstove I was shocked to see a scorpion sitting where my hand had been headed. I'm so glad that I looked before I grabbed. Funny thing is I had handled that piece of wood a couple of times in getting it into the house. I'm sure that there will be more waiting to surprise me in the woodpile. This afternoon I photographed the wee beastie with my macro lens and a table lamp on a piece of tagboard. May you have a fun and blessed weekend, chris Image created with a Canon 7D and a 100mm macro lens. AV mode,ISO 400,F 22.0,1/6th of a sec.

Couple of Chickadees

I spent about an hour in the photoblind this morning. The only birds coming to my feeder were the Chestnut Backed Chickadees. When God gives you chickadees you photograph chickadees. Thank you Lord for the chickadees! They are awfully cute with their beautiful feathers, bright eyes and gregarious attitudes. Here were two of my favorites. May you have a blessed day, chris Both images created with a Canon 7D and a a Tamron 150-600mm lens on a Manfrotto Tripod. AV mode, ISO 800, F 8.0.

What a Great Start to the Day

Last night I decided to take a quick trip to the coast to break my case of cabin fever. On the drive out while it was just about light a beautiful Black Bear ran across the road in front of my pick up. It was close enough so that my headlights lit it up rather nicely.Whoo Hoo! When I arrived at the coast the sun was climbing rapidly into the sky with hardly a cloud to be seen. Not the conditions that you want for photography. I made the best of it as the wave action was quite beautiful. After photographing the waves and rock for awhile I stopped off at the beach off at Ward Ave and then later McKerricher State Park to see if I could find any shorebirds. I found a Whimbrel and a Plover. Not bad for a quick little trip. May you have a marvelous day, chris All images created with a Canon 7D

Yummy Berries

The birds and squirrels have been enjoying the Pyracantha berries I have been putting up for them. On Saturday I wanted to capture one of the Hermit Thrushes I have seen coming and going. I have only seen them in early morning and rarely after that so I knew I had to get out there early. Some of you know from my last posting I was up and at'em before the sunrise. It was lucky that I was up early because I only got two chances to photograph the Thrush as it came and went. It sat off to the side and then suddenly it would dart in and grab a berry gobble it up before it took off. On the first try I captured it just after it had swallowed the berry. On the second try I got it with the berry in its beak and I was happy. Both images were captured with a Canon 7D and a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens.Enjoy your day and God's blessings to you, chris