Snow Geese Blastoff (uncut)

 

Sometimes a video is needed to share the experience, something I have commented on before. To make the still shot work I think a sense of order must be distilled out of the organized chaos of 600,000 or more birds in flight.

Snow Geese at 16K

I just returned from Loess Bluffs NWR at Mound City, MO. and was surprised to learn yesterday's count was about 750,000 geese. However, the biggest surprise was quality of images shot at an ISO of 16,000, almost literally shots in the dark. I moved back to Canon after an experiment with Sony and this was its shakedown visit. Both shots recorded using auto focus.

ISO 16,000, 1/8 sec @ f5.6

ISO 16,000, 1/60 sec @ f4.0

Winter Rest

I just returned from Yellowstone and am adjusting to a brown landscape again. Winter was in full swing last week with white out conditions most days. The wildlife, other than the always present bison, were also laying low. I found this teenage bull moose early one morning before it moved into the forest. The other bulls have already lost their horns.

Technical: ISO 6400, 600 mm and 1.4 tele-converter, cropped

I love clouds but. . .

The last few overcast days have been keeping me at the computer waiting for some color or weather to give November images some punch. While I was  at the Badlands I was lamenting  crystal clear blue skies, I guess it is hard to make a photographer happy. Does the weather ever make everyone happy?

Looking out the window

Daybreak at the window overlook in Badlands NP. Quiet with only the wind for music , a great way to start the day. The formations seem to change character almost by the hour.

Technical: Two image HDR in Lightroom

Mornng Mood

Cool colors and light, early morning fog: What more could you ask for? As the sun was rising I raced to the west side of Namekagon Barrens to catch it and the back lit bushes.  Landscape photography is an intense race to the best location in quickly changing light all with the goal of creating a calm, peaceful scene.

Technical: HDR technique with blending in Lightroom

Round Prairie Bison

This is where I like to start my day and work back to Mammoth. I'll frequently start in near darkness hoping to see moose. As local sun rise nears ground fog increases and there can be incredible mood shots. If a bison will model for me, all the better. Of course if he had been exhaling steam it would have been better. The curse of a photographer, always hoping for better.

Each one is unique

I was reminded of this when someone said each sunset has been different this week. So is sunrise but few of us see it on a regular basis. This was taken before sunrise last week at a small park on the edge of Madison Lake, MN. 

Technical: To clone the light or not? What would you do?

Lake Sakatah Rookery

I'm fascinated by the color of the sky and lake each morning I drive by these islands.

October Sky

I missed the fluorescent pink and red dawn clouds but arrived in time to see hundreds of blackbirds flying from one feeding site to another. I am awestruck by the apparent ease these huge numbers of birds fly in tight formation. Another question, "Who decides when the flock should take flight?"

Dawn's Early Light

The quiet of the Lamar Valley at this time of day is only occasionally broken by vehicles heading out to wolf watching sites. The light and quiet make it worth getting up early and arriving ahead of the crowd.

Technical: HDR capture, blending in Lightroom 6. 

September Dawn

I went out to Cottonwood Prairie last week in hopes of catching early morning dew and ground fog. However, a light breeze and crystal clear skies greeted me. 

Technical: Sky brightness was balanced using both  3 stop and 5 stop graduated neutral filters. I tried to do HDR in Lightroom but did not bracket a wide enough range.

Clouds over Mammoth Terrace

I am having a hard time moving beyond Mammoth with my images taken while visiting Yellowstone last week. There is so much to see and explore without leaving "civilization". The terraces have an even more mystical quality in low light with the subtle colors of the sky changing their colors.

December Creativity

I went back to 2010 for this image taken at Crex Meadows. The subzero temperatures have inhibited my outdoor creativity. On the other hand it may be the month, there are no images in my files from last December. I guess I'll just have to use my creativity making a Christmas wish list.

Prairie Dawn

The dew and clouds in the western sky made this a magical moment, almost too nice to think about all the possible images in the area around me.  An old fashion 2 stop ND graduated filter was used to balance the sky. Photographed on Schaefer Prairie.