Old Faithful

I can get caught up in getting an image with a clear subject but one that doesn't tell a story. The story that is the real reason I took these shots. The second image requires the viewer to think for a second about what is in the rest of the shot, sometimes it is what is missing from the shot. Enjoy!

 

The original snow cone

This coyote took a break from his carcass feast to get a couple refreshing bites of snow. The day was perfect and I watched him for several hours until he waddled through the snow to rest on the hillside.

The snow bites have been slowed to half speed. While watching any of the current nature shows note the speed of the action. Slow motion is currently in vogue, given the quality of capture with Sony and high end video recorders, but tends to be overused in my opinion. I like to select a small portion of the clip to adjust and make the slow motion seamless with normal speed.

Getting Back on Track

I watched this raven struggle in the snow as it worked its way to the trail leading back to a carcass while in Yellowstone. It's tempting to relate this raven's struggle with current events.

Slow Motion Birds

These ravens and magpies presented a perfect opportunity to experiment with slow motion. From a storytelling perspective there is something about the inertia of the carcass and the life it provides shown by the frenzy of the birds.

 Technical: Sony a7rii at 1/250 second, frame rate 120 fps. processed to 1/4 speed in FCPX

Thank You

I often have mixed feelings about rangers when I am being reminded about safety while trying to get that unique shot. However seeing them in action in weather like this I have renewed respect for them. It's nice to have them and have someone remind us of potential dangers when we are overwhelmed with the scene and forget to take care of ourselves.

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

Swan Salon

This is the last of the swan series taken at Shakopee earlier this month.  The 16 second format of Instagram is a great editing challenge and also a good way to share short videos. If you are having trouble seeing videos here most of the videos on the blog are also on Instagram at: dbsnature on Instagram.

The Real January

A Quiet Winter Morning from Dale Bohlke on Vimeo.

 This video is from a couple weeks ago when it was a really January. The near zero temperature was great for camera work but not so great for my toes. I have bike riding the last few days pretending it is March. Who needs to go south in the winter with weather like this?

Technical: sequences shot on two successive mornings

Winter Wave

This trumpeter swan's winter wave is more exercise than I have gotten recently, at leastt until yesterday's snow. It's nice to have a real winter  even if the shovel is the free weight for boosting upper body strength. There is almost enough to XC ski which is definitely a lot more fun than shoveling.

Technical: Photography is all about time manipulation. When shooting stills it usually is about freeing time. This wing wave is at a quarter normal speed to show the beauty of the fluid motion.

Primary Pattern

I have a tendency to look for patterns and designs in nature, especially when shooting macro subjects. I caught myself doing the same thing last week when shooting ducks. Maybe there is something to the saying, "It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks."

Winter Whites

It would be nice if the winter white was snow but the white birds of winter are a lot more fun to watch than falling snow.  I'm using the birds to practice slow motion techniques and various camera/lens combinations. The car is always nearby for a quick warm up when the toes get icy.

Happy New Year!

We sing and party (well some of us) to welcome the new year but I'm sure most animals are oblivious to the 12 month calendar. I have taken the liberty to assume this coyote is happy for the arrival of 2017.

 

Otter Family Portrait

Every time I drive by a bend in the Lamar River I look for these guys. This time I drove past, backed up, and identified a rock otter (from the same lineage as a stump bear). Then I noticed these guys swimming in the water. My next hour flew by! Video captures their personalities and activity better than stills, you will see more of these.

Sunday Brunch

Sometimes in the middle of nowhere (Hayden Valley in the winter) silence is the only accompaniment to nature's cycle of life. If only I could hear what the fox was listening to, surely more interesting than reading a restaurant menu.

Successful Hunt

With snow on the ground this morning I'm sharing a short video recorded earlier this month in Yellowstone. This fox spent several minutes hunting while we watched and captured both still and video images.

 

I smell something.

I'm moving on from ears to the nose. This guy stopped in front of the camera one morning and knew something was up but couldn't localize the the camera.

Technical: I stopped using scent blockers a few years ago and use time to degrade human scent. A camera is left in place at least a week before being checked and frequently for several weeks. It will be interesting to see if he is more relaxed the next time he passes by.

Flop Ear

This floppy ear turns this guy into a rogue. When I first saw him he was dapper but the more I looked the more sinister he became. I have been thinking about animal ears lately (a slow time of the year) and this bent ear creates an individual with character. What do you think?

Moose ears

I usually concentrate on eyes when photographing but when watching and waiting the ears are my markers for impending action or movement. Clearly alert ears pointing toward you means you have been "busted" and the animal is about to leave. In this case it is totally focussed on someone else, probably a door slamming. When away from the road this moose responded to car doors and people talking a quarter mile away. Can you imagine what the sound of a sneeze feels like?

Ears

While watching this red fox hunt I couldn't help noticing how its ears moved as it cocked its head to locate an unlucky vole under the snow. Angela and I spent a very entertaining time watching this guy hunt in Hayden Valley last week. You can see a few of her shots at: angelainoregon

No where to go

Heading home after two weeks in Yellowstone. Bison were everywhere and getting a unique image can be a challenge, especially since they spend most of there time eating. This guy was in Lamar Canyon one morning.