 I've been on the run this week... A great week for me. I have kept my expenses current, my desk clean, and finished some long waiting goals. The most fun was getting time with my Pheasant pals. It may be the same pheasant I photographed both nights. He was good to me and I have not served him for dinner (never will either). As beautiful as he is I am tempted to get him a bulled proof vest or a Seagull halloween costume (it's illegal to shoot seagulls in Utah). The above shot is my personal favorite of the two nights of shooting. It has action. Yes I was panning. But I made sure the shutter speed was high. I wanted the whole bird in focus. The focal length was 67o mm. I dropped the EV by one full stop. The night before many shots were burned out on the birds chest. It looks like gold foil and is highly reflective. Even at -1EV the chest is HOT. The finish is NIK's midnight but I erased most of the midnight effect on the bird. So it is a mix. I like it. Birdy boy is 100% natural. Everything else is Photoshop'd with NIK the plug in. I think it worked. I hope you did too. Oh!...Lind's (the master at photoshoper)helped me with a signature. Look close in bottom right. Every little bit helps for copyright. Even If it's not for sell.
 My wife wanted wanted me to take out the weeds. I may adapt a photo to midnight but I have a problem in photoshop removing things. Especially because my computer skills need some major improvement. If I tried to remove anything from my photo's they would start looking like Picaso paintings. The photo above is one of many that I shot last night. NO WEEDS. And the midnight adaption won the votes. I'm crossing my fingers. Maybe my wife will like this one! Thanks for all the comments and emails. ENJOY!
America IDOL is really boring at this time in the program. The time usually gawking at the big screen on Idol night was better spent tonight on the Mac Pro! The days are getting longer and warmer. One of these days my great photo escapes will have to end. Raised beds and Peas are coming soon. Tonight was another great experience with the Bird's. Now I know the stars are aligned...at least for two days. Another incredible night with my Pheasant friends. What an incredible photographic blast! Except how I'm to explain the swamp mud, grass and "yuk" stains on my work pants. About a mile back from the Farmington Bay my tires locked up. There he was. The bird that looks like he is made up for the lead in an opera. Red mascara? Blue neck. The girl pheasants see their men a little different than the girls I dated. I was soon on my belly waiting for his grand entrance.
These days there is a lot of chatter about the over use of photoshop in the workflow. If framing and sizing a photo is over use, put me behind bars. At times I may turn down the exposure and dodge back areas as I saw them in person. Guilty I am of using NIK's software to adapt a photo to "midnight". I have used it on occasion. It is really obvious. Not really a natural look but kinda edgy? I wonder what my friends that view this blog think. Here's the American Idol connection. At the bottom of this blog is a blue highlighted "comment". I would really be interested in your like or dislike of a photograph adapted to the "midnight" look. You can leave comments anonymously. The first (#1) is the "midnight". The second (#2) is the actual photograph. What do you think? The shot was taken with my 200-400mm lens with the 1.7 extender. I shot it wide open but with a .67 lower exposure value. The white on the neck of the bird would burn out at normal exposure. The dodging option may be needed. The photograph was taken on my belly (big as it is). My wait for the bird to approach me was about 30 minutes. Really makes me appreciate my bed and pillows. #1
#2
 I only had about an hour to Photograph! On my way home I was doing the apple thing. She loves me she loves me not. She loves me she loves me not. She loves me...I photograph tonight. She loves me not...... I go home. With that extra tug on She Loves Me I was off to shoot. Ten minutes from my home is one of my favorite winter spots to photograph. It's were I have been landing for the last month or so (a little bird humor there). Tonight the "game" plan was different. When I arrived I had less than an hour before nighty night with the sun. Look quickly for an area where Kestrals are hunting. My expectations were very low (no time to wait for that great shot). The first spot was like waiting for my bail out. Wasn't happening. Try a new spot. Walking at a pretty slow pace a flicker of red caught my eye. A little background here....for many many years I have wanted a nice photograph of a pheasant in full get the girl colors. These guys are stealth monsters. Unless you have a dog. And in that case all you get is the waste producing end of the bird in the photograph. I have tried for years. Blinds, laying on my belly for hours and all sorts of things. I been closer to Madonna than a live "wild" pheasant. Was my pea for a brain looking at a Pheasant less than one hundred feet away? Had I prayed for a pheasant shot last night? No. It definitely wasn't penny or Kelly in a pheasant suit trying to cheer me up. Have you ever bought a can of paint? A gallon of paint. That shaking that occurs to mix the can was nothing to what I was now doing. You'd think I just OD'd on caffeine or something. I only had seconds...raise ISO to 3200 (not taking any chances in the low light), aperture priority wide open (the sun was only minutes from curtain call), 400 mm (closer the better), and slow deep breaths (right!). Oh yea I guess I should breath.  I was amazed that the bird really thought he was hiding from me. The red on his face was like fireworks in the kitchen after midnight. It's common knowledge that your eyes are always drawn to red in a photograph. Couldn't miss this guy!  I was frozen solid. Did not even blink. To my surprise Mr. makeup stood and walked from the weed he was hiding in. He may have been heard the conversation last night about me shooting seagulls. I am the pansy seagull photographer. No threat I guess. As he walked away from me I thought this would be a better picture if he turned back towards me. Must be my last wish come true for the week....  All the shots are at 3200 ISO. Very grainy. This last shot was exceptionally loose. So I hit it with a soft focus to accent the graininess. I think it works. It will never be gallery quality. But I like it. I finally have my pheasant. And he is still there for others to enjoy!
  
I was asked "Your photographing Seagulls?" After the sun fell below the horizon it was time to put gear away. A fellow photographer approached me and asked if I had any good shots. Photo-bragging is like fishing. A little exaggeration is required. "Of course" I replied. "The seagulls put on a great show tonight" Instantly the first impression I was making with twelve thousand dollars of gear under my arm crashed. My photo ego burst. The pedestal collapsed. I guess photographing seagulls is like fishing for gold fish. The truth is they are as unpredictable as any bird. Just do not have the famous names like Golden Eagle, Bald Eagle or great Blue Heron. Hey it's the Utah State Bird! "Your wasting shots on seagulls?" he said with disgust in his voice. Well guess what. I enjoyed myself. It is great practice. When big name birds cross my path I will be better at panning, and stopping action. Hey it was great fun! I used my tripod at ground level. Almost on my belly the swamp stench was my new friend. In aperture priority, wide open and low ISO the stars were aligning. I am happy with the shots. Yea there seagulls. But hey! What a great show!
 After work I was driving home from North Ogden. It was amazing that the Farmington Bird refuge was on the way. Luck guy huh? I really have to be careful because my career is very important to me. I do NOT intentionally plan trips so I may photograph. What I do however is carry a lot of gear so I may shoot if the option arises. Tonight it did!!!!!
I made it to the refuge before the sun went down. The Eagle population has dramatically dropped in the last few days. In fact only six to ten birds were obvious. But the pelicans are here in force. What is the crazy bump on the top of their beak (is that how you spell beak?). Hey nobody noticed that I spelled Impanema Bay = Empanada Bay. Even fooled Don. These huge birds are pretty easy to photograph. The fly slow. For the short time I had it was spent catching landings. Pretty good pilots those pelicans. If you look close they have huge webbed feet. Really? What is it with the bump on their beak?  Positioned on a causeway it is possible to shoot many directions. I was fortunate to have several chances to stop the Kestral in flight. The photo above was my favorite.
I am still trying to figure out the photo boundary, rectangle marquee, lowered opacity, grayed out thing! D.P. I hope your having fun while I am dropping Xanax like sweethearts. Anxiety must be a part of the computer learning thing. Kidding on the Xanax. Not kidding on the anxiety!
 Today D.P. taught me a new way to build a border around my photographs. The above was my first attempt. Not too good. The photo was taken just north of Tower in Yellowstone. All year the area is a pond. This is the pond where the bear that battled with the black bear rested his bones. It was weird to find a bone here late in the fall. I still wonder who fell prey. When DP gets back I will write down the proper way to do the border. TGIF tomorrow!
  Well D.P. here we go with assignment - Angels and Motion. Nightlife, lights, crowds and a ton of traffic, welcome to Las Vegas. The perfect place to fulfill the assignment(s) and witness some extremes. Admitting that the conditions here make the photo's pretty simple to create, it was still fun, fun, fun.
After shaking hands, walking miles at the convention, eating way to much, and getting key information to deal with IDEQ, I looked forward to some camera time tonight. The first photo above was taken on the "strip". Shot at ISO 800 and a fairly small aperture. I panned at the same speed as the Taxi. The key was to place the AF point to the left of center to insure I got the composition that I was looking for. And of course camera was hand held.
 People crossing a crosswalk at night. Yes a common method to show motion. Sorry I couldn't resist. Camera was on the tripod. This enabled the sharp buildings in contrast to the pedestrians walking in the crosswalk. The key for me here was to make sure that the aperture was small enough to get all in focus. And to add time to the exposure. It was shot at ISO 200.  Las Vegas is eye candy for anyone. Gargantuan buildings, indoor rain forests, shop after shop after shop, over-lighted signs, gambling arenas, and mostly undressed women are everywhere. For a short walking distance I was parade route for minority salespeople clicking and giving away cards. The cards being given away were ad's for women looking for income. Not interested. Really not interested. This is the filthy part of Las Vegas. Sex for sell everywhere. The gambling and the illicit sales give this city it's nickname - "Sin City". The photo above tells it all.  The extreme and the second assignment - Angel(s). The extreme was found. An angel in sin city. No neon signs. No unclean advertisement. No card clicking giveaways. With the strip as the backdrop this angel stands tall. With his back to city he waits to sound his trump. Another great night of fun and photo's thanks for the assignments.
 I'm in Las Vegas. Plane was two hours late. The line to the shuttle to get luggage was monstrous. Thrifty gave my rental away. It could be worse! The photo above was taken near Cooke City. I saw the mother a good distance up the mountain. It was a clear view to the kids and mom. I guessed which route they may take. Turns out they came directly to me. From the road it was obvious something fun was getting photographed. The everyday photographer does not use a 26" long lens thats 6" in diameter. It draws attention. Dang it all!!!! Within minutes a traffic jam ensued down at the road. It was instantly a contest to see who could get the closest with their point-and-shoot cameras. Stupid, dumb inconsiderate. Inconsiderate to the bears. This event and another I had yesterday has prompted my inner desire to protest. So here are some of my pet peeves, annoyances, and down right rude things people do. I'll call these my top etiquette failures! All real life events. No names will be mentioned to protect the guilty!!!!!! 1.) Approaching an area where multiple cars are parked and the only thing outside of cars have wings. Every parked car has a long metal device pointing out the window at the winged things with black bodies and white heads. A lot of subtle clicking is coming from the cars. Don't jump out of the car to get a shot with your point-and-shoot camera as all the Bald Eagles are flying away. 2). Don't pretend that I did not hear the tuba solo as you turned to one cheek while sitting next to me on the plane. It was bad enough that the stewardesses wanted to call the medical examiner to find the decaying body on the plane. 3). If I'm in line don't think that the space between me and the person in front of me is being saved for you. 4). If an animal has horns or big teeth and everyone around watching or photographing the animal is standing back from it, don't try to pet it! 5). If the restaurant has a method of taking orders where you fill out a sheet then place the sheet on a table, don't put your sheet in front of mine if you came in after me.
Wow that felt good. Some days are just better if I can get things off my chest.
 Out of nowhere appears the pelicans today! Another day of trying to get THAT shot of the Bald Eagle. They won't be here much longer maybe gone as quick as the Pelicans arrived. Someone must have rang the dinner bell.  A lot of crazy things to photograph today. The amazing no headed bird. The amazing bird that can fly under water. This guy was hilarious! He had a fish in his mouth. It would get about an inch above the water then drop it. It was a comedy of errors. It required this comedian to keep diving for dinner. Over and over. I was LOL!  Of course his "buddys" saw the commotion and instantly there was a FOOD FIGHT! Seagulls are pigs! Really! They eat dead fish. Fight over dead fish and live at the dump. Amazing!  In flight though they are quite pretty. I mean awesome! Don't want to insult this one it may be a guy bird. Wouldn't appreciate being called pretty.
 Getting closer to that one shot that I can keep for good. Keep in the special file. Show to people. Trial and error will prevail. I purchased a flash extender. That's the next strategy. If that does not work....off to Tracy Aviary I am still in awe of my camera and it's capabilities. All the photographs were shot at 3200 ISO. The lens was the 200-400 f/4.0. Like someone said not to long ago - "the right equipment and the right timing and some luck will get THAT picture".
 Nikon D70, 1/500 second @ f/4.0, 600mm lens
Another lazy Sunday......
 Nikon D-3, 200-400 f/2.8 lens @650mm(1.4 converter), 1/1600 s @ f/9.0, ISO 2000
It was a long day. The highway between Alpine and Jackson is beautiful. All kinds of wildlife live and play on these steep mountains. If I could live anywhere it would be in his canyon. A designated scenic drive and the views are spectacular. A photographers dream. And that's year round. A short distance up from Alpine is the residence of a group of Mountain Goats. This herd, family, clan or whatever you call a group of mountain goats do not travel much. For the most part they stay in this part of the canyon. I do not have a long history with these goats. But the worn turn out on the highway may be a give away that others have observed them. It was my first adventure up the mountain to get them to pose for me. The assumption was that getting close was not an option. They are not your typical run of the meal, farm yard goat. Soon I would find out how smart they are. I love my MP-3 backpack to see details look here. There are a lot of options out there. This particular backpack was designed by Moose. He uses this stuff. The expectations are high. I loaded up - Nikon D-3, Nikon 200-400 f/4.0 VR lens, TC-14E II Converter, Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 lens, my custom lens and camera first aid kit, Gitzo 2531 tripod, Water, fruit snacks, granola bars, six each ScanDisk 8g memory cards, two walking staffs (very steep grade), Garmin 60cs handheld unit, and my binoculars. The grade is very steep. Mt route was up a small ravine as to avoid them seeing or hopefully hearing me. Two hours of very methodical stepping up the slope was complete. If my estimate was right I should be just behind a small ridge from a couple of the goats. It's all a test for the photographer. I am very conscious of their personal space. For a couple of reasons. One that I can return if possible. The last few feet of the ridge climb was literally on all four. I had set my pack aside and had the 200-400 lens on the tripod carrying it with me. My camera was already set at a high ISO (2000) and it was in aperture priority. It made sense to me to not shoot wide open. I needed some depth of field depending on the distance I was from the goats. I was ready. Longs lens on camera. The huffing and puffing was over. Sounds like those made by animals nearby startled me. I raised to my knees (kinda like praying) and saw what was my first encounter with wild mountain goats. Remember the excitement and anxiety that you felt the first time your eyes met that special someone's eyes? A burst of adrenaline, your blood pressure rises and tingling is felt all over? Never a stare down. Just a glance? I was about eighty feet from three ewes ( I think that is the female goats name). We were having a stare down. Don't move! This happens to me a lot with wildlife. Slowly I raised my tripod/camera just in time to get the west end of three east bound ewes. Not sure why but I yelled "get back here!" "I just hiked up this cliff to photograph you dopes!" They weren't listening. In fact they were acting like my kids. Doing the opposite of what I ask.
After sitting for a while and enjoying the quiet I noticed up high on the cliffs were some male goats (rams?). Another hour at least to get close enough to shoot. Not to be outdone by an animal in their natural habitat I moved up. Humans are the superior "thing" right? Eventually my efforts paid off. But why was the male goat less weary of me? The distance between us was part of it. They were acting really weird. Unlike the big fat guy crawling up the mountain. The goat was on a literal cliff face. Vertical. Ninety degrees from level. Straight up! How he got there was a mystery to me. He would face the cliff wall for long periods (eight to ten minutes or longer). What the heck? He appeared to be a trance. A better position may provide me a better shot and see what was going on. Up the hill I went. The goat was licking the rock. What? It must be salt or some mind numbing chemical in the rock. Whatever it was really weird. Risking life and limb on a cliff to lick rocks? Must be really important to their health and to why they stay in this area. A gold mine of chemicals if you will. I was lucky to get a couple of shots. Barking was the only way to get his attention and get him to turn around. It was worth the effort It took longer to get down than it did to get up the mountain. At the truck my legs were shaking from the down hill journey. Muscles that I rarely use were stressed. It was dark. The goats were still licking and I was on my way home. A wonderful day.
 These guys are happy! At the Favela's in Brazil conditions are poor. Beyond poor. These three motorcycle taxi drivers love life. You can see it in their eyes. As I approached I watched and enjoyed their interaction. A lot of laughs. Many smiles. And lot's of animation. With little to call their own they find happiness in the little things. I hope your Valentine's day is original and important. Take a minute to count what matters most. And smile a lot more. I hope to get out early tomorrow and get some good shots! Then home for chores. May be a movie tomorrow night. If your shooting with a digital camera remember to clean your gear. Or the fairy dust mother will get you!
  It sounds pretty basic doesn't it? I grew up around cactus. You just don't touch them. They will always leave an impression. In the neighborhood where I grew up lived Kip P. A smart guy. Studied calculus in the 8th grade. He would eat the red part of the cactus where the flower pops out. Somehow he could get the little teeny weenie needles off the bulb before he ate it. Amazing! You think I would have learned. Move ahead 30+ years - while working one day in Bullhead, Arizona I was performing a "punch list" at our new store. Stick was the superintendent. Shelly was really the superintendent. Stick and Shelly are my friends. They live Arizona. Experts on cactus and indigenous plants. That day I was observing with them plants in the landscaping area that I have never seen before. Stick was eager to share his knowledge of all the plants. My intrigue took me to a small plant that was covered with fur. What do most people do when confronted with fur? Pet it! Holy Buckets! What kind of fur was this? I remember a voice behind me yelling as I reached for the plant. The same voice that consequently shrieked "are you crazy" "you don't touch that cactus!". Really?!!! Shelly was kind enough to not cry when she was simultaneously pulling each little needle and laughing uncontrollably. I won the stupid award that day. Stupid is as stupid does. I'm in Arizona again. I have my 105 macro lens with me. My dream of a prize winning nature photo of a cactus needle waited impatiently. The past experience in Bullhead heightened my desire to photo the originator of my agony. It is important that everything be perfect. The camera had to be on the tripod. Nikons R1C1 flash system was attached to the lens. Everything was ready for perfection. Except that little tiny leaf stuck in the small needles. The leaf was removed. I ran in circles, tore my suit case apart looking for tweezers, wish I had not put my fingers to my mouth to bite off the new painful silia protruding from my fingers and yelled out loud (no cussing though, unless crap ola counts). It's pretty tricky putting a camera away, and driving a car to the nearest convinience store with only one hand and your bottom lip sticking out. "Can you help me pull needles out of my lip and fingers?" I asked the store manager. "What did you do?" She asked. I really don't remember my response. I do however remember her telling me that she wouldn't tell anyone if I didn't. I have a hard time keeping my promises.
Today I crossed with a hare! On the road again. This time in Arizona. The travels included Prescott Valley, Payson, and Show Low. A bit of time behind the wheel. When driving with my wife I am accused of watching the road very little. Hey I am a photographer! When I'm not concentrating in the office about saving money, new construction methods, why some Sweettarts melts so fast in your mouth and evaluating contractors - I'm driving. Looking for something to record on pixels. It happened again today. At sixty-five miles an hour I spotted the little guy. Couldn't be missed. In fact I almost didn't miss. After dodging the hare, I stopped and enjoyed a few minutes visiting with him. He didn't have a lot to say. Just a lot of sniffling. Must have a cold. Looking through the lens I was amazed at the hare's hair. Talk about hip, cool and BAD (cool bad). Looks like he has the same stylist as Penny. Not sure If I will ever see another like this one again.
If you want to see the best shot of Bald Eagles ever look here. The photo was taken near my home. Yes the same place I have been shooting. Not at a neighbors house but rather at the Bird Refuge. The shot is one we all dream off shooting. Someday. Sure inspired me. I hope it does the same for you.
Pattern 1). a customary way of operation or behavior 2). a perceptual structure 3). a decorative or artistic work 4). something regarded as a normative example 5). a model considered worthy of imitation 6). something intended as a guide for making something else 7). graphical representation (in polar or Cartesian coordinates) of the spatial distribution of a radiation from an antenna as a function of angle
There are many definitions of pattern. D.P. set the assignment of patterns and then before I could count to one million he posted. Not only are has representations of patterns Van Gogh(ish), they are perfect in composition, and design. Suddenly I felt like the guy in the olympics that fell in the first one hundred feet of his race. Commitments were made that the assignments would not be a contest. Oh sure! How can they not be a contest when the others in the class out class the rest of us?
So I stand, wipe myself off and finish the race. The above picture was taken on Redwood Road. Every winter a bizzilion little black birds congregate. They are like lemmings. One takes off and they all follow. Trees are coated, power-lines are weighted, and the cattle are cleaned up after. In Nature often there is obvious patterns. Less obvious is the flight of the little black birds. They fly in the same direction. They perch in the tree all facing the same direction. In stark contrast to the tree. In reality there is a pattern to the trees. In my opinion there may be more pattern than the birds example. Branches are reaching up and out..... OK it's all a stretch but I tried. Next assignment ANGELS. I may need an angel to give me a miracle. Wish me luck.
 Today was clean my teeth and test the weight capacity of the dentists chair day....
"B" That's the name of the receptionist at my dentists office. An accent strong enough to make you wonder if she just walked of the ship to america. ( I think it's fake) Boy is she savvy. Always selling but like Zig Ziglar describes a good waitress "friendly but not familiar". Have you ever noticed that everyone in a Dentist's office all have beautiful teeth? Must get a good deal. Or their broke.
And what is it about Dentist's and everyone surrounding them is cute or beautiful? Professional, smart, discrete but beautiful . Pain. We all talk about it. Behind the dentists back. Every comparison made about pain refers some how to the pain in the dentists office. High pitched drills, pointed devices tearing barnacles off teeth and the ever worrisome words - "wash out in the sink". Things that monster movies are made of.
Not at my Dentist. I have had root canals that almost put me asleep. Cavity repairs that took fifteen minutes. Years ago I had a hygienist that hated men. I always left the office tortured through the end of a little metal hook guided by a person mad at the whole world . If water-boarding is illegal my treatment deserved the death penalty. Now my hygienist is more like a mom figure. A pretty mom. In my face about flossing, brushing and that sort of thing but still concerned about my welfare. I think my dentist is getting pretty old. He wears these seeing devices that makes me think he is looking for micro-organisms in my mouth. Oh, and what's with the face guard? Is OSHA guarding our dental offices now? Is there a small mint inside the mask so they don't have to smell our breath? Wait a minute...not everyone wears a mask. Must be some sort of OCD, germ-a-phobia thing. I enjoy my visits' at the dentist office. Even if they may be three years apart. My choices are car, house, food, clothes, photography or that needed crown. What would be your choice?
 Nikon D-200, 12-24 lens @12mm, Shot at ISO 100, 1/8 second @ f/22, +1 ev
A lot of work went into this photograph. Shooting directly at the sun is always a little weird photographically. This morning my wife and I rose very early and walked to the shores of Empanada bay in Brazil. The range of light is huge. It must have movement in the waves. From the hot sun to the shadows of the rocks all must be present. My goal was to have a profile portrait of my wife at one of the exotic locations we have visited. She hates to get have her picture taken (except with the grandkids). I, in addition do not want just your normal everyday picture of my wife. She is my best friend and eternal companion. The above photograph reveals somewhat how I feel about her. A mothers responsibility is sacred. Her role as a women is enormous. As much light as possible needs to be shown on her accomplishments. There have been times of turbulence. Her life has been devoted to teaching violin to children. More than 35 years! She deserves the respect of anyone. Yet she insists to remain humble and matter of fact about what her true legacy is and will be. Beyond that and more important is that she has given everything to her children. Without question she is the epitome of charity. On this Sunday I am grateful for her and what she is in my life.
 Nikon D-3, 200-400 w/1.7 multiplier shot at 650mm, 1/800 second @ f/7.1, -.67ev, ISO 200
There all stinking little thieves! Seagulls work so hard to scavenge. Home to some gulls is a bustle of garbage trucks, home owner vehicles overflowing with trash and the great scent of decomposing garbage. Human garbage. To some - garbage is a treasure. Especially the seagull. In Utah it is the State bird. Representative of heroic measures many years ago they performed in behalf of the pioneers. These cold days at the bird refuge most water and access to trash fish is frozen over. Survival requires that the same population of birds (eagles and gulls) feed from the much smaller tributaries. These smaller acreages of opportunity creates some bird crowding. It's not often we see these quantity of Bald Eagles in such a small area in Utah. Actually only once a year I believe. So guess who's doing all the work? You got it the seagulls. At least today while I was watching. The gulls would fly constantly and at times dive for small fish and other edibles. As soon as the gulls flew (with their catch) the white headed bullies would snatch the goods. It was like watching your first born steal from the store. A little upsetting. Must be part of that chain of command thing going on. Got up early. New smells and sites. Life is still good!
 Nikon D-3, 200-400 lens w/1.7 multiplier shot at 460mm, 1/500 second @f/7.1, -1ev, ISO 200,
 It's really not plastic. Every photographer in the world has to take a picture of this flower. I think it's a Lily. The poor thing is probably so used to being photographed that it's self esteem has peaked. I mean look at it! Dang easy to shoot. Not always in it's natural state. This little over zealous weed was photographed in Rio de Janeiro. Yep Brazil. The land and people where during Carnival they cover Christ's statues eyes with blind folds. If only it was that easy! Where warm has a new meaning if your from the desert region. A people that welcome you but warn you to not walk alone at night. The rich live in the valleys and the poor have stacked homes up the mountain. Where Acai (not sure how to spell- it's close) is the berry of choice. Why the big insight to this plant being photographed in Brazil? Of course my photo gear was packed. Even my 105mm f/2.8 macro. I had planned on shooting something up close. February in Rio is like August in Utah. Sure it's green in Rio. It's a humid, wet, musty, hot, sweaty place to flourish. If your a plant! BUT! The delicate plants are not present at this time of year. So off to the arboretum we go! Several pounds of photo gear and an enthusiasm to match. The tour guide failed to inform us that it was the dry season. The arboretum was dead. Literally! Most the of plants took on the look of plants near Penny's desk. Not at attention and the color of a bad batch of popcorn. In dire need of a proper burial. In the back of a green house I found this beaut! The light on the plant was what some call peek a boo. It was filtered through a plant adjacent to it. The light fell off quickly on the plant. The stem stood tall as if relishing in the little bit of light. Another great moment for me enjoying nature. Well kinda like nature in a greenhouse. In Brazil. In February.
It's not quiet in Oregon. At the beautiful coast of Oregon it is real noisy. The ocean is twenty-four seven insuring a rhythmic chant to all that is near. Somewhat mesmerizing it's draw is eery. Remember when Jaws came out? A trip to spend time playing in the Ocean was what we looked forward to that year. Until we stopped on the way in Las Vegas and endured "JAWS". The play in the ocean part of the trip was destroyed. Once the party reached the shores little more than tag with the waves ensued. The mystery of the vast majority of this earth's water is amazing. Photograph's of the ocean bring emotions, smells and memories. The smell of fish? Or maybe seaweed? The shores of america pretty much have the same distinctive smell.
The shot above was taken in June of 07'. Everything about it takes me back. It was raining pretty heavily. The wind was blowing as it typically does. And the "haystacks" posed for me! Typically it is not wise to block the foreground with a subject. We are always reminded to provide a path for the viewer of the photograph to enter it and go to the back of it. Sure I left a little path to the right but that was unintentional. For me the log provided a place for the viewer to stop and contemplate where the footsteps go and enjoy the view. Also it is a record that someone was at the log and ventured out to the ocean. The black and white is not far from the actual conditions. My time in Oregon that week will always be cherished. That's so because it recharged me as a photographer. More importantly it reminded me of my love and admiration for my beautiful wife. She supports all my crazy times away and never complains when I return. When home my thought at times drifts to those places of solace. When on the road I miss all that is most important to me.
 "Holy frozen feet BATMAN" I am assuming that after I left last night they had a meeting of the Bald Eagles. The discussion revolved around what was on the agenda for tomorrow. Most of the birds agreed that they did not want to be photographed. They liked the perches up Centerville Canyon much better. I wish I had some input. Though not totally skunked it was a memorable night. The first Bald did not arrive until much later than usual. My shooting location was new. In the shade and on the Snow and ice. You would think that an experienced outdoorsman (that would be me) would wear something more than a pair of tennis shoes for three hours of standing in the snow. Duh. The usual perch for the magnificent Bald eagle was being occupied by a bunch of little noise black and green birds. I had to photograph something and they were right there ready as ever!
Then came this tiny hawk! His antics made me laugh until I almost cried. A cute little bugger. He would raise his leg and put it straight out in front of him. A Kung Fu stance? Bird Yoga? Actually if you look close he has what looks like a thumb pointing up. Maybe he was tired and just thumbing a ride? Whatever the case he was hilarious and cute at the same time. You know, come to think of it when he arrived all the little pain in the butt black birds were out of there. My neighborhood needs a lot more of these little guys 
Finally one of only three bald eagles arrived. Every time they come gliding in with that huge wingspan and land on a branch like an olympic athlete I am in awe. I positioned my self tonight to hopefully frame the moon with the eagle (if they landed on this tree). I was very lucky. Liberties were taken by me to convert the photograph into infrared black and white. The moon in the regular color photo had less contrast. No manipulation of light or color was made. I simply used NIK software and made the conversion. It won't make any galleries but it was fun to create.  This guy was the last to arrive. The sun had just set. Probably another plan by the eagles to bug me. After almost three hours of standing in the same place I was right there in the low temp range of a Norbest turkey. This beauty must have missed the meeting last night. Why the others avoided this area today is amazing. In one day it went from eighteen or so birds to three. I am not satisfied. I will conquer...eventually. That's the thing about wildlife. You get the pictures they are willing to give. And you have to be there!
 Tonight after work I started my quest for THE eagle shot. A nikon D-3 mounted on the 200-400mm VR lens with a 1.7 multiplier, and the D-200 mounted on the 600mm f/4.0 lens. I have reason behind my madness. The D-200 is not a full frame camera so on the 600 it multiplies the focal length to about 840mm. Pretty good reach. It is however a manual focus lens. The D-3 and 200-400 lens combo does not have the same reach but is auto focus and can follow focus incredibly well at very fast frames (9 frames per second). The photograph above was shot panning with the d-200/600mm combo. Panning is not too tough even with a manual focus lens. For the most part I was skunked tonight with the shot I wanted to keep. Of all the shots tonight above is my favorite. The American Kestral is an amazing hunter. Like other hawks it can turn on a dime while in flight. While flying fairly close to the ground they will immediately stop and drop for their meal. I think in most cases it is little mice. MMMM yummy!  So on I went to get THAT shot of the eagle. It could have been a lot better but the birds landed consistently with the BIG BRANCH between me and them. I think these guys are so mad about something that they will do anything to aggravate photographers. They know the drill! Fly in at full wing span, talons extended right at the camera with those determined eyes in perfect focus. It's all their fault. They were out to raise my ire tonight. And it was working.  So I did the usual. I talked to them about my problem. I needed a shot more interesing than just them sitting there dong nothing. Teasing was the order of the night. Yeh this one really went out of it's way and rubbed it's beak on the branch. Wow! Thank You!  If looks could kill. Like the Osprey this guy was thinking "are you taking pictures of my rear end?" Must have been a ....better not go there. All kidding aside it will take some time to get a shot I will be pleased with. An hour or maybe two is not enough time. Especially if is the wrong time of day to catch Bald Eagles in activity. The last couple of photographs were shot just as the sun was dropping off. The very warm cast was natural. No saturation. I rarely will add saturation. In most cases it looks unnatural. So I will be out again if time will allow and continue my quest. Next time I'm taking flowers and chocolate. Maybe, just maybe these birds can be bribed!
I live in bird country. And boy am I lucky. December, January, February and sometimes March a group of bald friends assemble. This gathering place is in the back yard of a neighbor. Literally less than one mile from my home these beauty's stop to say hello. Most mornings heading to work and nights returning home I stop and chat with them. I count them. Then I watch the antics of this America's Eagle. If they new what an important symbol they were they would not always look so mad! Seriously have you ever seen a happy bald eagle? I rest my case. My assignment this week is to get a photo of an eagle or eagles that is more interesting. At least more interesting than sitting on a branch looking mad. The bald eagle is amazing. Their personal space limits are extremely defined. I have invested multiple's of thousands of dollars in photography equipment so I may keep my distance from wildlife. With this gear I may obtain close and life like photo's. More importantly the wildlife I am photographing has much less anxiety. It's amazing how many people at this location will attempt to walk directly under the tree the eagles are in to take a cell phone picture. Of course the smarter of the two flies to a nearby tree away from the two legged creature that insists on invading their personal space. The persistent two legged creature (the one with the incredible photographic recording device - the CELL PHONE!) follows and makes the same attempt with the same results. Just a few days ago I photographed an eagle on the side of the road. He flew back some distance when I stopped to photograph him. The difference here is that I did not get out of the car and did not get closer when he moved the first time. The position and location of the dead deer was a precarious place for the Eagle to be. As opposed to the very top of a 150' tree where the intention is to rest and do bird yoga for the night. Without interruptions. Anyway enough of my ranting. I hope in the next several mornings/nights to bring back pixels of the incredible bird to enjoy for years to come. I hope you may have the same experience. A camera to your eye taking you away for that little bit of time.
 Sundays for me are about Family and Church. Today was especially good because I had one of those rare opportunities to spend some time with my only son. My wife, my son and I went out to antelope island. Neither of them are as fortunate as I that they get regular time outside. The sun provides vitamin D, the air is great to breath and the openness is refreshing. Especially on overcast, inversion filled winter days. The island had it's typical winter look. It was beautiful. But on this trip (the only one we have made together) we discovered some beautiful rock formations. Looking even closer we found this stuff that looks like dead moss. I have seen it before but not as brilliant and on such beautiful rock. My camera moved in close and captured the "stuff" up close and personal.
Discovery is all round us. It is not only in our vision, our taste, and our smells. It is in our relationships. On Sunday my wife and I teach a gospel class about family relations. When we were first asked to do this I felt like they were asking Caesar to teach humility. A joke maybe? No they were serious. Well it turns out that the class is for me and my family. The people in front of us each week are the beneficiaries of their own decision to attend and participate. The curriculum is well written and is sensitive to the needs of all individuals. It has been said before that the person teaching usually gets the most out of the class. Boy is that true here.
A must see movie? Fireproof To find out more about it look here. It's a great movie about rebuilding a marriage. It has suggestions about God and Christ in peoples lives. Produced by sony pictures but backed by Sherwood Church a baptist church of which I am not affiliated. But in my opinion they did a bang up job on this movie.
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