Clouds Over Dunes
Cape May
September 2009
Still my favorite landscape of one of my favorite escapes. I’ve been trying to recreate this shot with a newer camera for about 10 years without much success so far. The fencing and dunes have drifted dramatically since the creation of this image in 2009.
Lisa and I are looking forward to our annual retreat to Cape May in October.
Canon xti + 10-22mm lens
White-throated Sparrow
Troy Meadows, Parsippany NJ
2009
Learn more about the White-throated Sparrow –
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-throated_Sparrow/id
Fox Sparrow
Troy Meadows
Parsippany NJ0
3/12/2009
More info on the Fox Sparrow – https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Fox_Sparrow/id
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Bee Meadow Park, Hanover Township NJ.
Taken in 2009 this was the first and seemingly the last time I invested effort in trying to image a swallow in flight. I am sure I took over 200 trial shots with a professional photography setup to snag a single usable frame!
A few tips on shooting birds in flight:
“Prefocus” your telephoto lens by obtaining focus on an object such as a ripple in the water, a tree, or a cloud where you expect the bird may pass.
Set your camera dial to “M” for manual and base your exposure on aforementioned ripple of water, tree, or cloud. Do not expect or hope that you camera has the wits to know what brightness a bird should be against a bright or dark sky.
Always use the largest picture size and shoot in your camera raw format (why wouldn’t you?) Set the camera focus type to “Servo” and shoot at the highest burst speed your camera allows.
Do not expect your first, twelth, or hundredth frame to be in focus or well-composed. Shoot shoot shoot. There is plenty of luck involved with tracking an erratic subject.
American Goldfinch
2009 at Troy Meadows in Parsippany NJ
Taken about 11 years ago this was an unusual photo opportunity as the finch was so preoccupied with thistle seeds I was able to walk as close as I’d like for photographs. It’s not often we can walk up to birds at point blank range to snap pictures.
Learn more about Troy Meadows – https://www.wildlifepreserves.org/preserves/troy-meadows
Green Heron Preening
2009 at Foote’s Pond in Morristown.
Taken 11 years ago at a small but wildlife-rich pond near downtown Morristown, this was a unique opportunity to observe the behavior of one of our smaller native herons.
More info on Foote’s Pond – https://www.townofmorristown.org/?SEC=7CA9FC71-1BDD-4C29-8576-A4C5F8C6B702
Northern Harrier
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Oceanville NJ
Winter 2009
“Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.”
I liked how the silhouetted hawk in flight glided (searching for prey) just above the reeds. I also loved the pink sky tones signaling the end of the day.
