September Wildlife Photography Class

Hello everyone! Looks like we've got a few more soggy days ahead of us, as it goes with this time of year. Hey I am offering an intermediate wildlife photography course later this month at the Eagle River Nature Center (Alaska). There will be a Zoom class on Friday evening, Sept. 18, followed by 3-hour individual sessions with me throughout the weekend. Space is limited due to the individual lessons and two of the five spaces are already filled, leaving room for 3 more (however I could take 2 or 3 family members in one session). Cost is $85 and attendees must have either taken one of my beginning courses or have a firm grasp of shooting in manual exposure mode. Follow the link below to register.

Thank you and stay dry out there!

Colin

https://www.ernc.org/courses/intermediate-wildlife-photography

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Morning Owl

Cloudy, windy days can be discouraging when your goal is photographing wildlife but they can also be rewarding, especially when you find a great horned owl almost eye-level under nice, even, diffused light. I chose to include the mossy branch as a strong element in the composition here.

Have a great holiday weekend out there! Be safe, be well, be wise.

🦉 Colin

Great horned owl, Eagle River Nature Center, Alaska

Great horned owl, Eagle River Nature Center, Alaska

Perspective

Perspective makes all the difference, whether in reference to being eye level with your subject (which doesn't always work with certain species - bears, etc.) or when facing an inevitable cultural shift. Are we being forced inside or do we have the opportunity to slow down and reexamine our priorities? Each one of us gets to choose, and the thoughts we focus on today will chart the course going forward.

Stay well,

Colin

Trumpeter Swans, Eagle River Nature Center, Alaska

Trumpeter Swans, Eagle River Nature Center, Alaska

Bald Eagle in Flight

Wildlife closeups are great when the situation allows but I often find it more artful to include a dramatic backdrop to show the environment in which the subject lives. I captured this bald eagle in flight a couple nights ago after it flew from the top of a spruce tree. Shooting at the treetop from a low angle didn't produce any interesting images but it quickly took flight into a beam of golden light against the muted mountainside in the background and this is what I ended up with.

As always, thank you for following along and feel free to share my site with your friends.

Colin

Image taken with Nikon D850 and Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II Lens, hand-held. ISO 400, 1/800" @ f/6.3

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Late Golden Hour

When the golden hour doesn't start until close to 10 pm, it's tough to stick to an early to bed/early to rise schedule. Try as might I just can't pass up evening light like this, so I will soak it up while it lasts and six months from now when we are in perpetual winter shade, I'll be glad I did.

Have a great weekend. The forecast calls for ample light and beautiful opportunities!

Colin

Alaska Wild Rose

Alaska Wild Rose

Greater yellowlegs perched in a spruce tree.

Greater yellowlegs perched in a spruce tree.

Feather Detail

After photographing this pair of swans in the same small body of water for five consecutive springs, it can be difficult to come up with new and interesting compositions. In this instance, I decided to let go of the big picture and just appreciate the exquisite detail in the feathers.

Have a great day out there and maybe try look at a familiar scene from a new perspective...

Colin

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Snowy Eagle

I had a visitor on my snowy walk yesterday - I observed this bald eagle for more than an hour in our freshly winterized wonderland, snapping frames when I could and waiting for the right moment. Focusing can be difficult in heavy snow as the lens will often pick up on the large flakes rather than your subject but thankfully I caught this takeoff while maintaining a sharp focus on the eagle.

Have a great day out there and remember to soar!

Colin

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Hello from Prince William Sound!

Greetings from Ravencroft Lodge in Port Fidalgo, Prince William Sound, Alaska, where I get just enough cell signal in one corner of the building to upload this photo. Our goal this morning was to swim with and photograph salmon sharks. We had one close to the boat but she didn't stick around long, so we came up empty-handed in that regard but on the bright side, there is always room for more bald eagle photos!

Colin

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The American Dipper

If there's one species you can count on seeing in the waters near the Eagle River Nature Center just about any day of the year, it's the dipper, or water ouzel. They are quick moving, jittery little birds that bob up and down when they stand in one place and dive into ice cold water in search of fish eggs, salmon fry or aquatic insects to feed on. I photographed this dipper earlier today while tracking a pair of river otters, the muted colors reflected in the water created a nice background.