Photography

Actually this blog is still from the “Southwest” as a bump in the road stopped us from getting back to Nebraska several weeks ago. Most of the human snowbirds have left for northern climes and we will soon. One of the unique sights for a Panhandle Nebraskan is to see owls nesting in a palm tree. I’m assuming great-horned owl, but they also claim to have  long-eared owls, and again, I’m without a detailed bird book to work out the …

Kind of like “Smelling the Roses” — the cottontail not only smelled the flowers, it seemed to think they tasted good also. This and the following two images were a fortunate happening on a local hiking trail, we also saw coyote, hummingbirds, waterfowl, shorebirds and even a turtle or two. I carried a digital SLR with a 70-300mm zoom telephoto lens. It is very useful for all kinds of photography. I’ve used a so-called “full frame” sensor camera here and …

Visiting the Sonora Desert Museum south of Tucson last week I was surprised at the variety of photo opportunities, especially a morning presentation by a group from Raptor Free Flight. Beautiful birds in flight and with careful planning and a few camera and lens tweaks, the presentation really worked for bird flight photography and the spectators enjoyed a great time as well. Raptor Free Flight team member Wally Hestermann shown here with a great performing red-tailed hawk. Released from a remote location, …

When I mention “great lenses, great cameras” I’m talking about the tremendous and continuing progress in camera and lens design and even the lower prices that make owning the new technologies possible. My son in Omaha is a devoted photographer and my source for the latest information, especially on the so-called “four thirds” and “micro four thirds” sensor size cameras and the trainloads of new lenses that will fit on most of the cameras. He even loaned a lens, a …

Waking to a landscape covered in hoarfrost is a photographer’s dream. Hoarfrost’s creation is a simple combination of water vapor in the air and cold temperatures. The vapor source, however, can range from atmospheric fog to steam fog rising from water that is warmer than the air above it. You can’t always look at the forecast and plan for it, but it doesn’t take a degree in meteorology to know that when overnight lows dip to -16 degrees, you can …