2009 December
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2009
WYOMING 1219
"Sun-kissed Tetons"
After my quick visit to the northern part of Yellowstone I headed for the Tetons. Grand Teton National Park and the town of Jackson, Wyoming have quickly become one of my favorite places. I spent two very productive days in the Tetons with lots of different light and atmospheric conditions. Fog, frost, moonlight, stars and storm clouds all played a part in giving me two very incredible days of shooting.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm
Focal length: 170mm
Shutter speed: 1/30
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 100
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2009
WYOMING 1001
"Fog in the foothills"
In the morning there wasn't a single cloud in the sky, which made it perfect for watching the light creep down the mountains as the sun rose behind me. To make things even better, there was a fog bank at the base of the mountains!
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm
Focal length: 400mm
Shutter speed: 1/8 sec
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 100
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2009
WYOMING 1086
"Winter fog in the Tetons"
After a while I drove up to Oxbow Bend and the view of Mt. Moran, then I realized that the fog was being generated by Jackson Lake. Since the lake wasn't frozen, all the warm air rising off the water was meeting with the cold air left over from the night, making for lots and lots of fog. Another benefit of the fog was that all the trees and shrubbery had become encased in frost. What a beautiful morning! And, a photographer's dream :-)
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm
Focal length: 135mm
Shutter speed: 1/200
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 200
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2009
WYOMING 1075
"Frosted Forest"
This image is one of my favorites so far from this trip. There is a large hillside behind these trees, which was in shadow as the sun was above and behind this hill. The sun being behind the hill made a big dark shadow on this side of the hill, yet the trees and fog were far enough away from the hill that they were backlit from the sun. This is the sort of image that photographers live for!
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm
Focal length: 260mm
Shutter speed: 1/320
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 200
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2009
WYOMING 0878
"Last light on the Tetons"
This image of Mt. Moran at Oxbow Bend was captured about 45 minutes after the sun went down. There was still quite a bit of color left in the sky, and it was already dark enough and the moon was light enough that the mountains were lit up from the light of the rising moon.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm
Focal length: 65mm
Shutter speed: 15 seconds
Aperture: f/4
ISO: 200
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2009
IDAHO 1239
"Lunar Wind"
Today as I was driving across Idaho on Interstate 84 I saw this wind farm coming up on the right side of the road. Then, I looked directly to my right and saw that the moon was coming up just as the sun was going down on my left. I pulled over onto the shoulder and drove along the shoulder until the moon was lined up with the wind turbines, then got out to take this picture. I don't usually stop along the freeway to take pictures, but this one I just couldn't resist.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm
Focal length: 250mm
Shutter speed: 1/500
Aperture: f/7.1
ISO: 400
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2009
OREGON 1552
"Elowah Falls"
I spent the entire day today hiking and photographing waterfalls within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. The Columbia River Gorge is home to no less than 77 waterfalls (according to a sign I read). There are, of course, a few that are more well-known than most of the others. The undisputed most-popular waterfall in the gorge is Multnomah Falls, so of course I had to stop there. Multnomah is a very high two-step falls. The upper falls is 542 feet, the lower falls is 69 feet. There is a gradual 9 foot drop in between the two falls, making for a total drop of 620 feet. It is the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon.
After visiting Multnomah, I went to a couple of other waterfalls that had big drops. The second waterfall I visited was Latourell Falls, a 249 foot waterfall that drops straight down from an overhanging basalt cliff. The patterns within the rock were fascinating here, as was the green lichen.
The third major waterfall that I visited was Elowah Falls, pictured here. Elowah Falls is a 289 foot waterfall that drops into a beautiful side canyon of the Columbia Gorge. The trail to Elowah Falls is a treat in itself, winding through a dense section of forest riddled with ferns.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm
Focal length: 24mm
Shutter speed: 1.3 seconds
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 50
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2009
OREGON 1576
"Morning rays at South Falls"
The only thing on today's agenda was a visit to Silver Falls State Park, in my opinion one of the jewels of Oregon. Silver Falls is an amazing park and is Oregon's largest state park. The main park attraction is the "Trail of Ten Falls", a hiking trail which passes... you guessed it: ten waterfalls! And, five of them are over 100 feet tall! Pictured here is South Falls, possibly the most popular waterfall within the park. South Falls drops a total of 177 feet.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm
Focal length: 32mm
Shutter speed: 6 seconds
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 50
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2009
WASHINGTON 2063
"Night comes to the Emerald City"
For those of you that know me you might know that I am not much of a city person, but boy did I sure enjoy Seattle! This image was captured at the end of a full day of "playing tourist" in the Emerald City. I took a sightseeing cruise around the harbor and Elliott Bay, then on foot I explored a bit of downtown and the shops along the piers. It really is a neat city. After exploring downtown and the shops, I drove out to Kerry Park just before sunset and got my camera and tripod ready to capture the scene shown in this image. There were a few other photographers there and I started talking to the guy closest to me. It turns out he was also Native American, from the Skokomish Nation, not far from Seattle. He admitted to being new to photography, having only gotten into it about 6 months ago. We had some great conversation and he shared with me ideas for other shooting locations in the area.
After shooting the city from Kerry Park I drove to one of the other locations that the Skokomish man had suggested to me. While shooting the city from a bridge, a very nice Chinese man who was out for a walk stopped to visit for a bit. He and I also had a great conversation. It turns out he used to be married to a Cree Indian woman (she passed away a few years ago), and he was familiar with many tribes throughout the country. After visiting for about 15 minutes, he bid me well and continued on his walk.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm
Focal length: 105mm
Shutter speed: 6 seconds
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 100
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2009
WASHINGTON 2070
"The Space Needle"
Featuring an observation deck and a rotating restaurant, The Space Needle is 605 feet high and is a major landmark for the city of Seattle. It was built to withstand winds of up to 200 mph and earthquakes of up to 9.1 magnitude. A trip to the top only takes 43 seconds on elevators that travel at a speed of 10 mph.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm
Focal length: 350mm
Shutter speed: 8 seconds
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 200
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2009
WASHINGTON 2084
"The Rat Race"
I like to call this image "The Rat Race". It's an 8 second exposure of traffic flowing through downtown Seattle at rush hour.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm
Focal length: 105mm
Shutter speed: 8 seconds
Aperture: f/10
ISO: 100
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2009
WASHINGTON 2001
"M.V. Wenatchee"
The "Wenatchee" is a Jumbo Mark II Class ferry operated by Washington State Ferries. It is 460 feet long and 90 feet wide with a carrying capacity of 2500 passengers and 202 vehicles.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm
Focal length: 50mm
Shutter speed: 1/640
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 400
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2009
WASHINGTON 2554
"Winter sunset at Ruby Beach"
For the past several days I have been exploring and photographing one of the places that I've been wanting to visit for several years: the beaches of Olympic National Park. Shorelines always draw my attention, probably because I grew up on the shoreline of Lake Superior. Water is present in the majority of my images and while I do enjoy shooting areas that are away from water, I always feel like something is missing if water can't be included as part of the composition. Water is just so.... alive... that it can't help but add impact and mood to a photograph. It's always moving, always changing, which makes it so interesting to photograph.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm
Focal length: 24mm
Shutter speed: 0.4 seconds
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 50
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2009
WASHINGTON 2433
"The Olympic Coast"
The Olympic coast has several incredible beaches spread out over many, many miles of shoreline. Some of the beaches are sandy, some are rocky and some have large "sea stacks", which are blocks of erosion-resistant rock separated from the land by sea. The beaches with sea stacks are the ones that I am drawn to the most. Ruby Beach, in particular, has quickly become one of my favorite places to shoot. It is easily accessible and provides limitless photographic opportunities in a relatively short section of shoreline. Although, to get to the best part of the beach, a pair of knee-high rubber boots is a must if you want to keep your feet dry (you have to cross a small stream in order to get to the area of the beach that has the sea stacks). Also, if you want to make compelling images in this area you'll need to be standing in the surf as the waves wash in and out from the beach.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm
Focal length: 24mm
Shutter speed: 30 seconds
Aperture: f/8
ISO: 400
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2009
WASHINGTON 2425
"Sunset on the Olympic Coast"
Photographing in a tidal area was a new experience for me and I didn't realize how much difference there is between high tide each day. The first evening I was on the beach, sunset and high tide occurred at almost the exact same time and I was unable to cross the small creek. The surge coming up the creek from the rising tide was too high. On the second night high tide was almost two hours later, so I was able to cross the creek and get some images of water flowing around the base of some of the sea stacks. On the third night high tide was almost another two hours later, so I was able to walk even further down the beach and explore areas I hadn't been able to get to the previous night. Even though I visited the same beach 3 nights in a row, it felt like 3 different beaches thanks to the changing high tide.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm
Focal length: 24mm
Shutter speed: 5 seconds
Aperture: f/8
ISO: 400
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2009
WASHINGTON 2193
"Morning at Ruby Beach"
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 17-40mm
Focal length: 17mm
Shutter speed: 1/6 sec
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 50
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2009
WASHINGTON 2531
"Heavenly Hoh"
In addition to an amazing coast, Olympic National Park is also home to some equally amazing forests. Much of the forest within Olympic National Park is actually a rain forest. Contained within Olympic Park is the Hoh Rain Forest, one of the few temperate rain forests in the United States and also one of the largest. Annual precipitation ranges from 141 to 165 inches per year. Due to the high rainfall trees grow fast and HUGE here, with some growing to be over 300 feet high and with a circumference of 20 feet or more!
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm
Focal length: 80mm
Shutter speed: 1/6 sec
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 100
MONDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2009
BRITISH COLUMBIA 2758
"Christmas Ferries"
This weekend I went to British Columbia, as I had an invite to go over for a visit with a friend whom I haven't seen in years. At 4:00 on Friday I boarded the "Coho", a passenger and vehicle ferry which provides service between Port Angeles and Victoria. The ferry ride was about 90 minutes long and the trip over was nice and smooth.
The ferry arrived in Victoria just before sunset and I met up with Barb shortly after clearing Canadian customs. We found a place to park and explored the downtown area on foot. Victoria is a beautiful city and I was awestruck by the lights and the amazing architecture of the buildings. The design of the buildings reminded me of Europe.
We walked around for a while, then heard an announcement that the Victoria Harbour Ferries were going to be performing a routine to the tune of "The Nutcracker Suite". Just after the announcement a bunch of Santa's walked by and asked us if we had been naughty or nice, then gave us a handful of mini candy canes. After passing us, they walked right down to the ferries... the Santa's were the captains of the ferries! After we watched a bit of the ferry ballet (basically they just rode around in circles while the Nutcracker song was being played) we were pretty hungry so we went to dinner at "The Old Spaghetti Factory". It was a delicious meal, with some of the best bread that I've ever tasted!
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 17-40mm
Focal length: 17mm
Shutter speed: 6 seconds
Aperture: f/22
ISO: 400
MONDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2009
BRITISH COLUMBIA 2734
"The holidays at BC Parliament"
On my last evening on Vancouver Island we went to a different beach to watch and photograph the sunset. We found a nice, rocky beach with a panoramic view of The Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Olympic Mountains beyond. As it got darker we could also see the city lights from Victoria down the shore. We saw a lot of kelp on this beach that had been washed up during high tide... some of the pieces looked like giant snakes. I didn't do as much shooting in British Columbia as I did previously on this trip, but that's okay as it felt really good to slow down for a couple of days and just relax a bit. I have a lot of stops yet to make on this trip, so a couple of slow days were definitely welcome!
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 17-40mm
Focal length: 23mm
Shutter speed: 20 seconds
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 100
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2009
OREGON 3104
"Boulder Wash"
One of my main goals for this trip was to spend a significant amount of time photographing various areas of the Washington and Oregon coasts. Being that this is the rainy season in the Pacific Northwest, I was skeptical as to how successful this endeavor might be. I was lucky in Washington... cooler than normal temperatures meant that the skies were clear and the rain held off. As I made my way to Oregon, the weather changed. The temps warmed up considerably and it started to rain. Not only that, but it rained HARD as I drove from Forks, Washington to Seaside, Oregon... so hard it reduced visibility enough so that I had to drive about 15 to 20 mph under the speed limit.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 17-40mm
Focal length: 17mm
Shutter speed: 2.5 seconds
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 50
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2009
OREGON 3027
"Ecola Sunset"
I had planned my drive so that I would arrive in Ecola State Park, just south of Seaside, in time to shoot the sunset along the shoreline. As the day progressed, however, it looked less and less promising that there would be a decent sunset. But, as I drove through Astoria I could see a few breaks in the clouds and the rain started to let up. By the time I got to Ecola State Park, there was a big enough break in the clouds that I could see the sun for just a few minutes before it set. The break in the clouds also allowed some really nice sunset color to come through. I ended up shooting until almost an hour after sunset and came away with several images that I am very happy with.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm
Focal length: 24mm
Shutter speed: 1.3 seconds
Aperture: f/22
ISO: 50
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2009
OREGON 3056
"Pacific Twilight"
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm
Focal length: 24mm
Shutter speed: 20 seconds
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 100
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2009
OREGON 2990
"Forever Green"
The next morning I went back to Ecola to shoot the morning light, but things were pretty gray so I ended up spending more time in the woods than I did on the shoreline. After the rain from the previous day the forest was glistening. If you're ever on the northern Oregon coast, be sure to spend some time at Ecola State Park. It's a wonderful park with some great hiking trails and amazing shoreline!
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 17-40mm
Focal length: 17mm
Shutter speed: 1 second
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 400
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2009
OREGON 3291
"Foggy evening at Seal Rocks"
I found another cool place today, known as Seal Rocks, or Seal Rock State Wayside. Unfortunately, even though I spent almost two full days in this area it rained almost the entire time and so I never was able to catch a spectacular sunrise or sunset at this location. However, I tried to make the best of it.
The image shown here was captured about a half hour after sunset on a very foggy evening. I had to use a 25 second exposure in order to get enough light for the image to expose properly.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm
Focal length: 58mm
Shutter speed: 30 seconds
Aperture: f/8
ISO: 200
MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2009
OREGON 3372
"Bandon Beach Gull"
Bandon, Oregon is sort of one of those "storybook" coastal towns that you picture in your imagination when you daydream of the coast. It has a very quaint "old town" area with shops that are loaded with character and individuality. Its a great place to just go for a stroll and window shop.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm
Focal length: 105mm
Shutter speed: 1/60
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 200
MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2009
OREGON 3386
"Magnificent"
For most people, though, the beaches are the main attraction. Bandon easily has some of the best beaches along the entire Oregon coast. Soaring sea stacks, swirling foam, soft sand and huge piles of driftwood all conspire to make a walk along the beach an unforgettable experience.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm
Focal length: 105mm
Shutter speed: 1/60
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 50
MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2009
OREGON 3524
"Coast of Wonders"
I shot two sunsets along the beaches at Bandon and on the first evening I got pretty wet. Right after the sun went down some rain squalls quickly moved in and got me good and wet before I was able to make it back to the car. Even though I was wearing my rain jacket, I didn't have any rain pants so my pants got soaked. The second evening was free from rain and I was treated to some wonderful light as the sun retreated over the horizon.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm
Focal length: 45mm
Shutter speed: 1 second
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 50
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2009
OREGON 3488
"Pacific Fury"
Today I had planned on being in California, but last night I had heard about this incredible Christmas light display at Shore Acres State Park. I wanted to visit Shore Acres anyway, since I knew that it could be an incredible place for viewing waves breaking against the cliffs. But that alone wasn't enough to make me want to put off going to California for one more day. However, once I heard about the Christmas light display, I knew I had to check it out.
I arrived at the park in the early afternoon so I could watch the waves for a while. I've heard stories of days where you get drenched from the spray coming off the waves, and while there were some pretty impressive waves, they weren't big enough to send spray over the top of the cliff where the viewing area was located. Nonetheless, it was awesome to witness the power of the ocean in such a beautiful place.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm
Focal length: 82mm
Shutter speed: 1/800
Aperture: f/13
ISO: 400
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2009
CALIFORNIA 3805
"Orion above the Golden Gate"
Well, I wasn't sure where I would be for Christmas... as luck would have it, I found myself in San Francisco on Christmas Eve. I spent the evening at Golden Gate National Recreation Area, overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. I love the Golden Gate Bridge, and it was one of the things I was wanting to photograph again on this trip. Much to my surprise, when I arrived at the area overlooking the bridge I could see a few stars in the sky! I was certain that the city lights would be too bright to be able to see any stars, but thankfully I was wrong. I managed to make an image of the bridge with the constellation Orion visible in the sky above. It was the perfect Christmas gift.
Even though I was "alone" on Christmas, I felt like you were all with me. I received many emails from my friends, followers and supporters wishing me a Merry Christmas. Thanks to you all who took the time to send me a message. Your wishes were much appreciated and made me feel like I was home. I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas as well!
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 17-40mm
Focal length: 17mm
Shutter speed: 30 seconds
Aperture: f/8
ISO: 400
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2009
CALIFORNIA 3847
"Christmas Eve in the Golden City"
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm
Focal length: 400mm
Shutter speed: 10 seconds
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 800
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2009
CALIFORNIA 3865
"Christmas sunset in Yosemite Valley"
After spending Christmas in San Francisco I drove on to Yosemite National Park, which is a few hours away from San Francisco. I arrived in Yosemite in the late afternoon on Christmas Day, with enough time to scout a location to shoot for sunset. Even on Christmas Day there were quite a few visitors in the park. Luckily I was able to find a location that I had all to myself when it came time to start making images. There was snow when I arrived at the park and it looked like it had fallen a couple of days earlier. It was a fairly mild evening with temperatures hovering in the mid-30's, which made for some beautiful fog that hovered just off the ground throughout the floor of the valley. The fog also meant that the trees and shrubs were all covered in frost.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 17-40mm
Focal length: 17mm
Shutter speed: 1/4 second
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 100
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2009
CALIFORNIA 3929
"Valley of Stars"
After the sun had set I drove around for a little while looking for locations to do some star shooting once it was dark enough. I found a couple more fantastic spots and as soon as the stars became visible, I was shooting again. I had a wonderful time shooting the stars in Yosemite Valley, and I have a feeling that is something that not many people have done. I have seen many images of Yosemite, but only one or two night-time images. There was a little bit of moonlight which provided some nice illumination on the rocky cliffs. The moonlight wasn't bright enough to wash out the stars, though. And boy, let me tell you.... rarely have I seen a sky so full of stars! It was an incredible night, one I will not soon forget!
I returned to Yosemite again the following day, but the conditions for photography were less than favorable. It was a chilly, damp day with gray skies. I ended up driving around some more on the park roads to some areas that I hadn't seen the day before, but I really didn't take any pictures. I also visited the Ansel Adams Gallery, which is located near the park's visitor center. The gallery is definitely worth a visit. They have some really amazing framed prints of some of Ansel's most famous images, as well as images by other photographers that are well worth a look. Do yourself a favor and check it out if you ever find yourself in Yosemite!
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 17-40mm
Focal length: 17mm
Shutter speed: 30 seconds
Aperture: f/4
ISO: 1000
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2009
BOSQUE DEL APACHE 4051
"Blue morning at Bosque"
"The Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico is an important wintering home for Sandhill Cranes and hosts as many as 14,000 cranes during the winter months. The Bosque is located along the Rio Grande River south of Albuquerque and provides critical habitat for cranes and other migratory birds such as over 32,000 Snow Geese, dozens of Bald Eagles, Avocets and many other birds. The beautiful refuge is also home to small herds of Mule Deer and families of Coyotes. Seeing the sunset "fly-in" and the sunrise "fly-out" is an experience you will never forget!"
After leaving Yosemite the next stop on my trip was to be Bosque del Apache in New Mexico. The plan was to meet back up with my friend Roger (http: http://www.rogernordstromphoto.com) in Socorro then head to the refuge the next morning. For those of you that have been following along with my blog, Roger and I started off my trip together with a visit to the Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota. After that portion of the trip Roger had to head back home, but I continued on my journey and here we are meeting back up again near the end of my trip! Roger was visiting his family in California for Christmas, so he stopped in New Mexico to meet up with me on his way back home.
I arrived in Socorro with enough time to head to the refuge for sunset (Roger wouldn't be arriving for several more hours). Not long after arriving at the refuge I was a little disappointed at the lack of birds. I had visited Bosque back in 2004 during this same week, and remembered seeing LOTS of cranes, and LOTS of snow geese. This time, there were only a few. Oh well, I figured... maybe it was just an "off" night, and more would be around tomorrow.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm
Focal length: 400mm
Shutter speed: 1/50
Aperture: f/5.6
ISO: 1600
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2009
BOSQUE DEL APACHE 4039
"Safe Zone"
The next morning we rose bright and early so we could take advantage of the nice breakfast that was offered at our motel. If you're ever looking for a place to stay in Socorro, I highly recommend the EconoLodge... VERY reasonable rate, the room was spacious and very comfortable, the staff was friendly and they had one of the best breakfasts of any motel I've ever stayed in. Coffee, juice, bagels, waffles, cereal, fresh fruit.... it was a great way to start the day!
Above Image: "Safe Zone" - A group of Canada Geese along with a few Sandhill Cranes rests in a field. The fields provide food and a modicum of protection from coyotes, their main predator at the refuge. The birds are usually clustered in the middle of these fields, so they can see the coyotes coming in time to take off and avoid being caught by one.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm
Focal length: 400mm
Shutter speed: 1/250
Aperture: f/5.6
ISO: 1600
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2009
BOSQUE DEL APACHE 4035
"Coyotes on the prowl"
A pair of coyotes working their way along the edge of one of the fields. There was a group of snow geese out in the middle of this field, several hundred yards away from these coyotes. The coyotes had their eyes on the birds... not sure if they got any or not, as they ducked into the brush and I never saw them again.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm
Focal length: 400mm
Shutter speed: 1/250
Aperture: f/5.6
ISO: 1600
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2009
BOSQUE DEL APACHE 4224
"Snow Geese taking flight"
After breakfast we hit the road for the refuge, which is about a 25 minute drive from Socorro. It started snowing not long after we got on the freeway. Hmmmm.... probably not going to be much of a sunrise, we thought. We were right about that... no sunrise, it was too cloudy. The snow kept coming down, and at times quite heavily. It ended up being a wonderful morning, with the fresh snow providing a perspective on the refuge that not many people are able to enjoy. Being that this is a desert, they don't get much rain or snow. It was a rare treat. Throughout the morning we saw many small groups of birds but as the day progressed we would see more and more. We spent several days at the refuge, and by the time we left we were quite happy with the birds we had seen.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm
Focal length: 320mm
Shutter speed: 1/2000
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 800
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2009
BOSQUE DEL APACHE 4155
"Morning stroll in the snow"
These cranes were out for a morning walk on one of the frozen ponds. After watching them for about a half hour, they began to take off one by one from the ice.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm
Focal length: 400mm
Shutter speed: 1/800
Aperture: f/10
ISO: 800
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2009
BOSQUE DEL APACHE 4114
"Snowy Runway"
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm
Focal length: 400mm
Shutter speed: 1/640
Aperture: f/9
ISO: 800
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2009
BOSQUE DEL APACHE 4586
"A pair of Sandhills"
Bosque del Apache was my first exposure to Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese. Before my visit in late 2004, I had never seen either of these birds. Since then, I have been to Nebraska several times to witness the massive gathering that occurs there every spring. Sandhill Cranes are amazing birds, and I don't think I will ever tire of seeing them. Sandhill Cranes have one of the longest fossil histories of any existing bird. The oldest Sandhill Crane fossil is about 2.5 million years old, over one and a half times older than the earliest remains of most living species of birds!
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm
Focal length: 400mm
Shutter speed: 1/640
Aperture: f/9
ISO: 800
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2009
BOSQUE DEL APACHE 4625
"Flight Training"
This trio of snow geese flew over us several times as they looped around the farm deck field. Most of the time it seemed as though the two geese behind were chasing the one in the front. I joked with my friend Roger that the one in front was probably the "flight instructor", and was teaching the two behind him how to follow and stay in formation :-)
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm
Focal length: 400mm
Shutter speed: 1/400
Aperture: f/22
ISO: 800
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2009
BOSQUE DEL APACHE 4641
"Snow Geese Blast-Off!"
A typical "blast-off" of Snow Geese at the refuge. When the geese fly out from the refuge, they usually do so in one large group. When an entire field full of these birds decides to take flight all at the same time, it is quite a sight to see. Its also really something to hear the birds when they all take flight. The whole experience is unforgettable.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm
Focal length: 400mm
Shutter speed: 1/800
Aperture: f/22
ISO: 800