photoartflightBlue Dasher Dragonflies
Posted on September 10, 2022
Dragonfly season will soon be ending but here are a series of Blue Dasher Dragonfly images from a series of different outings. The Featured Image was taken with a Canon 400mm DO lens on a Canon 1D mkIV, @f/8, 1/400 sec.
Osprey FlyBy @ Blackwater NWR
Posted on July 2, 2022
A series of images of a close Osprey flyBy at the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge Maryland.
All images were taken with a Canon 1D mkIV with a 1.4x Teleconverter.
A Series Of Blue Dasher Dragonfly Images
Posted on June 30, 2022
A series of Blue Dasher Dragonfly images taken over a few years. The Featured Image was taken a few years ago and is a 2 image focus blend with a Canon 400mm DO lens on a Canon 7D and a small amount of Fill Flash to brighten the shadows. Subject Dragonfly was 16.7 ft away. When using Teleconverters I usually set my f/stop 2 stops down from wide open for a little more depth of field for sharpness but still have a smoother background. So using my 300mm f/4 lens with a 1.4x teleconverter the lens wide open would be @ f/5.6 because of the teleconverter. So I would set my f/stop @ f/11. If I was using my 400mm f/4 lens with a teleconverter I would probably stop down even more but not always.
Dragonfly Closeup With Telephoto lenses
Posted on June 11, 2022
The Featured Image is a closeup image of a male Blue Dasher Dragonfly resting on a stem. Image taken with a 400mm Canon DO lens with extension tubes to get closer focusing on the small subject Blue Dasher dragonfly but taken from a distance away. I found that using longer lenses with extension tubes for close focusing works well on these skittish dragonflies instead of macro lenses. You have a much longer working distance so your subject dragonfly does not get nervous & fly off giving you more time for shooting a variety of angles & compositions of images. And a bonus of using a 400mm lens or 300mm lens with extension tubes is you get very clean smooth blurred backgrounds. You can also add a 1.4x or 2x teleconverter for more working distance and even smoother backgrounds.
Bald Eagle Flying Closer
Posted on April 13, 2022
On a visit to Blackwater NWR I saw a Bald Eagle off in the distance. It was flying towards me so as it was getting closer I was tracking & taking images of it just in case it changed course. After I got a few images it veered off & flew away. But at least a got a few images of the Bald Eagle to post here.
Bald Eagle In Tree Portrait
Posted on April 5, 2022
On a previous visit to the Blackwater NWR we saw this Bald Eagle in a tree at the entrance to the Refuge. I thought this was going to be a Great Day for photographing Bald Eagles. After I went through the Entrance Gate I pulled over to get out of the car to photograph the Eagle. The Featured Image was taken when I got a little closer and is cropped for an Eagle Portrait. I got quite a few images before I continued on the Wildlife Drive.
Another Blackwater NWR Bald Eagle FlyBy
Posted on March 14, 2022
Another Bald Eagle flyby taken from a different visit at the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland. These were taken from the Tubman Road Trail which is a small walking trail down the road from the main Refuge & Wildlife Drive.
Great Blue Heron Landing
Posted on December 19, 2021
A series of images of a Great Blue Heron coming in for a landing at Lake Appert in the Celery Farm Natural Area in Allendale, New Jersey. It was interesting since it was coming in directly in front of me as I was photographing the Heron! Images were taken with a 400mm DO lens with a 2X Teleconverter on a Canon 1D mkIV.
Little Egret Panorama
Posted on October 13, 2021
A Little Egret 2 image Panorama from a previous visit to J.N. Ding Darling NWR in Florida. The Featured Image is a cropped version to fit better in the Featured Image area. Below is the full 2 vertical images panorama showing the Egret & the Egret’s reflection in the water. Images taken handheld with a Canon 1D mkIV with a 400mm DO lens & 1.4x Teleconverter @ f/8, ISO 3200. I upped the ISO to 3200 because it was early in the morning and the Egret was in the shadows. So it was pretty dark under the trees and I was shooting handheld.
Birds Of A Feather Do Not Always Flock Together
Posted on October 6, 2021
Another image from a previous trip to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Rookery. An interesting group of Florida birds grouped together in the same tree. Quite often when you see different types of birds in the same tree they are squawking at each other. At the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Rookery they seem to be quite content sharing the same spaces in the trees. Image taken with a 400mm DO lens on a Canon 1D mkIV.
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