Update and book recommendation

Even if I'm not able to post anything on my blog, there are people and friends that check it almost every day. I want to tell you, I'm very thankful for this fact. I guess I owe you an update about what's going on. I have been on the road or in the air during the last four weeks, mainly related to my job, and with very little time for photography.

Last weekend I spent a few hours with some German friends in Chicago, made some clicks, and was hoping to post them here, while I'm still on a business trip in Indiana. To make a long story short, I didn't bring all my gear as usual and one of the things I left at home is the CF-card reader. Means, my latest pics are still in the camera and I have to wait until I come back home. :-(

Thank you again to all of you who stop here regularly or even just ones in a while! You guys rock and your comments and emails encourage me to continue with the challenge to write this blog!

Above image was made in Norfolk, Nebraska. It is a trial with HDR photography and was created from five handheld pictures. I just finished reading Raphael Conception's  "The HDR Book" and can't wait to apply the new knowledge to my photography. If you don't know yet what photography book to take on your next business or vacation trip, that's the one I like to recommend. RC's writing style is straight forward and even for someone like me, who is not a native English speaker, this book is easy to understand and a great source of photography education.

Nature clicks #47 - Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel

Nikon D200, Sigma 50-500 mm f/4.0-6.3, 420 mm (630 mm FX), 1/640s, f/6.3, -1 EV, ISO 200

There is probably no chance that we will ever see the Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel around our house. We live on top of a rocky ridge along the Little Maquoketa River near the Mississippi River Valley. These little ground squirrels live in burrows that are 4.5 - 6 m (15 - 20 feet) long and about 30 - 60 cm (1 -2 feet) deep. No way they can dig deep and long enough in the rocks here.

Nikon D200, Sigma 50-500 mm f/4.0-6.3, 420 mm (630 mm FX), 1/320s, f/6.3, -1 EV, ISO 100

I found them out in the open land and spent quite some time last weekend to watch these little critters and try to shoot some images. Their diet ranges from grass and weed seeds to caterpillars and grasshoppers, and even mice and bird flesh are on their menu (source: Field Guide to Mammals, National Audubon Society). This one here was chewing on dandelion blooms.

Nikon D200, Sigma 50-500 mm f/4.0-6.3, 420 mm (630 mm FX), 1/640s, f/6.3, -1 EV, ISO 200

The Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrels remind me a little bit of prairie dogs, because they often stand upright and survey the surrounding area for any sign of danger. Ones I came a little too close and the squirrel dived down into its burrow and warned the rest of the family with its bird-like trill.

These little critters are ideal to practice shooting with a long lens, like the SIGMA 50-500, f/4-6.3 DG HSM. I like the last image the best, not only because of the pose of the animal but mainly because how the ground squirrel  is separated from the background

Nature clicks #46 - One week old

 

Did you look at the Trumpeter Swan cygnet last weekend? Yes, I did! It is amazing how much it was grown already within the last week. The swans were in the middle of the pond. Not really in a great position for photography, but the important thing is that all three looked very good and hopefully we will see a new generation of Trumpeter Swans growing up here in Eastern Iowa.

Many ways to enjoy a holiday weekend

 

There are many ways to enjoy a holiday weekend like this around Independence Day. For me the Sunday was a day full of photo opportunities. Let me start with the one at the end of the day. While driving home in my car I saw these people with heir horse buggy entering the Heritage Trail, a recreation trail that follows the Little Maquoketa River and that has been built on an old railroad track. I'm quite often on the trail and had immediately a picture in mind that could materialize two miles down the trail. The road runs parallel to the trail and I had a few minutes to prepare for the shot.

It was a little hazy and I was hoping that the late afternoon sun would create a nice soft light at one of the bridges.

I think there is not much that can beat a ride in a horse buggy on a beautiful Sunday like today! Well, shooting pictures of people in a horse buggy isn't bad either… ;-) More to come...

Nature clicks #45 - Killdeer protect their nest

Nikon D200, Sigma 50-500 mm f/4.0-6.3, 500 mm (750 mm FX), 1/750s, f/8, -1.5 EV, ISO 100

Last week I promised to show some pictures of a couple Killdeer that I was watching in the wetlands. They showed their typical behavior by trying to lure me away from their nest site. I don't disturb birds on intend and didn't even try to find it, even if I had an idea where the nest was. The female sat down away from the nest several times and tried to make me believing it was sitting on eggs.

Nikon D200, Sigma 50-500 mm f/4.0-6.3, 420 mm (630 mm FX), 1/640s, f/6.3, -1 EV, ISO 100

The male made sure I was paying attention to him by running around in circles but at the same time moving away from their real nest. They are fun birds to watch and because the Killdeer is not as shy as some other birds they are a good subject for practicing long lens shooting technique.

White-tailed Deer with background problem

Nikon D200, Sigma 50-500 mm f/4.0-6.3

This picture is already three weeks old but I still like to share it with you. It was taken in the Mill Creek Valley on my way home from a visit at the Trumpeter Swans. We have many White-tailed Deer here in Eastern Iowa and it is not a big deal to see one. This one made me hit my car brakes hard. It stood like frozen for a few seconds and gave me so the chance to grab the camera from the passenger seat and shoot a few pictures through the open car window.

The bokeh of the background does not always please me with the Sigma 50-500. At 500 mm an aperture of  f/6.3 is your best choice and In this matter the texture of the field made it even worse. The deer didn't really stand out from the background, despite the image was sharp. I used a basic technique in Photoshop to minimize the problem. Here is how I did it:

1. Make a copy of the background layer.

2. Apply a blur filter to the top layer (I used Gaussian Blur, 10 pixels).

3. Create a layer mask for this layer.

4. Paint with black on the layer mask over the contour of the deer and the foreground. Use a lower opacity for the area of transition in the background.

Nature clicks #44 - Snapping Turtle on a log

 

I like to share another picture from last weekend that may not win a photography price but means a lot to me. Just before I shot the images of the new born swan cygnet (see my last post) I stopped at one of the other ponds in the Mill Creek Valley and saw this Common Snapping Turtle on a log in the pond. A Painted Turtle was right next to it. It was quiet a bit away, so I tried to work with the lines of the logs in the water to make it at least an interesting composition. While still fiddling with my settings, the turtle decided that diving in the water is more fun than sun bathing on a log. OK, I had two shots on my memory card and I'm glad about it. It is an interesting animal I really want to find out more about it. I like how the Snapping Turtle is laying on the log. Doesn't it really say, Hey it's Sunday, just relax….? ;-)

Nature clicks #43 - Happy day for the Trumpeter Swans

 

I didn't make a single click during the last week. Shame on me, but a busy work schedule and a project at home prevented me from being behind the camera.

Today I just had to go out. I checked the pond at Mill Creek first. One Trumpeter Swan was sitting on the nest, while the other one was swimming on the pond. This gave me some hope that the female was maybe sitting on eggs. That was about 10 AM and I didn't know that I would find out about it just four hours later.

I moved on to the Green Island Wetlands, hoping to get a better view on the Moorhens that I saw a couple weeks ago. I heard their call but they were hiding in the reeds. A pair of Killdeer kept me busy for some time and I will show some pictures in another post this week.

I didn't expect much for my photography on the way home. The light was just harsh and awful but I always see some wildlife in the Mill Creek Valley. An that's why I went back to the swans again. And the big surprise was just waiting for me. Both swans were at the nest and there was something else… Oh yeah, a little cygnet was with them. What a great moment to witness! I had chosen the right day for another visit of the Trumpeter Swans. Did I say already the light was awful harsh? What the heck, I had to make some documentary shots…

Instead of going straight back home I went to the Hurstville Interpretive Center in Maquoketa and reported my discovery. Thank you to Ann at the interpretive center, who allowed me to take some close-up pictures of the Trumpeter Swans that they have in a protected area behind the building. The swan couple there was also taking care for a cygnet.

Can frogs read?

 

This little Treefrog took the invitation above the entrance hole of the bird box literally. Makes me believing its reading skills aren't too bad… ;-) The picture was taken in our neighbor's backyard.

What you don't see is me, standing on a ladder, the camera with the 150/f2.8 and flash light in one hand, and holding the branches of a fir tree away from the lens with the other one…. I guess sometimes we have to put a little effort in our shots… ;-) That's all for today. Thank you for stopping by and have a great week.

Nature clicks #42 - Meeting a Woodchuck

Nikon D200, Sigma 50-500 mm f/4.0-6.3

Sometimes luck strikes twice. Right after I had the shots of the Yellow-Headed Blackbird banned onto the camera's sensor I turned around and saw another animal that is on my wish list since a long time. I have seen many Woodchucks before but never had a chance to put my glass on one. This marmot can climb trees and is a good swimmer. So it wasn't really a surprise seeing it along the road right beside the pond. The "groundhog" was chewing on some leaves and then showed me its back and went away from me. It really looks funny how it waddles down the road. How can someone not like an animal like this one?

Nikon D200, Sigma 50-500 mm f/4.0-6.3