outdoor photography

Common Yellowthroat My son and I had a commitment this morning, so I was unable to go birding this morning.  However, since we were in East Orlando anyway, we dropped by Orlando Wetlands Park before coming home.  It was 12:30pm before we got there, so we didn't have prime birding weather, and my son is not much of a birder, so we walked fast and stopped little.  My son seemed to enjoy kicking fire ant mounds more than anything else.  So this was more a father-son thing than a birding-photography thing.  Anway, I saw nothing out of the ordinary today, but I wasn't expecting to be able to go at all, so it was all good.  And, I think I captured my best photo of a male Common Yellowthroat. Palm Warlber Purple Gallinule Little Blue Heron Viceroy Here's a list of what we saw today: Non-Birds Monarch Butterfly Viceroy Butterfly Gulf Fritillary Butterfly White Peacock Butterfly American Alligator "Cow Killer" Wasp Fire Ants Birds ...

Red-Shouldered Hawk Red-Shouldered Hawks are extremely common in the U.S. east of the Mississippi River, as well as in California.  They're beautiful birds.  They can be distinguished from Red-Tailed Hawks by their smaller size and black and white banding on the tail.  Red-Shouldered Hawks also typically have a rufous mark on their shoulders (hence the name).  One thing I love about them is they seem unafraid to hunt when I'm near by.  I've seen them catch frogs, snakes, and even squirrels.    And they have a lovely call that alerts me to their presence so I can go find them and photograph them.  When perched, tt seems to me that they often call right before they fly, so I can be ready to catch them in flight. Red-Shouldered Hawk Red-Shouldered Hawk Red-Shouldered Hawk Red-Shouldered Hawk

Canvasback Duck Canvasbacks are some of my favorite ducks.  They are so distinctively colored, especially the males with their chestnut-red heads, and white backs.  I love the fact that they have bright red eyes in the Spring.  It is the largest diving duck in North America, meaning that it dives under the water to catch it's food, consisting of the tubers of sago pondweed, seeds, buds, insect larvae, leaves, etc. Canvasback Duck Canvasback Duck Canvasback Duck  

White Ibis At first glance, the White Ibis is a strange, funky-looking bird, and maybe that's what I like about them most.  Adults are extremely easy to identify by their white plumage and reddish curved beaks.  Immatures have darker feathers on their backs and wings, so they are often confused for the darker Glossy Ibis, but the immature White Ibis has light feathers on its belly. In flight the White Ibis can be distinguished even at a distance from other white wading birds (like the snowy egret) by presence of black on the tips of their wings.   I think it's particularly fun to watch them forage while wading in the water, poking their bill in the water looking for insects and small fish. They can be found throughout the deep south and gulf coast of the United States. White Ibis White Ibis White Ibis Immature White Ibis

Orlando Wetlands Park I'm often struck by how beautiful nature is, but lately I've only carried with me my telephoto lens for bird photography.  So even when I see wonderful scenery, I can't do much with it photographically.  I decided recently that this has to change; I need to bring with me wider lenses so that I can try to do justice to places I visit beyond the birds that inhabit them.  I've also decided I need to get back into HDR photography.  For those of you who don't know, HDR stands for high dynamic range.  You take several photographs of high contrast scenes at a wide range of exposures, and then HDR software combines them together to bring out detail in the highlights and shadows.  Some HDR photographs are designed to look natural; others look rather surreal.  With these photos from Orlando Wetlands Park, I opted for a more realistic approach, but of course the colors are a fair amount more saturated and vivid than they were to my co...

Swamp Sparrow (hand-held with AF, selected center focusing point) As far a focusing points go, the general rule is "the more the merrier."  And of course, there's good reason why.  The more focusing points your camera has, the more your camera can choose from to make sure you get your subject in focus.  However, your camera can't think for you.  It doesn't know what you want in and out of focus, and so there are some situations where the camera simply cannot decide on the focusing points you want.  If you've taken enough photos, you've seen it happen.  The camera focused on the leaf in front of the butterfly or on the grass behind your daughter blowing the seeds off a dandelion. Your camera will show you what focusing points it has chosen before you take the picture.  On my camera, the focusing points light up in the viewfinder, so I can check to make sure the camera is focusing on what I want.  Checking your focus before shooting is a...

Green Heron Green Herons are fun to watch.  They are very common birds, and you can find them throughout the Eastern United States; in the west, you can find them in the border states.  They are beautiful, dark-colored herons, but they can be hard to see if you're not looking for them.  When they fly off, the often announce their presence with loud squawk.  In Merritt Island, I found a couple nests, allowing me to get a couple pictures of juvenile Green Herons. Orlando Wetlands Park is filled with them, though you often don't see them until they fly.   But keep your eye out for them, because they are beautiful birds to watch. Immature Green Herons Immature Green Heron Green Heron Green Heron Green Heron Green Heron with Little Blue Heron