Mountain Bluebird

Female Mountain Bluebird at Mormon Row  

After a sunrise we were entertained by this female Bluebird and her mate. I loved getting to photograph a bunch of new wildlife while we visited the area. This little lady was just amazing to watch. I also love the complimentary colors of the fence and the sky with her colors. Image made with Canon 7dmii and Tamron 150x600 at 600mm f/8 ISO 3200 and shutter speed of 1/800 of a second  in manual mode. Edited in Lightroom  CC and On1 Raw. Gear carried in MindShift Gear FirstLight 40L. 

Birding (American Birding)

Featured image of my Sirui. 

I am very excited to have an image featured in this beautiful advertisement by Sirui USA. And even more excited that it's featured in Birding Magazine. I fell in love with Birding long before I was a photographer. My Grandfather and actually my Mother after him taught me a lot about birds and their habits. Their habits are what keeps me interested in them. From the unique way they fly to their ways of interacting with other birds. To say I find watching relaxing is an understatement.  This image was captured at the stick using a Sirui N3204x tripod and PH-20 Gimbal (featured in the advertisement) I was using a Canon 7dmii and Tamron 150x600 lens. Besure to check out Birding Magazine for some great reading on birds and how you can find ways to capture them or just plain enjoy them. 

Sunset at Oxbow Bend

Here's an image from Oxbow Bend. There wasn't much color in the skies. But the flowers were colorful enough. I used graduated neutral density filter by Sirui to help me get a bright foreground and not blownout the skies. As you can see it also caused the clouds to be darker. Image made with a Canon 5dmiii and Tamron 24x70 lens at 24mm f/16 ISO 100 resulting in a shutter speed of 1/25  of a second. On top of my Sirui N3204x tripod and K-30 ball head. Gear carried in MindShift FirstLight 40L edited in On1 Raw and Lightroom CC. 

Bison

A bison in Grand Tetons National Park

He spent a bunch of time chasing wildlife while visiting the Tetons. Then all of a sudden there was wildlife everywhere we looked. We photographed these guys having some guy fun. They are quite amazing. Image made with Canon 7dmii and Tamron 150x600 at 600 mm ISO 800 f/8 resulting in a shutter speed of 1/1000 of a second. I did crop this image a little to remove a pair of tails on the left side. Edited in Lightroom CC. 

The Grand Tetons

John Moulton Barn Mormon Row GTNP.  

It has  been a few weeks since I returned home from the Grand Tetons. The trip was exhausting with an emphasis on seeing as much of the area as we could. We packed a months worth of experiences into a week. Every second was amazing. We had very little clear skies for sunrises or sunsets. But it was incredible either way. The wildlife was amazing. The food being served in the area was superb. We even went to Idaho for the best huckleberry shakes. We made the trek to Yellowstone twice in hopes of shooting some night skies. We didn't get the clouds to cooperate but we did manage some waterfalls. I have hours of editing to get to over the next several months. 

This image was made on our first attempt for  a sunrise at Mormon Row. The clouds got progressively heavy and eventually rained. Offering us an amazing double rainbow. We honestly were in awe of the scene before us. I used my Canon 5dmiii and Tamron 24x70 at 50mm f/16 ISO 100. I also used Sirui's filter system with a 5 stop grabdusted Neutral Density filter. On top of my Sirui N3204x tripod and K-30 ball head. Gear carried in MindShift Gear FirstLight 40L. And Peak Design Slide strap. Edited in On1 Raw and Lightroom CC.  

Mindshift Backlight 26L

The Backlight 26L in Greenfield Color.  

I have had this bag now for about bout a month or so. The versatility is outstanding. I have always been a fan of back opening bags for ease of use and keeping your shirt clean as well. I find this bag to be very useful for both my landscape and event work. Today's itinerary includes a 80's style Sweet 16 birthday party. Complete with L.A. Backstage Pass performing their awsome covers from the 80's Happy Birthday Sam! In my bags today.  

Canon 5dmiii with Sirui L Bracket and 24x105  attached. 

Canon 7dmii with L Bracket  

Tamron 15x30 F/2.8

Sigma 70x200 F/2.8

2 Canon Speedlights  

Think Tank 4 Dslr battery case (full) 

Mindshift House of Cards  

a bag of AA batteries  

13" MacBook Pro/Accessories 

All of that and plenty of room in both mesh pouches for various other doodads. The bag is awesome for many uses. Click their link on my about page for special offers.

Black and White

Portland Head Lighthouse  

Leading workshops is not black and white. What I mean by that is simple, be prepared to change at a moments notice. Not every scenario can be planned out. Not every student learns the same way. Not everything in life goes as expected. My teachers David and Cecil have shown me how to make things happen so my workshop participants will get some great instruction and images as well. Often times when I lead workshops I feel like David and Cecil are there with me. Thank you guys. I taught with true NIF spirit yesterday. And ate like it too :) 

New Years Goals

Junco on the Stick

I like to start my new year setting goals for myself. In all areas of my life. My birding skills are on my photography plate. Being a better husband, father and man is a daily goal I strive to achieve. I don't always manage to do better but at one point in my life I didn't aspire to do it much at all. I was fortunate to find karate many moons ago and that along with Iaido created a new focus in me. I don't train in those disciplines any longer. I've worked towards being a better man in my heart. Best of everything to those of you working towards whatever you set out to accomplish in 2017. 

This image was made this afternoon. I had a large flock of Junco at the stick. Canon 7dmii with the Tamron 150x600 on top of my Sirui N3204x tripod and PH-20 gimbal head. ISO 800 f/8 shutter 1/1000 of a second at 520mm. Image tweaked in ON1 Raw.