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Conquering the Inevitable: Frustration

October 15, 2009 By 1 Comment
White-breasted Nuthatch - Gorge Trail, Finger Lakes National Forest, NY

White-breasted Nuthatch - Gorge Trail, Finger Lakes National Forest, NY

Occasionally, I get into the field with big plans and nothing goes as planned.  Then the frustration sets in and when I am photographing, frustration is my worst enemy. When I get frustrated, everything goes downhill—fast.

Yesterday was one of those days for me, but I forced myself through the frustration and walked with a nice series of White-breasted Nuthatch images.  I thought I’d share the three things that I did to get through the frustration:  Improvisation, Changed Course, and Refreshed and Remembered.

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Featured Photograph: Eastern Bluebird

October 12, 2009 By 5 Comments

Eastern Bluebird, Female - Allan H. Treman Marine Park, Ithaca, NY

This morning my goal was to photograph migrating sparrows, but I came home with this image of a female Eastern Bluebird.  I captured some great images of sparrows but it is this image that keeps drawing my attention, so I thought I would share it.   [Read more...]

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The Importance of Scouting

October 11, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Mallefowl on Nest, Victoria, Australia - I created this image after consulting local birders and scouting the nest the night before.

Would you ever walk into a business meeting with a possible new client without first doing background research on who they are, what they want, and how you can best market yourself to them?  Would you go on stage as the leading role in a play without first memorizing your lines and running through numerous rehearsals?  Would you take an exam without ever having studied the material?

Of course not!

Then why would you go to a place to photograph without a thorough understanding of what to expect, where to find it, and when to be there?  Scouting is a simple and easy step overlooked far too often.

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Filed Under: Daily Musings, Natural History, Photo Tips Tagged With: , , , , , ,

We’re Live!

October 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment

I have spent the last few months creating this blog, working on the design, and writing content.  Today, I have finally gone live.  I know this site will become a great resource for photography tips, insight into natural history, and a great community of individuals interested in exploring the natural world.  However, this site will only be as good as the community we can create.  I encourage you to get involved by posting comments and questions.  I look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments so I can improve the blog to bring you what you want to read.

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Fall Subtlety

October 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Beaver Wetland, Summer Hill State Forest, NY

When I moved back to the northeast, I was really excited to photograph fall foliage, but this year has been a little strange.  Trees tend to be changing very sporadically with some trees, even in the same species, having totally turned and others still perfectly green.  It can make for some challenging photography as you sort of get a salt and pepper effect if photographing large swaths of forest.  As a result, I tried for some more subtle images while I was out yesterday.

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In the News: 10/02/09

October 2, 2009 By 1 Comment

I am about to hop on a flight to Florida for a family wedding so I just have a couple quick updates of some newsworthy items.

Nature Appreciation Day hosted by the Nature Photographer’s Network – Sunday, October 4th, 2009 will be the first annual Nature Appreciation Day.   The basic idea is to get out and take some photos in the outdoors.  The theme is “What Nature Photography Means to Me – why we enjoy the pursuit of nature photography and how focusing on the beauty of nature through the camera’s viewfinder provides an escape from the stress of daily living.”  If you don’t know NPN, it is a great community of nature photographers that can be a great learning resource.  I’ll be on a plane flying back to New York most of the day but will try to get out and get some photos when I get home.  Read the full Press Release here.

The National Parks: America’s Best Idea – Tonight is the final night for the 6 part series filmed by Ken Burns focusing on our nation’s national parks.  This is a major multimedia release with the film, a cd, and a book all focused on this project.  I haven’t had a chance to watch the series myself but have recorded the first 5 episodes and will be watching it in the coming weeks.   I’ve heard great things so far.  If you have missed the series, they are available online at PBS.  Read more and see the full series here.

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