wildlife photography – Page 4 – Slow Shutter Speed

Posted on April 19, 2017April 19, 2017 by Anne Sandler · 7 Comments

Getting the sun’s glow: Cosumnes River Preserve, Galt

You’ve got to love Laura’s enthusasim when it comes to photography. I do. So, on a recent weekend morning, about 8 a.m., when she suggested we go down to Cosumnes River Preserve (CRP), a nature preserve of 46,000 acres, to catch the tail end of the morning’s golden hour, I scrambled. I always need that push to get up early, stay up late, etc. Laura gives me that push.

In my rush to get out, I left my backpack that contained, snacks, hiking shoes etc. at home. Another truth about me: I will shoot in Birkenstocks whenever I can because my feet don’t like to be confined (a bad arthritic toe). Luckily, we were walking on the dirt paths around CRP.

But we weren’t lucky enough to catch the last of the golden hour because there wasn’t any! Fog! This was the second time we caught the morning fog at CRP. The last time we were able to catch glistening spider webs on plants. That morning there were none. The rains had washed away the webs and the spiders hadn’t returned yet.

Because of the fog, I decided to use my Sigma 2.8, 17 – 70 mm lens; but, that meant I didn’t have the ability to catch the birds out in the distance. When the fog lifted, I switched to my Nikon 55 – 300 mm lens so I was able to catch a few birds.

In the end, we did get the sun’s glow and the moody fog. All in all, it was a fun morning.

A scene of fog and reflection.

The water was so still.

No neutral density filters needed.

The fog jus sits on the water.

The fog has lifted off the water here.

Morning dew.

Marsh land.

Wide angle view of the marsh.

A great blue heron is fishing.

He goes for his prey.

After success, he moves on.

A red-winged black bird.

I couldn’t find this one in my bird book. Maybe a young Goldfinch?

A rooster of course.

Posted on March 16, 2017March 16, 2017 by Anne Sandler · 4 Comments

Best therapy, photography: UC Davis Arboretum, Davis, California

I wasn’t feeling well. In fact, I told myself that I probably shouldn’t go. But, I knew I wasn’t contagious, wanted to go, so off I went with my Camera Totin’ Tuesday group to the UC Davis Arboretum. Located on the UC Davis campus, the arboretum draws people of all ages to walk, ride their bikes, picnic, study and take pictures.

I was warned by my friend Laura that they were in the process of restoring half the rambling arboretum and the water was low, but we decided we would go anyway. We knew the flower garden would be there. I took the majority of my images there in the small garden. The flowers were beautiful.

Laura was right, in some areas the water level was so low that you could see the ground beneath. There were less birds, no turtles, but it was still pretty in some areas. At least the red buds were blooming, adding their rich pink color to the landscape.

Because I wasn’t feeling well, I turned back earlier than others. Karen A. (We now have two members named Karen and both were on the outing.) walked back with me. The others came back in two’s. We were probably shooting for two hours.

The next stop was lunch–isn’t it always. So, I’m wondering whether it was the photography or the people that made me so anxious to go when I knew I should have stayed home?

In this post, I’ll show you some of the flowers. In part two I’ll show you some of the birds, landscape and people I was able to photograph.

Posted on February 3, 2017February 3, 2017 by Anne Sandler · 4 Comments

January, for the birds? Chasing wildlife

The wildlife areas were full with water, the weather was cool, but there were few birds. I went to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge twice, Grey Lodge Wildlife Area once and the Vic Fazio Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area once, and was amazed at the lack of birds.

I experienced this during the dry years when there was little water to be found in these areas, but we have water this year! Where did the birds go? To make matters worse, at all but one of these outings, we were in overcast skies and strong wind.

Yes, chasing birds was frustrating and difficult this year. The Yolo Bypass trip was a dismal effort. We went to get the first sunrise of the new year and ended up with nothing worthwhile. It was a dark morning.

Our first trip to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge was also difficult. The wind was blowing so hard that the small birds had difficulty flying. I did manage to get this sequence of a Snowy Egret fishing and eating its catch.

During our second trip, a week later, I was able to photograph a Red Tail Hawk, rabbit and deer.

At Grey Lodge, we found a Bald Eagle, Blue Heron and a show off Great Egret.

So there went January–for the birds!

Posted on December 31, 2016December 31, 2016 by Anne Sandler · 12 Comments

Goodbye 2016: A look back

I am melancholy this New Year’s Eve day. The year 2016 was full of personal challenges for me personally and my dear friends. The one thing I counted on to keep me balanced was photography. When I was out shooting, my attention was drawn away from health issues and global and United States politics. Editing in my office helped relax away fears. I almost lost a dear friend and another had heart surgery. Add that to Richard’s back surgery, it was a tough autumn.

So while in this moody state of mind, I’m going to show you some of the images I chose for my yearly calendar. I’m hoping 2017 will surprise us with political healing, prosperity, health and peace for all. Happy 2017.

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Anne Sandler

Oh my gosh, it’s Monday: The Yolo Wildlife Area

See, this is what happens. I had a very busy weekend with the grandkids sleeping over, and today, I’ve been shopping at the grocery store and helping my husband pack for his astronomy weekend in Aidn, California. I handled phone calls: 1. to get someone out here to fix my air conditioner up stairs and 2. to find a new home for my Toastmaster Photography club, All About Photography. I did a load of laundry and walked the dog. I just looked up at the clock: almost 3 p.m. I got a lot done, but didn’t prioritize in my 2 to 3 hours of editing study.

I know that a know a new habit takes a fairly decent time to implement. I’m hoping to do better next week. We usually eat early on Mondays so I can get to my All About Photography Club meeting on time. I’ll prioritize some time on Wednesday while I wait for the air conditioner repairman to come.

Okay, now that I’ve confessed, I want to show you images from another trip to the Yolo Wildlife Area. I’m still learning how to use the new/used F/4, 300 mm lens. On this trip, I found out that it’s not easy for me to handhold. And, you can’t use a tripod/monopod in a car. Normally, I’d rest it on the window (which is rolled down). But most of the birds inconveniently located themselves on the driver’s side. I was the passenger, and my friend Laura was the driver.

But it was a worthwhile trip, and I did learn more about handling the lens. Laura showed me that pumping up the ISO was necessary for a faster shutter speed. I’m reluctant to use a high ISO because of grain. I don’t think the grain is too bad.

Let me know what you think!