Hardeman, the Red-tailed Hawk at TRC

Hardeman, the Red-tailed Hawk at TRC.

 

When we take our group to the educational program with the Teton Raptor Center, Becky, the Educational Director, will often ask if we can capture a few images of birds they need for their purposes. We are always glad to do what we can to help so we focused on a few birds this year for her. Hardeman was one of the birds we spent extra time with for portraits. Hardeman is named for the historic barn that is located on the property where the TRC is located. This past year the moved the barn over slightly to help preserve it for years to come. Hardeman was brought to the Center after being struck by a car and lost vision in his right eye. With all the focus on the renovations at the TRC and how incredible it will be with all the new structures, the historic barn will be a center point of how the new there has embraced the historic past of the property. Hardeman’s namesake will be talked about often and each time he educates someone the story of his name will be mentioned. He has a big year ahead of him and well, many more as well. Hopefully our portraits will help in the efforts of the TRC.

 

Tamron SP 150-600mm Di VC USD G2 lens on a Nikon Z7, Manual Exposure mode, f8, ISO 500, shutter speed of 1/500th of a second, Sirui P326 monopod, processed in Lightroom Classic CC. #WithMyTamron, #Tamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #Tamron150600g2, #TetonRaptorCenter, #SiruiUSA, #NatureInFocusPhotographyWorkshops, #BearWoodsPhotography, #BirdPhotography

How to pick a subject for ICM images

How to pick a subject for ICM images.

 

Two quick notes: ICM – Intentional Camera Movement, and a lot of folks hate ICM images. So with that out of the way…my thought process when I am going to do ICM images is this, I find subjects that have strong vertical lines against a contrasting background. This could be the trees separated by some space between them, or the background could simply be a different tone or texture. In this image I used the spacing between the trees as well as the snowy base to create starting points and depth. I also look for things on the trees edges, which Aspens have plenty, that will appear as lines when you do the vertical movement with the camera. My preferred shutter speed when hand holding is typically between 1/8th of a second to 1/2 a second. This will give you some detail and it is easier to control the camera. And don’t forget to turn off your image stabilization, in my case the Vibration Compensation.

 

Tamron SP 150-600mm Di VC USD G2 lens on a Nikon Z7, Manual Exposure mode, f32, ISO 110, shutter speed of 1/2 second, handheld, processed in Lightroom Classic CC. #WithMyTamron, #Tamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #Tamron150600g2, #ICM, #IntentionalCameraMovement, #NatureInFocusPhotographyWorkshops, #BearWoodsPhotography

Bigger isn’t always better in an image

Bigger isn’t always better in an image.

 

Too often we get caught up on the idea that we have to make a wildlife subject huge in our frame, if possible a portrait of the face if we can. I believe a lot of that comes from carrying big, heavy, long lenses. If we are carrying it, we should use it to its full potential, right? I think there are many times though that including the environment is more meaningful for us to understand the wildlife we are viewing. I like backing off and showing where the animal is, and in this case the conditions it is living. Detail in portraits is nice, but telling a story when possible is just as nice if not more pleasing as a whole as well. The added benefit of backing off is there is less chance you are pressuring an animal in making the image. In making this image Cecil Holmes, Jerry Black and myself gathered close together vs standing apart so the Elk relaxed thinking we were just one of the horses in the pasture. We were able to get some great images of an Elk in the winter environment at the Triangle X Ranch.

 

Tamron SP 150-600mm Di VC USD G2 lens on a Nikon Z7, Manual Exposure mode, f8, ISO 900, shutter speed of 1/500th of a second, handheld utilizing the Vibration Compensation feature of the lens, processed in Lightroom Classic CC. #WithMyTamron, #Tamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #Tamron150600g2, #TriangleXRanch, #NatureInFocusPhotographyWorkshops, #BearWoodsPhotography

Hunter, the Peregrine Falcon at the Teton Raptor Center

Hunter, the Peregrine Falcon at Teton Raptor Center.

 

Peregrine Falcons are almost as fascinating to me as Eagles. They aren’t as majestic, but just as fascinating in my opinion. Hunter is one of the resident education birds and can not be released into the wild. He was born with a visual defect that would prevent him from successfully hunting in the wild. He is always a favorite with our groups, and I love watching the group as they learn more about Peregrines. I can’t express my thanks enough to the folks at the Teton Raptor Center for all they do for the birds in the greater Yellowstone area as well as our groups and all that visit.

 

Tamron SP 150-600mm Di VC USD G2 lens on a Nikon Z7, Manual Exposure mode, f8, ISO 360, shutter speed of 1/500th of a second, Sirui P326 monopod, processed in Lightroom Classic CC. #WithMyTamron, #Tamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #Tamron150600g2, #SiruiUSA, #TetonRaptorCenter, #NatureInFocusPhotographyWorkshops, #BearWoodsPhotography

Creating separation using a long lens

Creating separation using a long lens.

 

I photographed many trees in snowy conditions while in Wyoming a couple weeks ago and found that using a long lens was most effective for the look I wanted to achieve. A long lens allowed me to get back from my subject, which combined with the snow created a nice separation of my subject from the background. I found using a shorter lens often eliminated the gap created by the snow. In a situation like this image, the long lens visually separated the subject from the similar objects in the out of focus background. This image was made using the Tamron SP 150-600mm G2 @ 380mm.

 

Tamron SP 150-600mm Di VC USD G2 lens on a Nikon Z7, Manual Exposure mode, f6.3, ISO 320, shutter speed 1/500th of a second, Sirui SR 3204 tripod, Acratech GXP ballhead, Shimoda Explore 40L backpack, processed in Lightroom Classic CC. #WithMyTamron, #Tamron, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #Tamron150600mmg2, #SiruiUSA, #Acratech, #ShimodaDesign, #NatureInFocusPhotographyWorkshops, #BearWoodsPhotography

Owly, my favorite Owl

Owly, my favorite Owl.

 

Owly is the resident Great Horned Owl at the Teton Raptor Center, and is responsible (sort of) for starting the TRC as we know it today. The story goes the Founders of the TRC were rehabbing birds at their home, and Owly (named by the Founder’s young daughter) was being housed in the bathtub. The daughter went to take a bath but couldn’t so she went in and insisted that the parents get the owl out of the tub! It was the inspiration for them to acquire a bigger and better place to do their work. Owly was the first bird we photographed years ago at the TRC and my images of her have been featured in several of the TRC’s literature as well as some pieces by Tamron. She is just beautiful and has reached so many people in her work as an ambassador for wildlife. I loved this image of her as she was looking over her “shoulder” as if she was striking a pose. Please check out the Teton Raptor Center’s website. https://tetonraptorcenter.org/

 

Tamron SP 150-600mm Di VC USD G2 lens on a Nikon Z7 via the FTZ adapter, Manual Mode, f8, ISO 800, shutter speed of 1/500th of a second, Sirui P326 monopod, processed in Lightroom Classic CC. #WithMyTamron, #Tamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #Tamron150600g2, #SiruiUSA, #NatureInFocusPhotographyWorkshops, #BearWoodsPhotography, #TetonRaptorCenter

More trees in the snow

More trees in the snow.

 

When we met with our workshop group on the first day, I explained to them we would have a theme for our lessons…simplicity. Our goal was to find simple subjects, then to compose the image where other elements would direct all the attention to our subject. We were going to work on eliminating distracting elements, but include enough, to tell a simple story. We were going to learn minimalism, and simplicity. One spot we had scouted was on Antelope Flats Road on the way to Mormon Row. The snow, winds and temperatures prevented the group from hiking out, but we still had opportunities from the gate blocking the last one mile of the road. Simply moving left and right to arrange the elements to frame the single tree with the structures behind it made for a simple composition.

 

Tamron SP 150-600mm Di VC USD G2 lens on a Nikon Z7, Manual Exposure mode, f6.3, ISO 220, shutter speed of 1/500th of a second, Sirui SR 3204 tripod, Acratech GXP ballhead, processed in Lightroom Classic CC. #WithMyTamron, #Tamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #Tamron150600g2, #SiruiUSA, #Acratech, #NatureInFocusPhotographyWorkshops, #BearWoodsPhotography