Say Cheese!

Technical Specs: Canon 1D4, 70-200 IS II @ 150mm, f/5.6, 1/200s, ISO 400.

Head-lock

Upon returning to Miami last Monday, we spent the week in Florida, checking out various birding sights as well as riding some roller coasters. One of the places I liked the best was Venice Rookery where this image was taken. I wasn't out to do any serious shooting on this trip, hence we got there pretty late (about 9:15 AM) and the light was already starting to get a little harsh. However we saw lots of interesting action with Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons and Anhingas. I'll definitely be returning here in the future.

Technical Specs: Canon 1D4, 500 f/4 IS + 1.4x TC (700mm equiv.), f/8, 1/1600s, ISO 200.

Achoo!

Technical Specs: Canon 1Ds3, 500 f/4 IS, f/10, 1/640s, ISO 800.

Kicker Rock

Kicker Rock is a small rocky island close to San Cristobal, it was one of the first sights we saw on our first evening in the Galapagos.

Technical Specs: Canon 1Ds3, 24-105 @ 32mm, f/4, 1/100s, ISO 200.

Galapagos Giant Tortoise

Another interesting species in the Galapagos is the Giant Tortoise. We had the chance to see them both in the wild and at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz island.

Technical Specs: Canon 550D, 24-105 @ 105mm, f/5.6, 1/320s, ISO 400.

Marine Iguanas

Another fascinating subject to photograph in the Galapagos is the Marine Iguana. These guys were probably by second favorite (next to the Blue-footed Booby) subject. They tend to remain fairly still and allow people to get quite close.

Technical Specs: Canon 1Ds3, 15 fisheye, f/10, 1/250s, ISO 200.

Blue-footed Booby

We just returned to Guayaquil from our week in the Galapagos Archipelago. One of the most interesting and memorable wildlife (and there were many) is the Blue-footed Booby. I could just sit and watch them for hours. I'll try to post several more images over the next week or so.

Technical Specs: Canon 1D Mark IV, 70-200 f/2.8 II IS @ 70mm, f/9.0, 1/640s, ISO 400.

Color or B&W Iguana?

Which do you prefer the color or the black & white version?

This was taken a couple of hours ago at Iguana Park in Guayaquil, Ecuador. We arrived yesterday evening and this morning went for a short walk. This park has a lot of Iguanas wandering around (I mean a lot!). The time of day and harsh light made photography challenging though.

Tomorrow, we fly out to the Galapagos Islands where there will be no internet access. Hopefully I can post a few images when we return to Guayaquil on the 23rd.

Great Egret in Flight

It is around this time of year that Egrets build their nests in this year. Sadly, it looks like there isn't much Egret activity in the Palo Alto Baylands' Palm fronds this year. There wasn't last year either.

Technical Specs: Canon 1D4, 800 f/5.6 IS, f/5.6, 1/4000s, ISO 400.

Interesting Patterns and Tone

I made this image nearly a month ago at Muir Woods. I found the combination of the various patterns and color tones to be fascinating.

Technical Specs: Canon 1Ds3, 100 Macro IS, f/13, 2.5s, ISO 200.

Baby & Mom

This evening, I went back and re-processed an image I took over 2 1/2 years ago. I original took this image during one of my game drives at Addo Elephant Park in South Africa (original blog post).

One thing I've started doing is monotoning images with harsh lighting or images where color isn't a dominant or important visual element.

Along with the processing difference I am also taking advantage of all the advances in RAW development packages in that time. With the improved debayering, sharpening and noise reduction tools in Lightroom 3, I am pretty sure I will get a nicer print with my image.

Technical Specs: Canon 40D, 70-200 f/4 IS @ 144mm, f/4, 1/3200s, ISO 200.

Trillium

I photographed this Trillium at Muir Woods nearly a month ago. I am fond of Trilliums because back in Ontario they start to bloom in May, one of the signs that spring is actually here. Almost exactly a year ago, I was in Waterloo, Ontario photographing Trilliums at Bechtel Park.

Technical Specs: Canon 1Ds3, 100L IS Macro, f/5.6, 1/25s, ISO 800.

Midday Nap

Before the Elkhorn Slough boat ride last Sunday, I spent a little while photographing some seals and sea lions.