Some days the magic works…

April 23, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Carson City NV, Owls, photography techniques, Raptors, Wildlife photography | 2 Comments

Many years ago, I met and fell in love with a wonderful woman. In one of the greatest moments of my life, she consented to share my life and allowed me to share hers. A couple weeks before we began our journey together, I started a very brief career as a Deputy Sheriff. My fellow deputies were always joking about a book we should write, called “Things You Want to Say in Court, But Aren’t Allowed To.” One of the things we wanted to say was “…some days the magic works…” This would be in response to questioning by the defense attorney regarding the reasons a procedure, practice, or investigative technique worked (or didn’t work) in one case but not another. Those funny (and sometimes not so funny) things we always wanted to say have come to mind many times over the years – most recently in the last week.

As you know, I’m marketing note cards featuring my images. My first note cards were made using a card stock and were 8.5″ x 5.5″ (A9 size, in printing jargon). Several customers requested smaller note cards on a glossy paper. After some looking, I found note card blanks that fold to 5.5″ x 4.25″ (A2 size), with a glossy surface for printing. I bought the paper and began making note cards with wonderful results – until a week ago. Last week my printer adopted the “some days the magic works” mindset. After several frustrating days on the phone with technical support, I finally found a way to make the printer work correctly. The jury is still out, however, as I’m waiting for better consistency (some days the magic works).

Between the printer and other things occupying my time, I haven’t been out shooting as much. I’ve been watching a Great Horned Owl’s nest in nearby Carson City. I saw that the eggs hatched and there are two little ones in the nest. Take a look!

The first time I saw a baby – peaking over the edge of the nest but not far from Mama.

Yesterday, Mama was on a limb below the nest. The little ones were very active and loud. I’m not sure if they were hungry or just mad that Mom was taking a break.

This little one was looking over the edge of the nest towards Mama.

Today, Mama was back in the nest and the little ones were laying low. The leaves blocked the view (there’s a hint of a fuzzy little head just to the right of Mama) of anything fun.

There are a few more images on the Birds page – take a look!

Into the future, car show season is just around the corner. I’m working with a new neutral density filter system to make shooting in bright daylight a little easier. The results will be great. Until next time – ENJOY! Photorogr

More fun than I should be allowed to have…

April 5, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Apple Hill CA, Coloma CA, Eden Vale Inn, Folsom CA, Jackson CA, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Placerville CA, Sutters Mill | 4 Comments

Last weekend, Susan surprised me with a weekend vacation to Gold Country in California. She told me to pack a bag, load up the cameras and tripods, and we headed out! We drove SR 88 (it’s very nice that CA and NV used the same number for this road) to Jackson CA. On the way, we stopped near Red Lake and grabbed a few pictures.

It was still morning and the sunlight made this slope an image begging to be made. As always, my greatest challenge was balancing the exposure for the light and dark colored rocks and the bright snow patches (wait -that really is snow -we actually had a little this year).

I am working hard to look around when shooting. Just because there’s a great subject in front of you doesn’t mean there’s not a greater subject to the left or right, or behind, below, or above you. This rock slope is just right of the above image, and I was intrigued by the tree growing out of seemingly impenetrable rock. Again, I loved the lines and shadows of the rock, and the beautiful tree gives the promise of life in the most unlikely places. And then there’s the water – the source of life – coming down the slope. Beautiful!

Just down the fill slope, I found this tree also defying the odds. The summit in the background enhanced the composition very well.

We got to Jackson in the late morning. The weather in this quaint little community was great. We found Tailing Wheel Park, a local park that is home to the remains of a wheel system that moved mine tailings from the Kennedy Mine to a holding pond. The Kennedy Mine was a very busy place in the early 1900’s, and its operations generated a massive amount of tailings. A freak rainstorm washed some of the tailings into fertile farmland, and the Mine constructed this system to prevent a lawsuit. Two of the four wheels remain, but only one remains standing. This is a beautiful area, worthy of a visit. Go to http://www.touramador.com/kennedy-tailing-wheels-park for more information.

Tailing Wheel 3.

More Tailing Wheel 3.

Here is my lovely bride standing next to one of the buckets used to transport the tailings. This is displayed next to the remains of Wheel 3. All that remains of Wheels 1 and 2 are the foundations, the wheels are long gone. Wheel 4 is still standing, and is housed in a building uphill from Wheel 3.

We had a nice lunch at Stanley’s Steakhouse in the National Hotel, in downtown Jackson. This historical building was recently remodeled and is beautiful.

This is the lobby of the National Hotel. I am so lucky to travel with a beautiful model.

After a little walk around town, we decided to visit Old Folsom. We traveled on two lane roads through rolling hills. We hadn’t been to this area at this time of year before, so we were amazed by the green grass. We are so used to traveling Nevada and Wyoming, and found the absence of sagebrush a nice change.

We saw this fella’ when we turned from SR 169 onto Scott Road. At first, we thought he was a statue because he didn’t move – then his tail switched.

When we pulled over to take a picture, we found he had a friend.

We saw several scenes like this on Scott Road, but the road is so narrow that shoulders and parking don’t exist. When we found this tree, we also found a place to pull off the road and park.

I walked a little way down the road for this image. It was definitely worth the walk. This is typical of the country between Jackson and Folsom.

We love Old Folsom, and have visited to do a little antiquing. It’s been a while since our last visit, and much has changed – all for the better! We went down to the railroad museum (which was closed, darn it) but found these couple of images.

I think this is a residence for a station master or someone like that. We’ll go back when it’s open and we can go in.

We could see the displays through the windows, but this was closed, too. Gotta go back sometime!

On our way out of town, we stopped at the Folsom Factory Outlet Stores to look for shoes. I found an awesome pair at the Merrell store – they will be great for the summer! We headed up the hill to Placerville and the Eden Vale Inn. Thirty years ago, a pair of newlyweds bought a barn and transformed it into their home and then a bed and breakfast. Mark and Gayle are marvelous hosts and mere words do not do justice to the Inn. Eden Vale deserves its own blog – visit http://www.edenvaleinn.com/ for more information.

Here is my lovely bride in one of the many garden areas at the Eden Vale Inn. This one is right outside our room.

After dinner, we sat around the fire pit and chatted with a young couple from Los Angeles. Well, that’s the end of day 1 of our great adventure. Are you tired yet? Surprisingly, we only drove about 150 miles total for the day. Not too bad!

Day 2 began with a gourmet breakfast at Eden Vale, and then a trip up the road to Coloma CA. Coloma is on the American River and is home to Sutter’s Mill. Surely you remember what happened at Sutter’s Mill in 1848? That’s right – gold was discovered and the push to gold country was on. We started our visit to Coloma in the peaceful confines of the cemetery. There were several names on the sign at the gate and I didn’t memorize them. We enjoyed exploring the grounds. We encountered a few mosquitos here – the only place we did on our adventure.

From here, we went down to the river and the State Park. At the Sutter Mill replica, we found the Park Historian giving a tour. We listened in for a bit, and then started walking. We bumped into the tour several more times during our time there.

I was off to the side working on other pictures when the tour arrived, so I missed the historian’s spiel, but I think this is a stamp mill. The historian fired it up and made some noise.

I liked the lines and shadows made by this rock wall, the difference in the grass between the upper and lower levels.

And my lovely bride in the remains of the Coloma jail.

Susan decided I needed to be in a picture, too, so I set her up and went to the corner – yes, it’s a familiar place for me!

From Coloma, we drove into Placerville and walked around. Placerville is a great place to visit – lots of things to see and great places to eat. We visited a yarn store and kicked around the antique shops in town. We also drove up to Georgetown to see a new place. I found a picture that I want to make there, but I need to do it when the modern cars are gone – oh no, we have to go back for another visit!

Day 3 and another great breakfast. We loaded the Expedition and bid our hosts good bye. Just uphill (literally) from Placerville is Apple Hill, a farming area that specializes in (you guessed it) apples and other fruits. In the fall, Apple Hill celebrates the harvest with a couple months of tours and fairs and sooo much fun. You can pick your own apples, buy an apple pie, and have a grand time! Wait for images from my visit there next fall. For now, the trees are in bloom and things are quiet. We enjoyed driving the rolling hills and seeing the pretty country without the traffic and chaos.

Apple trees in bloom!

I’m not sure when this tractor ran last. It sure makes a pretty picture!

We drove up US 50 to Lake Tahoe. The traffic coming the other way was the usual for a Sunday afternoon – lots of people heading home from their weekend at the Lake. We stopped at Bridal Veil Falls, and I got out the tripod and worked in the low light. The water was flowing, but not very fast. Darn drought!

We got home, unpacked the car, and started doing the laundry. I rested and then started working on the pictures. We watched a covey of Quail kick around the yard one morning this week, and I caught up with them on the east side of the house.

The blur in the image was caused by a couple other Quail chasing around. I left it alone because it’s kind of fun.

So now you see why I’m having more fun than I should be allowed to have. As always, my lovely bride Susan treats me like a king. I am so lucky to have her and enjoy her love and support. For next week, be prepared to see more baby horse pictures (I found a new one yesterday) and also my submittal for the weekly photo challenge – composite montage. I am overlaying an image with a texture to create a more artsy look. I’ve been experimenting with the technique, but haven’t finished my submittal.

Thanks for following my journey, and Enjoy – PHOTOROGR

My ‘Creative Spirit’ is alive and well!

March 26, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Carson Valley, Fallen Leaf Lake, Glen Alpine Falls, Lake Tahoe, Owls, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Wild Horses, Wildlife photography | Leave a comment

As promised, I’ve been trying new techniques and subjects this week, and I’ve been having a blast. I haven’t forgotten my familiar subjects, however, and you’ll still see plenty of them. Before we get to this week’s highlights, I’m very excited to announce that I am offering for sale 4.25″ x 5.5″ glossy note cards. I printed a set of prototype cards and sold out immediately. Take a look at the ‘Buy My Images’ page for prices.

Let’s start with my image for last week’s photo challenge – Shutter Zoom. This technique uses a long shutter speed combined with changing the focal length (or zooming) the lens to create an interesting image.

This is one of our apple trees. They are leafing early this year and provided a wonderful subject. The only editing I did was a little cropping and ‘vignetting’ (the light color in the colors).

The challenge for this week is a ‘re-do,’ to make another try at a previous challenge. I didn’t have a plan for this challenge, waiting for the creative spirit to strike. While shooting at Glen Alpine Falls yesterday (more on that later), I made an image that begged to be black and white. Here’s my submission for this week’s challenge, a re-do of the black and white challenge.

PHOTOROGR - Re-Do - Black and White - 6311

Glen Alpine Falls in black and white.

Since I already introduced yesterday’s shoot, here are additional images from Glen Alpine Falls. The falls are usually much more dramatic this time of year, but the drought and resultant lack of snow pack have really impacted the falls. They are still beautiful, but this is more typical of water flows in late summer or fall. I worked on shooting in manual mode, selecting aperture, ISO, and shutter speed, and exploring how changing one impacts the other two. I normally shoot in aperture priority, as depth of field is my primary concern for birds of prey. My next go round with landscapes will include different filters. So much fun to be had!

Glen Alpine Falls.

Glen Alpine Falls.

These rocks are not part of the falls – they are downstream. They have their own water source and create a different kind of waterfall. I noticed the intricate shadows caused by the rock surface, which created a very pleasing pattern. The old and large tree on the left enhances the composition.

Speaking of great trees growing in an unusual environment, on my way to Glen Alpine Falls I saw this tree growing at the top of a rock cut. The road was built about 60 years ago, and the solid rock slope has eroded away during that time. I am amazed that this tree is growing considering the lack of soil and water supply, and exposed root system. It grows, though, and has for years. Nature is truly wonderful!

The wild horse bands have been great this week, too. Blue now has three babies, and Blondie has one. Here are the little ones.

This is the newest little one – Sydney – one of Blue’s babies.

My special buddy, Little Jo. She put on quite a show for me the other day.

And Little Jonah, Blondie’s daughter. She was feeling quiet when I saw her the other day.

I found Hope having quite a fun time. She was bucking and jumping and roiling in this dirt patch. I kept thinking she found an anthill, but she kept going back and eventually lost interest.

And I found some owls.

I’ve been trying to make a good image of these two for several months. I finally figured out the right combination of aperture, shutter, ISO, and shooting technique to get an image that I could edit. The light was not nearly this good when I made the image. And the bird on the right took off right after I made this image.

I found this Horned Owl by accident. She had her head up at the right time. I’ve been back a couple more times, but she keeps her head down more often than not. There will be more of this one in the future.

I will close with a couple fun images. The Manzanita is blooming in the Sierras, so I took this picture. By chance this morning. I saw this balloon in the sky over Gardnerville and pulled over in time to catch him descending and landing. And so, my Creative Spirit is truly alive and well. New subjects, a number of new shooting techniques, and an eye looking for different opportunities – expect lots of fun in the coming weeks! Enjoy – PHOTOROGR

Manzanita is beautiful year round, but these pink flowers make it more so.

Gotta love a hot air balloon in the sky, with the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the background.

Hi Ho Silver, Away!!!

March 17, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Carson Valley, Hawks, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Raptors, Wild Horses, Wildlife photography | 1 Comment

For those of you who are counting, this is my 25th post (hence the ‘Silver’ reference)! I’m very excited about my journey, as you saw in last week’s blog. This week was especially fun, as I converted our breakfast table into a studio for several days and, for the first time, built a composition for my weekly photo challenge. Before I get into that, however, I had a very exciting day yesterday. For the first time in several days, I went out looking for nature pictures. The raptors are scarce right now, with most of the birds who live in the Carson Valley sitting on their nests and only a few transients flying through. So I drove into the Pine Nut Mountains to see if the wild horses were available for a few images and to see if I could get glass on the new filly in Blue’s band, Hope.

The day was overcast and the light was a challenge – gotta’ love a lighting challenge. As I came into the Pine Nuts, I found a couple bachelor studs grazing (you can see one of them getting up from his siesta in the wild horses page). They allowed a few pictures and I went on, finding Shorty’s band on a hillside. They were close to the road and weren’t too worried about me, so I took my pictures from the Expedition. As I topped a low rise, I saw two bands on the hillside in front of me. Hmmmm — could I be that lucky? I made my way towards them, parked at the bottom of the hill, and got ready to engage shank’s mare (taking a walk, for those of you not familiar with the term). I made a few images, moved up the hill a bit, stopped and made a few more. Then I realized that I was that lucky – one of the bands was Blue, and I could make out Hope. I pressed on. In his normal nonchalant fashion, Blue began moving his band farther up the hill, using Socks’ band as cover for their escape. I stopped and made a few images of Socks’ band, but my sights were on Blue and I didn’t want them to get away.

I continued up the hill – Blue’s band disappeared over the ridge. Fearful that I would miss my opportunity, I moved more quickly. As I neared the top of the ridge, Blue and his band were to my left and close by. I quickly set up the tripod and hit the shutter release. I located Hope – click click. I looked around and there’s another little one – smaller than Hope and a beautiful brown color, and not getting too far from Mama. I adjusted position and made a few images. My heart was racing – who was this new baby? I wondered about the name, so I sent a quick email to those responsible for keeping track of the Pine Nut Horses, the Pine Nut Wild Horse Advocates. (I love technology most of the time – this time it worked for me, so I loved it!) The response was quick and extremely exciting for me! They didn’t know that Blue had a second baby born this year, and I was the first to report in. Because of that, I had the honor of naming her. Oh yeah, she’s a filly! When I wasn’t sure of the gender, I decided to use Joe for a boy and Jo for a girl. She is officially ‘Little Jo’ until she outgrows her name, and she will become Jo.

Little Jo and her Mama.

Hope and some elder members of Blue’s band.

My weekly photo challenge was Board Game (Harmony/Unity). The challenge uses a board game to illustrate the design concepts of harmony and unity by grouping, overlapping, and/or repetition. I got into our game cabinet to see what we had and generate ideas. For those of you who have known me for a while, you recognize that this level of creativity can often yield very questionable results. I assure you, no one was hurt and nothing was destroyed in completing this challenge.

I decided to use two board games, Risk and Hunt for Red October. When I pulled them out, I realized that we never actually got around to playing Hunt for Red October, but we had put the playing pieces together. Both games have a worldwide conflict theme, so I thought they could work together. My initial concept was to overlap the two game boards, then use a combination of playing pieces to create a grouping and repetition.

First try. Okay – kind of fun. I used selective focus (in focus in the middle and blurry front and back). I didn’t like the background and the boards weren’t prominent in the image. On to concept two =>

In the second concept, I put the camera higher to see more of the boards, and raised one end of the HFRO board to create better background. I also used a little off camera flash to inject drama by controlling the shadows.

Flash from the camera angle: not bad, but not enough drama for me.

Flash from the right: I liked the general effect of the shadows, but wasn’t pleased with the way many of the vertical playing pieces were shaded by other pieces; also, the boards were still not as prominent as I wanted them to be.

Flash on the left: I really liked this image – the shadows made the drama for which I was looking and the boards were good, but I wasn’t happy with the almost reflective light from the vertical pieces.

I played with this concept a little more, trying to overcome the things I didn’t like. I was limited by the type of flash and quickly became frustrated by my inability to control the light better. Challenges to be met down the road! So I created a more simple concept.

Using only the Risk game, I created a series of concentric rings around the compass at the top of the game board. I used indirect natural sunlight for primary lighting, a hand held/fired flash for shadows, and a longer exposure to help with focus. I liked the overall effect and called the challenge complete.

The challenge for this week is Shutter Zoom – I can hardly wait to get started on that! And I can’t make a post without a couple of Raptor images:

One of the few Hawks I’ve seen on a fence post lately. He looks pretty serious.

And this Hawk is working on its nest. The eggs must be in, because all we see is a head on the nest now. More to follow.

Well, that’s it for my 25th post. I’m still excited to share my photographic journey with you, and I hope you are enjoying the ride!

PHOTOROGR

Shooting the West…and a little reflection…

March 10, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Hawks, night photography, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Photoshop, railroad photography, Raptors, Shooting the West, trains, Wildlife photography, Winnemucca NV | 2 Comments

I had the most wonderful experience this week – I attended ‘Shooting the West: The Nevada Photography Experience’ (www.shootingthewest.org). Mere words can not adequately describe this event, and I don’t have the photographic skill to do it justice, either. I attended a couple classes, met several people that I ‘knew’ through Facebook, made many new friends, and saw some amazing pictures.

My experience started Wednesday evening, with a class called ‘Winnemucca @ Night.’ Instructor Craig Moore led our group into the chilly Winnemucca evening and gave us great information and ideas for taking pictures in low light conditions. Here are a few of my ‘experiments.’

We started with ‘flash techniques’ for taking pictures of bright lights (such as casino lights) with a person in the foreground. Craig taught us a technique that allows the lights to shine but the person to be seen in the image. I have an image in mind – stay tuned. Then we played with long exposures, capturing lights from cars and nearby signage. I only took a few shots, but I enjoyed the technique. Visit my Shooting the West page and look at the image with the Winners Casino sign and the traffic signal – I got all the lights in the traffic signal.

We stopped by a local night spot. The patrons were very accommodating and allowed us to take lots of pictures. I saw this great image in the mirror.

Experimenting with long exposures again, we learned how to make ‘ghost images’ on the court house steps. Can you see the mere shadow of myself? This was very fun.

The local Catholic Church has this beautiful display outside. I made several images using different settings. This was the best image out of the camera, but still took a little work to bring out the colors on the walls.

It took most of the night to warm up from the ‘chilly’ evening, but my camera and I were ready for the Composition class on Thursday. M.D. Welch taught us the basic elements of composition, and then cut us loose to practice. I traveled to Winnemucca often when I worked for the Nevada Department of Transportation, but I looked at the community with different eyes on this trip. Here are a few of my images from Thursday.

This is an image that I made for my weekly photo challenge – mirrored images. Winnemucca has these beautiful light poles, but they only have the light, flag, and Chief Winnemucca gusset on one side. I copied and flipped the original image to create this interpretation of their street lights.

The Martin Hotel is one of the best Basque restaurants in which I’ve had a meal. We were near the end of the class when Michelle, one of my new friends, pointed out this beautiful reflection. Thanks Michelle for sharing. I have to start looking around more…

I went back to my architectural roots with this building. This beautiful Art Deco style is home to Winnemucca’s Volunteer Fire Department. The blue tint to the picture was quite accidental, as I had the white balance on my camera set for the previous evening’s light. Sometimes those accidents work, but most of the time they don’t – at least for me. Take a look at the ‘not blue’ image on the Shooting the West page to appreciate the building in more natural light. I kind of like this one.

As with many cities in the western U.S., the rail road is a big part of Winnemucca’s history. Amtrak still stops here, but the train station is more of a covered waiting area than a traditional train station. In my mind, the architect successfully integrated traditional elements of railroad stations into the design. In this image, two diesel engines on a siding are seen from inside the station. On the left, the sign identifies this stop as Winnemucca.

And then came two days of presentations by world class photographers, with subjects that included the California Missions, aerial photography, landscapes, time lapse, and trail camera photography. Using images submitted by attendees, one presenter showed how to use Photoshop to edit and repair images. As part of STW, participants can enter a picture in a competition titled ‘Give It Your Best Shot.’ The presenters and participants choose their favorite pictures and the images were breathtaking. No matter your interest, experience, or skill in photography, Shooting the West is a ‘must do’ for anyone with an interest in photography. I encourage you to go to http://www.shootingthewest.org to experience this great event for yourself, and consider attending next year, April 25 to May 1, 2016.

Oh yeah, during my R&R time, I bumped into a Hawk on a snowy morning. I just can’t make a post without including a Raptor picture or two.

Yes, it was a cold morning and, amazingly, we had snow on the ground and in the trees.

Same Hawk, different tree. I’m not sure if he was making sure I saw the liftoff or if that was his way of telling me to leave him alone.

As you can see, I was blown away by my STW experience. On the 3 hour drive home, I reflected on the things I’d seen, the information I received, the people I met and talked to. I found myself thinking about the possibilities and direction I want to take my photography. I haven’t yet decided what direction I will take as I continue this journey. I guarantee that you will continue to see images from the Carson Valley and surrounding area – the raptors, wild horses, and beautiful scenery. But you will also see me try new techniques and new subjects. I have an image in my mind outside a local casino, and I have a starting point to begin the exploration of that image.

Hang on, because this ride is only going to get more interesting from here. Enjoy – PHOTOROGR

Flying high!!

February 12, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Carson Valley, CV Chamber of Commerce, Eagles & Agriculture, Hawks, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Raptors, Wildlife photography | 1 Comment

For many years, the Air Force used the catch phrase ‘Aim High’ to recruit airmen. I think I still have my Aim High hat, although it doesn’t get worn very often. After highlighting my efforts to get better at photo editing the last couple posts, this week I decided to share images of birds in flight. Most are Hawks, because the Eagles are keeping an extremely low profile this year. We’re not sure if it’s due to the drought or the ranchers keeping the new calves away from the public roads. Regardless, Eagle pictures have been a premium this year.

For those of you near the Carson Valley, next weekend is the annual Eagles and Agriculture celebration (visit the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce website, http://www.carsonvalleynv.org, for tickets and more information). The festivities open on Thursday, February 19, with an art show at the Holiday Inn Express, 1659 State Route 88 in Minden. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 and they have munchies. I will have several pictures on display, so come on down. I will also have pictures on display and for sale at the Carson Valley Inn, 1627 Highway 395 in Minden, on February 20 and 21. If you haven’t been on one of the E&A tours, you should go. It’s a lot of fun!

Okay, that’s enough unpaid advertising. Let’s get to this week’s images.

I saw this Blue Heron along Mottsville Lane. He took flight when I stopped the Expedition, but didn’t go far. I got a couple nice images of him in flight.

Also on Mottsville Lane, this Hawk had just launched from the fence post on the left, and he crossed the road in front of me.

When I first spied this Hawk, he was sitting on a cowpie, keeping an eye on his surroundings. He lifted off, flying fairly close…

…and promptly landed on another cowpie. Sometimes, you gotta’ wonder what they are thinking.

This Hawk was sitting at the very top of this tree. He allowed many pictures and then…off he went. This image is not cropped.

I drove by this Hawk once, but stopped on my way back. I was just putting glass on him and he launched. I didn’t get an image of him sitting on the fence. Shot south of Minden on SR 88.

I saw this Cooper’s Hawk on a utility pole on Jacks Valley Road. He posed nicely and then got a little fidgety (I’m starting to recognize the signs), so I changed focal length and began shooting just as he lifted off. These images of birds just taking flight are becoming my favorites.

Obviously, this is not a bird in flight. This was my submission to last week’s photography challenge – the theme was one shape. My shape is the circle of the wheel on the irrigation system.

This is also not a bird in flight. This is an image I made today of Job’s Peak – the premiere scenic element of the Carson Valley. I drove by this location many times and never saw this image, until today. The pond had water from the recent rains and it was reasonably still for the reflection. I’m not done editing this image – I may remove the fence post in the bottom right corner and make some other edits – but I am excited to have made the image and wanted to share it with you!

It’s been a good photography week, and pretty good away from the lens as well. I made contact with several people with whom I was on active duty. I haven’t heard from them in 25 years, so it’s great to connect. I’m looking forward to Eagles and Agriculture next week, and to seeing many of my friends there.

Enjoy – PHOTOROGR

…in control for now…or am I???

February 3, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Adobe Bridge, Carson Valley, Eagles, Hawks, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Raptors, Wild Horses, Wildlife photography | 2 Comments

For most of my life, no one has successfully accused me of being in control. The whole concept of ‘in control’ is akin to other concepts, like growing up or being nice. Yes, avoiding these labels is a source of great pride for me. Thanks to all those out there who are vigorously nodding in the affirmative, and who would testify in support if needed. Now that I’ve taken my bow, it’s time to get serious.

I brought the fire hose under control, but it’s still flowing fast. I’m still in overdrive, but I’m learning to apply the brakes and control the skids more effectively. I’m watching more tutorials for Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, and Bridge. These are great software packages for managing and editing pictures. My fear of the Camera Raw format is decreasing, and my memory cards will likely take a big hit as a result. (I’ve already gone from filling up an 8GB SD card in 4-5 months to consuming a 16GB SD card in 2 months and, in January, I filled one-third of a 32GB SD card. Now, before you get all impressed, please understand that it’s not about quantity, it’s about quality. At this point in my development as a photographer, however, I need to experiment and learn the things that work and those that don’t. As my knowledge improves, so will my memory management efficiency. Note – my memory will not improve, but I will use the memory cards in my cameras more efficiently. I had to say that to preclude the rude comments from many of my friends.)

Back to being serious. As I explore these software packages, I’m trying new and fun editing techniques. I have to be careful, though. The teacher/moderator of my 52 Week Photography Challenge keeps reminding us that “just because you can do something doesn’t mean you have to.” Having the ability to make an adjustment is vastly different that making that adjustment well. Like photography techniques, editing requires a measure of experimentation as well. And control. As uncomfortable as I am being in control, I have to do it. A little.

So, here’s a couple fun things I did this week. The eagles have been hiding from everyone. I found a few hawks and some wild horses. New images, however, are not numerous, so I’ve had lots of time at the computer. In addition to trying new editing techniques, I’ve also continued my experimentation with replacing backgrounds, specifically skies.

I made this image on a cloudy day last September. His belly is horribly underexposed and the sky can’t get any more blah.

So, I turned it into this. I improved the color and detail in the bird and put him into a pretty sky. Yes, it’s a Nevada sky. I also used a ‘healing’ tool to clean up a spot in the bird’s wing. Photoshop is so cool!

I found this eagle a year ago, on a really cold and snowy day. He posed for me for quite a while. In fact, I was taking Susan to work and we blocked traffic for a short time.

I did a little editing and inserted a pretty Nevada sky. In my mind, this image asks if I went too far with my editing? I’d love to hear your opinion.

And one last set of before and after pictures. I tried some new camera settings when I was out in the Pinenut Mountains with the horses. As you can see, the new settings did not work (insert Thomas Edison wisdom here). Using new editing techniques, I was able to rescue the image. I’ll be really happy when I can remember what I did and rescue the image again.

This is the original image. When I rolled up, I saw these two. The rest of the band was screened from view by the tree on the left.

I edited and cropped. I was happy with everything but the color of the horses. Hmmmm…what to do???

Those tutorials paid off. I tried a new color editing technique and voila, a really nice image from a very bad original. I was very happy with myself.

Well, that’s what I’ve been doing with my week. You decide if I’m in control or not. Let’s leave the growing up and being nice questions alone. Thanks for reading and following my blog!

Enjoy – PHOTOROGR

…and 2015 starts off with a BANG!!!

January 9, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Carson Valley, Eagles, Genoa NV, Hawks, photography techniques, Raptors, Turkeys, Wildlife photography | 4 Comments

My first week of 2015 was wonderful, from a photography perspective. I enjoyed many ‘firsts.’

My lovely bride gave me a wonderful Christmas present – she enrolled me in a 52 week Photo Challenge. This class teaches photography techniques through a series of challenges. The first challenge was ‘selective focus.’ Without getting too technical, this technique uses aperture to control depth of field (the amount of the image that is in focus). As a nature/wildlife photographer, this technique is the staple of what I do. I submitted this image for the challenge.

Notice how the Hawk, brush, and fence posts near the raptor are in focus, but out of focus in front of and behind the raptor. This is a shallow depth of field, and is caused by opening the aperture as wide as it will go. I use this technique to emphasize the subject and reduce clutter in the image. You will see this in many of my images.

I’m excited to continue the challenge and moving forward on my journey to better photography. You will hear more about the challenge in the coming year.

I found an American Kestral for the first time – actually two! They are a small Falcon, formerly known as a Sparrow Hawk. They are colorful and make a great image, if you can find them and have them sit still long enough!

My very first Kestral. This one was on a utility wire along Mottsville Lane.

This one was north of Genoa on Foothill Road. I had just finished photographing some Golden Eagles and almost missed it.

I participated in the National Bird Count Day for the first time. My partner was an experienced birder who had done bird counts in California. He taught me how to ‘see’ the smaller birds and helped with identification techniques. Here’s one of my images that day.

I’m not sure what this is, but I sure like the detail and composition.

The next day, Susan and I were heading out and I found this beautiful bird in a tree near our mailboxes. I thought it was a Merlin, but I was subsequently told it’s a Cooper’s Hawk.

I’m trying to learn how to identify birds and have purchased a couple books, but I obviously need more practice and training.

And then there’s the Wild Turkeys in the Carson Valley. I found them in a snowy field on the west side of the road – great light, although I don’t know if I used the natural light very well.

And what week is not complete without some Eagles? I found a beautiful Bald Eagle south of town, and a pair of Goldens north of Genoa.

This Bald Eagle was a some distance away, but I still managed a decent shot.

This Golden Eagle was in the tree but, using Selective Focus, I was able to make this image.

And so, the year started great. Thank you for following my blog and being a part of my Journey!

Enjoy – Photorogr

The PHOTOROGR Project

A Journey in Creative Photography!

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