This is one of the dilemmas of wildlife photography. This is exactly what you are looking for but its not what you want to see. By that I mean you are seeking an intimate close up photo but how intimate can quickly get out of your control. Either way its always a rush.
On a sun kissed hillside this 4 point Mule Deer buck, antlers still covered in velvet, seems to be enjoying himself very much. By his facial expression he might have told himself a amusing story or maybe he's just happy to be in the deep grass and clover.
Don't be surprised if at first you don't see it. Mother Nature seems to favour the young of many species with the ability to disappear into their environment .
This old girl looks like she is on her last legs. I took the shot early morning and returned later in the day and she was gone. I hope she didn't sink sink but chugged on up the lake.
This little puddle up the Yalakom River is always changing throughout the seasons and all the various light conditions. Once a year if I'm lucky I travel up that way, always excited to see a new incarnation of this special place.
Not exactly big game but in some respects much harder to get a close shot. This female, I believe, allowed me to get closer in her ploy to lead me away from her young who were quietly huddled in the deep grass. The camouflage of these ground birds is very effective and they can disappear before you're eyes if you glance away for a second.
Story, emotion, mystery and tension all help make a good photograph/digital image. This shot has some degree of all of those things and is what I saw and then I digitally massaged my vision into it.
Dark doorways guarded by a black dog, your eye wanders down the alley, unsure what is hidden in the rooms. What is the man doing at the end of the alley, peering into a dark window.
When I came upon this shot I couldn't help but think that who ever owned the barn had some paint left over and decided to paint the Volkswagen. Or perhaps it was the other way around, in any case I was happy he parked outside. That led me to wonder what treasures warranted the protection and sanctuary of the barn.
First, with a photograph you can evoke a mood or a visual experience. In this shot I hope you can smell the morning mist heavily laden with the fragrance of meadow flowers as it drifts through the trees. Calm and languid the song of birds harmonizes with the breeze. Maybe an elk bugles in the distance. Calm spiritual quietness like a warm blanket.
Secondly and this is the reality of the shot. The”Mist” is the result of a relentless stream of logging trucks on a hot August day. Dusty sweaty and anything but quiet. One after another they roar down a logging road, pounded road dust 3 inches deep is raised up in huge clouds that follow the trucks down off the mountain. Coating everything in dirt and diesel smoke.
You can take an image combine it with vision and create a reality. Two of the most important aspects of the art of photography. Yes I said art because without your "pallet" and "paint" you have just another snapshot.
Came across this loner taking in the view on the Pacific coast near Fort Bragg. My guess he is on his way to warmer climes, somewhat like our selves.
Bone jarring, sucking sand and dust, you can hear the parts falling off your vehicle as you rattle up this trail. This is the road into the "Race Track" roughly 28 miles but feels like 100. The racetrack is a playa or dry lake bed. It has been suggested the name was given due to the mysterious rocks that appear to move across its surface leaving furrows in the the dry lake bed. I’ve met others who said they raced vehicles over the dry playa years ago. One man recounted how as a child his father managed to get the old Winnebago up to 95 MPH crammed with the family and gear. This practice is no longer permitted and the Race Track is still plagued with idiots who remove rocks or add others and walk onto the playa when it is flooded, leaving muddy foot prints and destroying this beautiful mystic place,
Dawn on the Race Track Playa
Sometimes you have to stop and smell the flowers and in the Okanagan it gives the wood ticks a chance to climb on.
Kayaks on a wharf on the Columbia River at its mouth in Astoria Oregon.
Its that time of the year when the snakes emerge from their dens to sun themselves and move out for the season. They seem to be a little early this year.
I created this mysterious fantasy land for a COPS composite photo challenge. It comes at a good time because we are about to take a bit of a road trip. My mission will be to find this long lost place and document some of the wonders out there.
We were waylaid in San Francisco with some friends, a case of missed flight. One afternoon was not enough, I think its time to go back. Now we just need to correct the Canadian dollar value.
I believe this is a Foxglove, found wild out in the Bella Coola area. Let me know if I'm wrong with the identification.
Some time in the future perhaps someone will find this abandoned crane that is slowly disappearing into the forest and ponder what it could have possibly been used for. When I came upon this relic I imagined it to be ancient mechanism from a long lost Mayan civilization.
Nothing makes me dance and squeal like a little girl better than the warning buzz from a Pacific Rattle Snake. I didn't mention run away because more often than not when you hear the very distinctive warning buzz of the Rattler you don't know where it's coming from. They are very well camouflaged a dusty olive brown/green colour except after they shed their skin. At this time the colours are much more vivid. Generally they are not very aggressive but do not underestimate the speed that a snake can move. Their defensive posture, tightly coiled and shaking their tail allows them to strike out nearly the length of the snake. Do not provoke, but move slowly away watching carefully for others. Most of the season they hunt for food alone but in the spring there may be many in the area as they disperse from the winter den. This shot was taken near a den and I estimated at least 50 snakes were enjoying the warm spring sun