I’ve always enjoyed long walks in parts of the city I’m not familiar with as they always hold surprises. The first two photographs were taken on a brilliant sunny day. These kinds of conditions make it simpler to get things right in camera. I thought of turning the third photograph into black and white but preferred the tonality of the concrete as it was.
This cardinal was moulting and still had a few feathers out of place. A handsome bird though and he stood his ground, curious and hoping I had some seeds for him. We have seen a cardinal on this stretch of path before and I believe this was the same bird because of its boldness. Unlike many cardinals that fly away as you approach them, this one was a great poser and after taking my fill of photographs I walked away before he flew off.
It was quiet at the reserve where I took this photograph. The larger birds were out of my lens’ range but these ducks were nice and close. Although the days are still mild, the angle of the sun and quality of the light is different than it was just a month ago. It lends a more muted feel to the photograph which I rather like.
These photographs were taken in August when the lake was brimming with frogs. With the cooler weather here, we haven’t seen any in weeks and I think that’s probably it for the year. When I came upon this frog, I had to laugh. He was right up against this tree stump and it looked like he was taking the measure of the obstacle up ahead. I continued on my walk and when I returned to check on him an hour later, he was no longer there. I did see a frog on a lily pad on the other side of the stump and wondered if it was the same frog. If it was, did it go up and over or take a detour?
Although city born and bred, in the short time that I’ve been doing photography I’ve gravitated towards nature photography. I love being in the outdoors and a camera by my side has become a natural extension of that experience. A combination of factors has led me to try street photography: weather (it can get mighty cold here in winter and walking through the woods in -20C isn’t that appealing); exploring the more interesting parts of my city on foot (you see so much more than when driving by in a car); and an interest in trying something new and expanding my photography skills. So here goes…
I’m fond of these little birds with their oversized heads and nasal calls. They’re often seen moving sideways or upside down on tree trunks; I was happy to catch this nuthatch in an upright position. It was in a dark part of the forest so I made a few exposure adjustments in Lightroom and corrected a slight green colour-cast in Photoshop.
I live in an area of the city that is a mix of the old and the new. Although it’s the downtown, when you veer off the main roads you’re in little neighbourhoods with an older feel. On this particular day I set out to take some cityscapes, something I haven’t done much of. My focus was on brick and glass, the play of light, patterns and shadow. I was working in that vein and then came upon the scene captured in these photographs; an old house with a tiny lawn and wrought iron fence that abutted the sidewalk. Room enough for this sparrow and a morning glory.
We have seen several Great Egrets over the past few weeks at the reserve we visit. When I came upon this individual it was perched on top of a beaver lodge, around 50 feet from where I stood along with some other photographers. I’m sure it saw us but didn’t seem to mind. It turned and stretched and preened for quite a while then hopped off the lodge and waded in the water. Although there are a few Egrets at the lake, I think I’ve been photographing the same bird each time I visit as it’s always in the same general area. This is the first in a series of Great Egret posts that will appear on my blog.
Fall begins today but the weather has remained nice and warm and we haven’t seen the last of the flowers. I took these photographs on a particularly sunny day last week when it felt more like July than mid September. I was happy that the metallic bee landed on the flower in the second photograph. A little jewel in a sea of gold.
The Canada Geese are back in record numbers. They return to our area in late March to breed. Once their goslings are raised they fly off and then return in the fall until the first frost. Many consider them pests; they can be messy, large and loud but there’s something you have to like about these birds. They’re graceful in flight and in the water and do mug for the camera.
I’m putting this post up on a dark rainy afternoon at the end of summer. In going through my photographs I came across this scene taken back in July. The warm colours and the industrious mimic fly was the perfect antidote for the scene outside my window.
This heron’s “fancy pants” and prominent yellow eye markings caught my eye. It was perched in the shadows and seemed to hold my gaze. It wasn’t fishing when I caught up to it, it just stood there and obliged me with a couple of photographs. The photo was a bit dark out of camera so I made some exposure, shadow and contrast adjustments in Lightroom and reduced the noise with Macphun Noiseless CK.
When I saw these two gulls perched on rocks in the river I was reminded of the game of skipping stones – the game of throwing a flat stone across the lake to see how many times it bounces off the surface. Their mottled colour and pink legs and beak identify them as juveniles. The river where I took this shot often hosts a number of herons and egrets but none were about that day. It’s good to keep in mind that even the most common of subjects can make for an interesting photograph. In this case it began with the memory of a game I played a long time ago. I thought the colour image would lend itself to a black and white treatment so I’ve posted it as well.
I like the way the purple of the flower contrasts with the butterfly. They do make you work for their portraits though as they move from flower to flower at breakneck speed. At first glance their colouring isn’t very remarkable but if you look more closely they have attractive markings and pale green eyes.
It’s been a good year for frogs at the lake. When birds and insects were in short supply, there were plenty of frogs to photograph. One spot in particular is dotted with tiny frogs, most submerged up to their necks. There is something very appealing about frogs and best of all most times they’ll sit still for a portrait!
At this point in the summer, the wildflowers have a more subtle beauty than earlier in the year. Their colours are less exuberant and seem to reflect the change of season. The first photograph made me think of a bouquet, minus the vase 🙂 With the unusually hot weather we’re having I hope the flowers hang on for a while longer.
This mallard was sharing the log with a few other ducks who were not doing much of anything. Most seemed to be asleep. She caught my attention, being the most alert of the group. As she struck this pose I expected her to take a drink from the lake but instead she returned to her former position. I guess she was just having a bit of fun.
I featured this heron a few posts ago when he caught a water bug. In this current series he was fishing for a bigger prize and after patient stalking caught a small fish. There have been several green herons at the reserve this summer. As they keep returning to the same shallows I have been lucky to spot them many times and have taken more photos than I do most years.
I enjoy taking photographs of bees. They’re attractive, they visit colourful flowers and the challenge of capturing a moving target adds to the fun. I took this photo with my 105mm lens using a flash and a diffuser. It’s a nice combination when taking fast moving insects as the flash freezes the movement of the insect and the diffuser softens the light nicely. Out of camera the background was rather flat, adjustments to the contrast, exposure and shadows brought out some detail.
Herons are wonderful looking birds at any time but to see them in flight and to witness two flying in tandem was a sight to see. I took these photographs with my 300mm lens and a teleconverter but I still could have used more reach. However, given the herons’ speed and my distance from them I’m pretty pleased with the results. I had seen a heron a day earlier when I had followed a path to the water’s edge. As I bent down to see past overhanging branches, a heron banked within several feet of me startled by my presence. That was the closest I had ever been to one and had I had the time to put my camera to my eye, it would have been too close to focus!
A few days earlier I had taken a head shot of a female wood duck and was looking for a similar head shot of a male. When I saw this male wood duck in the half light, I knew that my project would have to be put on hold. The light illuminated his body beautifully but his head was far too dark and the background too bright. I made some adjustments in Photoshop using Levels for contrast and Luminance Masks to darken the background and brighten the bird.
This heron was having a good day. First he scooped up the water bug, later on he caught a small fish (photos for a later post). I had a long lens with me that morning and standing on the muddy shoreline sharing limited space with several other photographers, I was happy to get a number of shots. The green herons have been late arriving this summer. They often fish quite close to shore and don’t seem to mind all the cameras pointed their way, making for a lot of good photo opportunities.
Mallards are the most common duck in our area and although some migrate south in the winter others remain throughout the year. You have to admire that as it gets mighty cold up here! I liked the different poses these two struck. The female looking calm and composed, the male not as much.
These flowers came into bloom within a day or two of a heavy rainfall. Despite their lovely sounding name I spotted them off a suburban bike path. Both photographs were taken in bright sunlight using a 300mm lens. The second one, taken a day later had the lens fitted with a teleconverter and taken at F-6.3, the background had less bokeh. I had geared up to try my luck with a kingfisher I had seen earlier in the week. It didn’t make an appearance but the flowers were as nice as ever and as the saying goes you “dance with the one that brung ya”.
Some squirrels in the reserve are quite tame, on alert for handouts. They’ll hold their ground as you approach them on the path in anticipation of a treat. Others will freeze in place hoping you won’t see them. I think this young squirrel wasn’t sure where he stood, hiding in plain sight.
I was about to cross the bridge that leads to the other side of the park when I saw this song sparrow just ahead of me. He wasn’t easily startled and I took a few shots. These sparrows are common little birds, but their colouring is striking. I believe the bird is a mature individual although given his stance in the first photo, I wondered for a moment. He reminded me of kid trying to steady himself.
Frogs make excellent subjects, on land or in the water. Sometimes they blend in so well that you might only notice one if it jumps and catches your eye. The Leopard Frog in the first photo, didn’t make any sudden moves, I only noticed it when I was trying to track the flight of an insect. The second photo was taken before a recent rain, when these green frogs were easier to spot because the water was so shallow. I like the spider “tattoo” on its cheek.
I usually crop closer to my subject but in this case the Black-capped chickadee was only one element of the photograph. I liked the way the branches framed the bird and the the leaves opposite it added balance to the shot. As I learn more about photography and look beyond the obvious subject in the frame, I see how the background and lighting and the play of colours can turn a photo into something you might look at just a bit longer.
There’s a platform off the water that provides an excellent view of the goings on at the reserve. Given the drought in our area the water level is low and the painted turtles are easier to spot as they swim around. In the first photo the turtle seemed to be treading water. I’ve never noticed one in that position before. I spotted the second turtle further along the trail. He was a fine looking example, his shell and claws quite striking. But what a grump!
This was only the third time I’ve come across a hummingbird moth. I had been looking around for birds and almost missed it. I followed the moth as it moved from flower to flower in no great hurry. This extraordinary looking insect feeds much like a hummingbird does by hovering in front of a flower and using its proboscis to feed on the nectar. All this happened within the first few minutes of entering the reserve. I came away thinking that if I saw nothing else on the trail that day it really wouldn’t matter.
I was standing along the muddy edge of the lake photographing a group of tiny frogs when this phoebe flew into view. I shifted my position on the log and kept snapping away. Shooting with a prime lens and with no time to back up, the tail of the bird is a little close to the frame. Happily the shots were nice and sharp so I’m not too bothered by the less than perfect crop. I made a few tonal adjustments in Lightroom to brighten up the photos.
We’re starting to enter that part of the summer when you get the first sense that the season is slowly coming to a close. Every time I notice some wildflowers begin to fade or not catch sight of a certain bird or insect I’ve seen all along, I feel time moving on and know that summer is growing short. These photographs were taken in June. I saw some skippers in July but it’s been several weeks since I’ve seen any. Cabbage Whites seem to be in the majority lately. There are still plenty of sunny hot days to enjoy but as a northern country we hold these days particularly dear and just wish they’d last a bit longer.
Wood Duck chicks and their parents seem to prefer this part of the lake. A few posts back I featured an adult female on the same log keeping an eye on her young. The wood duck is the only duck in North America that produces two broods a year. As we’ve had many adult pairs at the lake this summer we’re seeing a lot of chicks, more than any other species.
Damselflies are fun to photograph and like dragonflies, if startled they will often fly back to the same perch. Once you begin to understand their behaviour, insect and other nature photography can be much more rewarding. These shots were taken earlier last month. We are having an extremely hot dry summer and it seems to be having an impact on wildlife. Insect and bird activity has slowed in the last while. There are still plenty of subjects to photograph, it just takes a bit longer to find them.
These photographs were taken on different days, in different locations; the first in a wildlife garden with my macro lens and the second close to the water’s edge with my 70-200mm. The first shot required very little cropping, the second a bit more. Most everyone loves sunflowers, they just feel like summer but I find the macro shot has a slight edge to it, perhaps because of its starkness. Not just another pretty face.
I’m learning that it can be easier to take photographs of insects than to identify them! After looking through two insect guides I believe these insects are either soldier or flower beetles but then again who knows?! (If anyone can tell me I’d certainly appreciate it.) I took these shots at a nearby wildlife garden that we had visited the week before. The vegetation that grows here is beautiful on its own but it also attracts a good number of insects. In addition to butterflies and milkweed beetles, I came across these beetles. The hot weather makes them run around like crazy and the temperature that day was soaring. It’s difficult to get such small moving objects in focus and I was pleased with the results.
A fellow photographer alerted us to this black-crowned night heron he had discovered in a tree off the water. It was nearing the end of the day and a whistle caught our attention. We couldn’t see what was making the sound until I looked towards the water and saw a man waving his arms. As we approached he pointed upwards and we saw the heron. We couldn’t have been more than 15 feet from it. I don’t know if the heron saw us but it continued to preen and we took multiple shots. It was a wonderful end to our walk thanks to the friendly stranger who generously shared his find with us.
With all the summertime visitors to our area we tend to forget the true denizens of the forest. Although there are a few species of birds that remain year round, you don’t need to go far to spot a squirrel in any season. We haven’t seen any raptors in the reserve this summer (the largest bird we’ve spotted is one lonely turkey) so the squirrels are running free. I took this shot in low light so I raised the ISO but the speed never got above 1/40sec. Exposure and shadow adjustments in Lightroom and noise reduction software in Macphun made the photo come to life.
The wildlife garden I visit has tremendous stands of coneflowers, which are usually paired with bumblebees. Yesterday was no exception. I followed this bumble bee as it moved from flower to flower, collecting pollen grains. The flower in the first photo is in better condition than in the second so I cropped minimally to show it off. (It’s more about the flower than the bee.) I took both shots with my 105mm, flash and soft box at F14, 1/250sec, ISO100.
I came across these painted turtles basking in the the warm July sun. It was one of those perfect mornings when the temperature was just right and the mood nice and relaxed. Sometimes turtles can be easily scared off when they sense your presence but not that day. They were nicely lined up and the water lilies provides an additional note of interest to the scene.
BELINDA GROVER PHOTOGRAPHY 