by chphoto | Oct 27, 2014 |
Hard to mistake the Drake Mallards green head and yellow bill. This is one of my favorite duck poses, feet down and wings slightly cupped. ISO 640 – f/4.0 – 1/1600s – 420mm – Handheld – Natural Light Canon EOS 7D Body and Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM Lens with Canon 1.4x Mk II Teleconverter Photographed in Eagan, Minnesota on 10-27-2014 at 4:00...
by chphoto | Jul 13, 2014 |
According to The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota this is Eve, a 3 year old Peregrine Falcon. She is the mother of the juveniles I have recently photographed. In this photo you can see a small bird which she has caught. The bird is laying on the tree near her feet. She has been busy trying to teach her young to hunt on their own. This photo was taken moments before the segment in the video (I posted yesterday) where the young bird attempts to take the prey from the mother. This Falcon was originally banded in Grand Forks, North Dakota in 2011. She was found in 2013 with an injury to her wing near the high bridge in St. Paul, Minnesota. After rehab at The Raptor Center she was released near Alexandria, Minnesota. Amazingly she found her way back to St. Paul again and has taken residency near the Ford Lock and Dam on the Mississippi river. ISO 800 – f/8.0 – 1/1600s – 600mm – Tripod and Gimbal Canon EOS 7D Body and Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS Lens with Canon 2x Teleconverter MkII. Photographed in St Paul, Minnesota on 7-13-2014 at 10:00...
by chphoto | Jul 12, 2014 |
This is one of a pair of juvenile Peregrine Falcons I saw today sitting in a tree along the Mississippi river near the Ford lock and dam. The sky was very overcast today, and I was on a mission to photograph waterfalls. I noticed these birds several times throughout the morning and eventually decided to drive home to get my 300mm lens. Amazingly after I arrived back at the location of the birds they were still exactly where I left them and I was able to get some nice photos from a very close distance. With the overcast sky in the background, I over exposed by 1 full stop (evaluative metering) to capture the details of the bird and an almost perfectly white background. ISO 800 – f/8.0- 1/640s – 600mm – Tripod and Gimbal Canon EOS 7D Body and Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS Lens with Canon 2x Teleconverter MkII. Photographed in St Paul, Minnesota on 7-12-2014 at 12:30...
by chphoto | Jul 10, 2014 |
I have seen several of these vibrant blue birds recently, but never had the chance to photograph one from this close. I was finishing up a long hike this morning when I found this bird. When I go hiking with the intention of photographing wildlife I always carry my camera with an over the shoulder sling strap from BlackRapid. By connecting the strap to the tripod mounting foot of my lens I am able to carry my heavier than average camera and lens combo around without any effort. With my camera secured on the strap my hands are free and my camera rests comfortably at my side. The fast and convenient access to my camera allowed me to capture this very close shot of the bird before it flew away. ISO 400 – f/2.8- 1/4000s – 300mm – Handheld Distance to subject was under 20 feet. Canon EOS 7D Body and Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS Lens. Photographed in Bloomington, Minnesota on 7-10-2014 at 12:30...
by chphoto | Jun 2, 2014 |
I spotted this little fur ball perched about 6 feet off the ground today, standing on a small bulge protruding from the side of a tree. Owls always seem so calm and this one was no exception. It spent most of the time looking around, only occasionally glancing at me, which I took to mean it was not too bothered by my presence. It let me get very close and was not too concerned when I walked around it to get a different angle. I am especially pleased with this owl and its choice of perch, which is void of any distracting branches and a great distance from the background made up of the green forest canopy. ISO 640 – f/2.8 – 1/250s – 300mm – Minor crop for composition – Tripod and...
by chphoto | Apr 21, 2014 |
This beautiful Drake Mallard gave me a very close flyover tonight and I was able to snap this super sharp shot of him in flight. Canon 7D – 300mm – f/2.8 – 1/5000s – ISO 400
