Heading out to the Buttes

Hey everybody,

I don’t have a whole lot to say this time. I’ve been photographing around Page, AZ and Kanab, UT for the past few days. I got together with/met photographers John Mumaw and George Stocking yesterday to photograph Eggshell Arch (AKA Thanksgiving Arch.) Much to our dismay, we got kicked out… I’m just going to leave it at that. So, we left that area and headed back towards Page, choosing to camp up at Stud Horse Point. We photographed at sunrise, and then I left in a hurry to go photograph some slot canyons.

In the afternoon I ventured out to Nipple Bench and Alstrom Point on the north coast of Lake Powell this afternoon. Here are some shots from the outing. The first one is from the badlands on Nipple Bench, and the next three are from Alstrom Point.

I’ll be heading off tomorrow for Coyote Buttes North, Coyote Buttes South, and the White Pocket. I’ll be back to internet land on the 4th or 5th.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey everybody,

Happy Thanksgiving! I’m writing this from snowy Bryce Canyon, Utah. My girlfriend, Jaci, has been out here hanging out and dealing with my photography all week long. We stuffed ourselves at a Thanksgiving buffet, and plan to spend the rest of the day feeling miserably full and watching some football. So far, four inches of snow have fallen up here, and it looks like it’s supposed to continue through the night. It’s forecasted to clear up right around sunrise tomorrow, so I’m hoping things will work out for me photographically. It’s pretty tough shooting at such a grand place as this with little to no visibility.

Here are some shots from a few nights ago at a place called Paria, in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. I loved the purple hues in the badlands, and I hope to go back and catch another sunset out there. The sky was filled with dark clouds, with only a sliver of clear sky on the western horizon. I was hoping for magnificent colors in the sky, but was treated to these equally rewarding conditions.

Blastoff! + Grand Canyon

Hey everybody,

I’m writing this from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. I drove out here from Bosque yesterday. It was sad leaving such a ridiculously awesome place, but my Dad, Stepmom, and three siblings are out here visiting right now. It has been a blast so far. I’m going to be having a busy week. We all leave here tomorrow, and then my girlfriend is coming in to Page, Arizona to visit for Thanksgiving.

This place is truly spectacular, but man am I having a hard time photographing it well. The weather and light have been decent, but I just haven’t been able to kick it into gear yet. I have had some success shooting birds out here, but that’s obviously not going to be my main focus out here. Hopefully things are going to work out a bit better for me tomorrow!

Here’s a photograph from my last morning at Bosque. The “blast off” was insane with around 40,000 Snow Geese taking flight at the same time. The day before, there was a sizable brush fire in the valley, so I can only assume some of the smoke left in the air helped with the sky in this shot.

And here is a photograph of a favorite bird, a Steller’s Jay. It’s quite common out west, especially around picnic areas and campgrounds, but I’ll never tire of this beautiful bird.

And finally, here’s a group shot.

Bosque del Apache NWR

Hey everybody,

I’ve now left Texas, and have shot at Bosque del Apache for the last few days. I apologize for not updating in a week, and I can promise that the next will be full of updates, as I head out to Arizona! Anyway, Bosque del Apache is nuts. There are over 37,000 Snow Geese and 4,700 Sandhill Cranes here right now, according to the Park Service. The light has been good, and the shooting conditions have been nothing short of awesome. After a morning shoot tomorrow, I’ll be heading off for the Grand Canyon.

I’ve really been concentrating on flight photography out here, because the conditions have been pretty good for it. I haven’t even begun to work on image I’ve made here, but here are two I’ve managed to process. The first one is a Sandhill Crane flying, and the second is a Snow Goose “putting on the brakes.”

Finally, if you haven’t yet, you should take a look at Ethan Meleg’s work, and Chris Dodds’ work. They have both been extremely kind in their willingness to show me around this place, and they are both excellent photographers themselves. Ethan is currently in the middle of an 18 month photo journey… And I thought I was nuts for wanting to do three. Anyhow, if you’re not familiar with their photography, please drop by their websites and take a look.

Crested Caracara

Hey everybody,

Here is a photograph of a Crested Caracara, who is eyeing up a hunk of deer meat that I strategically placed on the ground. I set up this perch hoping to photograph the Caracara and Harris’ Hawks with a clean background, and it worked!

A Green Jay

Short and sweet–

Here’s a shot of a Green Jay.

More Texas birds

Hey everbody,

I’m now done with my first day of shooting at the Cozad’s Ranch near Edinburg, Texas. I’ve had great luck today with Roadrunner, Pyrrhuloxia, Green Jays, Great Kiskadee, and Least Grebes. Tomorrow I’m hoping to photograph some Harris’ Hawk and Crested Caracara.

Here’s an image of a Least Grebe that I made this evening. There is a pair on the pond by the Cozad’s home. They were very cooperative and relatively easy to photograph.

Birds in the Rio Grande Valley

Hey everyone,

Sorry for the lack of recent updates. I haven’t had any chances to get on the computer. Today is my third and final day of photographing at John and Audrey Martin’s Javelina Ranch, and it has been absolutely awesome. I greatly underestimated the biodiversity of this area. I don’t have too long, as I’m heading out for my evening shoot. I have a lot more to say, and I’ll post again in a day or two.

Here’s a Sharp-Shinned Hawk that landed on a perch I set up next to a permanent blind on the Javelina Ranch.

Still in Oklahoma

Hey all,

I didn’t have any chance to get on the net yesterday due to the fact that photography and the NFL seem to control most of my actions these days. I’m going to be out here in OK until the 5th. The Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge is a gem that is just waiting to be discovered by other photographers. The diversity of wildlife in combination with the great scenery makes for a place any photographer could easily spend a week at. Which is what I’m doing, haha. I’ve been shooting wildlife when the sky is clear, and shooting landscapes when there are clouds.

So, the night before last, a few hours before sunset, I saw my first cloud in the sky for the entire time I’ve been here. I made my way up to the top of Mt. Scott and found a beautiful spot with potholes and peak fall foliage. The clouds stuck around, and it was quite the show. I shot some shots with the sun in them, and some of just the potholes and foliage, but I feel like this photograph is the most complete, and the most well composed of them all.

I will be shooting today, tomorrow, and the next morning before meeting up with my dad and making the drive down to South Texas.

Wile E. Coyote and a giant bite from an Ant!

Hey everyone,

I’m currently at a Mexican Restaurant in Lawton, OK, as usual, grabbing some wi-fi. Things have been pretty interesting both yesterday and today.

I was out photographing prairie dogs last night at a new favorite spot of mine, and about an hour before sunset, a Coyote came through. It was looking for a snack, if you know what I mean. Now, Coyotes are very common out here, but I was excited to see and photograph one anyways. It basically made a half circle around me, cruising through the prairie dog town, looking for dinner. I had my tripod down low, and I was trying to maintain a low profile to make sure I didn’t spook it. A truck began to head back in the direction that it came from, so I followed, staying low, and trying not to bother it too much. After about 15 minutes (which felt like forever at the time,) the Coyote came back, and went the other direction. I was able to photograph it in front light, sidelight from both sides, and then backlight, which made for a very complete feeling experience.

Now, while this was going on, I had to keep a low perspective, for my photographs to have a better perspective, and to make sure I didn’t bother the Coyote. At one point, I felt ants crawling up my leg, so I had to get up and shake them off, which I thought nothing of at the time. I awoke in my tent this morning to find a dime-sized bubble on the side of my leg, and it was filled with liquid. I’ll spare you from having to see the picture. I called my dad, who spoke with a friend of his that is a Doctor, and he said that I had better go to the ER to get it tested, because it could be Staph. The Doctor informed me that I had been bitten by a huge ant, and that it was nothing to worry about. I almost couldn’t believe it! An ant bite caused this huge bubble on my leg. How interesting.

Anyway, here are a few shots of the Coyote. And if you wanted to see a picture of the leg-bubble, I regret to inform you that I will not be posting it on here. Feel free to click on the images to see them larger, and in a new window.