Feeling the Urge to Get in the Kayak - It's Osprey Season Again!

 

Osprey (Pandion Haliaetus), by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, 300mm f4 AF-IF Nikkor

iso1600, f5.6, 1/1000 sec

 

I saw a great post on mu-43.com about shooting ospreys at the nest.

 

(Click Here) to read denniscloutier's post and see his awesome osprey picture.

 

Forgive me for reposting last year's osprey shot of my own above, but it is motivating me to make time to get the kayak down from the garage ceiling and get paddling! It's one of the great attractions to living here in Northern Virginia - the Chesapeake Bay, Potomac River, etc. - lots of great kayaking, and lots of great birds of prey, including a healthy population of bald eagles.

 

This shot from last year made it into a published calendar, along with my shot of an Eastern Kingbird.

 

So, before this actually posted, I did dust off the kayak and got out to shoot. No perfect shots on this particular trip - this is a patient person's hobby. But I got a couple that are perhaps worth sharing:

 

Osprey (Pandion Haliaetus), by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, 500mm f4 AiP (Manual Focus) + 1.4X Nikkor Converter

iso 800, f8, 1/1000 sec.

While the ospreys are my real target species, these beautiful little Kingbirds are my constant companions at this particular spot, so I occasionally grab a nice shot of them, too:

Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus), by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, 500mm f4 AiP (Manual Focus) + 1.4X Nikkor Converter

iso 560, f8, 1/1000 sec.

 

It's great to welcome springtime with some time out on the water with my camera!

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

 

 

 

I Won A Contest - Two of My Images Will Be in the 2013 Calendar of Annual Reviews!

 

Image Source: http://www.annualreviews.org/page/photochallenge

 

Two of my images (below) were selected for inclusion in the Annual Reviews 2013 calendar! One of my colleagues at work forwarded the call for entries (thanks, Jeanne!).

 

(Click Here) to see the full list of winners. As far as I can tell, you have to be a subscriber to get the calendar. They've offered to send me a copy; I wrote back asking if I can buy a few.

 

 

 

Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) in Flight, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor Ai-P 500mm f4 Manual Focus Lens

iso 500, f5.6, 1/1500 sec

 

Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus), by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor Ai-P 500mm f4 Manual Focus Lens

I find it very rewarding to win a contest like this, especially a nature photography contest - they're notoriously difficult to win. So many great photographers focus their attention and cameras on the beauty of nature.

This is great motivation for me to keep pushing my skills!

DMC-365.blogspot.com