Today's Eagle Shot - Nikon D810, Nikkor 200-400mm f4 AF-S VR Lens

I got out kayaking on the Potomac River again this morning. I saw quite a lot of wildlife, including a muskrat that swam to within a few feet of my kayak, and a giant snapping turtle that nearly touched it. Both were too close for me to focus with the big lens. I also watched a herd of deer grab their morning drink at the river's edge.

 

Here's the best shot I got today, of an immature bald eagle.

Immature Bald Eagle, by Reed A. George

Nikon D810, Nikkor 200-400mm f4 AF-S VR Lens

iso 220, f5.6, 1/1250 sec.

 

You can click on this image to see it larger on flickr.

 

Man, am I lucky to have access to such a beautiful place to paddle on weekend mornings at sunrise.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Nature Photography - It's More Than Just Finding the Animals

 

I've been working on my nature photography this spring, and have been enjoying my new Nikkor 200-400mm f4 VR lens in the process. While I'm now quite comfortable with the lens, and very impressed with the image quality it produces, I haven't really nailed any nature shots that make me super proud yet.

Here's an example of what the lens can do:

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 200-400mm f4 AFS VR Lens

This is a perfectly acceptable photo of a bald eagle, in a technical sense, but it sure doesn't tell much of a story. Really, I just found the animal, and got a decent shot of him. Then it was over.

 

Here's a shot below that I made some time back, of a much less exotic animal, with less exotic optics, but with more of a story. I love how the toad's singing, exhibited by the extended throat, and more importantly, by the standing waves in the water surrounding it, tell you more than "This is a toad." I aspire to finding more stories like this.

 

Eastern American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus), by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, 14-140mm Zoom Lens

The reason I'm thinking about this is that I read an interesting story about Frans Lanting, famed National Geographic nature photographer, on the Smithsonian website. (Click Here) to read that post. Lanting is a very interesting person, and the TED talk video embedded in the story tells a lot about how he feels about his work.

 

I've seen a lot of his night photography, where he sets up remote camera traps for elusive species. I see these as mainly challenges to find the animal and document it. However, he has other images, some of which he describes in the blog piece, that really tell much bigger stories. Read about the hunters reflected in the zebra's eye, and the African bullfrog, with approaching clouds above. Interesting stuff.

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

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