A collection of articles describing the adventures of capturing a specific shot and the creation story of some of my favorite images.

The Best Camera is the One in Your Hand

In this post, I share a bit of my philosophy regarding camera choice. I have heard and often repeated the saying, the best camera is the one you have with you. Some also say, it is not the camera but the photographer that matters most when making a photo. I think what matters most varies but for now I want to focus on the camera selection.

When traveling I always take at least two camera bodies. Then I select which one to use depending on the type of subjects I plan to shoot. There are numerous ways to compare and contrast the two bodies to decide which I want to use. One camera’s features include special tracking for birds, airplanes and fast moving subjects. The other features a shooting mode specific to night sky photography. One is smaller than the other and much less conspicuous, which makes it a good choice for street photography. The larger camera has longer battery life. The smaller is lighter. Occasionally, I opt not to take either of my Olympus cameras.

I love my Olympus systems and reach for one of them most of them. However, if my activities include a lot of water something strenuous that requires both of my hands, I leave my expensive cameras behind. Such was the case when I went horseback riding in Monument Valley.

Having some experience riding horses, I felt confident as far as staying on the horse. I did not really want to deal with a large camera while climbing hills and traversing canyons on the back of a horse. So, I chose to take a point and shoot that was advertised as virtually indestructible and of course I had my cell phone, which at the time was a Samsung Galaxy S7.

The following photo, printed at 16″ x 24″, currently hangs at the University of St. Thomas Max Center in Conroe TX as part of the the Horizon’s show. Three entrees were selected for the show and my cell phone photo made the cut!

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My Entry in the Botanical Art & Illustration Group Exhibition


I’m honored to have one of my images included in those selected from hundreds of entries to the 2021 Botanical Art & Illustration Group Exhibition by Las Laguna Art Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA. The online exhibit is viewable until the end of December at https://www.laslagunaartgallery.com/2021botanical

This image is one of my photo art pieces, created by layering textures over the original photo, then applying various brush strokes and blending modes, among other steps, until I had an image I was pleased with. The canvas print of this photo art was purchased by one of my fans as a Christmas gift for her family member.

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Behind the Shot: Egret at Caddo Lake

Let me tell you the story behind the shot of this Great Egret at Caddo Lake State Park in east Texas. I love reviewing photos from a shoot because I usually find one or two shots that I want to look at closer. Often I am anxious to process photos from my outings, so I go through my normal routine of marking ones I want to come back to and not marking ones I feel don’t make the cut. More often than not, when I review photos from a shoot I am surprised to find more photos worthy of some post-processing. That is the case with this image.

I stalked this bird in my kayak for two days. Well, I assume it was the same bird because I only ever saw one at a time. Actually it wasn’t two whole days but two outings over two days. But I digress. The first day, the egret was near the western shore of Mill Pond. I spotted it right away. The brilliant white bird stood out from the darkness under the cypress trees. I began slowly working my way toward the bird, letting the kayak drift silently through the water so that I wouldn’t frighten it away.

Then, I spotted another photographer in a canoe. The canoe was huge and brightly colored and it was very rapidly heading straight for my egret! The photographer seemed unaware of my presence and inexperienced in photographing birds. He approached the bird much too quickly and as I suspected, spooked the egret. Oh well. Don’t cry over spooked birds. I spent the rest of the morning looking at and shooting the beautiful trees and trying to capture the essence of the swamp.

The next day I was able to find the egret again. I had thought I only got one really great image from the sequence but when I went back through the photos the other day, I saw another one that made me go hmmmm. So, I spent some time on post-processing and this is the result. I love the shape created by the bird and its reflection.

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Winter Etchings

A rare snowfall in the Brazos Valley area of Texas presented me with an opportunity to focus on the the graphic, elegant starkness of the winter scenes. When creating a winter composition, the landscape provides many graphic design elements.

The dark wood of bare trees contrasts with ice and snow to reveal stark shapes in subtle monochromatic tones. The lines of grass and shrub, ice and fallen leaves display themselves in a simple, elegant design like a drawing or etching.

Winter photography offers options at all scales. While winter scenes display less color than other seasons, their monochromatic qualities lend themselves to fine art images. Winter weather may provide more interesting and dramatic skies with ominous clouds or clearing storms, which work especially well with broad scenics. The snow-covered branches of the trees in a nearby park provided the graphic elements I searched for, with lines, shapes and shadows.

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Top 12 Photos of 2020

I thought it would never end. 2020. The year I learned how valuable toilet paper is. As dismal as it seemed to be, when I looked back through my photos I realized we were able to travel and enjoy the outdoors. We love to visit our state and federal parks, which thanks to COVID, were less crowded this year. Nature photography, for me, is not a social activity involving large crowds. In fact, it is just the opposite. I love that it is a mostly solitary activity, with maybe one or two others at times.

Still, I hope and pray that 2021 is better and allows us all to visit our family and friends. Wishing you all the best in the coming year! Here are 12 of my favorite photos from 2020.

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Behind the Shot: Willet on Watch

This lone Willet stood on one leg, patiently, while I composed my shot. At one point it appeared as if he was quite bored with me. Why do shore birds stand, looking out to sea as if on watch?

Freeport, Texas has become a favorite spot for my bird photography. The location along the Gulf coast and proximity to Galveston Island makes it ideal for quick trips to the beach and the Island. When skies are overcast or not impressive, I have a favorite technique I like to use to make what I think resembles a colored pencil drawing.

It involves blowing out the highlights, boosting contrast, clarity and cleaning up a few areas. I used a similar technique on a photo of a Canada Goose with her goslings.

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Behind the Shot: Solitude in the Swamp

My plan, on this first trip to Caddo Lake State Park in east Texas, was to capture the feeling of the swamp. I envisioned dark, dreary, spooky scenes. Boy was I surprised!

Over two days we paddled around Caddo Lake spending most of the time in Sawmill Pond and Big Cypress Bayou. Birds were not plentiful but I did manage to capture a few shots of a Great Blue Heron and a Great Egret. I also was entertained by a squirrel eating cones from a Bald Cypress. 

Sawmill Pond was where I was most inspired by the trees, water and wildlife. Even well after sunrise, the tall trees offered shade to keep us cool and scenes dappled in sunlight. I entered this image in the scenic category of 2020 Texas Master Naturalist Photo Contest. I am pleased to say it earned 3rd place.

Camera Settings: Solitude in the Swamp

  • Exposure: 1/50 sec at f/8
  • Exposure Program: Aperture priority
  • Metering Mode: Pattern
  • ISO speed: 400 
  • Focal length: 25mm
  • Focal length 35mm: 50mm
  • Camera: Panasonic DC-G9
  • Lens: Olympus 12-40 f2.8 Pro
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Sunset at Haleakalā Wins Honorable Mention

I just learned my submission, Sunset at Haleakalā won Honorable Mention in the Texas Photographic Society’s exhibition, 33rd Annual Members’ Only Show. It will be part of the 50 image show on display from September 17-November 14, at the Bill and Alice Wright Photo Gallery, The Center for Contemporary Arts, Abilene, TX. You can view all 50 selected images at https://texasphoto.org/index.php/members-only-show-33-.

Watching the sunset from Haleakalā crater, 10,023 feet above sea level, was an exhilarating experience! The clouds surrounded us and created the sensation of standing at the very tip top of the world. Surprisingly, the temperature was very cold. However, I was able to get this shot on my way to the bus to warm up. What I found almost as interesting as the scenery, were the people lined up to watch the event.

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The Inca Dove’s Call of “No Hope”

I captured this shot while camping in South Llano River State Park outside of Junction, TX. I saw one bird on two occasions and I’m not sure if it was the same one or not. Unlike the White Wing doves that flocked to the bird blind, this little bird seemed shy and content with its solitude. Could we take a lesson from this small bird? Have we learned to be content in our solitude by now or is more isolation required? Or is the Inca’s call of “no hope” our reality?

The Inca Dove or Mexican dove (Columbina inca) is a New World bird first described by the French naturalist René Lesson in 1847. Its soft, whistled coo sounds like “no hope” and is a familiar in many southwestern US cities. These little doves are often seen walking about on lawns with dainty steps, or fluttering up with a rattle of wings. The Inca is covered in tan scaly-looking feathers that blends right in with its suburban desert habitat. They are often seen feeding on the ground in open areas such as barnyards, city parks, gardens, playgrounds and lawns, and even on elevated platform bird feeders.

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Reddish Egret at Sunrise

Are you a photographer/bird watcher too?

 

A Reddish Egret foraging for food at sunrise in Freeport, Texas. I watched it running, jumping, and spinning trying to catch its prey. This is one of my favorite birds that I didn’t know existed until just a few years ago.

I’ve never really been interested in knowing much about birds until I began photographing them. Then, I felt it was important that I be able to identify the subject of my photos. Well, I’ve discovered I really like bird watching! No, I’m not a birder but I aspire to be one!

Camera Settings

  • Exposure: 1/640 sec at f/5.0
  • Focal length: 195 mm
  • Focal length 35 mm: 391 mm
  • Exposure compensation: -3/10 EV
  • ISO Speed: 320
  • Exposure program: Aperture priority
  • Metering Mode: Center-weighted average
  • Camera: Olympus E-M1 Mark II
  • Lens: Leica DG 100-400 f4.0-6.5
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