| Some of my most memorable photographs are featured in this section, along with photo tips and the story behind the making of each photograph. I hope these images inspire you to go out and experience your own memorable moments. |
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Canon
EOS 1V camera Canon EF 500mm F/4 L IS USM lens Canon Extender EF 2x II Canon 550EX flash Wimberley flash bracket One of the many things I enjoy about wildlife photography is that no two days are alike, and no matter how often you frequent a location, there are always surprises. My visit to Bosque del Apache NWR, New Mexico, in early December 2002 was no exception (you can see more Bosque photos from my recent visit in this article). |
The biggest surprise on this visit was the rare appearance of a beautiful male Prothonotary Warbler, shown in the above photo. This warbler species typically breeds in the eastern third of the US and winters in the tropics, so its sighting at Bosque in December generated quite a bit of excitement among birders and photographers. I had not previously seen one, and was amazed by its bright and conspicuous plumage -- it glowed like a yellow-gold Christmas ornament hanging from the bare, reddish-brown branches of coyote willow. The lighting was from the side and the bird was flitting in and out of shaded areas, so fill-flash was a necessity. To avoid the possibility of strange-looking eye reflections the flash was attached to a bracket which raised it several inches above the lens axis. I added a 2x extender to the Canon 500mm Image Stabilized lens to photograph at 1000mm f/8; accurate autofocus was still possible with the center focusing point of the EOS 1V camera -- which is a real blessing for photographing small land birds that are constantly in motion. Seven months ago, when I was using Nikon's non-stabilized 500mm lens, I would have reached for the 1.4x extender and settled for smaller image size. Without image stabilization I have always been disappointed with the lack of sharpness when photographing wildlife at 1000mm. It may be that my long-lens technique is not quite up to par, but applying the same technique to an IS lens, I now consistently get sharp exposures at 1000mm. My Nikon-toting friends (some are probably now, ex-friends) like to ask me about my experience with the switch to Canon IS, and the short answer is -- I'm very happy with being able to extend my effective focal length from 700mm to 1000mm, while maintaining image quality.
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