Bird Photos: One of my favorite things

I received a really nice email yesterday, from BirdNote, asking permission for further use of a photo that I had given them a long, long time ago. A photo that I'd almost forgotten I'd taken and sadly I believe I've lost somewhere along the way. [Actually, this is a great opportunity to speak out against relying on hard drives or CDs to keep your images safe. They fail. Use cloud based storage and professionally printed archival prints to keep your images safe]




The story behind the photo is that robins had nested in our front yard, and we had a fairly good view of the nest from our porch. But to get this particular image required me standing on a ladder, close enough to the tree to see into the nest but not so close as to annoy the parents. Isn't it adorable!

As well, Birdnote asked if I could provide them with a profile, to add to their list of contributors. That gave me the push I needed to create a collection of my favorite Alberta bird photos to date. The birds, bugs and animal visitors to our yard are my favorite (and constant) photo subjects but my organization of those photos is lacking. I've now got a gallery for favorite bird photos. I hope you enjoy them!


     

London by night

without a tripod!

Part 2 of my all too brief adventure in London, England with the fabulous Ana Pogacar.

Arriving in London Wednesday evening, after four days of a busy tradeshow, we really didn't have much of an itinerary planned. We made a feeble attempt to look through guide books Wednesday night, but ended up winging it Thursday anyway. And it turned out wonderfully.

We left our hotel without tripods on Thursday. The decision was not to carry the extra weight since the weather forecast was for rain, feeling we could always return for them if need be. We scouted our evening shoot location before noon, and found there was a nice almost flat perimeter wall that we could set cameras on so the decision to go tripodless stood. The rain let up in the afternoon so the fight against raindrops on lenses ended.

We arrived back on the south side of the Thames near the London Eye around 5 p.m., and a thick fog was rolling in.

The streets were busy with tourists, buskers and business people alike.

As the skies darkened we took up our positions along the wall, and got our shots of Westminster Bridge, Big Ben and the Parliament buildings.

And then we tried a new sport - long exposures (hand held, remember) including moving objects.

Ana at work (that's her on the right hand edge):

We spent quite a lot of time trying for the perfect panning shot, all the while being repeatedly approached by the creepiest panhandlers ever!

And once we were each satisfied with our result, we moved on, walking back toward Trafalgar Square in search of our evening meal, which was derailed by a spontaneous decision to take in a play! A late, very (very) good meal at Cafe Fiori, and one last stop for shots at the National Gallery.

I am pleasantly surprised by how many 'good' shots I got, in such a short time and in such poor shooting conditions. It really is amazing how much better photography is with another photographer, and I can't wait for another opportunity to do this kind of thing! Day 2 and 3 yet to come!

Happy Easter!

Tuesday Travelogue: Maui's East Side

Since winter has decided to stick around, I've decided to be distracted by a  few more views of marvelous Maui, beginning at Paia and traveling south.

Paia is the 'starting point' of the road to Hana, but we manage to do more than just stop here for road snacks. There are several nice boutiques and restaurants and it's pretty easy to while away several hours here. I mean, why rush? On our last visit we'd had a tip to eat at the Maui Flatbread Company, and were treated to some amazing thunderheads forming over the Iao Valley and the northern tip of the island.

Paia Bay from Lower Paia Park

On our 2011 trip, we started down the Road to Hana once again; we've started that trip previously, but the winding road had always gotten the best of our young children. Success at last!

Nua'ailua Bay

We stopped at both a Banana Bread and an Ice Cream (don't blink or you'll miss them!) stand on our way to  Wai'anapapa State Park, gorgeous views, black sand, and cave swimming.

The girl at the ice cream stand had advised us that it was perfectly fine to travel back to west Maui via the Piilani Highway (31) to  the Kula Highway, and so after stopping for lunch in Hana proper, we continued on through the most incredibly diverse bunch of ecosystems and spectacular scenery.

Haleakala ranchlands from Kalama Park Road

You can visit my Maui gallery for more great images. Keep watching this space on Tuesdays for more  travelogues!

Tuesday Travelogue: Maui

As winter creeps ever closer here in Edmonton, as the need for layers of clothes, down jackets, mitts and toques becomes a reality, I find myself thinking about beaches, warm tropical winds and spectacular sunsets.

Maui is one of my very favorite places to travel to. We first visited Maui in 1994, returned twice more in the next 6 years, and for reasons that escape me (economics, likely) not again until 2011. Like quite a lot of Canadians, Kihei has always been our home base.

That certainly doesn't stop us from exploring or me from doing my best to photograph the amazing views. We've been to the very northern

and southern tips,

 upcountry and to Heavenly Hana. It's all spectacular and very, very special. You can visit my Maui gallery for more great images. Keep watching this space on Tuesdays for more  travelogues!