Daniel Teetor / Digital Outdoors - Photography

Alpine Ski Race, off-camera flash

2012-01-20T11:43:00.000-08:00

This is a photograph of an alpine skier racing on the giant slalom course. The race started in the late afternoon and lasted after sundown. I decided to get some action shots using an off-camera flash at one of the gates. Most of the high school races are on weekday afternoons/evenings and there usually isn't enough available light for the whole race. An on-camera flash will work but it isn't acceptable to blast the athletes head-on.

I positioned a speedlight so that it was facing a gate and would light a skier from his side. This allowed me to position myself downhill from the gate and photograph the skiers from the front. The speedlight was mounted on a monopod that was stuck into the snow and it was fired with a wireless trigger. 70-200 lens at 145mm. 1/800 at f/4 set manually, ISO 500. The speedlight was on ETTL (auto).

Buck Whitetail Deer, Bedded

2011-12-14T06:42:00.000-08:00

Here is a mature buck whitetail deer bedded in the woods in late fall (one week ago, actually). The antlers have eleven points and are both tall and wide.

The sun never gets very high this time of year in Michigan. The angle was alright, then, even though the photo was taken at about 3 o'clock. I normally prefer softer light but I was struck by the strong rim light on the side of the buck's neck and on the top of his head. Also, because of the backlighting I didn't have to deal with uneven shadows on the face or body. The antlers show well against the darker background. The deer is alert with both ears pointed forward. 100-400 lens at 400mm, 1/400 second at f/5.6, ISO 1000, handheld with image stabilization.

Two Whitetail Deer

2011-11-14T06:18:00.000-08:00

I recently spotted these two bedded whitetail deer, a buck and a doe. My path had originally been from camera left with the sun at my back when I saw the buck. The doe was much more concealed from that direction and I didn't spot her until I worked in closer. I took some shots that included both deer in the image but the deer were far enough apart that the composition lacked focus. By circling about 90 degrees I was able to bring the heads of the two deer close together and achieve a stronger focal point for the composition. An additional benefit was the sunlight coming from the side to give nice shaping on the face of the doe.

It was impossible to keep both heads in focus because they were too far apart for the limited depth of field of the long lens (100-400 at 340mm). I took a shot while focused on the buck at f/5.6 but the image was not pleasant with the doe so far out of focus and being the closest one in the image. I also tried focusing on the doe but the buck was too far out of focus at f/5.6. The image shown here resulted after stopping down to f/9 and focusing on the doe. The buck is still out of focus but there is much more detail at the smaller aperture. The buck now serves as a nice complement to the doe in this image.

For those of you interested, the buck's antlers were not symmetrical, with four tall points on his left side and five shorter points on his right. There were two separate brow tines on the right side.

Portrait of a whitetail deer buck.

2011-11-07T05:31:00.000-08:00

This mature whitetail deer buck was photographed last year and we created this interesting portrait with some digital enhancements. The intent was to give a three-dimensional look to the image.

Quite a bit of meticulous work was involved in separating the antlers from the original forest background. The rest of the work proceeded smoothly. The imitation mat has a slight texture that does not show on this small image. The shadow behind the antlers was crafted so as to be visible only on the mat. The final touch was to convert the original image to black & white but gradually blend to color on the deer's head.

This image is available at one of our online stores as a wrapped canvas print.

Ducks in Flight Composite

2011-10-27T06:21:00.000-07:00

This is a composite image featuring two separate photographs of mallard ducks in descending flight. We have done this occasionally in the past by combining one photo of multiple ducks with another photo of a single duck. A computer-generated mat is added to the group photo and a shadow is added behind the prominent image of the single flying duck. The intent is to create a 3D-like effect. We were careful to keep the shadow only on the mat so that a viewer might be able to imagine the duck flying out of the group picture.

This image is available in our online store in a variety of sizes with optional framing.

Whitetail Deer Canvas Prints

2011-10-20T05:27:00.000-07:00

This is one of our favorite portraits of a mature whitetail deer buck. The composition is nice, the background is nicely blurred and the sun is lighting the face and antlers. In addition, the buck is alert with both ears forward but he is not looking directly at the camera. It appears that there are eight points on the antlers in this small image but the full-size image on a large monitor clearly shows ten points.

This image and several other deer images have recently been added to the collection of canvas-wrapped prints at one of our online stores. Just in time for people that need gift ideas for the upcoming holidays. Check out these new canvas prints and calendars!

2012 Calendar Series

2011-10-13T10:11:00.000-07:00

This is the cover of one of our calendars from the popular "Ducks in Flight" series. They all feature our favorite photographs of flying ducks like this cover shot of three ducks descending with cupped wings. Our calendars are now available for 2012 in our online calendar store.

Consider these as cool gift ideas for the upcoming holiday season. We also have a series of calendars featuring action photographs of wooden speedboats and another series with stunning photographs of whitetail deer.

Equestrian in Fog

2011-10-06T04:26:00.000-07:00

This action photograph of an equestrian was taken last year. The horse and rider are jumping a fence during a horse show in Lexington, Kentucky. We recently chose this image to experiment with a different background to replace the original one. It is difficult to isolate the subject at horse shows because the background is usually cluttered with tents, spectators and other assorted distractions. We created this imitation fog with Adobe Photoshop software and blended it into the horse and rider with careful masking. There was no desire to make the image appear as though it had been originally taken with this background. In fact, we added some other toning effects to the subject to give a more "edgy" appearance.

We expect to apply this idea to other action photographs where a more dramatic image can be created by eliminating a distracting background.

Fighting Whitetail Deer Bucks

2011-09-29T09:24:00.000-07:00

These two whitetail deer bucks were photographed last week as they were fighting each other. This is a fall ritual as the male deer try to establish strength and dominance. Neither of these bucks is very large but they were semi-serious about the fight. Most of the action took place in deep shade and the light was not particularly pleasing. They briefly moved into this sunny spot in a meadow and we only got two shots there. This our favorite image of the day because the background woods are so dark that the deer are very prominent. The antlers show very well. Also, the deer are broadside to the camera with their heads pressed tightly together. Good action. Often the heads of the deer would be lowered so far into the weeds that their eyes were not visible but on this shot we can see everything.

This image was taken about 8:45 AM. The 100-400 lens was set at 235mm, 1/1250 second at f/5, ISO 640, aperture-priority. These settings were for the more shaded area of the meadow and we didn't have time to change when the deer moved into the sun. Two shots and they were back in the shade. We didn't need the fast shutter speed and would have preferred a lower ISO.

Poster of Flying Duck with Cupped Wings

2011-09-21T06:04:00.000-07:00

This image is from a poster series of ducks in flight. The original photograph featured this drake mallard duck descending with his wings cupped and his feet down. We enhanced this photo to give it a bold and more colorful look for the poster. There are fifteen other images in this series of flying ducks. The posters, as well as waterfowl calendars, can all be seen in our online poster store.

Excellence in Wooden Boating

2011-09-13T10:41:00.000-07:00

This wooden speedboat was photographed last year. The boat is a 1930, 30' triple-cockpit Hackercraft runabout. I was standing in chest-deep water while the driver performed some high-speed maneuvers for nice action. We recently created a series of posters using several of these boat photos. The original photographs were altered to give them a bold and colorful look for this poster series. The image with this post is an example of this new look. The posters can be ordered in different sizes and are economical. Please follow the link to the store to see more of them!

Grand Prix Jumper-2

2011-08-30T10:38:00.000-07:00

Here is another photograph taken during the Grand Prix jumper event at the recent Traders Point horse show in Indiana. This is a nice action shot taken at the peak of the jump. The location is actually the same fence shown in the previous post but I had moved slightly more to my left to see the horses more from the side and to shoot in the horizontal format. Unfortunately, this angle put more background clutter into the image. The intermittent rain showers kept me close to the tent and there were many other spectators, both of which made it difficult to find other locations to shoot from. Nonetheless, I like the image for its portrayal of action.

70-200 lens at 150mm, 1/1250 second at f/3.5, ISO 250.

Grand Prix Jumper

2011-08-25T04:35:00.000-07:00

We were able to get some photographs during the Grand Prix event at the Traders Point Horse Show in Zionsville, Indiana. This photograph was taken as a rider and his horse jumped a fence during a rain shower. This fence was near the outside rail so we could stay underneath a nearby tent as long as possible before popping out to take pictures. The fences were 4'11" high so the horses seemed to be in the air a long time as they jumped. This is one of the few instances where the motor drive would actually give us a couple of nice images each time.

The weather was unfortunate. Very wet and dark with low contrast. We used the 70-200 lens because of its speed. If there had been more light we would have preferred the 100-400 lens to allow us to photograph more of the jumps that were farther away.

70-200 lens at 200mm, 1/800 second at f/3.5, ISO 400.

Red Fox

2011-08-17T11:20:00.000-07:00

Here is a juvenile red fox that paused at the edge of a small woodlot. I was told that one or two young foxes had been frequently seen in the area. I saw them myself at dusk the day before and took a couple photos but they weren't particularly special. This photograph was taken the next morning shortly after sunrise. The area was in deep shade so there wasn't much light to work with. ISO was set at 8000, 1/400 second at f/5.6, 400mm lens.

I love this image because there is nice contrast between the fox and the background, the fox is alert and we can see his entire face. It is unfortunate that a weed partially obscures the fox. He did not come out any further after seeing me and went right back into the woods.

Environmental Boating Portrait

2011-08-09T10:11:00.000-07:00

We had fun creating this photograph of a couple sitting on their antique, wooden boat at dusk. An off-camera flash was set up about 40 feet to the left of the camera, on the shoreline, and a grid was attached to reduce the spread of the light. The photo was taken a few minutes after sunset and we intentionally underexposed for the ambient light in the image and lit the people with the flash. The speedlight was set manually to 1/2 power. The goals were to focus attention on the people, keep enough detail in the boat to recognize it and have the boat's running lights noticeable.

All of this was essentially accomplished with the original image but we made some improvements in post-processing computer work. First, we slightly increased the brightness of the people relative to the background. Second, we changed the color temperature of the background to blue to more resemble night light (we added a mask to keep the color temperature of the people and the running lights from changing). If I were to do this again I would either increase the power of the flash or position the boat closer to the flash unit.

Shot at 1/200 second at f/5.6, ISO 400, 50mm lens.

Barefoot Water Skier-2

2011-08-03T10:48:00.000-07:00

This is the photograph taken shortly after the one in the last posting of the barefoot waterskier. The previous image included the boat with the horizontal format and I quickly switched to vertical for this shot. I was standing in the water as the boat approached but was slightly wider than needed. I had wanted the skier to be approaching directly at me but I also wanted to be outside the spray of the boat as it passed. Sharp viewers will notice that the skier is edging with his feet in an attempt to get as wide as possible. We have practiced some more since this photo was taken and have succeeded in getting in closer to the boat's path.

This was shot at 1/1600 second at f/5.6, ISO 250, manual, 400mm lens. I use a fairly fast shutter speed because I stand in chest-deep water. It is surprisingly difficult to stand steady in the water even though it is calm. The fast shutter speed is needed because my body is not steady.

Barefoot Water Skier

2011-07-28T12:42:00.000-07:00

I took this photograph of a barefoot waterskier while standing in chest-deep water. I've used this technique for the photo shoots of boats and had wanted to try it with the water skiers. This has to be carefully planned with both the driver and the skier. We placed a buoy in the water to be the guide for the driver. I placed myself far enough away so as not to be hosed by the spray as the boat passed. The goal was to have the barefooter head directly toward me and let go of the rope at the last minute, which we determined would be when the boat passed me, giving him 75 feet to stop. The plan was fine except I was positioned slightly too wide and the footer could not get out to the side any more than shown here. The image looks good here and I wanted to get a shot that included the boat. As the skier got closer I switched to the vertical orientation. I'll show this image in the next posting.

This was shot with a 100-400 lens at 400mm, 1/1600 second at f/5.6, ISO 250, manual.

How to Photograph Boats

2011-07-21T04:28:00.000-07:00

A Beginner's Guide to the Action Photography of Boats, our latest ebook, was recently published. This book was written specifically to help amateur photographers capture stunning, action images of boats. The lessons can be applied to powerboats, sailboats, large boats or small boats. Technique is more important than equipment and the reader will learn how to get the most with the camera he already owns. We draw upon our many years of nautical photography and illustrate this guide with over fifty of our own photographs.

There are chapters on location and positioning, capturing peak action, composition, camera settings, plus the use of multiple drivers and chase boats. Something for everyone in this book, regardless of experience. Please visit our website for more information or go directly to the bookstore to download a free sample or purchase the entire ebook for your reading device.

Waterskier Throwing Spray-2

2011-07-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

Here is another example of a waterskiing photo. This one is framed tighter than the one in the previous post and it was also taken after the skier completed his turn. This means that the tow rope no longer provides the nice diagonal line that is seen in the other image. But the skier's body is angled as to give us a diagonal line and there is a more subtle diagonal formed by the spray coming from the ski. As before, the wall of spray eliminates background clutter and isolates the subject. In terms of pure action this photograph is pretty cool and it exemplifies my favorite type of shot.

The photo was taken from the towboat running about 34 mph, 100-400 lens at 210mm, 1/2000 second at f/5.6, manual, ISO 250.

Waterskier Throwing Spray

2011-07-14T04:28:00.000-07:00

A slalom waterskier carving a turn. I photograph skiers frequently during the summer and experiment with different compositions and different timing. This image has appeal because of the composition. The tow rope provides a nice diagonal line that leads the viewer's eye to the skier. The skier's body is also oriented in a diagonal line at this point in his turn. Diagonals provide for a dynamic image. The wall of spray conceals any background clutter, such as shorelines or boats, that may have been present and serves to isolate the subject.

There are other options for composition and timing. Some skiers like to see the entire wall of spray and prefer photos that are not as tightly framed. I usually prefer images that are framed as tightly as possible so that the skier fills almost the entire frame. This particular image provides a nice compromise and gives a great overall composition. I'll post some other examples in future posts.

This photo was taken with a 35-350 lens at 160mm, 1/2500 second at f/5.0, ISO 200. The tow rope was 15' off the standard length, or 60 feet long. I was positioned just in front of the pylon on the boat.

Fawn Whitetail Deer

2011-07-11T12:10:00.000-07:00

This fawn whitetail deer had been laying low in the tall grass while I slowly edged closer and closer. It knew I was there but had become quite used to my presence after a couple of hours of shadowing its movements before it lay down. Unfortunately, all that time spent getting close meant that the sun was high and the light was harsh. Ordinarily, I would have been home by then but I was thrilled to be so close (100-400 lens at 135mm) that I kept following along and shooting.

I was sitting when I took the shot because I like being at eye-level but it was difficult to find a window through the tall grass. I'm not fond of the tall, blurry grasses in the foreground but they tend to frame the fawn somewhat. I'll have to try this again with softer light.

Fawn in Thick Grass

2011-06-30T06:15:00.000-07:00

This is a whitetail deer fawn that is resting in a meadow with knee-deep grass. I had been shadowing this fawn for some time as it traveled with its mother, trying unsuccessfully to work close enough for photographs. The fawn decided to lay down and the mother wandered away. I decided to sit down and wait for the fawn to get up and provide photo opportunities. The fawn was in no hurry, though, so I busied myself by slowly creeping closer. The fawn was not nervous but it kept an eye on me. This photograph was an experiment to see if anything attractive could result from shooting through the thick grass.

I wanted to stay close to eye-level but knew there would be no chance to get a clear view. The fawn's ears were alert so I figured the animal would be recognizable even if one couldn't see the whole face. I focused manually on the ears and took this frame. This is not my usual style as I usually strive to include a sharp image of the eye in my animal photos. However, this image appeals to me and I'm glad I tried it.

Whitetail Deer in Sunbeam

2011-06-24T05:03:00.000-07:00

Very exciting to get this photograph of a whitetail deer resting in a sunbeam. The lighting is quite dramatic. This forest has a thick, heavy canopy that prevents most of the sunlight from penetrating. When I first spotted the doe she was in the deep shade and there wasn't even enough light for a photo. But a shaft of sun penetrated the canopy and tracked over her. I had only a few minutes to get into position and take a few frames before the sunbeam was gone.

The original image was shot in RAW format and there was even more contrast than shown here. I brightened the shadow area to show a little detail in the surrounding woods.

1/250 second at f/6.3, ISO 1600, aperture-priority with minus two stops exposure compensation, 400mm lens.

Whitetail Deer Fawn-2

2011-06-22T11:54:00.000-07:00

This is the same whitetail deer fawn that is shown in the previous post. The tiny sunbeam is gone and the light is very even because of the deep shade. I moved to the side because I wanted to see both eyes but couldn't do any better than what is shown here. The deer was hiding on a slight rise and this enabled me to move downhill enough so that I could shoot near his eye level.

The shade was so deep that there wasn't much light to work with. This photo was shot at ISO 10000, 1/250 second at f/5.6, 400mm lens, handheld with image stabilization on the lens.

Newborn Whitetail Deer Fawn

2011-06-09T10:05:00.000-07:00

This is a recently born whitetail deer fawn that I spotted in the deep woods. The fawns instinctively lie motionless to avoid detection. After a couple days or so they are strong enough to run away from danger.

The fawn was in deep shade when I first noticed it but there were shafts of sunlight penetrating the canopy in spots. I waited at a respectable distance until a sunbeam tracked onto the fawn and got this image.

The mother was not in the immediate vicinity but it is common for the does to forage farther away and return later to nurse the fawns. I also figured that a twin might be nearby so I looked very carefully but never saw another one.

Hunter/Jumper Horse Show

2011-06-02T11:43:00.000-07:00

This photograph was taken at a recent hunter/jumper horse show as a young rider jumps a fence. I like the excitement that is generated by the head-on approach so I often position myself directly in front of a jump. The height of this jump was only two feet so the horse was only in the air for a split second. I got lucky with the timing because this is the peak. Also, I dropped to my knees to get a lower angle and framed tightly so the bottom of the jump is not visible. This allows the viewer to think the jump may be higher than it actually was. The low angle also gives us an uncluttered background behind the rider.

The image was taken late morning with the sun fairly high. The girl's face is visible but I would have preferred that there wasn't so much shadow under her helmet. We can't control the sun or the schedule of the horse show so we shoot regardless.

100-400 lens at 320mm, 1/1250 second at f/5.6, ISO 200.

Beagle Dog in the Sun

2011-05-27T07:42:00.000-07:00

A beagle dog laying in the morning sunshine. I was sitting on bleachers while waiting to photograph a horse show. The action was slow getting started and not many people were around yet, giving me lots of room to maneuver in front of the dog. Plus, the bleachers were unusually wide, allowing me to lie down on my stomach to get as low as possible. The intent was to separate the dog's head as much as possible from the clutter in the background as well as get close to his eye level. The sun was bright but not yet high enough to cause harsh shadows. This image benefits from the alert expression because his ears are up and his mouth is closed. This is what drew me to attempt this photo and I was fortunate that he stayed alert while I shot a few frames.

100-400 lens at 400mm, 1/1000 at f/5.6, ISO 160.

Lacrosse players in action during a game-3.

2011-05-19T06:01:00.000-07:00

This photograph shows the intensity of a lacrosse game with the opposing players in violent contact with each other. The action happens so quickly that it is difficult for me to capture shots like this very often. Player #8 has the ball, although it is hard to see. But his face is very visible and this adds so much to the drama of the image. His body is contorted by the impact of the other player's stick, making this a "peak action" moment. The bleachers in the background are blurred and this helps the players to stand out. Also, it's nice that the bleachers are empty because there is less clutter to distract the viewer.

This image was taken in the late evening with an overcast sky. The lighting was from a combination of floodlights and some remaining light from the sky. ISO 5000, 100-400 lens at 400mm, 1/800 second at f/5.6.

Lacrosse players in action during a game-2.

2011-05-12T12:41:00.000-07:00

This is an exciting photograph of high school lacrosse players in action. Player number 3 is carrying the ball and both his feet are off the ground. The player chasing him is airborne, too, but even more dramatically. The action happened so fast I didn't know I had captured this until editing the images later. What fun! The players stand out nicely against the background of grass. Many of my shots had bleachers in the background and those were not nearly so nice because of the clutter.

This image was taken late in the game and it was lit mostly by the floodlights. 70-200 lens at 200mm, 1/640 second at f2.8, ISO 5000.

Lacrosse Player ready to shoot.

2011-05-05T05:07:00.000-07:00

Here is a lacrosse player winding up to shoot the ball at the goal. Several factors contributed to this photo being a nice lacrosse image. First, the player is isolated from any other players, which is unusual during the game. Second, the player's uniform contrasts nicely with the background so he stands out very well. Third, his stance indicates great action. Last, the ball is visible.

I have not photographed many lacrosse games and still have difficulty following the ball as it gets passed back and forth. The action is very fast and the distance to subject changes rapidly. I was quite pleased, then, to get a shot like this.

100-400 lens at 380mm, 1/800 second at f5.6, ISO 1000.

Lacrosse Action

2011-04-29T11:38:00.000-07:00

This was taken at a high school varsity boys lacrosse game at dusk. This sport provides quite a challenge to get nice action shots because the players change directions so rapidly. This particular photo is nice because one player has the ball, the ball is visible and his face is visible. Many times the player's faces are turned away from the camera.

The photograph was lit mostly by the stadium floodlights with a little help from the dwindling light in the sky. 100-400 lens at 260mm, 1/500 second at f/5.6, ISO 12800 on the Canon Mk IV body. Quite a bit of visible noise in the image but it will still look nice in the smaller print sizes. Shortly after this photo was taken the sky turned so dark that I couldn't get a fast enough shutter speed anymore. I will switch to the 70-200mm f/2.8 lens in the future, though, when the light gets that low. Trade some magnification for the opportunity to keep shooting.

Two Ducks in Flight

2011-04-20T10:31:00.000-07:00

This pair of flying mallard ducks was photographed before landing in a nearby creek. This is the fourth frame in a sequence of five shots I took as they made a fast, banking turn and descended. All five images are pretty neat because the wings were cupped nicely in all of them. In this frame both ducks were banking at almost the same angle and they looked very synchronized.

I also liked the lighting. Hazy, late morning sun was behind me and this lit the birds very nicely. Clouds had begun to move in from the west to make the sky darker behind the ducks. I switched the camera to an auto exposure mode because of the rapidly fluctuating light levels caused by these advancing clouds. Handheld, 400mm lens, 1/2500 second at f5.6, ISO 250, aperture-priority mode with +.67 exposure compensation.

Waterfowl in Flight Photo Gallery

2011-04-15T06:50:00.000-07:00

We have just posted photographs of waterfowl in flight to our online gallery. These photos are our favorites from the Spring, 2011 season and include both ducks and geese. Many of the images were taken as the birds were in hot descent with cupped wings and feet down. Pretty exciting for those of us that like to watch this. Click this gallery link to see them all! For anyone that might like a print there is instant online ordering.

Canada Geese in Flight

2011-04-14T05:34:00.000-07:00

Two Canada geese in flight, descending with cupped wings. I was set up near the shore of a pond to photograph incoming waterfowl and normally I like to have the birds descending toward me. There was no wind on this morning so the ducks and geese were landing from every direction. I took three frames as the two geese set their wings and glided to the water. This photo was unique because the closest goose turned its head in my direction and its mouth was open as it called.

100-400 lens at 350mm, 1/1600 second at f5.6, set manually, ISO 400, handheld.

Soaring Turkey Vulture

2011-04-04T12:17:00.000-07:00

This soaring turkey vulture got pretty close to me while I was photographing ducks in flight. I have seen them at a distance and haven't been particularly interested in photographing them. Late one afternoon, though, this one was circling a pond and creek where I was positioned and he kept getting closer. What the heck, he got close enough for me to see good detail and there was great contrast against the blue sky. The soaring vulture is much slower than the ducks coming in hot so it was an easy shot. The camera was set manually, 1/1250 second at f6.3, ISO 400, 400mm lens.

American Mink

2011-03-23T04:44:00.000-07:00

What incredible luck to get a nice photograph of an American mink. I was positioned near a creek bank hoping to get photos of ducks descending into the creek. I spotted the mink when he climbed to the top of the bank about 20 yards away from me. He was in shade until he reached this spot about 10 yards away and stopped briefly to look back. I took this one photo and he was in motion again. I got one more image before he disappeared over the edge.

This section of creek is not far from civilization and the bank has been reinforced to prevent erosion. The mink is standing on stones that are held in place with a wire cage. The creek behind the mink and the far bank are both in deep shade, which is why the background is so dark.

Ducks approaching with cupped wings.

2011-03-15T12:16:00.000-07:00

The ducks are finally starting to get active after the long winter. The ponds are still frozen but I was positioned near a fast-moving creek with open water. These two mallard ducks are descending with cupped wings toward the creek. They came in hot and fast; notice that their feet are not yet deployed as air brakes. This is the last frame in a series I got with the motor drive running. After this shot they screamed over my head and I lost focus.

Setting the exposure can be tricky against the sky because the meter tells the camera to stop down too much, resulting in underexposure. This photo was taken shortly after sunrise on a cloudless day so the light was predictable. I metered against a neutral background of trees and manually set the camera to expose at 1/1000 second at f6.3, ISO 400 with a 400mm lens. Notice that the hen is sharply focused but there isn't enough depth of field for both ducks. The drake was following too far behind and is quite soft.

New store for calendars and t-shirts.

2011-02-08T11:01:00.000-08:00

A new online store has been set up at Zazzle to enable the purchase of some of our products. We've placed many of our popular calendars here, including several volumes of "Ducks in Flight" and "Whitetail Deer." All of these feature exciting wildlife photography. Also, some of our most popular waterfowl t-shirt designs have been uploaded and more are on the way. These designs are all created from our photographs of ducks in flight. The Zazzle store allows purchasers to customize many of these designs with their own text, such as slogans or names.

create & buy custom products at Zazzle

Wooden Boat Art-2

2011-02-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

This image of a speeding wooden boat was created by applying some special effects to a color photograph. The goal was to create an image that resembled a charcoal drawing. Two different artistic filters were blended together with the computer. One filter added most of the shading but lacked the desired detail. The second filter brought back some of the detail but with noticeable loss of the shading. Careful blending of the two allowed the important characteristics to remain.

The boat, PALM BEACH DAYS, was built by Mark Mason of New England Boat & Motor. It is a reproduction of a 1923 Ditchburn racer and identical to the Gold Cup champion EL LAGARTO. We photographed her at speed in the St. Clair River near Algonac, Michigan.

Photograph Hunter/Jumper Horse Shows

2011-01-28T07:19:00.000-08:00

Our newest ebook, "How to Photograph Hunter/Jumper Horse Shows," has been published. This book is focused specifically on capturing stunning images of horses in action at hunter/jumper shows and it draws on our many experiences at the show rings. Amateur photographers, especially the parents, relatives and friends of riders, can see what kinds of photographs are possible and how to take them. Abundant photographs taken at actual horse shows are used throughout the book to illustrate the many helpful tips. Learn about positioning, timing, camera settings and many other topics.

A sample of the book can be downloaded at no charge. Multiple formats for the various e-reader devices and computers are available for purchase at the bookstore.

Three Deer in Snow

2011-01-20T09:49:00.000-08:00

This group of whitetail deer posed themselves very nicely and I was attracted to the composition. The heads of the three does are positioned in a triangle shape with the nearest head at the top. The horizontal tree branch would be mostly unnoticed if not for the snow on top. But that snow adds some natural framing, along with the vertical tree trunks on each side. The early morning sun was shining through the trees in scattered patches. How fortunate that these deer were laying in one of those patches!

The photograph was not just a snapshot, of course. I spotted the deer in the sunlight from some distance away and slowly moved within range. There were additional sideways adjustments until the three heads were composed and I shot from my knees to lower the angle.

Whitetail Deer Fight

2011-01-12T09:46:00.000-08:00

These two ten-point bucks were not really fighting. They were gently sparring with their antlers and it only lasted 10 seconds or so. The picture is cool, though, as it certainly looks like it could be a real fight. These deer were together when I first saw them that morning and showed no signs of hostility. Fortunately, I was close enough to get a few shots when they started butting heads. I would have preferred to be more to my right side and a little lower but the show was over before I could risk moving and spooking them. The sun was still quite low so I was lucky that the deer were close to the little sunbeam. There were many areas of the woods that were still in deep shade. This was shot at 1/500 sec at f5.6, ISO 500, 400mm lens.

Buck Rubbing Antlers

2011-01-06T06:34:00.000-08:00

This ten-point buck whitetail deer is rubbing his antlers on a tree trunk. This was taken in mid-November during the rut (mating season) and the buck had just finished mating with a doe. His antlers had been polished much earlier in the fall but his hormones were really raging this particular day! He raked this tree for about five minutes while I got a series of shots. The doe he was tending was laying just a few feet out of the picture.

The morning started very foggy but most of the fog had dissipated by 8:30 when this shot was taken. Nonetheless, the heavy overcast did not allow much light into the woods. The buck was moving his head pretty rapidly so I boosted the ISO to 2500 to get a shutter speed of 1/640 second to stop the motion. 400mm lens at f5.6.

Buck Whitetail Deer

2010-12-15T10:39:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite whitetail deer photographs taken during the rut about a month ago. The buck has a great set of antlers with a total of eight points and long tines. The morning had very dense fog which is still visible in the background. I had been watching the buck slowly approach in my direction as he had considerable interest in a couple of nearby does. Unfortunately for him, a ten point buck was tending the does and this guy decided to keep his distance. This proved fortunate for me, though, because he lingered in this spot for a couple of minutes. I took this photo as the sun began burning through the fog and cast a nice soft light on the deer. 1/400 at f5.6, ISO 1000, handheld with a 100-400mm lens with image stabilization.

Flight Duck Artwork

2010-12-08T12:06:00.000-08:00

A special effect was added to this photograph of a drake mallard duck in crossing flight. The original photo is below. The treatment is similar to that on the boat images in the December 2 post.

Filters were added to the original photograph with the computer to give a black & white, 3D texture to the duck. Some color was then brought back to the speculum and the head.

We have six different duck images with this effect that are available through our gallery at the ImageKind Store. Many other original photographs of waterfowl in flight can also be seen there.

Wooden Boat Art

2010-12-02T05:13:00.000-08:00

Special effects were added to these wooden boat photographs to create some interesting artwork. The boat is an antique, wooden Hackercraft runabout that I photographed in the summer. See the September 14 blog entry for more information on that shoot.

I applied some filters in Photoshop to create the effects and brought back some of the original color to portions of the boat and the flag. Seven different boat photos, of two different boats, have had this effect applied to them. The nautical gallery at our ImageKind Store is offering these images as prints with available custom framing.

Whitetail Deer; buck in fog

2010-11-29T06:53:00.000-08:00

A nice ten-point whitetail deer buck in the early morning fog. This photo was taken in mid-November during the rut. The bucks were relentless in their pursuit of does and more active than usual. Initially, I was upset with the fog because I didn't think there would be a chance for a pleasing image. The fog greatly reduces contrast as well as the available light. I spotted some nervous does in a meadow and got into position in time to see this buck come out of the woods to follow the does.

The light had just turned really sweet as the sun began to burn through the fog. It made all the difference for this image as the antlers and his face are lit very nicely. The tail adds another point of interest. The wooded background is nicely concealed by the fog so there is no clutter. In spite of the fog I was able to expose at a fairly low ISO of 800. 1/1250 at f5.6, 100-400mm lens at 400mm.

Whitetail Deer - Eight-point Buck

2010-11-18T06:14:00.000-08:00

An eight point whitetail deer buck in the woods during the rut. Long tines on the antlers and a swollen neck. He was cruising the woods recently while looking for does. In this photo he actually has spotted a couple does that were nearby. The lighting is tricky in the woods as most of it is in shadow with scattered patches of sunlight. I had been watching this buck as he approached and was fortunate to be in range when he stepped into a sunbeam and stopped. The darker woods behind him offer a nice contrast to his well-lit head.

How to Photograph Alpine Ski Racing

2010-11-04T09:54:00.000-07:00

We just published "How to Photograph Alpine Ski Racing." This is an ebook that is focused specifically on capturing stunning images of downhill slalom and giant slalom skiers. Amateur photographers can see what is possible to achieve and learn how to do it. Numerous photographs that were taken at actual races are used throughout to illustrate the many helpful tips. These images were chosen from my many years of experience learning the best techniques. Locations, positioning, camera settings, composition and more are all discussed.

The book is available for purchase and immediate downloading in multiple e-reader formats. Go to the bookstore now!

Whitetail Deer - 10 pt. Buck

2010-10-29T07:36:00.000-07:00

I was very excited to get this photograph last week. This is a magnificent 10 point whitetail deer buck. The rut (mating season) is in the very early stages and he was showing some interest in nearby does. This section of woods still has quite a canopy of leaves so the light is uneven with a lot of deep shade. I had to be patient as the buck moved in this area until he stepped into a small sunbeam and turned his head. The polished antlers show very well.

The fur on the side of his body is covered with brown, sticky seeds. I suspected this as I watched him and later confirmed it when the image was enlarged on the computer. I have been into these seeds myself and they are a real nuisance!

Golden Retriever Puppy-2

2010-10-21T07:39:00.000-07:00

Here is another image from the recent photo shoot of the three golden retriever puppies. They were about 7 weeks old at the time. All three puppies were loose in the yard at the same time and they usually went in different directions. It was challenging for the owner and his daughter to keep track of them but for me it was easier to get shots of each one individually.

We tied a lightweight toy to the line on a fishing pole. In this image the puppy is trying to grab the toy, which is just out of the frame and can't be seen. The puppy was in constant motion, spinning around and jumping. I was lying in the grass and couldn't move quickly. I had to try and get the shots during the fractions of seconds that the dog was facing my general direction. I shot many frames and finally got a nice one.

This shot is special because of the background. Notice that the puppy's head is framed between the trees and shows so well against the darker background. I could not have posed this; it's the advantage of having many images to choose from. Great fun! 70-200 lens at 100mm. f3.2 for shallow depth of field.

How to Photograph Marching Bands

2010-10-13T05:28:00.000-07:00

"How to Photograph Marching Bands" is an ebook that was just published. It is focused specifically on capturing stunning images of marching bands. Amateur photographers can see what is possible to achieve and learn how to do it. Numerous photographs are used throughout to illustrate the many helpful tips. These images were chosen from my many years of experience learning the best techniques. Locations, positioning, camera settings, composition and more are all discussed.

The book is available for purchase and immediate downloading in multiple e-reader formats. Go to the bookstore!

Golden Retriever Puppy

2010-10-08T07:42:00.000-07:00

Here is a golden retriever puppy dog at about 7 weeks old. I recently photographed a litter of three and had a great time doing it. This photo is quite deceiving because the three puppies were rarely still. I shot primarily while lying prone on the grass and frequently this left me vulnerable to being climbed upon. The owner and his daughter were indispensable. They chased the wandering puppies, gave them toys and pulled them from my back.

We photographed in the late afternoon and had nice light in much of the yard. I used the 70-200 lens at varying focal lengths and a wide aperture to keep the foreground and background blurry.

Kiteboarder flipping in mid-air.

2010-09-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

We happened upon a couple of kiteboarders enjoying a windy afternoon on Lake St. Clair. The wind was too strong for good waterskiing so we motored in the direction of the kites to watch this sport instead. The kiteboarders were tacking back and forth in a predictable manner so we were able to keep the boat near enough to get some photographs. One of the boarders obliged us by doing some of his best stunts, as shown here, while very close to the boat.

This image was shot with the lens set at 80mm, although it has been slightly cropped at the top. I was trying to shoot fairly wide so as to include some of the lake and shore for perspective but I only got the tops of the trees on the shoreline. I also took some shots that were framed much tighter but most of the time we were facing the mid-afternoon sun. This sport would be fun to photograph again when the light isn't so harsh.

Wooden Boat at High Speed

2010-09-22T07:01:00.000-07:00

This is from a recent shoot of an antique, wooden Gar Wood boat. The boat is a nicely restored 1936 28' triple-cockpit runabout and we were photographing it shortly after sunrise on Lake St. Clair. The intent was to photograph some high speed turns and the driver was following a course that would bring the boat away from the shoreline before turning sharply toward me. The plan worked well and we got nice shots of the boat in action with nothing but the lake on the horizon.

This particular shot was not really part of the plan. I was tracking the boat and waiting for it to get away from shore and closer to me when I noticed the stark contrast. The boat is brightly lit and shows well against the dark water and the dark trees. It turned out to be one of my favorite shots from the morning.

I was standing in the water and the waves prevented me from standing very still. I compensated with a relatively fast shutter speed. This was shot at 1/1000 at 5.6, ISO 400, lens at 400mm.

High Speed Turn-Wooden Boat

2010-09-14T05:44:00.000-07:00

Here are two photographs of an antique, wooden boat at high speed. The boat is a 1930 30' triple-cockpit, Hackercraft runabout operating on Lake St. Clair, Michigan. This photo shoot was planned and coordinated closely with the driver. I was standing in water about 4 feet deep because I like the low angle.

The plan was to drive the boat on a path perpendicular to me, then make a sharp turn in my direction. I fired a series of shots during the maneuver to capture the entire turn but my original objective was to get this second image with the boat directly facing me. I got the shot but the overall impact was less than desired. I expected the front of the boat to stay more out of the water which would give a much greater sense of action. Racing hulls will respond that way. Instead, on this hull the bow actually digs in on a turn and the sense of speed is diminished. Nonetheless, its a pretty cool shot with the spray and the boat banking sharply.

Horse Show; jumping a fence.

2010-09-08T07:33:00.000-07:00

This horse and rider are jumping a fence during the recent Traders Point Horse Show in Zionsville, Indiana. I took many photos while I was there for a couple of days but this one stood out. Usually, the background is filled with distracting elements such as tents and people that are close to the rings where the horses are jumping. The background here is much cleaner than normal and the horse and girl stand out nicely. Also, the late afternoon sun is more flattering than during the middle of the day.

This image is an example of how several factors came together at the right time. I was only allowed to shoot from a couple of sides so it was fortunate that I could be looking toward the empty background. Behind me were tents and clutter. And it was fortunate that this rider had her class late in the day with the low sun behind me. These things are beyond my control but on this shot it worked out well.

Portrait of little girl.

2010-08-30T06:55:00.000-07:00

I photographed this 2 year old girl a couple weeks ago and got a nice series of expressive shots. The setting was outside on a lawn and the sky was overcast. This gave us soft, even light. She was sitting on the grass and we had a toy next to her to keep her in one place. I shot some very nice images while lying down but usually had some part of the distant sky in the background. This made a small distraction but by sitting up I could get the background that was more uniform. The camera is still low enough to be almost at eye level.

I used the 70-200 lens at 150mm and the aperture was almost wide open to limit the depth of field.

High-speed Maneuver; Malibu ski boat.

2010-08-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

This is a Malibu Sunsetter VLX inboard ski boat in a high-speed turn. The driver and I were practicing a technique we want to use later this month when shooting some antique, wooden speedboats. The boat has to cross in front of the camera and the driver must turn very sharply. The image is taken during the turn when the boat is pointed directly at the camera.

This ski boat stays quite flat, even during a sharp, high-speed turn, so the image isn't as dramatic as I would like. But the boat is banking slightly, and there is air visible under the boat's left side, so one gets some sense of action. I expect the antique boats to bank more when doing this maneuver because of the different hull design. Stay tuned; we hope to try it again later this month.

Pistol bullet in mid-air

2010-07-27T05:08:00.000-07:00

I am totally amazed at this photograph. The bullet is visible in mid-air after being fired from the pistol. I drew an arrow on the image that points at the gold-colored bullet.

I photographed a day-long tactical pistol training course and took over 1000 photos. It was routine to get images with empty brass cartridge cases in the air as they were ejected. No motor drive needed. I would try to time the shutter release as close as I could to the gun being fired. In this photo the bullet has just exited the muzzle, the slide has moved to the rear and the empty case is visible but not yet ejected.

This image was shot at 1/2500 sec. and the bullet has a little motion blur that is visible when the photo is enlarged.

Offshore Powerboat Race

2010-07-21T05:21:00.000-07:00

This boat was racing in the Offshore Powerboat Association Racing Series on Lake St. Clair near Mt. Clemens, Michigan on Sunday. I was stationed on a 30' day cruiser idling along the outside perimeter of the course. The lake was choppy and it led to this shot of the race boat getting airborne. It also made photography very difficult as the boat was constantly pitching and rolling. Not only was it hard to hold the camera but I couldn't even keep my balance. I shot this at 1/4000, not as much to stop the boat action but to stop my serious camera movement.

I was able to get several nice shots of the boats crossing directly in front and they were close enough to fill the frame. I like this one, though, because there is so much bright white spray that contrasts with the water and boat. The image portrays more speed and action than the closer shots I got.

Slalom Water Skier

2010-07-14T12:03:00.000-07:00

Here is a photograph of a waterskier carving a turn during open water skiing. If he were running a slalom course there would be a buoy in the water for him to turn around. I rode in the boat, kneeling on a seat near the stern.

I will often frame very tightly on the skier because I like close-ups. This is challenging with a medium-long lens because a boat running at 36 mph will have some bounce in the open water. For this shot I backed off a little and placed the skier in the upper right. This makes the rope come from the lower left, making a nice diagonal line that leads directly to the subject. I like this composition. And the skiers like seeing more of their spray than would be visible on a tight shot.

1/2000 at 5.6, ISO 200, lens at 140mm. Taken at 9:30 AM. I prefer a lower sun angle and softer light but we didn't get out early enough.

Horse and rider jumping a fence-3.

2010-07-07T12:32:00.000-07:00

This photograph of a horse and rider jumping a fence was recently taken at a horse show at the Kentucky Horse Park. There are several aspects that help make a nice image of a jumper. First, the timing here was at the peak of the action. I certainly don't claim to nail this all the time and I get pretty excited when I do. The front legs of the horse are still tucked fairly tightly and the rear legs are off the ground. Second, the face of the girl is visible and recognizable. Third, I was able to get close to the jump at ground level. The height of the horse and rider is accentuated when the camera is looking slightly upward. I can't always position myself in such a good spot as some of the spectator areas are slightly elevated. I have made some very nice images of the jumpers from other angles but this one is very dramatic.

300mm lens, 1/500 at 5.6. I usually try for a faster shutter speed as the action can be stopped more reliably but this one came out perfectly sharp.

Rolex clock at Kentucky Horse Park

2010-06-28T11:40:00.000-07:00

I spent several days at a horse show in Lexington, Kentucky and got this photograph of the Rolex clock outside the stadium at the Kentucky Horse Park. I was wandering the grounds shortly after sunrise one morning while waiting for the show to begin. I took a couple shots of the clock earlier but it was shaded by distant trees. It blended into the sky and the image was not anything special. When I returned about 10 minutes later the sun had just started to light the clock and really made the image pop. 6:58 AM and the light is sweet. Five minutes after this was taken the sun was already too harsh.

I was pretty lucky because I did not pre-plan this shot. Just happened to be in the spot at the right time.

Young buck deer in velvet.

2010-06-15T04:49:00.000-07:00

This is a young whitetail deer buck photographed in a field. His velvet antlers are just starting to sprout.

It was about 9:00 AM and the sun was already quite high so the light was harsh and direct. Most of the field is open meadow and the deer blend in very well. I usually pass on taking photos there. In this case, though, the buck was standing in front of denser woods. This provided enough contrast that the deer's head stood out very nicely.

I much prefer softer light but I kept the photo because this was a buck in velvet, and his antlers show well against the darker background.

Whitetail Deer Portrait

2010-06-09T11:18:00.000-07:00

This photograph of a female whitetail deer was taken yesterday at the edge of a meadow. I had been watching her from deep shade and cover as she fed in the open but the scene did not look to be anything special. Plus, the sunlight was strong and harsh. When the doe moved closer to the shade I began to see photo opportunities.

The challenge, then, was getting a nice background. Most of the open meadow was too bright and the contrast with the shade was considerable. I waited and waited until finally the deer moved to a spot with dark trees in the background. Some sunlight filtering through the trees and hitting her face, her head and ears showing well against the dark green, ears perked. Nice.

Lacrosse players in action during a game.

2010-05-24T05:21:00.000-07:00

Here are two more photographs from the high school varsity lacrosse game. These are part of a high-speed sequence taken when the action was close to me. It was nice that the players were facing me, which often was not the case. Players from both teams are in the photos and close to each other so there is a good sense of the intense competition.

100-400mm lens set at 330mm for the top photo and the red player is barely visible. I zoomed out slightly as the players rapidly approached. In the bottom photo the lens was at 310mm. Now we can see all of the red player and the ball is visible in the pocket of his stick.

Lacrosse player jumping to catch the ball.

2010-05-18T05:33:00.000-07:00

I recently photographed a high school varsity lacrosse game and found it quite challenging. The action is fast and the players are up and down the field so much that it is difficult to keep up with them. This is one of my favorite images from the game for several reasons. First, the ball is very visible in the pocket as the player has just caught it. Second, the player is jumping and both feet are off the ground. Third, the player is isolated and clearly recognizable to his parents.

The net behind the player is somewhat objectionable but nothing could be done about that. Also, one could make the case that having some members of the opposing team in the frame would enhance the feeling of competition. Many of my other shots from the game do indeed have that aspect and I will post some of them, too. But I like this shot as more of an action portrait, so to speak. Shots like this can't be scripted during an actual game so I was pleased to come home with it.

Bison cow and calf.

2010-05-13T06:18:00.000-07:00

This photograph of a bison cow and her calf was taken a few hours after my initial contact shown in the posting of May 6. The herd was in the same area of woods where I had earlier eluded them. The light was stronger and I wanted to take advantage of that. I noticed this cow with her calf standing somewhat apart from the others and was able to quickly get this shot. I intentionally placed the cow's head in the upper left of the frame because of where she is looking. As before, the bison started to approach us but we were again able to remove ourselves from the area. 350mm, 1/500 sec at f5.6, ISO 1250.

Fallow Deer in Woods

2010-05-10T13:22:00.000-07:00

I found this bedded fallow deer while photographing on the same private ranch that has the bison. This deer was almost completely white. The coat looked somewhat mangy because it was in the process of transitioning from the winter coat to the summer version. The deer provides a stunning contrast with the dark colors of the trees and captures the viewers attention.

This was shot in the middle of the day with a slightly overcast sky so the light was very even and diffused.

Herd of Bison

2010-05-06T04:28:00.000-07:00

I shot this photo of a bison herd on a private ranch near Cheboygan, Michigan. The herd numbered about a dozen animals when I spotted them about 100 yards away. I was content to get a group shot from that respectable distance but when they saw me they all started to walk toward me. I don't know what motivated them and they did not appear agitated. Nonetheless, I started slowly backtracking since many of these animals are as tall as a pickup truck and they were spread out in a line while coming at me. It felt like the hunter had become the hunted.

I took this photo while in retreat at about 60 yards as they kept closing the distance. I finally was able to take a route through a narrow corner of woods. The bison stopped there while I continued out the other side.

The time was 6:51 AM, slight overcast sky, ISO 5000, 400mm IS lens handheld, 1/320 at 5.6 on the Canon Mk IV body.

Mid-air Bicycle at Skatepark-2

2010-04-19T06:15:00.001-07:00

This is the same bmx rider as in the photograph in the previous post. Different ramp and angle. I moved much closer to the ramp, got more in front and crouched low. Lens set at 50mm here. The rider is getting more height than before but the angle really contributes to the sense of action. The bike came from camera-right and up the ramp, turned in 90 degrees in mid-air and came down on the ramp facing me. I started shooting as soon as he became airborne. This is the fourth frame in the sequence, at maximum height.

Mid-air Bicycle at Skatepark

2010-04-14T06:11:00.000-07:00

This photo of a bicycle rider in mid-air was taken in a local skatepark. BMX with ramps and concrete. This boy made frequent jumps off the ramps and turned 90 degrees in the air to land on connecting ramps. I was able to get shots from multiple angles and distances. Also, some neat sequences with the motor drive running.

This was late afternoon so the sun was low enough that the shadows were not obnoxious but the light was still strong. 1/1000 @ f5.0, ISO 250, lens at 100mm.

Flying Geese

2010-04-01T11:17:00.000-07:00

Three flying Canada Geese descending with cupped wings and feet down. This photograph was taken in the same area as the ducks in the previous post. Unlike the ducks, however, the geese descend at a slower speed so it is much easier to track and maintain focus.

I was tracking the goose in the center and it looked like he would come right in for an awesome close-up. The two on the left came in from the side, almost colliding, and all three then landed far off to my right. I got some more frames as they descended but I really wanted the close, head-on shot. This was taken about an hour after sunrise so the light is low enough to give detail on the underside of the body.

400mm lens, ISO 400, 1/1250 at 5.6.

Flying Ducks

2010-03-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

Three flying drake mallard ducks in a rapid descent with wings cupped. I spend many hours (days!) trying to get shots like this. These are coming in to a landing but the airspeed is still wicked fast. Also, they don't track in a straight line but, instead, will often bank quickly to one side or the other. These three are with a hen that already side-slipped out of my frame on the right side. Very difficult for the tracking focus to lock on and keep up with the rapidly changing distance. When the ducks get closer to the water they will slow their speed but they also start backpedaling with the wings so we don't see the wings cupped like this.

I hand-hold the camera and it moves a great deal when I'm shooting like this. With the lens at 400mm I compensate by using a fast shutter speed, usually 1/1250 sec. This image is nice and sharp. But the main problem is getting the focus to lock on.

Indoor Horse Show

2010-03-15T10:25:00.000-07:00

A junior rider and her horse jumping a fence during an indoor horse show. I like the shot because the timing was good (not always the case). The lighting, though, was poor. Quite a few windows in the arena but still not enough ambient light for action. I suggested setting a couple of flashes on stands at one jump but management preferred that I use on-camera flash to enable shooting multiple jumps. That worked in the sense that I took many more photos but resulted in the awful reflections in both the horse's and rider's eyes, plus shadows behind them.

Girl leaping over a wall.

2010-03-12T11:26:00.000-08:00

This photograph of a girl leaping over a wall was taken the same night as the prior post of the jumping dog. She was one of the volunteers setting the course for the horse show the next day and decided to try one of the jumps for herself. This shot was not planned. I noticed her starting to run and quickly pre-focused on the wall in front of her. It happened in about 2 seconds. No cropping either. I was using a 70-200 f2.8 zoom and it was previously set at 135mm. I didn't even have time to think about changing the focal length but it didn't matter. Nice tight shot.

Dog Jumping Over a Wall

2010-03-04T10:34:00.000-08:00

This dog is jumping over a wall in an indoor riding arena. This was taken the evening before I photographed a horse show and volunteers had just finished setting a course for the next day. The wooden wall is painted to look like bricks and is one of the fences that horses will jump during the show. Kids started playing with the beagle after their work was finished and I set up in front of the fence to capture the fun.

I had been shooting candids of the kids at a rapid pace and was using a simple on-camera flash for speed and mobility. I had another light and stand in the vehicle, along with radio triggers, and would have preferred to use that. It would have prevented the reflections in the dog's eyes. But this action was spur-of-the-moment and didn't last long so I was happy to get a couple of quick shots.

Camera exposure set manually to underexpose the background.

Horse Show Art

2010-02-17T05:12:00.000-08:00

This design uses photographs of jumpers taken last year at some horse shows. The intent is to portray an exhibit of photographs on gallery walls with the added surprise of a horse and rider jumping out of a picture. The floor, walls, sign and picture frames are computer-generated. There are two copies of the photo on the right to facilitate the distortion, masking and shadow effect.

Two Curious Deer

2010-02-11T07:01:00.000-08:00

I was watching these whitetail deer for quite awhile and slowly working closer to get within good camera range. Four deer were milling about in the same area but they weren't doing anything that might make a great photo. Once I was close enough, though, I stayed and watched for awhile longer. Patience was rewarded when these two looked in the same direction with their ears perked. I believe they were interested in the other two deer for some reason but the moment lasted only long enough for one photograph. This one shot made my entire morning worthwhile.

Deer in winter with visible breath.

2010-02-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

I found some whitetail deer yesterday in some open hardwoods. I spotted this one bedded behind a log and I could only see her ears. But I noticed her breath condensing in the cold air and decided to try for a shot of that. I maneuvered so she would be backlit and perhaps better show the breath. She stood when she noticed my approach and offered this shot before leaving. On the full size image the breath is apparent on both sides of her face. No wind and the temperature was in the mid to upper teens.

Troy Nature Center Buck

2010-01-31T04:48:00.000-08:00

I posted this photograph of a non-typical whitetail deer buck with a drop-tine antler on November 24, 2009. It was taken in the woods at the Troy Nature Center where I occasionally will hike. I just heard about the controversy surrounding the killing of a buck in December that may be the same deer as in this photo. Notice the very distinctive curved drop-tine off his right antler. An amateur photographer has posted many good photos of this buck and it appears to be the same animal that was killed by a person who claims he killed it while hunting. There is no hunting allowed in the Nature Center, obviously, so many people are wondering whether this animal was poached at night. This buck had been seen regularly by many visitors to the park up until December 21 or so. Then it disappeared and hasn't been seen since.

There is an article about this ongoing investigation in the February edition of WOODS-N-WATER NEWS that includes photos, plus some online forums such as Michigan Sportsman.

Whitetail deer calendars

2010-01-15T06:42:00.000-08:00

We have two new calendars featuring our photographs of whitetail deer. These have been added to the others at our Cafe Press product sales site. Our favorite images of deer are continually collected and then periodically assembled into calendars. The new ones feature some nice shots of fawns in addition to the does and bucks.

Copy and paste this address to view Vol. 2:

http://www.cafepress.com/digitaloutdoors.427091962

Copy and paste this address to view Vol. 3:

http://www.cafepress.com/digitaloutdoors.427182035

There are some duck calendars, too, in a different section of the store.

Flickr photo site

2010-01-12T11:57:00.000-08:00

We now have an account on the Flickr site. Flickr is hugely popular and most of you are probably already familiar with it. Great search capability. We will still maintain and update our sales-oriented site at Zenfolio but will now also be uploading content to Flickr as new images are created.

All of you are welcome to become a "contact" to receive notice of new photographs being posted. Use this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/danteetorphotography/

The link is also in the column on the right side of this page. Hope to see you!

Mallard duck finding sunlight.

2010-01-08T10:11:00.000-08:00

This photograph captures a mallard duck as he descends into a creek. The unusual lighting makes it special and I was pretty excited to get the shot. The late afternoon sun was very low. The creek bank opposite me is high so it was in deep shade. There was no bank where I was positioned and I could be near water level. A proper exposure on the duck's head leaves the creek bank very underexposed with hardly any detail except for some patches of snow. It's really neat that the head is lit and the white tips of the tail feathers show so nicely.

100 to 400mm lens set at about 325mm. The exposure is tricky but also the focus. A rapidly descending bird is hard enough to follow in a clear sky but this area has trees in addition to the creek bank. Most of my shots from that position were not usable at all because it was so difficult to maintain focus and properly expose.

http://danteetor.zenfolio.com/p169605239/e1b5f59a4#h1b5f59a4

Sneaking Whitetail Deer Buck

2010-01-05T13:07:00.000-08:00

What luck! I had been shadowing this whitetail deer buck for a good part of the morning. I was getting some interesting shots but as I tried to get closer he saw me and left. I then found a group of does and was busy working towards them when the same buck came over a ridge following the doe trail. He was very close! And so intent on the does that he paid little attention to me as I remained motionless.

400mm lens at less than 25 yards. Open hardwoods in the winter so the light was pretty nice.

Raging storm and lighthouse

2009-12-15T04:40:00.001-08:00

Another photograph of the December 9 blizzard in Marquette, Michigan, on Lake Superior. This is the same location as the photo in the previous post: The lighthouse and breakwater at the upper harbor. The lighthouse was functioning and I was able to time the photo to capture it. The timing itself was not all that difficult but I had to be patient because the blowing snow often totally obscured the lighthouse.

Raging Blizzard

2009-12-11T12:29:00.000-08:00

I attended the blizzard in Marquette, Michigan two days ago on Wednesday, December 9. I couldn't get out of town but I was able to get to the upper harbor and take some photos of raging Lake Superior. The waves are crashing into the breakwater at Presque Isle. The blowing snow limited the visibility but the lighthouse can be seen at the extreme left above the waves.

Check my posts from late August and early September for images of this same location during more pleasant weather.

Holiday Sale!

2009-12-04T05:13:00.000-08:00

Starting today we are offering images from some featured galleries at greatly reduced prices. This will last for one week only. Order in time for Christmas! The image galleries include the wildlife print collections of large animals and waterfowl plus the boating and nautical collection. Consider the canvas gallery wraps that arrive ready to hang on the wall. 11 x 14 canvas gallery wraps are normally priced at $219.95 but for one week are marked at $131.95. Other gift items include puzzles, mugs, mousepads, coasters, etc. These are all on sale at greatly reduced prices through December 10, 2009. Follow this link:

http://danteetor.zenfolio.com

Thank you to all of our loyal customers who purchase throughout the year!

Mature whitetail buck

2009-11-24T10:46:00.000-08:00

This is an interesting photograph of a mature whitetail deer with massive antlers. The buck was following the trail of a doe that had passed moments earlier and hence his nose stayed at the ground as he approached. I have more opportunity to get close to bucks during the rut because they are distracted by their interest in the does.

This particular area holds a good number of deer because of the dense cover but getting a photograph is very difficult because of the abundant small saplings. The buck was inside 20 yards and this is the reason I was able to successfully focus. At farther distances it is pretty much impossible to focus on a moving animal. He was so close that he heard the shutter release and bolted. This was the only shot I got of him in this area.

Resting Whitetail Deer Buck

2009-11-18T04:56:00.000-08:00

I was recently looking for deer to photograph and noticed this 8 point buck following some does. I carefully shadowed him while he was distracted but couldn't really get as close as I wanted. Plus, he was in constant motion. When he finally laid down I was able take my time and get closer. It took almost an hour to get in position for this shot. Look carefully to see a doe behind the buck.

100-400 lens at 400mm, no cropping.

Eagle Harbor Lighthouse-2

2009-11-02T07:33:00.000-08:00

Here is the lighthouse at Eagle Harbor as shot from a different location than in the previous post. This spot is on the shoreline near the road that leads into town. A very scenic spot but a dull, overcast day. I timed the shot to capture the light as it revolved toward me and it shows much better than it would on a bright day.

Eagle Harbor Lighthouse

2009-10-28T05:25:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph of the lighthouse at Eagle Harbor on the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan. We traveled there last week thinking the fall colors would be nice. The colors were very nice but the weather was not. Heavy overcast skies, light rain and strong winds made photography difficult. The lighthouse is functioning with separate white and red lights that continually revolve so I timed this shot to get the red light at its brightest. The red light probably would not be as noticeable on a brighter day.

Silhouette of wooden speedboat.

2009-10-20T12:02:00.000-07:00

This image was taken during the shoot of the antique Gar Wood boat. We had nice light facing away from the sun and shot many nice photos. Also, the fog was much more dissipated in that direction. I then had the driver start to run some high speed circles around me and I initially hadn't planned on shooting towards the sun. But the fog was much more dense in that direction and as I watched the boat come from behind me I saw how cool it looked. Then I made a point of shooting in that direction on every circle made by the boat.

Horse and rider jumping a fence-illustration.

2009-10-09T09:42:00.000-07:00

A horse and rider jumping a fence during a horse show. We've been adding some special illustration effects to some of the action images from the summer horse shows. The background was out of focus in the original photograph but still added some clutter to the image. We can still see the background elements but they are not distracting now. We blended the rider into the background so as to make her more generic and unidentifiable. The full-size image has a texture added to simulate canvas.

Wooden Gar Wood Boat

2009-10-05T05:43:00.000-07:00

This photograph shows an antique, wooden Gar Wood boat. This was shot in the same location as the Hackercraft in the previous posts but there was some early morning fog on this day. We almost cancelled the shoot but decided there might be some interesting images. I did not like the condensation on the deck and windshields. Also, the cool temperature made the engine exhaust more visible (this is what obscures the transom). However, the overall effect of the fog helps to isolate the boat in the image.

Wooden boat photo shoot-5

2009-09-29T06:20:00.001-07:00

Another photograph from the series of the antique, wooden boat. It's hard to fit this 30' Hackercraft in the frame! The 100-400 lens was set at about 170mm. I had the driver run circles around me as I stood in the water. The boat leans as it turns so we are able to see the deck and cockpits even from the low camera angle. I deliberately placed the boat high in the image because I find the water more interesting than empty sky.

Wooden boat photo shoot-4

2009-09-24T05:09:00.001-07:00

This is one of my favorite photographs from the series of the antique, wooden Hackercraft boat. FLASH is a 1930, 30' triple-cockpit runabout. In this shot she is accelerating away from me as I stand in the water. This low angle minimizes the background and the detail of the boat is apparent against the empty sky. I like how the water is parted away from the hull at the forward part of the boat, plus we can see the wake forming behind. The 400mm lens compresses things so the curves of the deck are accentuated. The one little hotspot on the transom is annoying but relatively minor.

Wooden boat photo shoot-3

2009-09-21T05:43:00.001-07:00

A photograph of the wooden Hackercraft boat "Flash" as it approaches at moderate speed. This is a 1930, triple-cockpit runabout. I was using the 100-400mm lens set at 400mm. I instructed the driver to hold course as long as possible because I wanted to fill the frame. There was no way for me to move out of the way but the driver is first class and I was not worried.

Wooden boat photo shoot-2

2009-09-16T05:58:00.001-07:00

This photo is the antique wooden Hackercraft boat heading directly away from me. I like the angle because we can see the tumble home of the sides as they narrow toward the transom. The glare of the sun on the transom is obnoxious but I couldn't do anything about that. Also, I would have preferred to have nothing in the background but that would have meant moving to water that was too deep for me to stand in. Nonetheless, the background is not cluttered and quite out of focus.