It's all in the timing...and luck.

The most challenging part about wildlife photography is that you need to have all the ingredients to make a great photo lined up, amazing light,  location, steady place to shoot from, and your subject looking perfect right where you want him. But the reality of having all of these elements at once is minimal, but when it happens, its magical. If the subject ( in this case a deer ) is not willing to work with you, and is more interested in chasing does and playing hide and seek then you are left with some 'could have been' great photos that are just a little 'off'.  Antlers hidden behind trees, or even worse, the eyes or head blocked by a tree make for a unusable image. I wanted to share a few of these shots which normally live as ones and zeros on my backup drive.

This morning in November 2012 is a great example..I remember this day like it was yesterday. A nice frigid cold morning,  I had bucks running around me so often I could not decide where to point my camera. After a few close calls with smaller buck this big boy shows up and I had to put the stalk on. I followed him just out of his sight for about an hour.

A few times I got within range,  the light was EPIC. The rising sun was in my face and the cold morning promised that I would get backlit steam exhaling as this big buck took deep breaths little colorful underbrush lit up like splatters of impressionistic paint. Unfortunately my scene was not cooperating.

Although I got some shots, I missed a few stellar shots, I knew it at the time too. And he left me.

Soon after I heard some deer really going at it, " my first chance to photograph two bucks fighting!!" I was excited and hurried to the location of the sound ...again, I was in a spot that was blocked by some mountain laurel with no opportunity to move...the frustration continues.

At that point I had determined that I had lost him. Bummed out, I started to head back up a ridge that I had descended when I heard some noise in a briar patch to my right. All of the sudden, he stood up less than 20 feet away, the buck I had been trailing for hours was right in front of me! Now the timing was in my favor and I was ready. My efforts had paid off, I was happy.

You just never know, that's what I love about getting out in the woods, it's always a surprise!

Happy fall

Bill

Fall Family Photoshoot

Had a great time with Jack, Jessica, and Phallyn along the shores of Pawtuckaway Lake a few weeks ago. I really love to do these shoots, it gives me a chance to get to know new people and re connect with old friends, make them smile and capture the love they have for each other!

Enjoy!
Bill

 

Laura Zerra

Had the amazing opportunity to meet and photograph New Hampshire's Laura Zerra. Laura teaches primitive survival, and backcountry skills through her website where her classes serve not only as a catalyst to inspire people to lead epic lives, but also as a tool to help individuals reach their potential.

In 2013, Laura was able to put her skills to the test, spending 21 days in full survival in Bocas del Toro, Panama, as a cast member of the Discovery Channel show “Naked and Afraid.” She currently resides in New Hampshire, where her passions include antler hunting, bow hunting, processing her own meat, Crossfit, horse packing, teaching what she loves, and new experiences.

Andree and Buck

Hello everyone, its been a while since I have posted here. Its been a busy fall so far, building an addition, bow hunting, and also working on a new website. This leaves out some good quality family time too!

This shoot is from a few weeks ago, I drove out to Rye, NH where I met with Buck and Andree for a photo shoot, Here are some of my favorites. The Images at the end were edited to create a dream-like feel. Let me know what you think!
Bill

New Walkway!

Our big spring project turned out to be not much work at all, we let someone else do it! I am glad we did too. This took almost 5 full days of major excavating and stone setting. Hope you enjoy this little animation I created.
Bill

Click to see full size

The Prairie Warbler

With temperatures warming up, the spring migration of birds from south to north is well underway. I wanted to highlight one of my first warblers that I heard this year, as well as some photos I captured yesterday. Birds like the Praire Warbler travel long distances this time of year from Central America all the way to northern New England to nest.

The Prairie Warbler to me means one thing, powerlines. As much as people tend to dislike the look of these huge wooden structures strung with hundreds of miles of cables that cross the state, they do provide very important habitat for many forms of wildlife. With the disappearance of active farmland, powerlines create the perfect habitat for these migrants.

The first clue that you may have found a prairie warbler is is song. It stand out as very distinct among the other songs you may hear this time of year.

The second clue is the bright yellow feathers with jet black stripes and a chestnut patch on its shoulders. This bird is know for bobbing its tail.

If your out and about this time of year keep your ears open for its zeee zeee zeee zeee zeee zeeee ascending call.

-Bill

Photography Enrichment Class

I had an amazing time the last 6 weeks working with ten students in the Upper Elementary program at The Cornerstone School. We learned the basic foundation of what makes a great photo. From composition, framing, and negative space, to balance and experimentation, we covered it. We looked at timeless examples of classic photos and then applied what we discussed out in the field.

Here are some of my favorite images from the class.

I am so proud of them and how much they learned in such a short amount of time.

We finished the last class with an art show to share with other classes, the students explained each of their photos like true artist!

This was my favorite part! Thanks guys!!