Photo of the Week

June 6, 2010January 14, 2013

Reflection At Dawn (Photo of the week)

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a good opportunity for a minimalist portrait of a black-crowned night heron in beautiful light. It was dawn and I saw this heron perched in the middle of a small pond on top of a rock. The water was very still, accentuating the quiet of the morning. The background was the water behind the bird, which would blur into a pure solid. The placid surface created a nice reflection. What drew me to this composition was the lack of habitat (other than the rock on which the heron perched). I couldn’t have created a more fundamental portrait if I had posed the bird in a studio.

May 30, 2010January 14, 2013

Dowitcher At Sunset (Photo of the week)

I photographed this dowitcher just as the last light of the day was hitting the marsh. He was busy with dinner, but paused long enough for me to create a portrait. I like this shot because it shows some of the bird’s habitat along with the entire body. Although crisp bird portraits with blurred backgrounds of solid color look great, sometimes we strive to isolate the subject from its habitat just a little too much.

May 22, 2010January 14, 2013

American Avocet Portrait (Photo of the week)

A nesting american avocet peeks above the pickle weed

This american avocet was sitting on her nest, hidden in pickle weed along the bank of a shallow slough. Avocet nests are fairly unimpressive – they are usually just a small scrape along the ground, sometimes lined with grass. Sometime avocet females will lay their eggs in other avocet nests – or even the nests of other species. Likewise, other species (usually black-necked stilts) have been known to lay their eggs in active avocet nests. The avocet female that tends the nest will raise the stilt chicks as if they were her own.

May 16, 2010January 14, 2013

Song Sparrow (Photo of the week)

San Francisco Bay in springtime is a great place to capture songbirds in action. This song sparrow would fly from perch to perch, stopping to sing out very methodically in each direction. This was my favorite shot that I took of him, because his head is thrown back, and it looks like he’s really getting into it.

I like to photograph songbirds about an hour after sunrise. They are still very active in their morning routines, and the ambient light is bright enough for action shots (songbirds can move very fast!) Another technique I employ is to go to places where there are people. Birds that are used to people being around tend to be more at ease and will likely let you approach closer before flying off. Running trails, parks, and urban ponds are all great places to find birds that are used to people.