I photographed several great kiskadee when I was in Mexico at the beginning of the year. These are large flycatchers, prevalent throughout Latin America. Most of the time I saw them high in the treetops, but after a bit of patience, I was able to photograph several in the lower branches.
A great kiskadee perches in a tree high above the ground, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Regardless of the pose, the best photos are captured with a catch-light in the bird’s eye. This brings a sense of life to the bird, and creates a more pleasing photo.
Both photos were shot with the great Canon EF 100-400mm lens. It is not the fastest out there (f/5.6), but when used correctly, it can produce fantastic results.
One thing that struck me on a visit to Mexico this year was the variety of palm trees in the vicinity. I watched the way palm leaves of different sizes interacted with each other, and decided to create some abstract photos showing some of the patterns the leaves create.
I played with a variety of angles, shooting up into the trees. However, this didn’t really give me what I was after. In most shots, the sun created a harsh back light and I couldn’t see enough of the palm details. I then realized that I could try shooting down into the trees instead.
Interwoven palm fronds create various designs when viewed from above, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Using a telephoto zoom, I climbed to the fifth floor of a hotel and got out onto a balcony. By shooting directly down over the edge, I was able to get a great vantage point of the tops of the palms. Using different focal lengths of the zoom gave me a variety of compositions. My favorite is the shot below, zoomed out a bit and showing more of the trees.
Interwoven palm fronds create various designs when viewed from above, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
As always, playing with the edges of the frame (what are you going to cut off) and with the negative space within the image are all critical to the success of the image. Through experimentation I found several compositions that I liked, balancing the palms throughout the frame.
This image of a female Roosevelt elk eating grass was used in the Sept-Oct issue of Bugle Magazine, published by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. It is a published as an interior image with an article about a typical elk diet. This publication broke my all time record – it was requested a mere 3 days after I made it available on my site.
This image of Eagle Cap Wilderness was used in a recent article on Oregon’s top fall hikes by Travel Oregon. You can find the full article by clicking through to their website. I took this photo five years ago on a fall backpacking trip with my brother and father. You can read about the epic trip here and of course see many more photos.
