Nature & Wildlife

Gumbo-limbo tree of De Soto National Memorial Park Bradenton Florida

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Gumbo-limbo tree largest in North America in De Soto National Memorial Bradenton Florida - Nikon D300 with Tamron 17-50mm lens @ f/8 ISO 200 7-bracket HDR on Induro CT214 tripod with cable releaseAlmost by accident visitng De Soto National Memorial on Labor Day has become an annual tradition.  When I first visited the park last year, it was an accident also as I left the house planning to visit only one park.  When that park turned out to be rather non-descript, I quickly checked the map and was blown away by how great De Soto was, as it only appears to be a very small peninsula.  Of the many impressive features of the park, perhaps the most is the Gumbo-limbo tree near the entrance, which is the largest of its kind in North America.  I intended upon my return to the park two days ago to photograph the tree properly, which required the proper gear:  tripod, cable release, wide angle lens.

The above shot was made using my Induro CT214 tripod at its shortest leg length.  I wanted to get to near eye-level of the lowest branches of the Gumbo-limbo and to show just how far the lower branches extend horizontally.  They seem to grow impossibly parallel to the ground.

Gumbo-limbo tree horizontal branches in De Soto National Memorial Bradenton Florida - Nikon D300 with Tamron 17-50mm lens @ f/8 ISO 200 7-bracket HDR on Induro CT214 tripod with cable releaseI used the exact same setup to try and create a 3D looking shot of the longest and lowest of the branches.  I do not think anyone coud actully limbo under these, and I certainly did not try!  

Gumbo-limbo tree vertical branches in De Soto National Memorial Bradenton Florida - Nikon D300 with Tamron 17-50mm lens @ f/8 ISO 200 7-bracket HDR on Induro CT214 tripod with cable releaseThe thing about the Gumbo-limbo tree is, not only does it have very long horizontal branches, but its vertical branches extend straight up high into the sky as well.  It really is an amazing tree and the crown jewel of the hidden gem that is De Soto National Memorial park.

These Gumbo-limbo photographs are available for as fine art prints, inquire today!

Florida Brown Pelican Fly Hunt Sleep at The Pier St. Petersburg

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FLY -- Brown Pelican in flight St. Petersburg Florida -- EXIF: f/5.6 ISO 200 1/1250thRegular readers will know that I enjoy and often photograph brown pelicans.  They are not a rare bird around this part of Florida at all.  In fact, it would be rare to go to any coastal area of St. Petersburg and not see one.  However, I find myself continually drawn to photographing them despite my usual instinct being to not photograph things that are commonly photographed.  Plus, I have a bit of unfinished business as I still want to photograph a pelican in flight hovering just over the surface of the water as they are apt to do.  Catching one in flight like above requires seeing the bird approach from distance, tracking it as it swoops in, then of course have sufficient shutter speed to freeze it in mid-air.  Maybe some luck is required too?

HUNT - brown pelican looking for lunch at The Pier St. Petersburg Florida -- EXIF: f/5.6 ISO 200 1/1600thI used my Nikkor AF-S 105mm VR micro f/2.8G lens for all these shots.  It is not a very long lens but The Pier provides a very close vantage point for photographing pelicans as they fly, hunt and sleep.  To photograph these three different female brown pelicans I observed and studied their behavior.  Of course the sleeping one was not a challenge, but the flying one took a sharp eye to find and photograph and I needed to follow the hunting pelican from pier top to pier top until I could catch her while still standing at the ready.

SLEEP -- brown pelican catching a little shut eye at The Pier in St. Petersburg Florida -- EXIF: f/5.6 ISO 200 1/800thAs these photographs illustrate, brown pelicans do not all exhibit the same behavior at the same time of day.  Some flew, some hunted and many slept.  One day, I will photograph one of you skimming over the water's surface!  Until then, expect more pelican photographs of another nature.

These brown pelican photographs are available for commercial license and fine art print, inquire today!

Pelican vs. Great Blue Heron Sunset on Snell Isle Battle

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brown pelican vs great blue heron - f/5.6 ISO 200 1/1000th

Two of the largest birds in Florida are the brown pelican and the great blue heron.  They are a common site around Snell Isle.  I have seen both and photographed both many times in the past, but I never caught them in semi-battle with each other.  This particular great blue heron often likes to stand on the edge of a small dock nearby.  I see him/her on my evening walks with Kiki.  This brown pelican too likes to frequent the water around here dive bombing in for a late dinner.

Well, this time the pelican was diving too close to the great blue heron and she/he got cranky and the showdown pictured above took place.  The pelican was determined to eat, the great blue heron was determined to hold her/his ground.  In the end, the pelican moved on and the great blue heron returned to his/her usual stoic stance.   

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    • Photography Tip - use portrait orientation for long tall subjects like a great egret

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    Photography Tip - portrait orientation allows the great egret to fill the frame - The Pier, St. Petersburg, Florida

    • Setup:  Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-20mm f/2.8D @ f/4 ISO 200 1/2000th 

    Getting into a fixed routine of using landscape orientation with your DSLR is easy.  After all, the DSLR seems to be designed to be held horizontally.  However, only using landscape orientation eliminates 50%+ of composition possibilities!  Not to mention it makes it extremely awkward to photograph long, tall subjects like the above great egret.  Perhaps the best criticism I was every given about my photography was there there were not enough portrait orientation shots (thanks Jeff!).  I was told that over two years ago.  Ever since then every time I shoot I am mindful of using an appropriate amount of landscape and portrait orientation shots.  Maybe now you will be too.

    When shooting in portrait orientation, I like to hold the grip part of the DSLR up, which allows me to still wedge my left elbow into my body creating a stable shooting position.  The highest end DSLRs (i.e. $5000+) come with a vertical grip built in.  However, many other DSLRs do have vertical grip accessories available for them made by the manufacturer.  Another benefit of using a vertical grip is that it houses more batteries so you can shoot longer.  

    This great egret photograph is available for commercial license and fine art print

    Snell Isle Series - 05 - Great Blue Heron Sunset Silhouette

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    Great Blue Heron sunset silhouette - Snell Isle - f/4 ISO 200 1/1600thIt is far, far too rare that I take my Nikon D300 out for personal shooting, even to my own back patio.  This past Sunday night, most likely due to the lack of sports on TV, I was sitting on the back patio enjoying the view of Smacks Bayou and the setting sun when I noticed a pelican diving and a great blue heron getting annoyed by that diving.  I saw this as an opportunity to continue my slow moving Snell Isle Photo Series.

    Great Blue Heron sunset silhouette - Snell Isle - f/4 ISO 200 1/1600thThe conflict with the pelican I will save for another post, while here I will only feature the placid and mostly stoic stance of the great blue heron.  I very rarely make silhouette shots, mostly because they are too easy and too common, but recently my interest in them has started to grow.  Manual exposure mode is a must of course to produce them.  A fast shutter speed causes everything that is not the sun or its immediate surroundings to remain dark, producing a silhouette shot.  

    Great Blue Heron walking sunset silhouette - Snell Isle Florida - f/5.6 ISO 200 1/1000thGreat blue herons in this area of Florida have little fear of people.  They are quite approachable.  This means with only my trusty Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens, I can get close enough to pretty much get as tight of a shot as I want.  They walk very deliberately, never scurrying.  I like that.

    Great blue heron sunset silhouette - Snell Isle - f/4 ISO 200 1/1600thThe great blue heron featured in these shots did not mind to be photographed at all.  In fact, I believe the same great blue heron returned to my back patio last night and stood just a few meters away dead staring at me.  It was very strange.  This bird is over three feet tall, almost person like.  We were unable to clearly communicate to each other what the other wanted.  Perhaps the dialogue will continue tonight?

    Cosmos Flowers of Tachikawa Japan

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    Cosmos of Tachikawa Japan with bokeh - my personal favorite flower photo~These photographs are some of my own early DSLR photography work.  All were taken with the Nikkor AF 50mm f/1.8D lens (save the portrait).  At this time I did not exactly know what I was doing all the time.  I was still stunned by the bokeh produced by the 50mm prime.

    This selected collection of cosmos flowers were all made on the same afternoon at a place called "Cosmos Hill" in a park in Tachikawa, Japan.  The above photo is available as an iPhone wallpaper.  Since it was my first time out really with the sole purpose of photographing flowers with my first DSLR, I remember it clearly.  I was most certainly not the only one with the idea to go photograph these cosmos as there was a veritable line of photographers, like paparazzi at the Oscars, all photographing them too.  It was also one of my first times to really use my new 50mm f/1.8D lens.  I was not getting great results with my Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 (it was soon sold!) so after I put on the 50mm, it stayed on the rest of the afternoon.

    red cosmos blooming in Tachikawa Japan - Nikon D80 Nikkor AF 50mm f/1.8D @ f/1.8 ISO 200 1/1,250th -0.33 EVI did not really know any better at the time to not shoot wide open (largest aperture) at f/1.8 so as to produce sharper images.  I was still just in the process of teaching myself how to become a more serious photographer.  I was still dazzled anytime I made a shot with bokeh in it, and the 50mm @ f/1.8 produces tons of bokeh.  When I went home to look at the shots they seemed unreal to me, which in fact, they are.  This is also what I think makes a photograph a photograph, showing something that cannot be seen at standing eye-level.  The human eye cannot see bokeh, therefore making a photograph with bokeh will tend to interest one's eye more.

    Cosmos Hill Tachikawa Japan - Nikon D80 Nikkor AF 50mm f/1.8D @ f/2 ISO 200 1/4,000th -0.33 EVI even used the 50mm lens to make landscapes at a large aperture.  At the time this may have been more of a happy accident (see above) than a previsualized shallow DoF sea of flowers shot.  Such is the way things go when teaching oneself photography.  Mistakes still teach me to this day new things about photography, since I did not intend to do them, the results are sometimes pleasantly surprising and the next time I make sure to do it on purpose!

    Yours truly, circa October 2008 in Tachikawa, Japan in front of Cosmos HillI have included the above portrait of me to show you how little things change for me over time, in this case 2.5+ years.  I literally wore that exact same shirt today (coincidentally), and also the same sunglasses and watch.  I am very loyal to my wardrobe and do not add, and certainly do not remove, items from it lightly.

    Great Egret flying in St. Petersburg Florida - bird photography tips

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    Great Egret in flight - St Petersburg Florida - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D @ f/4 ISO 200 1/2500thContinuing with the bird trending blog posts, I had the opportunity to photograph a great egret up close and in flight.  As you can see I did not have to use a 600mm lens to get this tight of a shot of the great egret.  Nor was I in an airplane.  The secret to being able to get a shot like this without spending $10,000 is to . . . go to The Pier in downtown St. Petersburg!  Even the base of The Pier itself is rather high off the water often putting you at eye level to passing and even incoming birds.

    great egret - The Pier in St Petersburg Florida - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D @ f/4 ISO 200 1/2000thThis afternoon was a rare very overcast Florida day.  That meant I did not have to worry about getting my back to the sun or anything like that.  In fact, shooting a white bird like this great egret is best done on an overcast day I think, not counting sunrise or sunset time of course.  So, without having to worry about the light because the light was the same from any direction, the last location factor to be mindful of was:  background.  I often say bird shots are make or break first because of the light, and second because of the background.  Without a fantastically clean background, your shot will just not stand out from the other thousand great egret shots taken every day in Florida.  Of course one of the ways to reduce the impact of the background is to just make it all creamy bokeh.  Still, color of the bokeh does come into play.  Do you think the transition of brown at the base of the above photo works, or would it be better all blue-gray?  I thought it added another point of interest in the frame myself.  Let me know in the comments if you agree or disagree.  One last thing about the photo, looking at a bird like a great egret is strange and reminds of the rare times Beavis every looked straight ahead.  There is just something off about it!  Ah, and notice how I set the focus on the bird's eye.  Without the eye in focus, the shot would have been a fail, or I would have had to pass it off as "artistic style" of some sort!

    Great Egret beak - The Pier St Petersburg Florida - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D @ f/4 ISO 200 1/2000thOne last tip on photographing long-necked birds:  they are an awkward shaped creature, and it is often not the most flattering to include their entire body in the shot, especially when standing, and doubly especially when they are standing on a concrete wall!  Nothing takes the nature out of your shot like a human-made structure!  

    Hence, in the above shot I focused on framing only a part of the great egret.  I used the rule of thirds and placed the eye in the upper left most third.  I had the bird looking into the empty space of the frame.  I of course also made sure the background was clean and the bokeh color complementary to the white of the egret.  Plus, I just think it looks cool to see this long neck protruding from the bottom of the frame.

    Please share any of your Florida bird photography tips and links to your own shots in the comments below.