Steppin' Out

Juvenile Reddish Egret struts in the late afternoon sun.

Reddish Egret at sunset in the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge in Florida. On this night there were three juvenile and two adult RE weaving back and forth across the sunset as they fished with their usual antics. If you've never watched Reddish Egret fish you are in for a treat. They run, weave, bob, throw up their wings to see and herd fish. They leap and pounce. It is absolutely delightful to watch.

I'd never seen so many Reddish Egret in one place before. They are usually solitary hunters. This was a wonderful encounter, except for the voracious mosquitoes!
TAKE BUG SPRAY.

Golden Silk Orbweaver

Golden Orbweaver

 About the size of your open palm.
Ooooo so cool and so creepy. Also known as a 'Banana Spider'.




When I setup to take this shot, the spider was in the middle of it's web which spanned a circle roughly 10 feet across. The wind was warping the whole web like a trampoline. I stopped down to get a better depth of field and waited for a still moment. As I snapped the shutter, the wind blew again leaving me with a single line of narrow focus.

Golden Orbweaver

Here's the same Orbweaver from a different point of view.

Photographing Butterfies

Sara Longwing (Heliconius sara)
Originally uploaded by Laurie-B

For me, one of the joys of summertime is photographing insects of all kinds especially butterflies, skippers and moths. I like the detailed view of their world photography affords but we otherwise overlook.

Here are a few tips to launch you on your summertime bug-hunt.

- Take a tripod or mono-pod.

- Use a shutter speed fast enough to capture the action.

- Open up to get a creamy, diffused background. Use the smallest f-stop possible.

- Consider the background. A busy background detracts even at low f-stops.

- Butterflies, like dragon and damsel flies, are territorial. Watch carefully. Pick a spot where you've seen your subject land and stake it out. For this activity, a hat, sun protection and a cool drink are must-haves.

- Visit an enclosed butterfly garden at your local botanical garden, museum or university. These are wonderful places to test your new skills because there are so many subjects in a single enclosed area.

- Outside butterfly gardens and botanical gardens offer a greater shooting challenge but provide local species, well crafted garden layouts and color schemes.

- Visit a local plant nursery. Butterflies visit there too. You might be inspired to plant butterfly-friendly plants in your own yard.

- Go native! Find a field of local 'weeds' and observe. Especially in late summer you will find a butterfly delight.

- Get close. Try taking macros! No macro lens? Buy some inexpensive extension tubes for your zoom lens and you will be in business. Focusing will take some practice so expect your keeper rate to go down at first. Once you get the hang of it, the rewards are great.

- Know your subject! To be a better photographer, be a better naturalist. Study your subject through books, websites and videos.

- Share your knowledge. Learn the names of your subjects and title your photographs correctly.

- Practice, practice, practice!

Happy Hunting!

Heavy Groceries

Bringing home the 'bacon'?

The fish probably weighs as much as the bird. I've read that osprey are the only raptor able to turn their 'wrists'? They use this ability to turn their fish prey nose into the wind to reduce resistance while flying. An eagle will carry a fish sideways to his direction of travel but not an osprey.