As the weather just keeps getting colder and colder here in New York, seemed appropriate to post these two polar bears who were having a good old time in the cold. They were basically wasting time — play fighting while waiting for the Hudson Bay to freeze over so that they could go out and hunt for seals.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/500th of a second
Ordinarily, I try to do my best to avoid eyeshine when photographing animals at night. The best way to do this is to get the flash off the camera — preferably way off. But sometimes, even that doesn’t help if my positioning and distance to the subject isn’t quite right. In this case, the tripod mounted flash wasn’t far enough away from me to avoid the orange glow of the distant wallaby’s eye. I feel that in this photo, however, it ended up being a happy accident. The eyeshine adds life (and a bit of devilishness) to the wallaby as it casts a shadow across its face while cleaning, and seemingly hiding behind its tail.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second, Nikon SB-900 flash
Here’s a rare non-nature post from my neighborhood in Brooklyn. I’ve posted shots of the Statue of Liberty before. In this one, I liked the motion-blurred effect of the passing party cruise boat and its blue neon lights, while the streak from a helicopter can be seen above.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/11 at 2 seconds
I spent my second to last night in Tasmania with legendary Australian guide, Craig Bushie Williams. While searching for quolls in a wooded clearing, we spotted this mother common brushtail possum carrying her young joey on her back. I saw quite a few of these possums in Tasmania (and also on mainland Australia) but this was the only one I saw with a joey.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/7.1 at 1/200th of a second, Nikon SB-900 flash unit
As an avid Denver Broncos fan, I’d be remiss not to post a wild mustang, or a horse, or a bronco, or whatever you prefer to call our wild equines. This mother and her foal were ranging free in Monument Valley National Tribal Park in Utah.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 200, f/9 at 1/200th of a second
I spotted this female red howler monkey in a clearing in the forest in Madidi National Park in the Bolivian Amazon. Howler monkeys are renown for their loud calls, which can be heard up to three miles away.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/50th of a second
Sometimes the wildlife is as curious about me as I am about it. This baby southern elephant seal pressed its nose right up against my lens before resuming its morning nap. We made our acquaintance on Sea Lion Island in the Falkland Islands.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 24mm) ISO 400, f/4.5 at 1/500th of a second
Yesterday I posted a shot from the La Jolla cliffs in southern California. At the other end of town in La Jolla is a spot called Hospitals Reef, also known simply as the Potholes. Many craters in the rock provide great opportunities for beachscape compositions. I was so excited to shoot in this location that I forgot my tripod back in the hotel and had to improvise by placing my backpack on the ground and nestling my camera on top of it. There was a high surf advisory in effect and even though it was only an hour until dead low tide, a few huge waves caught me off guard, including on this exposure. Luckily, I was able to get the backpack and camera off the ground before finding myself up to my knees in surf. Due to the less that stable conditions, I was shooting at a higher shutter speed than I normally would have in such a situation. It ended up helping on this shot as I was able to somewhat freeze the crashing surf.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 400, f/11 at 1/100th of a second
Just back from a work trip to San Diego followed by a few days of rest and relaxation (which, of course, at least partly included a long lens and a bit of wildlife). I returned to one of my reliable hotspots in La Jolla, about 25 minutes north of San Diego. It’s a great area for seals, sea lions, and pelicans. There are also quite a few other shorebirds, including Brandt’s cormorants that nest on the steep cliffs on the north end of La Jolla’s waterfront. In this image, I was also able to catch a Western gull as it flew in front of the backlit cliffs in early morning light.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 220mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/500th of a second
I photographed this gentoo penguin first thing in the morning. By using a longer focal length, I was able to compress the space between the penguin and the moon. A small aperture gave the image more of a night time look than early morning.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 300mm) ISO 800, f/22 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units