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
Behold the sugar glider. This is another one from the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary in Tasmania. Sugar gliders aren’t native to Tasmania but are an introduced species from mainland Australia. They are nocturnal and as the name suggests, they can fly — or glide, from tree to tree. Extremely cute, they have become a fairly common exotic pet in the United States. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 1600, f/3.5 at 1/100th of a second
I’m a big fan of tamanduas. They are such interesting characters. There are two species, the northern and the southern tamandua. The word tamandua itself means anteater in the South American Tupi language. This guy was going about his upside-down business of slurping ants off the bark of a tree in Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 135mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second
For this night shot of a Tasmanian pademelon and her joey, I was able to use a slow shutter speed to record color in the sky, while using an off camera flash to illuminate the pademelons. Pademelons are funny little macropods, smaller than wallabies and more round in shape. These two were in Narawntapu National Park on the northern coast of Tasmania. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 120mm) ISO 1600, f/2.8 at half a second
Always nice to photograph hippos when they are out of the water. Usually that means getting them first thing in the morning before the hot sun forces them back into rivers and other water bodies. This guy was grazing in an open field in the Masai Mara of Kenya just as the sun appeared on the horizon. In the background you can see a few resting cape buffalo. Fun fact of the day about hippos — their skin alone can weigh in excess of half a ton. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 240mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/250th of a second
This butterfly is known for its see-through wings, but in this photo I liked that I was able to capture the tips of its antenea, while the rest of the butterfly remained out of focus. There are many clearwing butterflies in Central and South American, this one was photographed in Ecuador. Its scientific name is methona confusa. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400 (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second
I posted a wild eastern quoll when I first returned from Tasmania. This eastern quoll was a resident at the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, a rehabilitation center for orphaned and injured animals, as well as a breeding center for Tasmanian devils. Quolls really are among the cutest animals that I’ve had the pleasure of photographing, and that’s about all I’ve got to say about this little guy. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/4.5 at 1/320th of a second
There are eight giant tortoises visible in this photo. They were enjoying a drink and a swim at a water hole in the Santa Cruz Highlands of the Galapagos Islands. There were several others milling about too, outside of the range of my wide angle lens. It was a lot of fun hiking through Santa Cruz’s open pastures alongside these enormous animals — the largest of their kind in the world and one of the longest living vertebrates in the world. They have an average lifespan of more than a hundred years. Biologists aren’t quite sure of the exact lifespan because data wasn’t collected that long ago, but a captive individual is known to have lived at least 170 years. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/8 at 1/1600th of a second
Wombats are funny creatures. They either scurried away as soon as I approached, or they let me get extremely close as if they didn’t have a care in the world. A few even pushed their noses up against my wide angle lens. This guy let me get extremely close, but had the added comfort of being at the opening of his burrow. I was using a fisheye lens when I captured this yawn. Nikon D810 with Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, ISO 800, f/4 at 1/400th of a second
We use cookies to enhance your experience while using our website. If you are using our Services via a browser you can restrict, block or remove cookies through your web browser settings. We also use content and scripts from third parties that may use tracking technologies. You can selectively provide your consent below to allow such third party embeds. For complete information about the cookies we use, data we collect and how we process them, please check our Privacy Policy
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.
