Yesterday I posted a cormorant up on the cliffs at El Matador State Beach in Malibu. Here’s a shot from down below at the water line. You can actually see two more cormorants perched on the distant rock to the right. I used a tripod and a two second exposure to blur the movement of the incoming waves as they circled the foreground rocks. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 50, f/20 at 2 seconds
Here’s one from this past week in California. I was in L.A. for work but was able to sneak out for a few hours here and there, including this quick trip up to El Matador State Beach in Malibu. This is a very popular spot and, at times, difficult to photograph because of all the people. That being said, it is also most likely the reason that this Brandt’s cormorant had no apparent fear of me. I was able to photograph it from about a foot away with the fisheye, capturing the beach and sunset in the background. Nikon D810 with Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, ISO 200, f/22 at 1/200th of a second, Nikon SB-900 flash unit
About two years ago, I decided to add a fisheye lens to my camera bag. I wasn’t sure how much use it would get but it was light and easy to carry and I figured I’d pull it out every now and again to get a different perspective. For this shot of a leatherback hatchling racing for survival, the lens exaggerated the curvature of the horizon creating a sense of the great big world (or perhaps small world) that the turtle was heading into. Nikon D80 with Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/400th of a second
These four baby king penguins created a nice arrangement of shadows across the landscape of Saunders Island in the Falkland Islands — their downy fur picking up a nice bit of back light from the setting sun. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 25mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/1250th of a second
I’m currently in Los Angeles for work, but had a free day on Saturday so headed to the desert in search of wildlife, wildflowers and everything else I love about the California desert. Unfortunately, I didn’t quite have the luck that I did about a year ago when I captured this black tailed jackrabbit on an unusually hot day — even for the desert — in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 260mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second
Meerkats are always on high alert, guarding against any would-be danger. They take turns at guard duty, so while most of the clan is foraging, fighting and playing, there are always a few on their tip toes, surveying the mean streets of Botswana’s grasslands plains. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second
I think this Bennett’s wallaby thought that if it held still for long enough, I wouldn’t notice and would move on. The photo was taken pre-sunrise on Maria Island in Tasmania. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/250th of a second
A drive up Mount Evans Scenic Byway in Colorado usually produces a few mountain goats. The harder part is finding great light and clouds. On this occasion, I was lucky enough to be greeted by low lying clouds settling into the valley below as a goat stepped out into a shaft of light. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 800, f/6.3 at 1/2000th of a second
I spent a great afternoon with these imperial shags, also known as imperial cormorants, on the southern tip of Sea Lion Island, which is itself one of the most southerly islands of the Falkland Islands. I had hiked the length of the small island when I came across the colony and it really felt like I had reached the end of the earth. The shags were in the process of nest building and were flying out to sea to collect kelp before returning to their nests. They looked like they had colorful red and orange beards as they came back with beaks full of kelp. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/7.1 at 1/1000th of a second
Thanks to the many Tasmanian devil sanctuaries that are doing their best to save this nocturnal marsupial from the deadly facial tumor disease, it is possible to see a captive devil during daylight hours. Even so, they can be difficult to photograph because they never seem to stop moving. I snapped this young devil as it was running along a fallen tree trunk at the Devils@Cradle sanctuary just outside of Cradle Mountain National Park. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 2500, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second
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