Here’s one with the adult kings mixed in. Volunteer Point in the Falkland Islands is the most accessible place in the world to see these iconic penguins (not that a four flight/two day journey is especially accessible). The Falklands are at the northern edge of the king’s territory, which extends south into Antarctica. The weather in the Falklands is ever changing and you never know when the sky might open up like it did on this particular afternoon. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 160mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/2500th of a second
The only baby penguins that I saw were the kings (all the others start hatching in December). The kings hatch at that time too, but they take much longer to develop so I was seeing second year chicks. This is just before they begin to molt and lose all those brown furry looking feathers on their way to becoming adults. They hang out in groups known as creches while the adults are out at sea for months at a time. Much more on these guys in the coming weeks. Nikon D810 with Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, ISO 400, f/10 at 1/640th of a second
Just back from a great trip to the Falklands and need to sleep so I’ll make this quick. I photographed five different species of penguin as well as sea lions, seals, orcas and many other birds over the past two weeks. This is the gentoo penguin. I like to think of these guys as the classic penguins. They also happen to be the most acrobatic in the water and are known for their “porpoising” and riding waves. This guy is about to catch a nice one on his way back in to shore after an afternoon of fishing. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/3200th of a second
This will be the last post for a few weeks as I head to the Falkland Islands first thing in the morning. Enjoy this mother cheetah and her cub for now and stay tuned for a whole lot of penguins upon my return. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/500th of a second
Here’s another one from Saturday night, just outside our apartment in Brooklyn. This time I included some wildlife — the flock of gulls settling in for the night on top of the old pilings. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 180mm) ISO 400, f/18 at 13, 3, 6, 25 and 30 seconds
I was relaxing by a campfire at a friend’s cabin near Waterloo, Iowa back in 2008 when a couple of these gray tree frogs decided to stop by for a late night visit. I quickly grabbed my macro filter and a few flash units from my car and took a few quick shots. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm with Canon 500D close up filter attached) ISO 160, f/16 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-800 flash units
Of the three different booby species that I photographed in the Galapagos Islands, the Nazca booby was by far the most common. This guy, in fact, was the first individual bird of any species that I encountered on day one in the islands. He seemed as curious about me as I was about him. Nazca boobies practice what is called obligate siblicide. What is obligate siblicide? I’ll let Wikipedia explain — “Mothers lay two eggs, several days apart. If both eggs hatch, the elder chick pushes its sibling out of the nest area, leaving it to die of thirst or cold. The parent booby cannot intervene and the younger chick inevitably dies. Two eggs are laid so that if one gets destroyed or eaten, or the first chick dies soon after hatching, the second egg will produce an offspring.” Life clearly ain’t easy for a young booby. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 19mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/8000th of a second
I very rarely take photos in my own backyard. And it just so happens to be the neighborhood that many consider the most picturesque in all of New York — Dumbo in Brooklyn. I vow to change that and get out a lot more when I’m not traveling around chasing down wildlife. This image was taken between Pier 1 and 2 in Brooklyn Bridge Park, where old pilings stick out of the East River. The recently completed Freedom Tower (One World Trade Center) can be seen to the right, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. I worked the location for about an hour, alternating between shots of the pilings and shots of the Statue of Liberty (which is just to the left of frame, cropped out of this particular composition). The light went from the fiery reds and yellows of sunset, to the cool blues of twilight. This 5-frame exposure was captured well into the blue period, just before I packed it in and walked the three minutes back home. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 19mm) ISO 400, f/14 at shutters speeds from 1 to 30 seconds
I’ve mentioned a few times before that the short rainy season is my favorite time to visit East Africa. Everything is beautifully green, and you get skies like this. No Photoshopping or colored filters used here, that’s what the sky looks like at sunset over the Masai Mara. Down in the corner is a silhouette of a lone hartebeest. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/80th of a second
It’s been a while since I posted a landscape minus any creatures. This field of alpine wildflowers was taken at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state a few years ago at the end of the summer. Most wildflower blooms in the country are long gone by mid summer, but at higher elevations at Rainier, late August can be the peak time. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 200, f/18 at .4 seconds
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Here’s one with the adult kings mixed in. Volunteer Point in the Falkland Islands is the most accessible place in the world to see these iconic penguins (not that a four flight/two day journey is especially accessible). The Falklands are at the northern edge of the king’s territory, which extends south into Antarctica. The weather in the Falklands is ever changing and you never know when the sky might open up like it did on this particular afternoon.
