On my recent business trip to Los Angeles, I was able to get out to the desert for a day over the weekend. The ocotillo cactus were blooming and showing their bright red tips. Native to our Southwestern deserts, ocotillo can bloom during spring, summer and sometimes fall, usually after a good rainfall. The flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds and carpenter bees.
Nikon D810 with Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, ISO 400, f/22 at 1/160th of a second

I suppose I should have posted this on Friday, but better a day late than never. Rabbits are perhaps the most visible mammal that I encounter on my visits to wild, and not so wild places around the country. I literally see them everywhere. This particular cottontail was photographed in Badlands National Park early one spring several years ago. Happy Easter everyone.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/400th of a second

This sea otter didn’t seem to want to have its picture taken. I was in Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing, California (just north of Monterey), one of the best places in the country to see these furry sea mammals. It’s also a great place for harbor seals and sea lions.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second

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

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

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

When in bloom, pasque flowers have either broad white or purple petals with a yellow interior. They can be quite striking when blanketing the alpine meadows of Mount Rainier National Park, mixing in amongst the bluebonnets, lupine, indian paintbrush and daisies. That being said, I much prefer the furry, “Cousin It” looking balls of hair they become after the petals drop.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/400th of a second

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

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