Jul

31

Mammoth Hot Springs

Shot of the Month  Posted by / 0 comments

Shot of the Month – July 2021

Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone NP (6813)

Check out this month’s crazy landscape — looks like we found a dead tree on planet Mars.  This other-worldly scene can actually be found just down the street (as least on a cosmic-size scale) in Wyoming on planet Earth.  This dead tree is part of the ever-changing landscape at Mammoth Hot Springs (MHS) in Yellowstone National Park.

How did Mother Nature work her magic this time?

Before reaching the sprawling network of hot springs the water that feeds the site first passes through an underground formation of limestone leaving it rich in calcium carbonate.  When the hot water is released into the air it cools quickly and leaves an ever growing hillside of terrestrial limestone (known as Travertine).   Each day the cooling water from the springs deposits two tons of new building material creating an ever changing landscape of sculptures, terraces, and new formations.   For thousands of years the hillside has grown and changed as the waterflow ebbs and shifts over time.

Ever visited a cave and seen amazing stalactites and stalagmites?  Yeah, basically the same process.  The process is so similar that the National Park services describes the Mammoth Hot Springs as “a cave turned inside out.”

The dramatic colors are thanks to the range of bacteria that thrive in the warm, wet ecosystems created by the springs.  Each type of bacteria has its own color and is uniquely suited to a given temperature range and acidity level.  Yellow bacteria indicate very hot water while greens and blues indicate cooler temperatures.  Two orange colored bacteria, Phormidium and Oscillatoria can be found in MHS and may be the source of those hues in my image above.

 

So, if you dig the groovy formations found in caves, but are also claustrophobic, then check out Mammoth Hot Springs for wondrous geology in the comfort of the open air and blue skies.

 

Until next month….m

 

The MHS are located near the North Entrance of the park near the town of Gardiner.  If you are heading to Yellowstone NP and want to learn more on how to explore the MHS check out these detailed posts from other photographers:

Maria Struss Photography

Mammoth Hot Springs/Guide to the Terraces of Yellowstone

Exploring Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone

Martin Belan

 

Sources

Wikipedia

Travertine

Thermophilic Bacteria

 

Nikon D4S, Sigma 150-600mm (@ 150mm), f/6.3, 1/500 sec, ISO 1600

Jun

26

Monet Marmot

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Shot of the Month – June 2021

Hoary Marmot - Wildflowers, Mt. Rainier, Washington (4054)

In 2020 I spent a weekend at Mt. Rainier in search of wildflowers.  Ironically, some of the most intense concentration of flowers, and color, can be found along side the roadway.  Of course, this is not really the setting for a “wild” nature image that I am looking for.  As I was driving from one hiking site to another I saw a Hoary Marmot along the road near a collection of wild flowers.  I have seen marmots dining on wild flowers before as you can read about here.

“Oooh, a marmot in those wildflowers?  That could be a great shot!”

Luckily there was a car pullout not far away so I slammed on the brakes and pulled over.  I walked back along the road to the small “field” and tried to photograph the marmot.  From time to time he would stand up and nibble on a flower.  As the marmot scampered about I was ducking and dodging trying to

  1. find a clear shot;
  2. with lots of color;
  3. without showing the road nearby;
  4. without getting hit by a passing car.

The best way to not have the road in the image is to shoot from the road — tricky with cars zooming by.  Where is the marmot?  Ahh, ok.  Click, Click.  Take eye from camera view finder and scan the road.  Any cars?  Yep.  Yikes, get off the road.

Ok, now where is the damn marmot?  Reposition.  Click, click…..Yikes, another car…

This game of hide and seek and dodge-the-car went on for a few stressful minutes.  In the end the image above is the only one that kind of worked.  The marmot eventually scampered off to flowers down the hillside before I could get THE shot..  The image is a bit of a mess but the photo does offer a nice impressionist sense of the glorious colors that can cover the mountainside for a few weeks each year.  With a bit of software I added to the Monet-esque effect:

Hoary Marmot Painting - Wildflowers, Mt. Rainier, Washington (4054)

 

Mother nature does some of her finest work in the darndest places….

 

Until next month…..m

 

 

 

 

Nikon D4S, Sigma 150-600mm (@ 230mm), f/5.3, 1/125 sec, ISO 560

May

31

Fact or Fiction?

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Shot of the Month – May 2021

Grey-cowled Wood Rail, Pantanal - Brazil (8850)Above we have a nice image of a Grey-cowled Wood Rail (GCWR).  The image is technically sound.  The entire bird is in sharp focus allowing us to see the fine detail of each feather.  The lighting is even making the exposure relatively easy — no areas of the image are too bright (“blown out”) and no areas that are too dark.  The “flat” light ensures that the colors are accurate and pleasing allowing us to see all the beautiful colors of this South American bird.

It’s a good photo.

No really, a really nice image.

It’s a really nice image…………………………………..that is boring.

Ok, that’s not totally fair.  It would be a perfect photo to use in a Bird Identification Field Guide — in this image you can see all of the key features of the specimen and verify if it is the bird you saw.  In such a book you would learn that the GCWR can be found in the forests, mangroves and swamps of Central and South America.  This sounds about right since I photographed this fellow in the Pantanal of Brazil.

In such a reference guide you could learn that rails, birds that are members of the Rallidae family, are small- to medium-sized, ground-living birds.  The family includes crakes, coots and gallinules and includes about 150 species of birds.  This family of birds is quite diverse and can be found across much of the planet.

It is a great documentation photo and is a good image to start my GCWR portfolio.  However, as this fellow sauntered about and zigged and zagged his way among the roots of the trees in the mangrove in search of a meal (most likely looking for crabs, mollusks, arthropods, frogs, seeds, berries, etc.) I managed to capture the shot below:

Grey-cowled Wood Rail, Pantanal - Brazil (1828)

Wow!  Although both images are of the same bird, the visual impact of the two photos could not be more different.  In this shot the shallow depth of field produces a dramatic backdrop and produces a real sense of depth.  That beak seems to be coming right out of the screen while little else of the bird is in focus.  And the lack of definition of those red feet makes me notice them (stare really) much more than in the first image.  They’re kinda creeping me out…

The portrait orientation of the image tightly stacks all of the bird’s colors on top of each other into a bewildering cacophony of hues.  And the side lighting produces drama and highlights that red eye as it stares ominously at us.  The angled root adds to the visual chaos.  I find my eye jumping from that red foot on the root to the dramatic hues of the beak, to that red eye, and then to the chestnut body…and back to the foot, and the beak….

While I observe the first image, I feel the second.  In the second image the rail becomes almost an abstract representation of a bird as the elements and colors of the bird take on a life of their own.

 

 

From the first image to the second we go from documentation to inspiration.  Or perhaps from representation to interpretation?  From so real to surreal?  (I could do this all day, but I think you get the idea…)

 

Ahh, the wonders of photography — an art that can capture what we see to what we can imagine, or anything in between.

 

Until next month….michael

 

Sources:

Wikipedia

 

 

Nikon D850, Nikon 200-400mm (@350mm), f/4, 1/1000s, ISO 6400

Apr

30

Striking Pose

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Shot of the Month – April 2021

Great Egret, Ding Darling NWR (8787)

This month we visit with the regal looking Great Egret (GE).  His pose makes me laugh and I can’t help but picture a noble gentlemen of the 17th century in his long frock coat waxing lyrical about the Enlightenment and the state of the Empire.

Do you see it?  Funny right?

Ok, it’s probably just me….

As I explained in an earlier post (Identity Crisis), an Egret is a Heron who happens to be all white.  You can find Egrets in a range of sizes — The GE is the largest, standing almost four feet tall with a wingspan of up to five feet across.

The four sub-species of GE are distributed across the planet.  One sub-species can be found in Asia, another in Africa, a different one in the Americas, and one in southern Europe.  I photographed this fellow in the Ding Darling NWR in Florida so he is part of the America’s sub-species Ardea alba egretta.

Despite the 18th century similarities (at least in my head) the GE was almost wiped out in the US in the 19th century as humans hunted them mercilessly for their feathers to put in ladies’ hats.

The egret population dropped by 95%.

Because of f&@!(* hats!

Thankfully conservation efforts have allowed the population to recover in most places.  Interesting fact:  A GE in flight is the symbol of the National Audubon Society as the group was created during this period by outraged citizens to stop the slaughter.

I didn’t know that.

Great Egrets can usually be found in wetlands, marshes, swamps, streams, ponds, tidal flats and assorted fresh and salt waterways.  These birds are super chill and are usually seen standing motionless at the water’s edge as they look for fish, their main prey; though they will also dine on amphibians, reptiles, mice and other small animals.

The GE is incredibly patient and will stand for looong periods as it waits for an opportunity to strike.  I can attest to their patience as I have often lost that staring contest.  For far too many times than I care to remember I have stared through a view finder with my finger poised on the shutter release button to only miss the bird’s plunge when I lifted my head for a brief second to reset my watering eyes and shift my sore neck.   I am not bitter, really…

The deathblow is delivered with a quick thrust of the sharp bill and the prey is swallowed whole.  Gulp.

One of the few times I captured the lightning strike. Kapow!

Great Egret, Ding Darling NWR (8634)

Curious about the dramatic lighting of these images?  Learn about how it is achieved in my post Bird Art  That post will also tell you more about the damn hats (with a photo!).

Despite the strong population rebound since the big, stupid hat massacre some populations of GE are struggling again.  For example in the Florida Everglades the population of mating pairs of GE has dropped 90% in recent years due to urbanization, pesticide use, agricultural runoff, industrial mercury and lead poisoning.  And due to illegal toxic-waste dumping, draining, dredging and road building.  To name a few….

You have to admire the resilience of the Great Egret though I do hope that our continued onslaught on these birds does not force the Audubon Society to retire its hard-earned logo.

 

Until next month……m

 

P.S.  Did you notice the fish in the first image?

 

Sources:

National Audubon Society

National Geographic

Nature Works

National Park Service

 

Nikon D4S, Nikon 600mm, f/11, 1/1000, ISO 6400, EV -2.5

 

Mar

31

Gob Mob

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Shot of the Month – March 2021

Atlantic Puffin, Maine (9044)

This month we visit with a small black and white bird that thrives in cold climates.  From the image above you might guess that it is a type of penguin who has a flair for color and panache.  Actually this lovely chap is an Atlantic Puffin (AP) and despite the similarities, he is not related to the penguin.  APs are part of the Alcidae family of seabirds and they can fly (unlike penguins).

The AP is about the size of a mourning dove and weighs about a pound, which is kind of heavy for a bird of that size.  The puffin is an excellent swimmer and uses that weight to help him dive up to 200 feet in search of a meal.

These birds are incredibly resilient – they spent most of their lives on the open sea in the North Atlantic Ocean which is C-O-L-D.  Over half of the world’s AP population live near Iceland.  Others can be found near Norway, Greenland, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Maine, western parts of Europe and northern Russia.

When out on the open ocean the birds tend to live solitary lives.  Given the vast expanse of the North Atlantic Ocean, and the small size of the bird, we actually know very little about their lives as scientists can rarely find one to study!

In late spring the AP returns to coastal areas and nearby islands to breed in large colonies.  During this period those striking bills and feet become super colorful to attract potential mates.  Once an AP finds a partner they stay together for life, up to 25 years for some.  After eight months apart the couple reunite at the same burrow site to continue their partnership.  Mother Nature is such a romantic…

The mated pair work together to raise a single chick each year and the parents take turns going out to sea to look for food.  In the image above you can see an adult returning back to the burrow to feed the chick.

I point to the corner of my mouth, “Excuse me Mr. Puffin you have a little something right uh, well, you have some crumbs at the edge of…….uh, never mind.”

AP dine mainly on herring, sand eels and capelin.  Puffins normally swallow their catch underwater butAtlantic Puffin, Maine (9046) when catching food for their chick they use their specialized bill to carry mouthfuls back to the burrow.  Atlantic Puffins have backward-pointing spines on their bills, tongues, and on the roof of their mouths.  They push each newly caught fish to the back of their mouth with their tongue and the fish are kept secure by the tiny spines.  This allows the puffin to keep their mouth open and keep fishing for more.  A puffin can usually hold about 10 fish in his mouth though in these phots I think I count 11 or 12 fish.  Nice job!

I photographed this hard working puffin parent on Machias Seal Island, off the coast of Maine.  The “full-mouth” shot is tough to capture.  Once the bird lands he is running to duck into the burrow as quickly as possible as every other puffin and gull in the neighborhood is running towards him to steal his cache.

 

 

 

There you have it, the Atlantic Puffin – the adorable, colorful, chipmunk-esque plucky bird of the sea.

 

For more on the Atlantic Puffin check out my Clown of the Sea post.

 

Until next month…..m

 

 

Sources:

Wikipedia (Atlantic Puffin)

National Geographic

Animal Fact Guide

American Bird Conservancy

 

Nikon D300S, Nikon 200-400mm (@ 200mm), f/4, 1/4000 sec, ISO 200, EV -0.5