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Jan
04
One last glance back at 2024 before we leap into 2025 with a review of some of my favorite images from the last 12 months.
In 2024 I made my first trip to Patagonia, Chile in search of pumas. I had low expectations going into that trip but in the end, I was blown away by the experience. The landscape and scenery were breathtaking. Although the winter days were short the light was spectacular from sunrise to sunset. We spent most of each day hiking as we tracked pumas allowing us to really be part of that stunning landscape. Put all this together and we get one of the best trips I have ever taken. We enjoyed it so much that we plan to return in 2026 (Sorry, Madagascar, you will have to wait one more year).
Let’s start with my favorite images from that adventure.
1. We begin with my best photo of the year and one of the best images I have ever taken. Truly an image of a lifetime. In one shot, we get not only the dramatic Patagonia landscape (Cordillera del Paine) but also the apex predator of the region.
And just in case you didn’t notice, here is a zoomed-in crop of the bottom part of the image:
2. In the next image we can see the powerful build of the puma. And that gaze is intense!
3. Here we see a female puma with her two cubs. Cuteness overload!
Here is a close up of the puma family:
4. One of my goals for the trip was to photograph a pygmy owl and Patagonia did not disappoint! It was my first sighting of this fierce tiny raptor.
5. I imagine that true landscape photographers must lose their minds in Patagonia – at every turn was yet another mind-boggling scene. How do you choose where to point your camera??
6. Just another average sunrise in Patagonia.
A few other of my favorite images from 2024 captured a bit closer to home.
7. I made a weekend trip to Mt. Rainier (Washington State) and found this dramatic sunset scene at Reflection Lake. I have some nice sunrise photos from this location but this is my first compelling sunset image.
8. I spent a few days in the Olympic National Park (Washington State) and captured two images that I really liked (I am using this one as the background on my phone).
9. Another view of the same stream. It seems that I am a big fan of fuzzy green rocks.
9. Each year short-eared owls winter in Washington State – here is one of my favorite images from my time with them.
10. And each summer bald eagles congregate along the coastline of Washington State to feast on spawning fish. In this image, we have two eagles fighting over a fish.
11. No fish in this image but two eagles still fighting, in the rain – just because.
12. And finally, an image taken really close to home. An Anna’s hummingbird dining in the garden that is on the back deck of our house.
In other news, I entered a few photo contests in 2024 with some good results.
Three images were “Commended” in the 2024 Bird Photographer of the Year (BPOTY) Contest:
1. Feeding Time
Photo Caption:
Over three weeks I visited this Anna’s Hummingbird nest regularly to document the growth and development of the chicks. By staying on the boardwalk and using a 600 mm lens I was able to have a good view of the hummingbird family while keeping a safe distance from the nest. When I began the chicks were blind, featherless, and the size of my thumbnail. In this image the chicks are almost fully mature, and their feathers have grown in. Just two days after this photo was taken, I watched the chicks take their first flight! We were all very proud!
See the full story here.
2. Rufous on Watch
Photo Caption:
From his perch, this male Rufous Hummingbird surveyed the entire field – if any other bird or creature dared to enter, he would take flight and warn them off. As the tree swayed in the breeze the light occasionally caught his gorget just right, and radiated bright orange. Every few seconds he would expand his gorget for added effect, flashing it for all to see, and to proclaim “No Trespassing.” I approached him slowly, taking images every 10 paces or so until I was able to capture this portrait of the fiery watchman
Read more on the rufous hummingbird here.
3. Fish Fight
Photo Caption:
Bald eagles congregate along the Washington coast each summer to feed on midshipman fish spawning among the oyster beds. As the tide recedes the fish become trapped and the eagles attack. Some eagles strafe the water to catch their own fish while others steal from blue herons and seagulls. Other bald eagles prefer to steal from fellow eagles. In this scene, the eagle with a fish implemented an impressive barrel roll to confront her attacker. With the theft rebuffed the eagle flew to a nearby pine tree to dine in peace.
Read more on this behavior here.
The photo above was also deemed “Highly Honored” in the 2024 Nature’s Best Photography International Awards.
You can see all the winners here.
What photo(s) was your favorite?
Wishing you a wonderful 2025!
….michael
Jan
03
Time to revisit some of my favorite images from 2023. I was a bit lazy this year and we ended up with a top 17…
My photography began in earnest in May with the annual congregation of bald eagles along the Washington coastline. Alas, the action was not as dramatic as in previous years and we rarely (e.g. never) got the desired combination of great light with good action but we had fun trying.
I made a quick trip to look for foxes too late in the season but managed to get one of my best shots of the year. One great shot can make a whole trip worthwhile.
Our big trip of the year was to Tanzania where we visited the Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire National Park. It is always a joy to be back in Africa and it was my first trip back to Tanzania in 18 years! The photography was only so-so but the memories are top notch.
In December I made a trip to Yellowstone National Park – pretty much a photographic disaster. I had some beautiful days but there was almost no snow (!!!) and few animals.
And just before the end of the year I made a quick trip in search of Short-eared owls and managed to get one of my best shots of the year. This year it seems that the short trips were the most productive.
On with the show, in chronological order:
1. One of the few air battles we saw in 2023. The guy on the bottom makes the shot. The outrage!
2. Bald eagle at work catching a fish. I like the peek-a-boo wing effect.
3. We went too late in the season to photograph foxes and there was very little action. Yet, somehow, I got this one shot that made the whole trip worthwhile. I had to lay on my stomach to get this eye contact. And the light….this shot is all about the light! You can read about the shot here.
4. And while waiting for foxes I managed to get my best shot ever of a California Quail. More on that here.
5. While in Tanzania we had the good fortune of finding a leopard at a tree with a recent kill. We were able to visit this magnificent male multiple times over a 3 day period as he continued to dine on the carcass at the same location. This may be my favorite image from the entire trip. B&W or Color? I couldn’t decide soooo…
6. Same leopard, same rock, another day. But those eyes…..
7. Yep, same leopard. Mood….
8. Lion in a tree? What’s up with that? I think this shot is ok, but it seems to be a crowd favorite so it makes the list.
9. Adorable lion cubs. Check. Dramatic back and side lighting (sunrise). Check. Add it to the list. Check. What a way to start the day…
10. A lion on the Serengeti plain. What safari dreams are made of. In B&W this image feels like it could have been shot in 1950…
For those who prefer color:
11. I am a sucker for color and Yellow-collared Lovebirds have it for days (Tarangire NP). The extra drama with the bird in flight takes it to the next level….
12. The Agama lizard. I mean just look at him. He is magnificent! The colors! The angles. The spikey ear things. Those crazy feet. The attitude…
13. While in Yellowstone I had the most luck with coyotes. I like how his coloration matches the sage brush. And the raised paw with the flying snow give a bit of action.
14. Such a luscious coat. I lied on my stomach to capture this nice coyote portrait.
15. A nice “Yellowstone in Winter” scene.
16. I love the layers and depth of this image and how the bison dominates the horizon.
17. A short-eared owl flying into the setting sun. The dramatic lighting, the colors and razor’s edge sharpness make this one the best shots of this or any of my years…
Pulled back a bit…
What are your favorite 3 images?
Hope you have a wonderful 2024
….michael
Jan
01
Ten photos that capture my 2022? Hmmn, the pickings are a bit thin this year. My photo-taking opportunities were quite limited in 2022 – due to work and well you know, “life.” I only made it outdoors with my camera on a few, tightly-grouped set of outings. Let’s run through them in chronological order.
1. My first set of photo opportunities happened in May as Bald Eagles congregated along the Washington state coastline to feast on spawning fish. Over a six-week period I made it out about 10 times to try and capture the action. Here is one my favorites:
The eagle on the bottom, holding the fish, did a barrel roll to confront the eagle chasing him.
2. In this next image we have yet another barrel roll. This image really drives home how fearless (read as “mental”) these birds are.
Eagle on the Left: “Yeah, I am just going to fly upside down because I need to “cut a b*tch.”
Talons out — “You want some of this??!!”
And the second eagle is like, “Well, actually, I think I do…” And note that they are not even fighting over a fish, but just because It-Is-What-They-DOOO.
3. In this crowded world it is very difficult to find truly wild places. With a bit of effort we found such a rare locale in late August 2022. But it took some effort. First a seaplane dropped us off along the coastline of Katmai National Park. Then a boat met the plane to take us into this secluded cove. We spent 4 mind-bending days camping at this glorious site photographing Brown Bears. We camped within meters of these amazing creatures.
4. Each day, with waders on, we walked along the river’s edge, often within yards of the Brown Bears as they fished for salmon. It is pretty intense having a 400-600 lb bear running right at you as we see in this shot. Luckily, the bears are solely focused on the thousands of salmon in the river.
5. I love how this picture captures the epic battle between predator and prey. The Brown Bear is in full pursuit mode. And the salmon is like – “Time to Flyyyyyyy.”
6. When the light is just right….
7. In September 2022 we spent 10 days hiking in Glacier National Park. Forest fires in the region made photography difficult but here are two of my favorite shots that really come as a boxed set. In this first image, a beautiful sunrise at Switfcurrent Lake.
8. And here we have a sunset image from the exact same location but the lighting gives the shot a completely different tone and feel.
9. While in Glacier NP I got my first respectable Mountain Goat shot.
10. Back home in late November I visited a few nearby fields to try my luck with Short-eared Owls.
11. Bonus: This photo makes me smile. Here we have a female Brown Bear standing on her hind legs to get a better view of the salmon. This is the same female that is in image #1 (she is in front). In that image her cubs are off to the left, on the bank.
Got a favorite? Let me know…
Hope you have a great 2023!
michael….
Jan
23
Time to look back at 2021 with a collection of images that summarize my year of photography. This year I will post them in chronological order. (Click on an image to see it larger)
1. In January I had been tracking the weather forecasts for the Painted Hills in Oregon and when I saw a chance of snow I hopped in the car and drove 7 hours to reach the site. Alas, no snow to highlight these colorful peaks but the clouds and dark sky really helped make the photo. I drove back the next night (this location is best shot at sunset) through treacherous fog, and snow – sometimes going 10 miles/hour or less for long periods of time on winding mountain roads. Ugh — brutal but at least I was rewarded with a nice image for my efforts.
2. In May I escaped to San Juan Island in Washington State for a week to photograph foxes. Here we see a lovely female red fox (Silver Morph) with one of her pups.
3. Each year from mid-May to early July bald eagles congregate at Hood Canal in Washington to feast on spawning midshipman fish. I made a few visits and captured this mid-air discussion
4. In June I made another trip to San Juan Island for some kayaking and while there I got this nice image of the Lime Kiln Lighthouse.
5. Also in June I shot this beauty outside of our kitchen window! (Male Anna’s Hummingbird)
For the next 3 images I had to go a bit futher afield. We spent a glorious 10 days at the Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya in September. I had lived in Kenya many years ago and it had been 15 years since I had visited Masai Mara. There is still no place like it on the planet to see big cats.
6. I love this unique photo – we had 12 giraffe walk past us at sunset. They got all bunched up as a family of cheetahs was sitting nearby and the giraffes were watching them closely. In this image the sun had fallen below the horizon and we were left with just shades of blue.
7. We spent alot of time with this mother cheetah during our trip. She was one of the most powerful cheetahs I have ever seen and exuded confidence. In this image she is waiting out a heavy rainstorm.
8. We had tremendous luck in spotting leopards on our trip — during our stay we found 3 females with a cub (so that is 6 leopards in total). In this image we see a mother leopard playing with her cub just after sunrise.
The last two images are from the Grand Teton National Park – I spent 10 days there in December.
9. In this image I slowed down the shutter speed to highlight the falling snow and give a sense of the conditions that moose endure during the winter here.
10. In this image a unique view of moose with some beautiful side light.
Let me know your favorite in the comments below.
Hope you have a wonderful 2022!
michael
