Balancing Family, Life, and Photography

Canada Goose Profile

One of the things that I have found since becoming a father, is that it is can be difficult to find the time to capture images as I once did. In the past, I could leave and take photographs on a whim - I would look at the weather patterns, scout locations, and simply go if the conditions were right. Recently, I find that it just isn't that easy anymore - nor do I find myself as compelled previously. It's not that I don't have the same desire to photograph the world as I once did, it's just that there are times that I find myself in a field waiting for a sunset and I'd rather be home with my wife and daughter. My favorite times to photograph are when my daughter is with me and she is exploring the world, and I follow this exploration through my lens. This photograph is one such example. She loves to go see the ducks at Schramm State Recreation Area, and as such my collection of duck/bird photographs has increased considerably. By the way, she still thinks that Geese are ducks, although occasionally she will say "Geese!" to both geese and ducks. I try not to confuse her too much.

Our vacations have changed as well. We try to stick closer to home, and I've modified my schedule somewhat. I will still go out before sunrise to try and get that glorious morning shot, but the middle of my day is spent with activities with my family. I will still take photographs, but I really enjoy seeing how my daughter is reacting to her environment and the sights around her. I feel that my photography has evolved since she has come into the world - for the better. As I have said before, she has given me a new view of the world - I see things that before I may have passed over.

I will still continue to travel and photograph and I hope that as my daughter grows she will join me on these adventures. Who knows, maybe some day she'll pick up a camera and follow her daddy. All I know is that my life has changed and that I enjoy sharing the world with her. I continue to check out sunrises and sunsets, just sometimes it will be without a camera and with my daughter.

Canon 50d, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/5.6, 1/125 sec.

Schramm State Recreation Area, Nebraska

DeSoto Show, Postcards, and Screen Savers

Today is the first day of my show at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge. This is going to run until the end of May, if you get an opportunity to visit this beautiful refuge be sure to take in a few (39) photographs as well. In addition to the show, I have produced 2 postcard designs and a screen saver that will be sold in the gift shop. These are nice 5x7 cards as shown above.

Directions and more information on DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge is available at: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/desoto/

After the Rain

Today's image was taken the same day as yesterday's, just a little after. I moved to the right of the road and continued to use the widest angle to accentuate the length of the road.

The sun had just set and the clouds were picking up an intense magenta hue. I really wanted to show the sky as well, so I came close to cutting the image in half with the horizon, but cut the sky back a bit so it wasn't quite 50% of the image.

Technical Details:

Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/11, 1.6 sec., 3-stop Singh-Ray 2-stop Hard ND Grad

Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska

Early Spring Rain

A couple of days ago I returned to Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge after a soft spring rain to capture the clouds as they moved off from the storm. I always love the effects of this weather - the smell in the air, the reflecting puddles, and of course the light that can be captured right after a good rain. Here, a road that bisects part of the plain at the refuge had just been plowed and the rain left several nice puddles in the texture of the mud. I wanted to capture the road with the sky to give the full effect of the weather on this landscape so I used a vertical composition to elongate the road and accentuate the feel of the distance.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/11, .4 sec., Singh-Ray 2-stop hard ND grad
Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska

Bashful

A couple of weeks ago I managed to capture this image of a duck at Scramm State Recreation Area. While I like the color version of this image, the thing that really drew me into this photograph was the composition. To accentuate the composition, I decided to remove the color. I used a new plugin, Nik Silver Efex Pro to do the conversion. This is the first time I have used that utility and I found that I liked the results and the ease at which I was able to do it. It definitely opened some good Black and White possibilities for me.

Technical Details:
Canon 50d, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/6.3, 1/1600 sec.
Schramm State Recreation Area, Nebraska

Bark Abstract

Some images lend themselves to abstraction. There is some debate in the photographic community of what constitutes an abstract photograph. Some believe it needs to not be recognizable, while others say it must simply be patterns and shapes that can lend itself to imagination. Frankly, I am in the latter. If you can recognize it, yet still enjoy it for the patterns, shapes, and colors without it relying on the subject I believe that an abstract photograph can succeed. Today's image is that of tree bark with some moss for color. It could have also been an image of cliffs and valleys from high above the earth, or broken rocks on a shore.

Technical Details:
Canon 50d, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/9, 1/80 sec.
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska/Iowa

A Brief Glimpse of Spring

Last week the highs were in the 60s and the birds were out chirping. I couldn't help but go capture a couple of images of the robins as they scurried around in the warm sun.

Technical Details:
Canon 50d, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/5.6, 1/640 sec.
OPPD Arboretum, Omaha, Nebraska

Tonight the Storm Comes

This photograph was taken last weekend at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, while the last bit of sun was just touching the upper clouds. This is the storm coming across the plains that brought the snow that I photographed in downtown Omaha. It came fast and pelted some cold snow across the lake making the walk back to my car nice and icy cold.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/16, .6 sec.
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge

Focus on Feather

This weekend I had the opportunity to spend some time at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge on a beautiful almost 60 degree day in February. I drove around and managed to see several hawks, a bald eagle, and numerous geese. I also got out and hiked a bit and came across this feather. I found a fallen tree that had begun decomposing and I liked the pattern in the wood. I laid the feather across the grain in such a way that the pattern of the feature was perpendicular for some visual interest. The dappled light created by the trees added a nice effect on the composition as well.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 50 CM lens, f/32, 1/25 sec.
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska

A Lonely Omaha Street

Today's image was taken the same night as the previous 3. I had wanted to get some snow flying through this photo, and while it was lightly snowing, it had let up pretty much by this point. I felt this image worked best in black and white with a sepia tone. I plan on returning here when it is snowing heavier and a little earlier so I can capture a bit of light behind the buildings.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 24mm, f/16, 30 sec.
Omaha, Nebraska

Illumina Confetti 3

This is the final image from the "Illumina Confetti" images. The snow was beginning to let up a bit in this one, but there was still enough to create the confetti feel. I am planning on going back down to the Qwest Center to get some more images of this creative display later in the year. It is a very nice addition to the city and I look forward to photographing it again. Look for the new images in my blog when I do return.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/6.3, 1/40 sec.
Omaha, Nebraska

Illumina Confetti 2

This is the next is the series of photographs that I captured at the "Illumina" display. The snow is really flying in this one, causing white streaks throughout the photograph - another confetti party feel.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/6.3, 1/25 sec.
Omaha, Nebraska

Illumina Confetti

There have been a couple of images I have envisaged for downtown Omaha that involve large flakes of snow. Just after sunset, the snow began to fly while I was photographing north at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, so I hightailed it back to Omaha to get some shots. I ended up at the Qwest center where there is a striking display entitled "Illumina" by Matthew Placzek. The snow came down like confetti, enforcing the "party" feeling. Over the next couple of days I will be posting more images from this evening.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 21mm, f/5.6, 1/80 sec.
Omaha, Nebraska

Chirping in the Sunlight

As I was returning the other morning when I ventured out to photograph the Platte River at sunrise, I heard an incessant chirping from a nearby tree. There I found a little red cardinal that was welcoming the day. Not wanting to disturb him for too long, I took only a couple of shots and then continued on.

Technical Details:
Canon 50d, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/5.6, 1/500 sec.
Near the Platte River Connection Bridge, Nebraska

Frozen Platte River Sunrise

For some time now, I have envisaged a composition with the warmth of the sun rising over the almost frozen Platte River. Yesterday, I ventured down to the Platte River Connection bridge, a pedestrian bridge near South Bend, Nebraska, because I knew that the sun would rise just above Platte River State park from this vantage point. I had hoped that there would be some interesting designs in the ice to add interest to the composition. I was a little disappointed by the lack of clouds, but the river looked about how I imagined it. I hope to venture that way again before the major spring thaw to see what ice patterns may emerge on the Platte River.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/13, 1/6 sec., 3-stop hard ND Singh-Ray Grad
Platte River, near South Bend, Nebraska

Tag, You're It!

As a nature, landscape, and wildlife photographer, I have to be aware of the natural world around me. As such, I have learned things about weather, moon phases, migratory patterns, and species than I ever thought I would ever learn, a nice side reward of what I do.

A year and a half ago, my baby daughter was born. As most parents probably know, as she grows I find that I look at the world differently, things that I might have passed over before fascinates her and now they fascinate me. I love taking her outside to explore her world. One of her favorite activities is going to see animals of any kind. As I have said before, there are almost always ducks or geese at Schramm State Recreation Area at any time throughout the year. They get feed by the passer-byers often and we have found ourselves saving up old bread to feed to them when we visit. We have been a few times recently, and when it warms up I expect to be there again.

Because of my evolving view of the world, I felt the title was appropriate for these two ducks. Looking at the world like a child might.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/7.1, 1/800 sec.
Schramm State Recreation Area, Nebraska

Individuality

Today brought us a winter weather advisory warning which made it a good day to look around for some abstract compositions near some warmth. This capture was the result of wet, blowing snow on a glass door that melted upon contact and then remained in this pattern. I was fascinated by the randomness and how some of the droplets merged to become larger droplets, while most others remained small and individual.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 50 CM, f/3.2, 1/160 sec.

More From the 50D

On the Hunt

Technical Details:
Canon 50d, 300 f/4l + 1.4 tc, f/5.6, 1/1600 sec., ISO 800


Today I went to the arboretum to give the 50d another try. There was a woodpecker there when I had my G10 and I wanted to see if I could get some good up close shots. In the past I would have used my 20d, but that would not have allowed for much cropping at 8 megapixels. The woodpecker was there, but I didn't get a good angle, like I had last visit, plus I was crunched for time so I focused on the squirrels busily hunting for their hidden nuts. After a walker startled these guys, they carefully came back to their position, where I was waiting with my camera.


Munch, Munch
Technical Details:
Canon 50d, 300 f/4l + 1.4 tc, f/5.6, 1/1600 sec., ISO 800

Platte River Ice Jam

During this time every year the Platte River tends to freeze up and thaw several times. This creates several ice jams on the river which create a matrix of interesting ice pattens throughout the river channel. I went down by Schramm State Recreation Area to capture some of these patterns and channels of the water as it flows through the ice.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 34mm, f/14, .3 sec
Schramm State Recreation Area

Platte River Sunrise

Today's image is one that I shot last August and have processed a few different times. Previously, I really didn't feel like the image evoked anything in me and so I left it in the archive. After I went back to it and processed it again, I felt like the image was closer to what I experienced that morning when I climbed the Platte River State Park tower and captured the rising sun hitting the fog across the Platte. It was a quiet, chilly morning with some birds chirping. It was a very calm way to start the day.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d, 70-200 f/4l @ 140mm, f/16, 1.3 sec.
Platte River State Park, Nebraska