Wildlife Photography across the Water: smokys.fall.moon.reflection

Monday, 6 December 2010

Dave's Wildlife moments of the Year 2

You don't realize how much you travel or how many images you take until you make time to go back through the year, Last blog i covered my birding trips to New Jersey and Florida-Both fantastic trips and trips i will repeat, My wifes company is based in California and we were lucky enough to have another trip out West and although the weather could have been better it was still a great trip and a place i love to go to, I never seem to have enough time when i am there and there are certain times of the year that i would love to go but the business trips never seem to coincide with, Monterey bay and the San Francisco bay are very productive and this trip i also managed a day down the Big Sur where i was lucky enough to have California Condors very close which was a new experience for me, Its Americas largest bird and boy are they big, The sun was very high when i got there so the light was harsh but sometimes you have to forget the photography and soak in the experience, The thing i love about the Monterey area is that within a few minutes you can shoot seals,sea lions, ground squirrels and a multitude of birds and the scenery is stunning, I really envy photographers that live in these areas as there is just so much to shoot,
Another highlight for me are the trips into the Great Smoky Mountains in both Tennessee and North Carolina-Just stunning in the Fall/Autumn and it really brings the landscape photographer out in you, Every turn of the road is a new image and with a multitude of waterfalls and streams you never seem to have enough hours in the day, The Tennessee side also has Cades Cove and although a horribly busy place to visit its the best place to get good Deer, Turkey and Bear shots near to where i live, This years fall colours really were spectacular and a pleasure to view-nature at her best

California

Smoky Mountains

So thats it for part 2 but so far we havent covered my very best wildlife experience of 2010-until next time

Dave

Wednesday, 27 October 2010

Back to Normality

12 Hours of decorating today and the weather has been wet for 2 days so no chance to get the cameras out, But these things need to be done so a wet day is the best time i guess, I have another 2 or 3 days and then its all done, Looks like we lost the house i really liked so its back to viewing which is a chore and time consuming but if i can fine 2 or 3 acres of woodland with a nice house attached then it will all be worth it in the long term,
I mentioned before that i was at Clingmans dome in the Smokys along with a lot of other togs so here are a couple of images showing why you need to get places early to get the best position

and after the sun had set just time for a grab shot

And rather than another sunset here is the moon rising on a beautiful evening

And another out of the box image, I was shooting a waterfall and whirl pool when i noticed the reflection of the trees in a puddle next to me

Dave

Bio's

David Courtenay, a self taught wildlife and nature photographer, has been capturing images for over 30 years. He has had a passion for wildlife since early childhood and remembers being glued to the television whenever Survival, Wildlife on One and other natural history documentaries were shown. In the 2006 he swapped his established career for the life of a wildlife photographer, such a move demands a measure of uncompromising passion and commitment.

David has travelled extensively throughout Europe as well as spending more than 7 months in India working with local guides and trackers in search of Bengal Tiger, Asian One horned Rhino and Asian Elephant. He has also photographed Wildlife in Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sumatra, Africa, Canada and America. Working closely with Conservation companies he tries to raise funds to help Wildlife that has been put on the endangered list by poaching and habitation loss

Martin Dyer has had a passion for avian wildlife since childhood, particularly raptors. Photography was also another keen interest and it was with the specific availability and control of the whole process that digital offers that Martin was then able to combine the two in 2003. Based in the UK, Martin is a regular visitor to Scotland, specifically the Isle of Mull to watch the Eagles resident there. Other trips to Europe and around the UK are usually part of Martin’s agenda in a typical year.

However, as a firm believer on making the most of the local patch, Martin has spent a lot of time and hard work creating a wildlife garden which is reaping the rewards with many new species and varieties of wildlife. A keen member of a number of wildlife photographic groups, Martin is keen to expand his portfolio into other areas of wildlife, and has already established a wide portfolio of images of fungi.