Snowy Owl
What is a Snowy Owl expedition really like? This article is your chance to find out. Join me for a two day photo safari! I give you tips and photo suggestions along the way, and you get to see how I prepare, plan, and adapt on a photo trip. I tell you what went right and what went wrong so this is also about what to do when things don’t go according to plan.
Snowy Owl Sightings, January 2016
Winter is your opportunity to photograph Snowy Owls. When it is cold enough and there is enough snow cover, snowy owls move down into the northern U.S. The colder it is the farther south they move. If conditions are right, don’t delay. If the winter turns warmer the snowy owls will head back north.
Snowy Owl looking for prey.
If there are cold enough temperatures and plenty of snow cover on the ground, the northern United States has a winter invasion of Snowy Owls. These are magnificent creatures and well worth your photographic time and attention. This series is filled with tips on how to find and photograph snowy owls.
This iconic photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt is one of the most famous images ever published by LIFE magazine. Eisenstaedt was at Times Square on the day Japan’s surrender was announced. Joyful, exuberant people filled the streets, as did photographers. Eisenstaedt took four photos of this couple (as well as photos of other people celebrating). There is quite a story behind this image.
Ansel Adams in front of “Monolith: The Face of Half Dome, 1927”. Photographed in his home Dec. 2, 1980.
Ansel Adams was born February 20, 1902. He is “the” icon of American landscape photography. Trained as a concert pianist, his love of photography and time spent in Yosemite National Park led him to a career change.
Lyn Marie wanted to go out and shoot in the snow. So we did. This is one of my two most favorite photos for February 20 and one of my all time favorite winter “figure studies”.
This was the second day of our photo shoot. We wanted to create the illusion that Lyn Marie was falling. She dressed in bold colors and everything else in the studio was totally black. This is my favorite image for today’s date.
Lyn Marie liked my portfolio so she made the trip from St. Louis Missouri to Ohio so we could work together. This is my favorite photo for February 18.
Don’t miss it. At noon today at Carol Hall in the Shaw Center (Graceland University), Julia Franklin will be talking about her remarkable art exhibit.
I have three favorite photos for today’s date. I have been photographing all these sisters since they were toddlers. If their faces look familiar, it is because they have been part of this series before.
A lot of Canada geese lived in our neighborhood in Columbus Ohio, thanks to several retention ponds. It was a regular thing for traffic to be stopped as geese crossed a neighborhood road. Sometimes it would be just a few geese and sometimes 15 or 20 or more.
At the time of this photo shoot, Ashley was an American model living in Italy. She was planning a short trip back to the states to visit family and we wanted to work together. So she squeezed a short trip to Columbus into her tight schedule. This is my favorite image for February 15.
Valentine’s Day fell on a Sunday in 2016, so we had a Valentine themed meal after church. This collage of images for that day is my favorite image for February 14.
It was a cold February day in Ohio, and I was out in the yard playing games with our oldest grandson. I love the read cap so I grabbed a camera to take a few pictures. This is not only my favorite photo for February 13, it is one of my all time favorite photos of Andrew.
The Christmas tree came down today. As much as I love having the tree up, it has to come down sooner or later.
Our Christmas tree is still up so I did some images of a few of our favorite ornaments.
If you have been following along this month, you can tell February is not my favorite photography month. In my favorite photo folder there are some dates for which I have only one photo, and some of them aren’t very exciting.
What kid doesn’t like making and hanging out in a blanket fort? I was at “Picking Up the Pieces, an art exhibit at Graceland University by Julia Franklin (story here). I crawled inside the blanket fort to take pictures.
We were having lunch at our favorite sandwich place in Leon Iowa. Thanks to the cold weather the window was covered with condensation, obscuring the view of the outside and making the logo on the window stand out.
Our grandson Finn was engrossed with a kid video on YouTube. As I walked by I grabbed a photo with my iPhone. This is my favorite photo for February 6.
Bill Cunningham is one of my favorite fashion photographers. He did a weekly fashion column for the New York Times, and a weekly video report from his photos taken on the streets of New York City.
Bill Cunningham is one of my favorite fashion photographers. He did a weekly fashion column for the New York Times, and a weekly video report from his photos taken on the streets of New York City.
Bill Cunningham is one of my favorite fashion photographers. He did a weekly fashion column for the New York Times, and a weekly video report from his photos taken on the streets of New York City.
I was at the Helene Center for the Visual Arts (Graceland University, Lamoni Iowa) documenting the latest art exhibit by Julia (Tucker) Franklin. At the exhibit you enter the rooms of her childhood home in Wichita Falls, Texas. Little by little the story is revealed. The brick in a desk drawer with the death threat. The police report. The suicide note in the clipboard on top of the desk.
The Christmas ornament on the left is one of my favorites. The lion, the lamb, and little child are based on Isaiah 11:6, a scripture that dozens of artists have brought to life in various ways.
There are over 3,000 photos in my “favorite photos” folder, and only one of them was taken on February 1. Yes, our Christmas tree was still up.
Southwest Colorado in the Fall.
Come spend four exciting days on a total immersion photo safari in beautiful southwest Colorado. Colorado is magnificent in the fall as the aspen turn gold. The safari is September 27-30, 2019. Registration is limited and this photo safari is filling up. Detail are here.
Are you ready to take your nature and wildlife photography to the next level? Are you ready to learn the professional secrets that make the difference between good images and great images? Are you ready for a high intensity, action packed, total immersion photography weekend? Come to Park of the Pines on beautiful Lake Charlevoix June 7-10, 2019.
Favorite Photos, January. Click for a larger version.
Here are my favorite photos for the month of January. The story behind this “favorite photos by date” project is here.
