Wildlife

A few more.

My all-time favorite sea bird: the arctic tern.

Holy smokes what a treat to wake up to!

I’m assuming the items in the box were found beachcombing?

I love swans and they are in town too.  I’ve been trying to get a good picture of one but even with 900mm of reach, I can get close enough due to how they have sections of our local wildlife refuge restricted from foot traffic.  We have both Tundra and Trumpeter swans although at a distance, and without better optics, it’s hard to tell which are which.

I hope to drive up to the arctic circle as my retirement trip within the next couple years.  I definitely plan on spending some time watching birds and wildlife.

Thanks again for the fantastic photo dump

Phillip, those pictures make me think I should just throw away my cameras.

Incredible work and thanks for sharing.

Thanks, guys. And yes, the box is full of Japanese glass floats and whiskey bottles we had beach combed. I can’t tell a tundra from a trumpeter either, but I never claimed to be a bird nerd, haha.

A lot of these images are actually pretty old. Most of what I posted was shot with film cameras back in the late 1990s to early 2000s (the last batch being an exception). Since then I have migrated to digital but also switched to shooting more video. I wonder how different those images would look given the greater exposure latitude of modern digital cameras plus magical stuff like HDR?

One of the most amazing things about southwest Alaska is the absolute profusion of critters. It’s an incredibly biologically productive area both on land and in the ocean. Something is always walking, flying, or swimming by. Everywhere else I travel I wonder, “where did they put all the animals?” I feel blessed that my backyard is not a shabby spot to do a little adventuring.

Blessed indeed.  Beautiful pics!

Truly beautiful shots by all. Best. Thread. Ever.

I wonder how different those images would look given the greater exposure latitude of modern digital cameras plus magical stuff like HDR?

It isn’t the camera. It’s the person behind the lens!

Our house is in a perpetual state of remodel.   I took this photo of my 20v battery (about 20’ away from me) and charger with my phone, maxed out the optical zoom, maxed out the digital zoom, and then cropped it.  The right tools for the right job do make a difference.  Continued in next response…

But I do generally agree with the sentiment of “It isn’t the camera. It’s the person behind the lens!”

It’s far more than equipment, and even technique.  It’s understanding animal behavior (eg birds will land into the wind).  It’s doing your homework so you’re in the right position to capture the animal in the best light.  Most of all, it’s showing up and putting in the work.

None of this is to say that I’m even a mediocre photographer in any genre, but packing my gear and driving a couple of hours only to come home skunked is a helluva teacher, and it makes me appreciate the hours of prep and fieldwork that is invested by other photographers when they come home with an epic photo.

My wife is the one behind the lens on our walks…

Yours are over the top, Philip!

Some randoms from near town…

Kodiak has lots(!) of mountain goats:

And tens of thousands of Sitka blacktail deer :

Steller sea lion populations are down, but there are still a bunch around:

Feral buffalo, anyone?

Ughhhh….

Totally not fair

^LOL!!!  Bernie’s really getting around these days.  How does he find the time?

Sidetrack, but of possible general interest: @philip-ak, what are you shooting on these days? Your stills and video are gorgeous.

Older wide angle and POV shots were from a few generations of GoPros but now I have been using a DJI Osmo Action for the past 2 years.

General scenes and telephotos are from a few generations of Panasonic LUMIX DMC-ZS__ like the 20, 40, 60, etc.

A few scenics are from my iPhone XR.

Cheers