Assateague Morning

Assateague Sunrise

 

Looking back at our recent visit to Assateague Island these two images stood out for how they relate to the wildlife photographer.  To be successful as an outdoor photographer it is necessary to be out on location early in the morning and late in the evening to capture the best light of the day and when wildlife is most active.

Great Blue Heron

 

To successfully photograph wildlife one must often resort to the tactics of the Great Blue Heron; be in the right location and wait motionlessly until just the right moment to strike. 

The Surf is Up: Sunrise at Assateague Island

With Hurricane Sandy approaching, my wife views the angry Assateague Surf at dawn.

 

Planning a little ocean side getaway my wife and I ventured down to Virgina's picturesque Chincoteague Island on Thursday.  With wildlife photography and late-season beach bumming in mind we were keeping track of hurricane Sandy as she churned he way towards our east coast. 

Our plans called for heading home after sunrise Saturday and with the hurricane headed our way we were not tempted to linger. 

The approaching storm made for a memorable morning on the beach

 

I will be sharing the bird photos from the trip in future posts

SkyWatch: Florida Dawn

My last morning in Florida I had little time for photography before beginning the long drive north.  Determined to capture a few more images I headed out looking for a worthwhile sunrise shot.  As I drove south watching the sky brighten I was beginning to think that my efforts were all for naught.  That is until I noticed the lone palm tree filtering the rays of the rising sun.

Scenics are seldom shot using long telephoto lenses but in this case I used the 400mm.  The longer focal length allowed me the cut out unwanted items and increase the visual impact of the morning sun.

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SkyWatch: Double Sun

Double Sun

I always love to watch the sunrise; no two are the same.

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Weekend Highlights

A day of striper fishing on the Chesapeake did not yield any keeper fish but the sunrise certainly was memorable. I made this image with my little Canon S2 IS point&shoot. I guess the batteries are getting old for after shooting just three shots of the sunrise the camera shut down telling me to change batteries; not an easy task as I had just put my spare batteries in the handheld GPS unit we were using to navigate

Visiting our local lake on Friday I was closing in on a flock of lesser scaup when I noticed more ducks along the shoreline. Checking them out through the camera lens I realized that they were American Wigeon, a much less common duck than the scaup. Getting close to the shy Wigeon was out of the question as they flew before I was able to maneuver to within good camera range. This is only the second time I have encountered the American Wigeon in my area.

Middle Creek Silhouettes

With all of the buzz about the Snow Geese at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area I had my plans for a visit this past weekend thwarted by the heavy wind and rain but with the beautiful bluebird weather this week has offered, hasty plans were made for a make-up trip. Willard & I hit the road this morning and arrived at Middle Creek as the eastern sky began to lighten. Shortly after our arrival Willard’s daughter Amy (Ash’s Eye) rolled into the parking lot joining up with us for the mornings shoot.

Our first stop was as the lake where we could watch the sunrise over the water. The beautiful orange color of the dawn reflected on the water was accented by the silhouette's of Canada geese.

This small group posed a striking silhouette as they swam in single file

Pairs and small flocks lifted off periodically before the sun made its appearance for the day

They day proved to be quite fruitful with quite a number of different waterfowl species sighted but the biggest disappointment was the number of snow geese present. Whereas just a week ago it was estimated that over 100,000 were present, today the official estimate was only 10,000 as the main migration moved on at the beginning of this week.

Finally a Break: Skyline Sunrise

Finally with a break from work I traveled down Skyline Drive to Big Meadows this morning with Willard in search of Shenandoah National Park’s famous whitetail bucks.

Arriving at Big Meadows at dawn the first order of the day was to shoot the huge red summer sun rising over the horizon. Our search for the big bucks proved fruitless this morning with only does, fawns and small bucks appearing as the morning wore on.

After all of those long days at work I didn’t feel the least bit of disappointment. Although dog tired from work and lack of sleep; breathing the cool mountain air while soaking in the beauty of the meadow awash in wildflowers with the distant hazy blue mountains dappled by sunlight for a backdrop was worth the trip.

SkyWatch: Central Florida Sunrise

During my recent Florida visit I had many opportunities to stray away from the city and venture into the prairie country. I was primarily focusing on birds but I was quick to make the best of this stunning sunrise when it developed.

This shot as well as my new header was taken from Joe Overstreet Road south of St. Cloud.


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SkyWatch: A Radiant Sunrise

Big Meadows, Shenandoah National Park

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Sky Watch: Golden Dawn

From a high mountain overlook I watch the glorious golden sunrise

No two dawns are alike just as no two sunsets are identical. I treasure the moment when I have the opportunity to greet the dawn from a scenic spot for most dawns pass me by unnoticed while I am busy at work; working in a small office without so much as a window

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Glowing Contrails

Seldom will I intentionally capture a sky image where visible contrails exist. In this case the glowing contrails were so striking that I used them as the focal point of this sunrise image.

Judging the angle of travel, I would guess that the aircraft that painted this beautiful sunrise were using the airport at Harrisburg Pa.

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SkyWatch Friday, Golden Sunrise

The Chesapeake sunrise that I experienced this past Sunday was so beautiful that I could not let it pass with only one post. Having lived my entire life in a mountainous part of Pennsylvania, I am accustomed to seeing the sun rise a considerable time after first light, however when viewing it over a large body of water such as the Chesapeake, the sunrise follows first light by only a few minutes.

This particular morning provided us with an interesting display. The eastern sky was partly cloudy, over head was nearly solid clouds and to the west dark storm clouds loomed. Although this is not that unusual what was unusual was that it stayed this way all morning and the heavy clouds and rain did not cover the bay until mid-afternoon.

During our drive home the cloudburst were so heavy that the traffic on the Washington DC beltway was frequently slowed to nearly a standstill.

Chesapeake Morning

This morning found me on the Chesapeake Bay. My friend Paul & I had chartered a spring trophy striper trip with Captain Hank Devito aboard the Afternoon Delight. The weather forecast called for 100% chance of rain and we had driven through some showers during our 150mile drive to the Chesapeake. I was pleasantly surprised with this opportunity to capture a stunning sunrise.

This charter was a bitter/sweet experience. Paul & I have been fishing the bay for the last 10 years. Each year we book a charter with Captain Hank and follow it up with numerous trips on my 21ft Four Winns. This year is different. Due to the outrageous price of fuel I have made plans to not trailer my boat to the bay. This is bad enough but the worst part is that due to failing health our Captain and Friend, Hank is in the process of selling the Afternoon Delight.

Even if the day comes that I again trailer to the Chesapeake it will not seem right without Captain Hank on the water.

If you are wondering about the fishing, it was a slow bite but we did boat some quality stripers. Check back tomorrow for a catch shot.

Sky Watch Friday, Heavens Aglow

As the storm moved by,
The clouds glowed beautifully during the morning sunrise

The sky quickly returned to a leaden gray and remained dreary until late afternoon.

A moment in time captured digitally; otherwise this moment of color would only have been a memory, soon to be lost among the clutter of my rapidly aging mind.

Sky Watch Friday, Sunrise Service

Although I felt “sick as a dog” with a bad cold the promise of a beautiful sunrise forced me up before the dawn to travel to a nearby country church.

The sunrise did not disappoint and the church provided framing for the gorgeous awakening of the day.

Lonely

Above the Clouds

Saturday morning found us socked in with heavy fog so I headed to a mountain top hoping to catch a stunning sunrise.

HHH

Recently we have been experiencing a heat wave with temperatures soaring into the upper 90’s and with the heat index exceeding 100. Our beautiful mountains stand shrouded in haze.

At a time when scenic photographs of large vistas was impossible I captured this shot as the sun was burning through the heavy morning fog that cloaked our valleys.

Hazy, Hot & Humid

I can endure as Autumn is just around the corner

Chesapeake Dawn, another Fishing Year Begins

Today I met the dawn on the Chesapeake Bay. With the large storm that has wrecked so much havoc in Texas and Oklahoma bearing down upon us I expected a spectacular sunrise this morning. As sunrise neared the horizon began to display beautiful colors but alas the atmospheric conditions were not as perfect as I had hoped for. The beautiful colors dissipated before the sun could peak through.

Each year my friend Paul and I book a pre-season catch & release charter with Captain Hank Devito. We began booking Captain Hank in 1999 in an attempt to learn the techniques and tactics necessary to successfully peruse the Chesapeake’s premier game fish, the Striped Bass. Hank is a unique captain who willingly shares his vast fishing knowledge. Over the years this charter has became our spring tradition and a much anticipated visit with a good friend.

Winter Sunrise

Finally, winter has come to Pennsylvania at last. Heavy snow flurries pass through overnight leaving a fine white covering. The sunrise this morning cast its warm glow across the new fallen snow.

I nearly missed this sunrise as the sky became a glorious red/orange while I was still a couple of miles from my vantage point. Within minutes of my arrival the beautiful sunrise was only a memory and a photograph.