Las Coloradas, Mexico
Bird of the Day: Mexican Sheartail Hummingbird on nest
Las Coloradas, Mexico
Nature Photography
Bird of the Day: Say’s Phoebe
Southwestern Research Station, AZ
The Golden Light of Kutch
The Short-Eared Owl is another amazing bird found in the deserts of Kutch. The bird is generally very shy, but can be cooperative depending on how you approach it. Understanding the natural history of your subjects is a major factor for making good wildlife images. If you are on your own it’s very difficult to find these birds. Like a lot of birds and animals, these owls are also territorial and the local guide/expert knows their roosting places and can guide you to them. Continue reading
Wildlife Reigns at Cardamom County
Even Macaques get lost in deep thought
It is no secret that the Periyar Tiger Reserve hosts a magnificently large collection of wildlife, that is what attracts tourists around the world — take a hike within the boundaries of the massive sanctuary and you are likely to see some amazing creatures. However, we cannot forget that the boundaries of the reserve are merely human constructs, designed by our minds to protect and preserve the organisms within. Animals abide by no such regulations, boundaries for them are constrained only by the habitats in which they may successfully occupy, thus, spillover is likely.
Bird of the Day: Red-headed Merlin
Little Rann of Kutch
The Contribution Of Old Photographs To Thinking Ahead
With news this past weekend of one of the largest tropical storms in recorded human history still fresh, our antennae are up. We believe in looking back in the interest of looking forward. The beginning and ending lines of this article can induce even those most unlikely to visit Sotheby’s next week:
For more than 100 years, nearly every time a ship ran aground off the coast of Cornwall, a man would arrive on the scene to document the wreckage. Continue reading
Solfatara
Sulphur Vent – Solfatara
Solfatara, a shallow volcanic crater in Pozzuoli, near Naples, is a hotbed (no pun intended) of geothermal activity. Upon walking into the depression, hemmed round by steep hills, the smell of rotten eggs greets your nose. The stench comes from the clouds of sulphurous steam pouring forth from vents in the rock. The Romans believed that this steam had healing properties Continue reading
Bird of the Day: House Wren Building Nest (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
Bird of the Day: Smooth-billed Ani
Gamboa, Panama
Bird of the Day: Marabou Stork
Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
Bird of the Day: Crimson-rumped Toucanet
Reserva Los Cedros, Ecuador
Bird of the Day: Dusky Grouse with Mating Display
Rocky Mountain National Park, CO
Bird of the Day: Black-breasted Weaver
Jaipur, Rajasthan
Encased in Ash
Encased in Ash – Body Mold from Pompeii
In 79AD, Mt. Vesuvius erupted with disastrous consequences for the residents of nearby Pompeii, Herculaneum, and other cities in the Campania region. Flows of boiling mud and rock rushed down the slopes, clouds of noxious fumes billowed upwards in the wind, and thousands of tons of rock and ash rained down upon the countryside. Pliny the Younger saw the eruption and likened it to a pinus, a pine tree. This may baffle some American readers, who may be accustomed to see pine trees that taper from a wide base to a narrow point Continue reading
Bird of the Day: Zenaida Dove (El Cuyo, Mexico)
Bird of the Day: Magnificent Hummingbird
Los Quetzales, Panama
Embracing Surfing
Photo Credit: Surfingindia.net
Oftentimes I find myself daydreaming of the saltwater breeze that accompanies the rolling bass of the heavy waves in the ocean — and I imagine those perfect waves… blue, crisp, clean and glassy, and the hollowest of tubes; peeling along the coastline in an epic demonstration of nature’s power. This is a common dream for those who understand the absolutely humbling experience of surfing; it is a burning desire and need to envelope one’s self in the soothing serenity of the water.
Bird of the Day: Asian Koel – Female (Bangalore, Karnataka)
Uroplatus Geckos
- Camouflage perfection in the Uroplatus. Photo Credit: en.wikipedia.org
The Uroplatus Geckos are a magnificent species of gecko endemic to the island of Madagascar, and also my personal favorite gecko — truly one-of-a-kind, these geckos are also known as flat-leaf geckos. Effective camouflage coupled with their flattened body structure and almost completely flattened tails allow these geckos to literally become one with the trees.
Imagine Before You Click
In wildlife photography good images are made by combining “previsualization” with a clear understanding of your subject’s behaviour.
Consider this Spotted Deer image as a simple example. It is a well-known behaviour of the spotted deer to go up on two legs to feed on the fresh leaves of the trees; when you see them approach the short trees, you can expect them to “stand up”. You need to be ready with the right kind of setting and composition to make the image. Continue reading
