Spring Birds

 Three bird sightings from yesterday.




The meadowlarks arrived really early this year with the warmer weather.

 Ring-necked pheasants are always hard to capture with the camera - they are very wary.

A huge flock of wild turkeys has been hanging around this area all winter. This big male obviously knows its spring!

Two Hearts

It has been a while since I posted any photos of Heart Mountain so I thought I would make up for it by posting two today!
One of the amazing things about the mountain is that it looks different from every angle. The two shots for today were both taken from the northeast side.

The top photo was snapped yesterday. The sun was behind the clouds behind the mountain which made for some unusual lighting.

By contrast, in the second shot, taken last week, the sun was behind my back and shining on the face of Heart. I took his photo to show the huge piece of a silo that had been blown into a nearby field after a massive wind storm the previous night.

Three's Company

This is not a great shot but it was such an unusual sight that I had to share. On my way to classes on Friday I happened to look up and see not one, not two, but three golden eagles in a tree by the side of the road!

More Media Class

 Another assignment for my media class involves capturing photos of sporting events. So last weekend I did something I haven't done for years - I went to a hockey game! Cody has a team called the Yellowstone Quake and they were kind enough to allow me access to a spot where I could get some shots without being behind glass. The Quake won the game 6 to 3.

There are two critical words in sports photography: action and reaction. Without one or the other it is tough to get a picture others want to see.

I learned a lot about shooting in this particular environment during the game. I would love to go back again now that I have a sense of what I need to do.

In the first photo, above, I have a little bit of both - action, in the fight, and reaction, in the little boy behind the glass cheering them on.

 This second photo is definitely about the reaction of the opposing player after the Quake scored their fourth goal.

The last shot shows the action of the puck hitting the back of the net as the Quake make it 5 to 1.

Media Class

 Today I am showing two very different photos. The one thing they have in common is that both were taken for my Media Class. I have been surprised to discover how much I enjoy this facet of photography.

The first shot was for an assignment calling for a photo taken at an event using only existing light, i.e. no flash. I took my camera along to the Crab Crack in Cody last weekend and caught this shot of Lisa McDonald, a belly dancer, spinning as she danced on stage.

I submitted the photo to the NWC Trail (the college paper) as well as the Powell Tribune and was pleasantly surprised to have both newspapers run it. My first official media photograph!

The second shot was taken this morning and is for my "Feature" assignment, due on Monday. Features are general interest, feel good shots that often include animals, children or humor. I was tagging along as my rancher neighbor was feeding cattle but he assured me before we left that it would be a couple weeks before any of his cows would be giving birth. Turns out we were both surprised by this newborn!

Morning at the feeder

 Morning at the feeder brings in bunnies and birds by the dozens. Today, with a snowy covering all around, nobody was too concerned with my presence. The goal was to eat what they could before the rock doves and magpies moved in!

This cottontail has some amazing whiskers. Like most animals of this type, the whiskers serve as feelers in the dark.

 The pinyon jays were plentiful and colorful even under overcast skies.

In this grouping we have at least one mama and one baby. I am always surprised when I see youngsters still being fed in mid-winter but it is a common sight with the pinyons.

Here Comes the Bride

On a cold, wintery day like today the best thing to do is get out on an invigorating hike! So we grabbed some gear and headed to the Clark's Fork Canyon where we met up with friends Bill and Yvette and their companion, Atticus. The destination was Bridal Veil Falls, a beautiful cascade hidden from the main trail by a few well placed rock walls.

The falls plummets about 150' or so from up in the Beartooths. This time of year it is an amazingly detailed curtain of ice with one small stream of water escaping about two-thirds the way up. Hopefully you can see it in this photo to the left.

 This second shot is from a little further back. To get to the base of the falls you have to hike in about an hour from the trailhead and then carefully navigate up a frozen (mostly!) stream for another half hour or so.

 In one spot we set up a rope handhold as the ground was frozen and very slippery. Poor Atticus had to rely on his toe nails for doggy crampons!