Size Tells a Story

P-51D captured by Z 9 / Z180-600 It's true, size matters! But it might not be the size that first comes to mind. I have found it far more challenging to have the subject physically small in the frame and still have it smack the viewer between the eyes, AND fill the rest of the frame to keep the viewer's interest.

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The Sensual Curve

Beech 18 captured by Z 9 / Z180-600 Matt's performance, every time I see it, brings to life the romance of flight! He makes something very difficult and makes it appear effortless. For photographers, his use of smoke makes it possible for us to tell that visual story if you look for the curves. I love the challenge myself to use multiple trails in one photo that come together to depict the singular flight path.

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The Kids Hit the River

Cedar Waxwing captured by Z 9 / Z180-600 If you haunt the banks of Montana's riverbanks this time of year, you will more than likely find young waxwings foraging. Both Cedar and Bohemian kids take advantage of the summer bug hatch to feast now that mom & dad are no longer providing for them. While they are missing their spots on their wings, being young, they don't know to be shy around people, so they come right in.

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“Where Ya Been?”

"Precocious" captured by Z 9 / Z600f4TC I've been on the road for a few weeks, so this morning was the first in a long time to make the rounds at The Ranch. I always have apples in my pockets in case the neighbors drop by. First, it was the doe with twins who emptied one pocket, and then it was Precocious, who was born in our front grass two years ago.

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Moose Podcast #513 – “Corp of Discovery”

Moose Podcast #513 - "Corp of Discovery" A great aspect of photography is always finding new "things." From inside of us to inside the viewfinder, it keeps us moving forward. Let's talk!

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Crossed Wires

Power Poles Rainbow Point, MT captured by Z 8 / Z180-600 Communication is so important! When having a conversation with someone, if you get your wires crossed, too often, confusion is the end result. It often starts with faith in ourselves that gets shaken, and in the process of getting hold of our confidence, choices are made that cause us to take a step back rather than forward.

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Learned Something about the Arse

Douglas World Cruiser captured by Z 8 / Z70-200f2.8II I shot every arse at #OSH26 with the Z50f1.2 for three days. I was quite happy, very happy with my results. Then on the fifth morning, I revisited the Douglas World Cruiser. The background had changed, and to control it better, I decided to go longer. When I compared the two photos back on the computer, 1st day Z50f1.2 vs.

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Off In The Distance

C-48J captured by Z 9 / Z180-600 Telling the visual story at times requires seeing elements way off in the distance and pulling them in to the present. Case in point. During the aerial parade of planes, there were some clouds off in the distance that, when shot at 600mm appear to be right behind the planes. By physically moving so that the angles work, it was possible to put those far-off clouds right behind the planes.

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Reflecting Back

Rainbow Falls, Great Falls MT captured by Z 8 / Z70-200f2.8II This wall of rock, one of five on the Missouri River in 1805, brought the Lewis & Clark expedition to a halt as they figured out how they were going to get passed them. After a couple of weeks and countless man-hours of struggle, they portage their dugouts around the mighty Great Falls.

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The ‘Ol Tern Around

Royal Tern captured by Z 9 / Z600f4TC w/Z2x Solid overcast can at times, be a real photo buzz killer! There is a reason why folks say with downturned lips, "It's a gray day." When on the shore and these conditions are present, I look for terns. Their pop of bright color really makes them pop in this light. And this light makes bringing all the detail in their feathers really crisp.

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Moose Podcast #512 – “One Power Only”

Moose Podcast #512 - "One Power Only" if we are aware enough, life brings us lessons we can build on to improve ourselves and our photography. And those lessons can come from the most unlikely places. Let's talk!

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Layers of Shades of Gray

DuPont Point captured by Z 9 / Z600f4TC The telephoto, in this case 600mm, is not your typical lens for a landscape. With not clean white and barely a touch of black, it's not your typical successful black and white. What provides the foundation of possible photographic success is all the layers, all the shades of gray. These help the mind's eye travel through the photograph, each time a little more appears, and more shades of gray appear.

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The Gamble Paid Off

Harvard captured by Z 9 / Z180-600 Speed, elegance, and the feeling of romance, bringing that to one click is a successful shoot! Blue skies dotted with white puffies and a great yellow plane darting about is a killer visual combo, so that was checked off the successful list. What else then? Putting you, the viewer, in the pilot seat, which required being tight.

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Out of the Storm

C-49J "Southern Cross" captured by Z 9 / 180-600 Getting sprinkled on was well worth it when the C47/C49/DC3 tribute took to the skies! The low clouds that came over the field at Osh set the stage for drama and great visual storytelling. Southern Cross is the last flying C-49 in the world, so it was a target of the lens this afternoon.

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Willit?

Willit captured by Z 9 / Z600f4TC One of our larger shorebirds, it has long been a favorite bird of mind. That is in part because when I first got my 800f5.6EDIF, it was the first species to let me get close and make a favorite vertical. Ever since, I've been a Willit connoisseur. The vast majority of the time, we experience them in their winter drab, which is OK, but they can do better.

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Wicked!

Douglas World Cruiser captured by Z 8 / Z50f1.2 There is only one, and it is spectacular! I'm at Osh, and one of the aircraft I wanted to experience is this bruiser. The Douglas World Cruise is the first aircraft to fly around the globe in 1924. Yes, it flies, but not this week. It's over in Vintage and if you're at Osh, you gotta see it for yourself.

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Moose Podcast #511 – “Assiduous – Sums It All UP!”

Moose Podcast #511 - "Assiduous - Sums It All UP!" I've always looked for a word that sums up what we do, how we do it when we do it. Sharon found it for me and I want to share it with you!

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Simplistic ZR Cage

SmallRig ZR Cage w/Grip I've received a number of queries if and when I use a cage on the ZR. What you see here is the very simple cage I use, it's the SmallRig ZR Cage w/Grip. You can see the Atmos Ninja attached bt might notice it's "backwards." Behind it is the Sennheiser G2. This is because the only time I use the cage is when I'm filming a class or something for my…

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Just Couldn’t Swing It

Blackfoot River captured by Z 6III / Z24-120 I'm a sucker for great clouds, and this afternoon, the thunderhead was performing! It grew and grew, and for the Z 6III's Dark Monotone, it was a simple click. But the rest, well, just wasn't working. I walked almost a half mile trying to find a foreground to go with the ok middle ground and killer sky.

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Grateful to be Moving Up … Thanks!

Kodiak Brown Bear captured by Z 9 / Z400f2.8TC Thank you for the inspiration! Being thought of as the #2 wildlife photography blog according to Feedspot is humbling! I was quite content to being #10 (no desire to be higher than #2). Thank you so much!

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Creating Airshow Magic

Airshows are just ... fun! We photographers like to bring that fun home via our photographs. Keeping it fun while producing takes a little more than planes in the sky. It requires you to go beyond sharp (so practice your handholding and panning at least a week prior) and be creative and passionate about the story you want to share, from the day, weekend, or, in the case of Osh, the week.

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Get Off Your Butt!

AT-6a Texan captured by Z 9 / Z180-600 We'd been with the AT-6a earlier that day while it was parked on the ramp. It was now after dinner, the air was warm, and the breeze was lofting in the smell of freshly cut grass to the back of the hangar where we sat. We'd put a dent in the Rabbit Hole and were having fun telling stories.

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80 Best Landscape Photography Blogs

Honored to be on FeedSpot's list of top 80 Best Landscape Photography blogs! Great list of inspiration you beed to check out!

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Here Come the Kids!

Lewis's Woodpecker kid captured by Z 9 / Z600f4TC For the last week, there has been a new crew of kids coming to the suet feeders at the hide. It's been fun to see who will appear that day. Today, it was a Hairy Woodpecker (didn't get a shot of it, though, yet). They are so much fun to watch, especially on their first visits.

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