Photo Friday: Hunting for BreakfastPosted by drfl on July 29th, 2011

For today’s Photo Friday, I’ve decided to switch it up a bit and post a wildlife image from Colorado. As I have mentioned before, I crossed paths with numerous coyotes. I really wanted to capture one hunting and had my opportunity on one of the last days of the trip. In this image, the coyote attempted to pounce on his prey, only to find that the little critter had quickly descended into his hole. Not one to give up yet, he started digging into the opening a bit. This didn’t last long, however, and he left defeated, but it was certainly a great spectacle to watch.

Technical Details:
Canon 50D, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/6.3, 1/640 sec.
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Photo Friday: Almost HarvestPosted by drfl on July 15th, 2011

When I first began capturing photographs of the American Midwest and Great Plains it was my goal to NOT capture any agricultural type photographs. I felt that the area was underrepresented in scenic imagery with other subjects and I wanted to fill that void. As I travel through this area I find myself passing crops, silos, barns, and farmhouses that lend themselves to a successful image. While it is still not my goal to focus on the agricultural aspect of the area, some of the scenes with which I happen across I cannot help but stop and shoot. Today’s image is one such example. The clouds were looking ominous and looming on this hot and humid summer evening, so I packed up and headed to one of my favorite locations, Jack Sinn Wildlife Management Area. As I passed this farm, as I have done dozens of times before, I looked back and saw the clouds contrasted by the wheat almost ready for the harvest. After travelling another mile down the road, I decided to make a u-turn and head back to see what I could capture.

As I’m also focusing on some monochromatic imagery this year, I have included a black and white version. As usual, I would appreciate knowing which you prefer.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/9, 1/40 sec.
Saunders County, Nebraska

Photo Friday: Waiting for TomorrowPosted by drfl on July 8th, 2011

As a change from the recent wintry Colorado photos, today I present an image take just a couple of weeks ago at Mahoney State Park. Near the toboggan run, there are several large Burr Oak trees that I enjoy photographing on occasion. On this warm summer eve, I captured the setting sun through the branches of one of these large, old residents of the park.

Technical Details:
Canon 50D, 10-22 e-fs @ 10mm, f/20, 1/10 sec
Eugene T. Mahoney State Park, Nebraska

Photo Friday: Giants ObscuredPosted by drfl on July 1st, 2011

As I mentioned last week, this post is an image of the area near Dream Lake after a night of heavy snowfall received in mid-May in Rocky Mountain National Park. This location is not far from the previous image, maybe normally a 10 minute walk, but in the deep snow, it took about a half hour. While I did make it all the way to the lake itself, it was nearly completely covered in snow and the conditions prevented me from setting up my tripod. By walking back a little bit, I found this enclave which allowed me to grab some images of the fierce weather conditions and the peaks of Hallet and Flattop as they appear, slightly obscured from the blowing snow.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 40mm, f/9, 1/320 sec.
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado