It’s been a long time between posts.  I’ve been to Big Bend National Park with a workshop and then on to Galveston’s Featherfest.  This past week, Sandy Hurwitz and his lovely wife, Leslee, hosted me at their Transition Ranch west of Uvalde where we photographed as many birds as possible in two days.  More about that later.

For four days, Joe Zinn and I lead a group of 8 photographers around the huge west Texas park in pursuit of the perfect landscape photo.  I think they all got it.  Unfortunately, you will have to look at some of my shots instead.

Remember to click on the images to change them to a larger, sharper format and to get the “next” button.

All these images were done with a Canon 5D Mark II camera; 16-35 mm or 24 – 105 mm lenses, Feisol carbon fiber tripod and ball head, and electronic release.  For the shot of cactus (below), I used the super-wide lens focused from about 12″ while I leaned against a small ledge over the river.

This image (above) needed some clouds to make the black and white image pop.  Nevertheless, I decided to do it anyway.

After I set up my camera and composed this scene (above), I went inside to light paint while another photographer triggered the 30 second exposure.

I waited for this scene to develop by allowing the sun to reach the western horizon.  After the closer mountains were in shadow, the Boquillas Rim turned pink in the warm sunset light.

In the next newsletter, I’ll share some bird photos from area ranches.

Larry

I have some exciting news to share with you this week.  Kathy Adams Clark, her husband, Gary and I have partnered on a new book from Far Country Press called “Texas – A Photographic Journey”.   You can find it on Amazon or at Barnes & Noble, Costco and many of the state’s other book stores and nature centers.  Take a quick look at the promotional ad below and consider adding this one to your library.   Reading it will be like taking a  trip across Texas to see our cities, historic sites, and natural wonders.

Several mornings this past week, I visited a nearby south Texas ranch to photograph wild turkeys as their mating season begins.  The weather was fantastic and, as always, the ranch country was beautiful at sunrise.

Now, here are some of the photos from last week’s ranch trips:  Just click on the right side of a photo and it will open in a larger, sharper format.  There are “next” and “previous” arrows on the sides to advance help you advance through the images.

Notice that most of these images were made at ground level either hand-holding the 100-400 mm lens and camera or sitting in the grass with the big 500 mm lens and camera on a shortened tripod.  This low perspective always brings the viewer into a more personal relationship with the image.  It’s almost like being another turkey in the flock.  * I know…some of you are saying “another turkey is right in this case”.

In case you never noticed, male turkeys have black-tipped covert (body) feathers and females have buff-tipped feathers.  This certainly gives the females some advantage of camouflage while nesting .  Of course, they are ground nesters like their cousins the quail, chickens, pheasants and such.

The buck deer and the gobblers seemed to enjoy this confrontation.  Mostly, it was posturing, but the turkeys did try hitting their victim with those powerful wings until they realized he wasn’t backing down.

While roaming the ranch last week (right after a cold front passed), I saw a mesquite tree full of male Baltimore orioles.  So, the spring migration has begun for many species.

Hope you enjoyed this time with the flock.

Larry

Congratulations to a good friend and good photographer, Stephen Sinclair, on a successful showing of over 100 of his wildlife prints at the Estero Llano Grande State Park in Weslaco on Saturday.  Steve was overwhelmed at the number of friends, photographers and nature lovers who came to view his work.

I spent Thursday, Friday and Saturday photographing bald eagles in the Texas hill country where two young birds were about to fledge.  The  eaglets  were flapping about the nest well before sunrise on Friday and Saturday, as several of us set up positions along a highway about 100 yards away.  Anticipating the best activity would be around sunrise and sunset, we waited patiently for chances to catch the adults bringing in food and nest material and tending the young.

Although the action was slow, but the weather was great.  We were treated to a magnificent sunset on Friday and that allowed us to make some fine images of the nest and birds with a colorful background.

Here is a sample of what we got:

Don’t forget to click on the right side of the images to make them larger and sharper for viewing.  The you can advance through the photos by clicking the arrows.

The image above was captured with a Canon 5D Mark II and 24-105 mm lens with tripod, ball head and electronic release.  1/125 second, f4.5, ISO 400 @ 105 mm.

This capture was done with a Canon 7D camera, 500 mm IS Canon lens, Wimberley head, Feisol carbon fiber tripod.  The 7D gave me 1.6X magnification effect without having to add a teleconverter  for the long shot. 1/5000 second @ f5.6, ISO 640….1/2000 second @ f11 would have been better.  I was exposing for the white head.

I used the Canon 1D Mark IV, 500 mm IS lens, and 1.4 X teleconverter to make this images at ISO 500, 1/1600 second, f8.

The image above was made with the Canon 1D Mark IV, 500 mm lens and 2X teleconverter and cropped slightly to maintain about 8-12 megapixels.

Tourists began arriving around 9:00 AM, hoping to get a look at our national symbol.  The image below was done with the Canon 7D and 100-400 lens, hand-held.

This adult hopped into the nest to check the young one last time before flying away to roost.

Photographing eagles just before fledging time requires a lot of patience, but it is so-o-o rewarding for the photographer who persists until the light is gone.

Hope you enjoyed the eagles.

Larry

Last week, we visited my mother-in-law in Wichita Falls…well, my wife visited while I photographed birds in the front yard.  About 5″ of the white stuff fell Sunday night, so I hastily set up to shoot early Monday morning and stayed outside almost all day.

It was a little difficult dodging all the plastic flowers, lawn ornaments, flower pots, etc. , but I was able to get birds in some fairly natural or pleasing spots.  Oh how I was wishing I’d planned ahead of time and gotten a few pretty perches ready.  On the other hand, the natural landing areas made for some interesting poses.

Click in the middle right hand edge of any photo to make it open in a larger, sharper format.  Then click on the arrow to advance through the photos.

When food is scarce, a robin can find the last berry in the bush.

Most of these photos were made in the Canon 7d camera, but the Canon 5d Mark II proved handy for a couple of shots.   All images were done with the 500 mm IS Canon lens mounted on the Wimberley head atop a Feisol carbon fiber tripod (the Woodpecker shot was hand held).

The following shot was my last one of the day.  In fact, the camera and lens were in the house when the red-bellied woodpecker appeared at a knothole in the front yard mulberry.  Hand holding the heavy 500 mm lens and camera, I sneaked into the garage and fired from around the door without alarming my subject.  This shot was at 1/350 second, ISO 640.

For me, photographing in the snow is as good as it gets.  Properly clad, a photographer (even one from south Texas) can work in the cold for several hours.

Larry

I just finished three days with a group of 5 photographers at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.  Of course, we wanted to capture endangered Whooping Cranes (in the camera), but the trip was much more productive than we anticipated as you will see from the photos below.

We only had one good weather day, but we captured many, many images during the photo tour.  On the other hand, that’s why we always do at least three days…to improve our chances of getting at least one day with the right light and wind.  A monster winter storm blew in just as we concluded our third day of shooting.

Three weeks from now, I will be leading photography tours and workshops in Port Aransas for the Whooping Crane Festival.  If you haven’t signed up, do it now before they fill.  I look forward to seeing some of you there.  If not, maybe at Galveston’s NatureFest in April.

“Thank you” Paul Denman for repairing my WordPress template for the newsletters.  All of you Mac and PC users can now open the images by clicking in the upper right corner.  That will enlarge and brighten them.  Advance through the photos by clicking on the arrow at the right edge of each photo.

My Canon Mark IV is on its way to Canon for a second attempt at fixing something in the mirror assembly.  So, most of these images were done with the trusty 7D and Canon 500 mm IS lens.

Check out those eyes on the lead bird.  It watched us while flying across the marsh to challenge a group of juvenile birds feeding in his territory.

The shot above was done with a Canon 5D Mark II camera, Canon 24-105 mm lens, Gitzo Carbon Fiber tripod, Feisol ball head, electronic shutter release and mirror lockup.

I like to set the shutter speed to at least 1/2,000th second to freeze birds in flight.

So, that’s the end of another great photography trip to the Texas coast.  Many thanks to Fulton’s “Hampton Inn” for wonderful accommodations and friendly service.

Special Note: For those of you who really want a change of scene and if you are looking for some new and elegant birds, try Kathy Clark’s photo tour to Costa Rica.  It’s coming up soon; get the details at her site ( www.KACProductions.com ).

Larry

Every year for the past decade of so, I’ve been showing photographers how and where to capture images of Texas’ largest bird, the endangered whooping crane.    The whooper trip offers a variety of photographic opportunities including water birds and coastal landscapes.

I’m doing two trips this winter, one in December and one in late January.  Both were filled, so this is a good time to make your reservation for next winter.  The photography, comradery, food and nice lodging at the Fulton Hampton Inn,  always leave us eager for the next trip.

Here are some images from the December excursion.  If you click in the upper right portion of an image, it will enlarge and sharpen.  From there, you can advance to the next image.  **  WordPress, which provides this template, is temporarily having problems showing the enlargements through Windows computers.  Most Mac computers are enlarging the images with no problems.  Of course, I’m hoping someone will come up with a fix in the next few days.

Part of my job is to get the photographers positioned and ready for that magic moment.  Occasionally, some coaching on camera and lens settings are helpful, too.

Our afternoons were dedicated to finding other birds and some pleasing landscapes for photo subjects.

While we try to get the exposure, focus and composition right, it is wing positioning that ultimately determines whether a  “bird-in-flight” photo is a pleasing capture.

Plan to join us next year.  Keep watching my Photo Tour schedule at www.larryditto.com  for an update later this spring.

Larry

** Those of you with PC s may not be able to enlarge the photos by clicking on them.  Apple users should have no difficulty.  I trust WordPress will quickly update the software to alleviate the problem by eliminating the shadow that appears over photos enlarged in Windows computers.

After the New Mexico workshop, shown in my last newsletter, I headed north to Wyoming for some bighorn sheep photography.  While the temperatures were below normal, we had plenty of warm clothing and encountered excellent photo ops.

In December, Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep drift down from the Yellowstone to lower elevations.  Finding and photographing them can be a difficult in these cold climates, but the results are worth the effort.

Most of these images were made with the 100-400 mm lens, handheld.  I switched occasionally  to the 300 mm, f 4 lens for comparison, and was very happy with the performance of both considering it was -10 degrees or colder.

I was on foot in about 8″ of snow while making these images.

Rams would lower their heads and twist their necks when approaching ewes or chasing younger rams away from the ewes.

In the next newsletter, I’ll show you more bighorns and other wildlife we encountered in Wyoming.

Larry

Seven Texas and Oklahoma photographers joined me in central New Mexico in late November for some warm winter weather and great bird photography.  I’ve included several of their images to show you their bird photography talents.  After skipping a year, it was a lot of fun getting back to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.

Click in the upper right portion of a photo to increase size and sharpness and to advance to the next photo.

Both of these crane photos are by Larry Jay.  Larry and his wife, Sharron, own the Block Creek Bed & Breakfast and photography ranch near Comfort, Texas. It seems to me that he got the composition, light and shutter speed just right.

Oklahoma photographer, Catherine (Kitty) Cromwell made the next photo, an incredible sunset with sandhill cranes going to roost.  Several of us got similar images, but only Kitty nailed the incoming cranes at just the right moment to capture bird silhouettes in the sky.  Believe it or not, this spectacular sunset is typical of winter sunrises and sunsets at Bosque.

Kitty’s husband, Mark, was alert and skilled enough to capture raptors in flight.  The following images are show two female northern harriers fighting and a banking bald eagle over a refuge marsh.

As you can tell, birds in flight were a priority for our photography…action and behavior.  We did work on landscapes with a stopover at the White Sands National Monument.  Here is a photo by Tom Pickthall that made the most of a few moments of sunlight during an otherwise cloudy day.

Following are some of my shots to fill out this edition of the newsletter:

A bald eagle (above) perched above the roosting snow geese each mornings to watch for weak and crippled birds.

I captured several images of cranes (above and below) while they were landing in corn fields or at the roost.

Most of these flight shots were captured while holding about 1/2000 second of shutter speed.  The exception was sandhill cranes at the roost pond.

The shot above seems to work because the clouds were were so complimentary.

Finally, here are a couple of wood duck photos done at sunrise in Albuquerque.  Next year, I’ll probably start the photo tour there to take advantage of some nice waterfowl portrait opportunities.

I hope you enjoyed these.  Bosque del Apache Refuge is a must for all bird photographers.  Fall and winter are the best time to be there.

Larry

Having too many irons in the fire kept me from the big search for the Amazon Kingfisher until Tuesday.  The green bird showed up last Saturday in a Resaca (oxbow) of the Rio Grande along Highway 100 about 15 miles southeast of Harlingen, Texas.  Birders attending the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival were the first to spot it and now the world knows about our rare Mexican visitor.  There have been up to 30 cars parked at that point of the highway for the past 4 days.  Fortunately, most of those who wanted to see the bird got at least a distant view.  Rare birds make the south Texas highways look like Yellowstone National Park…when one car stops, they all stop.  The sheriff’s office sent officers to keep traffic moving on Saturday.

I arrived at the site about a half hour before sunrise yesterday and got my first look just a few minutes before sunrise.  Unfortunately, the throng of birders kept the kingfisher alert enough that it didn’t come close.  While it was never close enough for a great photo, I did get some documentary shots which I wanted to share with you.  It is not unusual for rare birds and butterflies to venture into south Texas from Mexico.  It just takes a lot of “eyes” to find them.  I’m sure you know that these rare, tropical birds bring many birders, photographers and millions of dollars to this area.  The Chamber of Commerce just smiles when a rare bird alert goes out on the internet.

Click in the upper, right portion of a photo to make it larger and sharper for viewing.

I’ll be searching again tomorrow and hoping for better light and a closer perch (for the bird).

Larry

I’ve been doing my outdoor photography a little closer to home this year… no Tetons or elk this fall.  Included below are some photos from the marshes at South Padre Island, Resaca de la Palma State Park butterfly garden, and the Santa Margarita Ranch near Cotulla, Texas.  One of the best finds was a nice hatch of blue metalmark butterflies near Brownsville at the Resaca de la Palma State Park.  After several years of drought, butterfly numbers were sparse in south Texas.  Now that we’ve had several heavy rains, the butterflies are emerging again.

Last week, I lead a group of 7 photographers on a quest for large white-tailed deer bucks at the Santa Margarita Ranch near Cotulla, Texas.  None of us could believe how numerous and easy to approach these big guys were.

Yesterday, I was on South Padre Island with the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival helping an eager group of nature photographers work on their bird photography.

** Click in the upper right area of a photo to optimize sharpness and image size.

For many years, I’ve sought an opportunity to photograph a big alligator with its mouth open displaying its gleaming white teeth.  With the help of photographer friend, Steve Sinclair, I captured several images of this big gator sunning by a freshwater pool at South Padre Island World Birding Center.

Blue Metalmark butterflies, about the size of a quarter, are very hard to find in the U.S.  After excellent summer and autumn rains, they have begun to appear at butterfly gardens along the border in south Texas.

For most of my butterfly photography, I use a Canon 300 mm, f4 lens with 1.4 X teleconverter or a 25 mm extension tube between that lens and the camera, a Canon 7D (its small sensor provides an additional 1.6X magnification of the subject).  Of course, this camera and lens combination is supported by a Gitzo Carbon Fiber tripod with ball head.  You won’t get sharp photos trying to hand-hold a big lens.  Macro lenses require the photographer to get within inches of the subject and most butterflies won’t stand for that.  I can work at a distance of about 4′ and get crisp, frame-filling images without disturbing the butterflies.  Much of the time I’m shooting at f 11 – 16, trying to get the depth of field needed to keep both wings sharp.  Of course, part of the secret is getting into the right position to make an interesting photo capture.

** I have one slot left on each of this winter’s Whooping Crane Photo Tours … December 17 – 19 and January 21 – 23 at Rockport, Texas.  Both are very popular, so let me know quickly if you want to join me on either shoot.  Check this website under “Photo Tours” for more information.

“For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made…” Romans 1:20.

Thanks for visiting this newsletter,

Larry