Upde Designs

Nikon D700 | Tamron 200 - 500 mm lens | ISO 200 1/30 sec @ f6.3

Thank you for stopping by.  I had an interesting afternoon from a photography standpoint yesterday.  My friend Andreas invited me to join him on a wildlife shoot at one of his favorite locations over by La Motte, Iowa.

I was supposed to meet him around 4:00 pm but because of last minute work issues it was about 5:20 pm by the time I found him.  He was walking back to his car after exploring some shooting locations.  It was very hot and humid.  Let me repeat that, it was very hot and humid.  The image above is what I saw a lot of.  We had to wade through this stuff (waist high) to get back to our cars and it was all around us.

Do you know what lurks in this type of grass?  Snakes, that’s what.  Andreas assured me he didn’t think we would see any snakes on this venture and certainly no dangerous snakes.  All the same I had him lead the way and I followed in his footsteps.

Nikon D700 | Tamron 200 - 500 mm lens | ISO 200 1/80 sec @ f6.3

Did I mention it was hot and humid and lots of bugs (the biting kind) all around.  Of course I didn’t bring any bug spray.  I thought I was prepared for this nature expedition but like all things it is a learning experience so I know what to bring and what to leave behind the next time.

The image above is a red wing black bird that was across the pond from us.  The lighting was not very good and there wasn’t a lot of other wildlife to shoot so I tried to capture this bird.  It is not a very good shot because of the lighting, lack of skill, and poor technique but aside from all that you can at least tell it is a black (color) bird.

Nikon D700 | Tamron 200 - 500 mm lens | ISO 200 1/40 sec @ f6.3

These at the only two ducks that were anywhere near the area we were at.  So I shot about 77 images of them.  I deleted 75 of them and this is what is left.  Did I mention it was hot and humid?  Andreas said they were more than likely hybrids or a mixed duck species.  He couldn’t identify them in his research books.

The part of the experience that I enjoyed the most?  The long visit I had with Andreas.  He is such an interesting and very knowledgeable individual.  He seeks perfection in his photography and is very precise in his shooting and post processing workflow.  He produces wonderful images and I always learn something of value when we visit.

Of course those who know me know that I am just the opposite.  I’m pretty loose and casual. While I want to shoot the best images I can I’m just not wired to be all that detailed. I probably drive Andreas nuts but he is very gracious and always helpful.

So despite the fact it was very hot and very humid I had a great time.  I must admit it was awfully good to get in my car and crank up the air-conditioning full blast.  Thanks again to Andreas for including me on his shooting trip.  If you want to see some really cool images here is the link to his blog.  http://exnerimages.com/

Stay cool and be careful.