Chris The Photog

Pretty in Pink

2024-08-28T00:03:00.000-07:00

Pretty in Pink was created by first setting up a pink Batik fabric background about fifteen feet out from my back bedroom window. Next I set up an old wooden step ladder out seven feet from the widow. I attached a perch to the side of it with an A clamp. Behind it on the back side of the ladder I clamped a pink branch with blossoms on it. Above and to the right of the perch I clamped a single port bird feeder just out of the cameras view. The camera I set up in the bedroom behind a flat camouflage window blind with a hole cut for the camera lens to poke through. My camera was on a tripod with a gimbal mount. I was using a Canon R6 MKII mirrorless camera with a Canon rf 200-800mm lens. I used a 13mm extension tube for close focusing. Once the birds got used to the feeder I started using my camera. I had Steller's jays, Band-tailed Pigeons, Chestnut Backed Chickadees and Common Ravens. The Jays were the most common visitors. For camera settings I was using an ISO of 6400 due to the dim light. I had an F stop of F 8.0 which allowed the background fabric to blur out to a pleasant pink. I created many, many images. This one with the over the shoulder look showing off the bird's plumage was my favorite. God's love and blessings to all, chris

Steller's jay on Guitar!

2023-07-01T10:49:00.004-07:00

Steller's Jay on Guitar from the, Music to My Ears Series. I keep a notebook beside my desk in the studio for image ideas. I rough sketch ideas as they come to me and put them in the book for future photoshoots. This image is part of a series I have been working on. The first step was to choose a back drop color. I chose a light brown batik fabric and hung it up roughly twelve feet behind where I was going to set up the perch and feeder. Next I set up a wooden step ladder. I wrapped a small back packing guitar in a towel and clamped it to the ladder. I filled up a single port bird feeder and also clamped it to the ladder so that it would be close to the guitar neck and still out of the frame. I then set up the photoblind eight feet from it. After setting up my tripod and camera I looked through the camera and composed the image as to where I thought the birds would land. The following morning I was up early close to sunrise. The birds started coming into the feeder immediately. I chose an F stop of f 8.0 to allow the background to be out of focus and the bird and guitar to be in focus. I photographed Steller's Jays, Black -headed Grosbeaks and of course some squirrels. My favorite image was of a Steller's Jay. I loved the contrast between the red guitar neck and the bright blues of the jays plumage. God's light and love to all, chris. #shotoncanon

Change of Set Up

2023-04-29T17:05:00.000-07:00

This morning I changed the set up for bird photography in my backyard. I swapped out the the bigger perch for a much smaller lichen covered twig. Then I put up a green fabric background behind it in place of the mustardy brown yellow background that I had been using. Almost immediately after changing the set up a male Black-headed Grosbeak showed up. I photographed him at the feeder for close to fifteen minutes from behind my window blind/hide. with my Canon EOS 7D camera with a Canon 100-400mm lens. I created well over a hundred images of which only about five were worth saving. Here is one of my favorites plus some images of the set up. My camera settings were AV mode, ISO 800, f 8.0 at 1/40th of a sec. God's light and love to all of you, chris #teamcanonusa, #shotoncanon

2023-04-28T11:55:00.003-07:00

Black-headed Grosbeak, Mendocino County, Northern California. This is a basic BOAS (bird on a stick) image. I picked up this lichen covered branch from our road a couple of days ago. Early this morning I clamped it just below a perchless feeder for the birds to land on. Previously I hung a fabric background eight feet behind the perch. My camera was set up on a ground pod behind a window hide/blind in our back bedroom window. It is roughly seven feet from the perch. My camera settings were AV mode, ISO 800, F 8.0 at 1/60th of a sec. Image created with a Canon EOS 7D with a Canon 100-400mm lens. #teamcanonusa, #shotoncanon God's light and love to all, chris

Set'em Up

2023-04-07T22:37:00.003-07:00

For those of you that know me well or have followed me for a long time you know that I love to do set up photography. Meaning that I set up(create) the settings in which to photograph birds. I put up perches, hide birdseed. Hang bird feeders just out of the frame of the image etc. For this Chestnut-backed Chickadee image I set up two upright poles about four feet apart. I clamped up two horizontal crossbars between them. I then hung a single port bird feeder from the top crossbar and I clamped a Teasel seed head upright and on an angle from the bottom one so it was leading towards the bird feeder. I hid behind a window hide/blind with my camera on our back bedroom window sill. It's really nice to stay warm and dry when photographing the birds. Here was my favorite image from the session plus the set up.

God's light and love to all of you,

chris

Planning a Portrait of a Chickadee

2023-03-15T19:09:00.001-07:00

Driving through the big city of Ukiah (13K people) I noticed that the Mulberry trees were in bloom. They have a gorgeous light pink blossom. Immediately my mind went into photography mode. My next stop was Home Depot where I purchased a four by eight foot sheet of eighth inch pressboard. I had them cut it in half to make two four by four foot sheets. Following that was Dollar Tree where I picked up one tube of red and one tube of white acrylic paint. Red and white mixed together make pink just like the Mulberry blossoms! When I arrived at home I painted one of the pressboards white. The following morning after it had dried I mixed up the red and white acrylic paint and covered the pressboard in pink polka dots. On my next trip to Ukiah I kept my eyes peeled for Mulberry trees. I found one in a vacant lot. I clipped off a sucker twig from the crotch of the tree. Arriving at home I clamped up the twig below a single spout bird feeder six feet from our back bedroom window. I clamped up the the now white and pink background fourteen feet from the window. At that distance it renders the background into a soft pink and white when using an F stop of F 8.0 or larger. This morning the weather was perfect. Soft morning light and the Chestnut backed Chickadees were coming into the feeder. I set up my Canon EOS 7D camera with a 400 mm lend behind a window blind / hide set into the bedroom window. A perfect hiding place! I watched the birds for awhile to see where they were landing. Then I slowly pushed my camera through the lens port and locked it onto a ground pod on the window sill. i photographed birds for about two hours before the lighting got too harsh. Here are some of my favorite images. God's light and love to all. Whoever believes in Jesus repents of their sins and places their faith in him shall have eternal life.

Snowy Days are the Best

2023-03-03T21:57:00.000-08:00

I love photographing birds in my backyard in the snow. It's an enjoyable experience to stay dry, warm and be able to see the birds so very close up. I prefer using set ups to get the most success out of my backyard experience. In this set up I started by putting up a four foot by four foot white backdrop sixteen feet from my back bedroom window. Next I stood up two tall uprights four feet apart, eight feet out from the window. Between them I clamped a lichen covered fir branch on an angle. Above the branch I clamped a horizontal support to hang a single port bird feeder filled with black sunflower seed. Off to the side I set up my cork bark bird feeder also filled with sunflower seed. I was almost done. In the bedroom window I propped up a window blind/hide into the window opening. Behind it I placed my ground pod and ballhead onto the window ledge. Now I just needed some snow! Luckily I have been following the weather forecast and a storm was coming in the following morning. When I awoke the following day it was snowing like crazy! I clamped my Canon EOS 7D onto the ground pod and slowly stuck my Canon 100-400mm lens out through the blind opening and waited. About twenty minutes later the Steller's Jays, Dark- eyed Juncos and Chestnut-backed Chickadees started using the feeder. I watched where they were landing for awhile to see where I should prefocus my lens. I chose and F stop of F 8.0 to allow the bird to be in focus and for the background to be blurred out. I had a great time and the birds were happy with the free bird seed. A Steller's Jay was one my favorite images. Canon EOS 7D with a Canon 100-400mm lens at 190mm, AV mode, ISO 800, F 8.0 at 1/50th of a sec. A wonderful snowy day! God's love and blessings to all, chris

Squirrely Day

2023-01-26T22:40:00.008-08:00

The first thing to come to my cork bark bird feeder this morning was a Western Gray Squirrel. I typically don't mind squirrels too much because they make great subjects too. This one was photographed with my venerable old Canon EOS 7D with an equally long in the tooth Canon 100-400mm telephoto lens. a very fine camera combination indeed! I took four good shots of the squirrel before it got spooked and took off. After that I focused on Dark-eyed Juncos and Chickadees. A good time was had by all. God's love and blessings to all, chris

Cork Bark Bird Feeder

2023-01-15T23:44:00.001-08:00

The week before Christmas I ordered a a piece of , "Cork Oak Round Bark", from Amazon. People use it for snakes and other reptiles in terrariums. I have found that they work really well as bird feeders! I just attach one end to a small plank with small wood screws and then fill it up with bird seed. Attach it to an upright pole and voila it becomes a natural looking bird feeder. This last week I finally got some time to put it together and set it up in the backyard. The birds and squirrels loved it. Here are some samples. Enjoy! God's love and blessings to all from Christ our Lord and Saviour.

Wednesday Morning Blues

2022-12-09T01:20:00.000-08:00

Wednesday morning I added another image to my "Blues Collection" of Steller's Jay images. Late Tuesday afternoon I went out into the backyard and set up a lichen covered brach about twelve feet out from our back bedroom window. I clanped it at an angle between to up right perch supports at a nice angle for the birds to land on. Just above it and out of camera view I hung a single port bird feeder filled with black sunflower seed. Then I went back inside the bedroom and pulled the window screen out and put the window hide/ blind in it's place. On Wednesday morning I was up bright and early waiting for the birds to come. I waited and waited and nothing came. What's a fella to do but go make some breakfast. While I was preparing breakfast I heard the distinctive call of the Jays. I grabbed my breakfast bowl and hurried down the hall into the bedroom. Looking out from the blind i watched the Jays feed looking to see where they were landing. Once I figured that out I prefocused my Tamron 150-600 mm lens on the spot. I was alarmed to see my shutter speed on my Canon E|OS 7D was quite low! I took about thirty exposures and all but four had some kind of motion blur in them. One however looked pretty nice. Late after uploading the images to the computer I was very happy to see it was pretty sharp. I had the image i was looking for. Great over the shoulder pose on a beautiful perch. Later on I set up my camera again and Got a really nice Western Gray Squirrel in the same spot. They have the most awesome tails. God's love and blessings to all, chris

Mighty Oak

2022-10-23T11:09:00.004-07:00

For the past few weeks the forest has been alive with the sound of falling acorns. Wherever you walk it sounds like some creature is stalking you. These acorns provide food for a multitude of forest animals from deer to pigs, squirrels and birds. It's amazing to watch a Band-tailed Pigeon swallow an acorn whole! Here is an acorn from my front yard. It was photographed with a Canon EOS 7D camera with a Tamron 180mm macro lens. God's light and love to all, chris

Blues Series

2022-10-14T12:58:00.005-07:00

Several months ago I embarked on a series of photographs called ,The Blues Series. It involves photographing Steller's Jays in my backyard. Here are some samples

Attempt #2 Was Successful

2022-10-14T12:46:00.001-07:00

My second attempt at photographing calling frogs was much more successful. I used my Canon EOS 7D. (The 7D MKII has been sent off to Canon Pro Services for repair) I paired the camera with my venerable Canon 100-400 mm lens. I added a 20mm extension for close focusing. I once again used my Canon 550 EX speedlight for lighting. I attached two layers of white napkins to diffuse it with a rubber band. When Lenore and I walked across the patio we could hear two Pacific Chorus Frogs calling for females like mad. After searching the pond with a light I found one on the edge under the flagstone. Lying on my belly I was able to start photographing him from about three feet away. I t was really cool to hear and see. God's love and blessings to everyone, chris

In Concert Tonight

2021-04-27T21:10:00.002-07:00

Early this evening Lenore asked me to come and look at a Rough Skinned Newt in our backyard pond. So I walked back with her to see if I could spot it. I looked and looked and couldn't find it. As I turned to walk away I spied a tree frog AKA Pacific Chorus Frog on the very edge of the pond. I made a Criiich noise and low and behold the frog started croaking back at me! Lenore stayed with the frog and I ran and grabbed my camera. In all the years we have had the pond I've never been able to see one calling. Here was one less than three feet away from me calling loudly as bold as brass. After a whole bunch of unsuccessful attempts I finally was able to get one image in focus. Turns out my f stop control button is broken on my camera and it needs to go in for repairs. This was my first attempt at photographing a calling frog so hopefully next time I will do better. God's love and blessings to all, chris

Image created with a Canon EOS 7D MKII camera and a Tamron 180mm macro lens. Fill flash provided by a canon 550 EX speedlight set to - 1 2/3rds stops.

Playing With Light

2021-04-22T08:58:00.000-07:00

With spring clouds on the move it's a perfect time to put my infrared camera to use and play with a different kind of light. A couple of days ago there were some really nice clouds backing up against the Mendocino Range over the Little Lake Valley here in Northern California. I framed them through the trees with a wide angle lens. I really liked how the images came out. Both images were created with a Canon EOS 7D camera converted to Infrared Hypercolor with a Canon 10-22mm lens. the camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 400, F 9.0 at 1/400th of a sec. God's love and blessings to all, chris

Cleaning Up

2021-04-14T07:48:00.003-07:00

Yesterday I was cleaning up my my computer when I ran across some Steller's Jay images that hadn't been processed from July of last year. It's amazing at what you can find when looking back through your old work. Oh no! More Steller's Jays. Have you seen enough? As you can see they were created at the same set up in my backyard. Their blue plumage is just stunning especially against a green background. God's blessings upon the rest of your week, chris

Mug Shot of Badger the Wonder Dog

2021-04-01T09:27:00.001-07:00

I have an aluminum sheet of diamond plate that I just purchased for a project I'm working on. This morning I grabbed it for use as a backdrop of photographing Badger the Wonder Dog. I leaned the metal plate up against a desk in our living room by an open window. The goal was to have him with his dog biscuit hanging out of his mouth. But he was hungry and was having none of that. He just wanted to eat it. So I settled for that. God's blessings upon your day, chris

This image was created with a Canon EOS 7D camera with a Canon EF 28-200 mm lens at 57mm. the camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 400, F 8.0 at 1/40th of a sec. #teamcanonusa

Just Me and the Steller's Jays

2021-03-30T19:44:00.003-07:00

I created a new set up in the backyard. The big snowstorm we had last month knocked down a lot of great branches to be used for perches in my bird photography. This lichen covered oak brach is just perfect. I 've been using for over a week and it's about time to retire it. You can only photograph so many squirrels and Steller's Jays on it before it gets a little old. All of these images were created with my Canon EOS 7D MKII camera using a Canon 100-400 mm v.1 lens. For fill flash I was using a Canon 550 EX Speedlight. typically set to a minus 1 2/3rds stops below ambient light. God's light and love to all, chris #teamcanonusa

My Workhorse

2021-03-22T15:36:00.001-07:00

One of the most common questions I get asked about my photography is, "What camera do you use?" Over the years that has changed depending upon what camera I was using at the time. It has been from a Polaroid SX-70 to a a 4x5 field camera and a lot of other cameras in between. Especially as technology has changed. I went from film cameras to digital cameras. My current work horse is a beat up Canon EOS 7D MKII camera and a Canon EF 100-400mm v.1 lens. I would guess that about eighty percent of my work is created with that. The key word in that sentence is create. Cameras and lenses are my tools to create. Just as brushes and paints are to an artist. Though in comparison I do believe it is much more difficult to be creative with brushes and paint. I've dabbled in watercolor over the years and I must say I'm much more successful as a photographer. Here is the tool that I'm primarily using right now for most of my work. What tools do you use for your creative outlet?

God's love and blessings to all, chris

Morning Drive

2021-03-17T15:26:00.002-07:00

My intention was to drive out to the Sherwood Valley and photograph this large rock with clouds behind it. Before I left I thought I had better grab my other camera with a telephoto lens on it just in case I spotted some wildlife along the way. As it turned out this ended up being a wise decision. The first thing I spotted was a Turkey Vulture sitting on a lichen covered post right next to the road. I pulled up into a wide spot in the road just past it, I got out of the car and slowly walked towards it. I was able to take almost fifteen images of it before it flew off.

From there I drove out into the Sherwood Valley. Sadly the clouds were not as dramatic as I expected. Though i still took some time and created an infrared image of the rock with some so so clouds behind it. It's hard to believe that at one time there used to be a town here.

On the return trip just after leaving the entrance to the valley I spotted a large group of Wild Turkeys in an open area just off the road. I photographed first from the open window of the car and then stepped out of the car when they moved further down the meadow. The hardest thing to do was to get turkeys isolated by themselves as the flock was so big. There were about forty turkeys in all.

Winding my way down Sherwood Road I spotted a lone Blacktail Deer close to an area called Swampy Gulch. Local rumor has it that Swampy Gulch was created by the Great Earthquake of 1906. The whole area dropped six feet during the earthquake and then was flooded by the creek.

Passing Swampy Gulch there was a small herd of Tule Elk feeding on the shoulder of the road. I photographed a spike bull and a young cow.

I had a great drive with some beautiful sights to see along the way. God's light and love to all, chris

Snowy Day Jays

2021-03-15T16:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I looked at the weather forecast and there was a good chance for snow. Based on this knowledge I went out into the backyard and created a set up. I placed a mossy perch right below a single spout bird feeder filled with black sunflower seed. This morning when I peeked out into the backyard there was just enough snow to make it look like a snowy scene. I quickly grabbed my white studio backdrop and popped it up behind the perch. I ran back indoors and had breakfast. By the time I finished having eating the Steller's Jays had discovered the free food and were munching away on it. Working from my bedroom hide/blind I ended up with just over eighty images. After editing them down there were about seven pretty decent images. Here are three of my favorites. God's blessings upon your week, chris

Still Stuck on Chickadees

2021-03-06T12:33:00.001-08:00

With spring just around the corner. The signs of spring are here. I've spotted two butterflies and the trees are starting to bud out. Down below in the valley fruit trees are blossoming and I have spotted daffodils flowering out as well. I'm hoping to get some different birds to photograph. Right now the only birds showing up are the hummingbirds. I've been spotting more and more in the backyard. Right now the only birds coming to my feeder are Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Steller's Jays and Dark-eyed Juncos. Though I spotted a Varied Thrush in our pond bathing and I heard a Spotted Towhee.

This morning in the backyard I created a set up with a single willow twig clamped up next to a single spout bird feeder filled with black sunflower seed. After a bit of a wait a gang of Steller's Jays came by. They were way to big to even land on the twig. They kept jumping up to the feeder and snagging seed from the opening. After they left a western Gray Squirrel arrived. I asked it to leave about five times. It would leave but it kept coming back when it couldn't spot any danger due to the fact that I was hidden behind my window hide. After about three hours the Chickadees started coming in. They were just the perfect size for the twig. I managed to create a doze images of which only a couple were nice enough to share. All of the images were taken with my Canon EOS 7D MKII camera with a Canon 100-400mm V.1 lens mounted on it. For flash I was using a Canon 550 EX Speedlight set to - 1 1/3rd stops. My camera settings were AV mode, ISO 800, F8.0 at a variety of shutter speeds due to the changing light. God's love and blessing to all, chris

Chickadee Tryptich

2021-02-24T15:27:00.001-08:00

Over the past few days I have been working on some images to be included in an upcoming project. I created a very simple set up. I used a lichen covered twig as a perch placed about five inches or so from a single spout bird feeder. I waited for the birds to land on it when they came to feed. The birds and squirrels loved it. I used three different backgrounds behind the perch to change how the image looks. I went from coolest to warmest. On the last day, today, I was using the fall colored background. The backgrounds all create a different feel to the image. You can do this with the new background replacement tool in Photoshop but I prefer doing it the old fashioned way! This really shows how the background color in an image can change the perception of the viewer to an image. All of these images were created with a canon EOS 7D MKII camera and a Canon 100-400 mm V.1 lens. Fill flash was provided by a Canon 550 EX Speedlight. God's blessings upon your days, chris #teamcanonusa

Rainy Day Grays, Jays and Chickadees

2021-02-19T12:38:00.000-08:00

This morning there were spatters of rain on the rooftop when I woke up. Back in the ancient days of film photography that would have been a disaster. Now with digital cameras it means a whole day of uninterrupted photography. The clouds are like a giant light diffuser casting soft light onto everything. Yesterday I created a new set up with a green lichen covered section of a branch. Behind it I erected a muddled brown, black and gray backdrop. Over the branchI hung a single spout bird feeder for the birds to come to. I put my camera on a tripod in our open back bedroom window. I put it behind a window hide or blind with an opening for my camera lens. The flash I lay on the window sill point outwards towards the feeder. It was a long wait this morning for the birds to start using the feeder. First came the Chestnut-backed Chickadees. Tentatively at first and then soon it was one after the other. There was another long break before a male Western Gray Squirrel arrived. Wow, can they pack away the seed.! They grab the bird feeder with two paws and pull the feeder opening right up to their mouth and gobble away. Something scared the squirrel off. Possibly a hawk flying by. Less than five minutes went by before a band of Steller's Jays showed up. They were active for about fifteen minutes jostling for positions at the feeder. I had a really nice time photographing everthing that stopped by. after editing these are my favorites. God's blessings upon your weekend, chris All of these images were created with a Canon EOS 7 D MKII camera and a Canon 100-400 mm v.1 lens. Fill flash was provided by a Canon 550 EX Speedlight set to - 1 1/3rd stops. The camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 800, F 8.0. Shutter speeds varied. #teamcanonusa

2021-02-13T18:37:00.003-08:00

Wintertime brings a shortage of birds to my backyard in Mendocino County, Northern California. There is cold rain, snow, fog and sleet. The only birds that tend to stick around are the chickadees, jays and juncos. Once in a great while I'll spot a hummingbird or two and the rare warbler or thrush. This morning I put up a new bird feeder along with a mossy snag. I had an abundance of Chestnut -backed Chickadees and a couple of Steller's Jays show up for the free seed. One of the jays had no tail. A few days back I found an awesome perch, It was a lichen and moss covered branch. I set it up in front of a fall covered backdrop and photographed the jays and Western Gray Squirrels. I got some fantastic images. Everything was photographed with a Canon EOS 7 DMKII camera anda Canon 100-400 v.1 lens. For fill flash I used a Canon 550 EX Speedlight. God's blessings upon your upcoming week, chris #teamcanonusa