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OP – The Blog

Posts Tagged ‘wild’

January 2nd, 2013

New Year’s Gifts

Posted By Kevin Schafer
Snowy Owl in flight, Grays Harbor, WA
Snowy Owl in flight, Grays Harbor, WA Forget Christmas – my greatest gifts this holiday season came at New Year’s. This morning promised to be one of  the first clear days after several rain-sodden weeks — welcome to winter in the Northwest…! On a whim, I got up at 4 AM and headed to the coast,  
November 27th, 2012

The Archipelago of Hope

Posted By Kevin Schafer
Sally Lightfoot Crabs (Grapsus grapsus) In surf, Galapagos Island
I first visited the Galapagos Islands nearly thirty years ago. It was a revelation. Instead of fleeing in terror at the sight of me (like most wildlife around the world) the animals of the Galapagos did something extraordinary: they ignored me. For a wildlife photographer like myself, being invisible is the greatest gift of all,  
June 17th, 2012

Finding Balance

Posted By Kevin Schafer
Ring-tailed Lemur, Berenty Reserve MADAGASCAR
Visual balance can sometimes be difficult to achieve in a photograph , but it can make the difference between a pedestrian portrait – and a more compelling one. When I set out to photograph this wild Ring-tailed Lemur, for example, resting in a tree, I chose not to place him directly in the middle of  
October 28th, 2011

The Eyes Have It

Posted By Kevin Schafer
Dwarf Caiman (Paleosuchus palpebrosus) Cristalino River, Amazon, Brazil
There are pretty few rules in wildlife photography, but there is one which you’d want a pretty good reason to break. This is it: the only thing in the picture that really needs to be in focus is the eyes. Case in point: with this head-on shot of a dwarf caiman in the upper Amazon, there  
August 10th, 2011

Denali Dall Sheep

Posted By Jon Cornforth
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On my first day in Denali National Park, I encountered a large group of Dall sheep up the side of a mountain. I grabbed my camera equipment, including my 500mm lens, and hiked over 1500′ up to them. As I approached the group, they became aware of my presence but did not run away. I was unsure how  
June 21st, 2011

Dangerous Nature?

Posted By Kevin Schafer
Wild Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) Male eating figs, Australia
I am often asked – at lectures and in interviews – what is the most dangerous thing I have ever encountered in nature. Frankly, I hate that question, first because of its inherent sensationalism, but also because it is so misplaced: I have very little to fear from the wild animals with which I spend  
April 27th, 2011

In the Company of Puffins

Posted By Kevin Schafer
Atlantic Puffin carrying nest material, Scotland
It’s hard to pick a personal favorite bird – there are so many wonderful birds around the world – but I’d have to say that Puffins are right up there on the list. As with penguins, everything Puffins do seem simultaneously adorable and slightly ridiculous – like this fellow carrying grass back to line his  
April 24th, 2011

What’s “Wrong” With This Picture?

Posted By Kevin Schafer
Carrizo Rainbow by Steve Shuey
This is not my picture, but it is one that sparked a lively discussion that I thought might be worth sharing with those of you who follow this OP forum. It is a shot of a spectacular rainbow over a vast field of Tidytip flowers on California’s Carrizo Plain, taken just a few days ago  
April 1st, 2011

The Bone Yard at first light, South Carolina

Posted By Joseph Rossbach
Bone Yard Beach Dawn, Edisto Island, SC
I just returned home from a 10 day trip shooting the low land coastal regions around Charleston, South Carolina. On the first morning of the trip, I visited an area known as Bone Yard Beach on Edisto Island. This amazing barrier island on the Atlantic Ocean has an area of trees that are literally stranded  
March 28th, 2011

Under the Sidewalk

Posted By Kevin Schafer
San Joaquin Kit Fox and pup, Bakersfield
I have been in Bakersfield, California this week, looking for endangered San Joaquin Kit Foxes.  Foxes in the city?  Yes, in one of the most unexpected of situations, these rare foxes are holding their own living in the middle of the city, in some cases better than they’re faring in the surrounding agricultural land. As