Simply Unreal Photography

Spring Wildlife Expedition Weekend

2006-04-30T20:48:00.000-03:00

The weather was beautiful and warm on this last week of April so I packed my camera gear and headed out into the unknown. I brought my camo blind with me in hoping that I could do a stake out and capture a photo of a bald eagle that I have been pursuing for some time now. This bald eagle has been nesting on my fathers woodland property but the eagle has not given me the opportunity to capture him yet. I will someday come back home with his mugshot recorded on my digital film but this weekend was no success on that. I enjoyed the company of many other critters and wildlife in the area and captured many nice shots from them as some shown below.

Click on image to view larger version in gallery

Click on image to view larger version in gallery

But the best experience came on the evening of Saturday April 29 when I was walking back to my camo blind to sit out for another stake out and I glazed my eyes on these 2 large beautiful birds with red caps on their heads. I then realized that these are the rare Pileated Woodpeckers I read about. Such a rare find and lucky for me to stumble on them. They were perched on a tree only 25 feet from my blind. If I would of been sitting in my blind I would have got beautiful portrait photos of those beauties but unfortunately I was trying to reach my camo blind from a distance at that time. As I approached them they got spooked and jumped from tree to tree and got further away from me. I struggled to get closer and better camera shots but the terrain worked against me. I even decided to face the elements and walked knee deep in swamp grass waters to get in closer for that killer photo. Well in the end I had to capture what I could from my vantage point and hoped on a better photo opportunity. So I snapped the photos I could until they flew away. Just the experience of being that close to them and watching those two pairs dancing around the tree in some type of mating rutual was something to remember. They are beautiful and very large birds to my amazement. I couldn't stop thinking of the famous "Woody Woodpecker" cartoon and his famous laugh as they flew away from me.

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The Pileated Woodpecker is a truly impressive and unforgettable bird, for those who are blessed with an opportunity to see and observe them. With its brilliant red crest, loud alarming call, large "crow sized" body, and handsome white wing linings, this bird is a memorable one.

The pileated woodpecker is about 15 inches in length and is one of the largest woodpeckers found in North America.

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Although the pileated woodpecker is adapted to clinging to the sides of trees, it is a strong flyer and it will even sometimes hop around on the ground. The pileated woodpecker "drums" on hollow trees with its bill to claim territory.

You can pronounce pileated two ways, with a short I-sound (pill-ee-ated) or a long I-sound (pile-ee-ated).

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The Cold of Winter

2006-02-24T00:58:00.000-04:00

Winter is not a nature photographer's favorite season. The cold weather and the cotton white blanket that covers the ground just seems to put every life subject in complete hibernation. That also includes us at times. To find natural subjects in this season is a large task but then again maybe it isn't. Sometimes you need to take a moment and see the beauty that is surrounding you during the winter months. The snow, the wind and the blue cast that shines upon that white blanket of snow can be soothing & relaxing at times. Nature can show its beauty all year round, we just need to open our eyes and see its beauty. Here are some inspiring winter images I captured while I examined the natural surrounding next to me and took the time to see what lies ahead.

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Click on image to view larger version in gallery

Duck Tales

2006-02-13T20:28:00.000-04:00

I went for a local drive in the nearby country and seen these majestic beauties swimming around in a man made pond. I stopped in and asked the owner permission to photograph the ducks in his pond. He was fine with that. Most people don't have any issues of you photographing wildlife in their yard but it is always best to ask first instead of having the owner stare out of his window wondering why this man is photographing on his property. They may just think you are the IRS or someone surveying the land for some reason. You wouldn't want that cause he could maybe come running after you with a shotgun or something. Hahahaha!!! Well here are some of my captures and visit the remaining collection on my portfolio site at www.simplyunreal.com

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Well I could not resist the beauty of the Mallard duck. The handsome Mallard Anas platyrhynchos is the best known wild duck in the world. The male in breeding dress is unmistakable. The glossy head and upper neck are brilliant green, separated from the rich chestnut of the breast by a white collar. The rest of the underparts and the sides are light grey..

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64 Deer and 2 Photographers

2006-02-12T12:22:00.000-04:00

Unbelievable! You would not believe me if I told you that I counted 64 whitetail deer in one day. Well believe it buddy, it happened! I decided to take my new photography buddy "Stephen Methot" that's from Dalhousie, NB on a wildlife photo shoot in Riley Brook with the thought of hoping to find some whitetail deer and any other wildlife that roam in that area. I have often counted many deer in that area but this was a record for me and probably a record for many of you that have visited that area before. I was driving along the road and it was stop and go all the way there. We drove 500 ft and had to stop again for another deer photo. We came back home with a memory card full of pictures of deer, deer and more deer. Wow, that's all I can say. Both of us were amazed from the amount of deer we seen in one day. For my friend "Stephen", he was blown away from the wildlife that was seen in that area. All in all it was a good photo day in Riley Brook, NB.

Click on image to view larger version in gallery

Click on image to view larger version in gallery

Horsing Around

2006-02-12T11:55:00.000-04:00

I had an excellent opportunity to shoot photos of these beautiful horses we can across while driving. They are magnificient to photograph and many of us have a passion for the beauty of horses. I was gone for a photo shoot in Riley Brook, NB to capture some deer photos but when I drove by this horse ranch, I was tempted to ask the owners permission to photograph their horses. They were very nice people and they had no issues with that. So me and my photo buddy "Stephen Methot" that I met from Dalhousie, NB took advantage of this situation and started going camera crazy and snapped a few keepers from this collection. Here are some of my results.

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Click on image to view larger version in gallery

Winter Dreams

2006-02-04T01:47:00.000-04:00

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This photo was taken about a week ago. I took this photo while snowshoeing on a trail through the woods. I was not expecting to find this old abandoned little camp. I was getting discouraged for a while because I was not finding any interesting subjects to photograph. But this little camp came in the perfect most opportune moment. I then took my time and planned my shot carefully and made sure not to trample a snowshoe trail through the scene and took several various shots from different angles until I found the angle I wanted. Looks like a winter dream!

Now a Nikon User at NikonLinks.com

2006-02-03T23:50:00.000-04:00

Now you can find my photo gallery listed among other Nikon photographers at NikonLinks.com

Feel free to visit the NikonLinks.com site that has been dedicated to Nikon users and Nikon related information. You can find my listing by visiting the link below and clicking on the "Nikon Users" page link.

http://www.nikonlinks.com/index.htm

Another well known Nikon related site is Nikonians.org
This is an online community related to everything Nikon. Whether its camera gear, forum chat, online stores, podcast, news and more. Visit them at the link below.

http://www.nikonians.org/

Success with the Nikon 300mm F4 Lens

2006-02-03T18:54:00.000-04:00

Here are 2 photos I took this afternoon while going out for a walk along the river to test this my 300mm lens. Super Sharp! I am totally satisfied with my lens purchase. Couple of cool shots after using the lens for the first hour. All shot on monopod with Nikon SB-800 flash.

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Click on image to view larger version in gallery

Nikon 300mm f/4D ED-IF AF-S Nikkor Lens

2006-02-03T17:46:00.000-04:00

Today I just received my new Nikon 300mm F4 AF-S lens that I purchased used from Ebay. I was lucky and got this lens for half the price of retail new. This lens is tack sharp. I am totally satisfied with it as it is in perfect A+ condition. It just blows away my other 70-300 Tamron lens. No comparison whatsoever. You truly get what you pay for when buying lenses. This will be awesome once I put it to good use in my next wildlife photo shoot venture! Soon I will purchase a few adapters and I will turn this 300mm into a 600mm telephoto. Now we are taking zoom. I will be able to photograph any wildlife from a distance!

Here is a photo is my current setup with the 300mm lens mounted on my Nikon D70s and my new SB-800 flash I got at Christmas. Totally awesome! Totally Nikon! :-)