Posted on March 10, 2016 in Miscellaneous
Not every image from Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area features snow geese or tundra swans. This image is of a little Amish or Mennonite girl who was with her family watching the birds with her hands folded neatly behind her back. There were 5 or 6 young children with their mom. They had no cameras, cell phones, scopes, or binoculars. They were simply there to watch and enjoy nature’s once a year show! Seeing their eyes light up as thousands of geese swirled in front of them made me stop and wonder if I could just enjoy the moment without feeling the need to photograph. As photographers we often feel that we have to record the event, not because we are capturing the perfect image, but just to freeze the experience so that it can be relived later on in time. I am definitely guilty of that. I’m not sure that I could go to Middle Creek and leave my camera at home, but I will definitely be trying to take in the big scene without looking at it through a viewfinder more often!
Posted on March 9, 2016 in Birds, Documentary, Landscape, Nature, Painting Effect, Wildlife
Notes on the day. #1 – snow geese are unpredictable. #2 – pick your background first. I’ve been watching the snow goose migration at Middle Creek for years and if there is one thing that is certain, it’s that snow geese are unpredictable! One day they will be out of the park where you can’t access them to photograph and the next day they are on the lake or a few yards away feeding along the shoreline. On this particular afternoon, just before dusk, they relocated to a field adjacent to a nice brick home which made a pretty background for their late afternoon flight. Speaking of backgrounds, I try to position myself so that my photos have a darker background that will highlight the birds. This spot was right on target. I love the way the sun is illuminating the crops in the foreground. How fun it would be to have my yard be a stopover point for migrating snow geese!
Posted on March 7, 2016 in Birds, Documentary, People
If you want to see the snow goose migration at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area, GO NOW. Migration is in full swing! Be prepared to join the crowds of people that flock (pun intended!) to see the snow geese as they pass through while heading North. On weekends especially, parking can be a challenge and the crowds are large…as are some of the camera lenses that line the viewing areas! I thought I would share a few images of “the experience” as it’s all part of the fun that only happens for a few weeks each year!
Posted on March 6, 2016 in Birds, Nature, Wildlife
It was a good day at Middle Creek! The number of snow geese climbed back to 50,000+, the weather was cold, but bearable, and the geese were active! I made a mental note of #206 as I was scanning through my images during a break in the action as I thought it might be a favorite. I was right…I love this one! The depth of field could be a bit better, but given that birds are flying by quickly, I’m happy to come away with a handful of favorite images out of the 1200 or so that I shot over the course of a day. I love that you can see the water droplets beneath the bird on the left. They had just taken off from the lake and were headed to feed in a field with more of their friends.
Posted on March 3, 2016 in Landscape, Nature, Winter
It was a snow squally kind of day in Lancaster County, Pa. not too many weekends ago. The weather was sunny and nice in my neighborhood, but by the time I reached Lancaster County, I found snow on the ground and blustery wind that caused drifts across the narrow country roads. I second guessed my judgement at venturing out with my camera, but came home with a couple of images that I like nonetheless. We’re expecting a little snow tonight and I would love to be back in the country to enjoy the peaceful scenery after a snowfall.