Snowy Owl on Jones Beach

Reports of snowy owl sightings on Long Island began to appear shortly after Thanksgiving.  It seems almost absurd to traipse out to the general vicinity of a point on a map and think you'll really find what you're looking for, especially when that thing is a bird.  But there are a few of us....enthusiastic birders and/or nature photographers who do just that.

The snowy owl sightings have been reported at three locations on the island and I have visited them all.  One, I've visited twice.  The first two excursions were a bust...no owl to be found.

This week, I made a trip way out toward the east end of the island and low and behold, I found an owl. It was right where the reports had led me...on the bank of a small island in the south bay at least 600 yards from where I was standing.  These owls are SO white, I could see that tiny white dot on the opposite shore.  But even through my long telephoto lens, it was nothing more than a fuzzy blob.  A bit of a disappointment.

Yesterday, Arielle and I were heading off the island to visit friends in Allentown.  We decided to start out early and take a detour to Jones Beach where several sightings had been reported.  It was a beautiful day, more like fall than winter, and a hike at the beach would not be a bad consolation prize in the event no owl was to be found.  But it was a lucky day.  The beautiful bird was perched right on the top of a dune posing cooperatively.  I think he was just barely awake but certainly in no way distressed by the small audience of bird enthusiasts staked out on an adjacent dune just to admire him.

First Portraits

One area of photography where I feel I am a complete novice is portraiture.  I've never pursued it and I believe I've shied away because I'm so uncomfortable in front of a camera myself.  But I've been thinking about it a lot lately.  One, because it is a viable option for work without the cost of extensive travel, and two, because I need something new to explore.

I think I've also been intimidated by believing that you need to know a LOT about light and how to manipulate it.  You have to understand how to use your flash.  So over the past few weeks, I've been doing some studying and learning that while this is true...one can still do successful portrait work without a huge set up.  I have finally learned some new skills with the flash, but I now know more about making the most of ambient light.

I made one equipment purchase.  Being that my primary photography pursuits center around nature and wildlife, I've got a nice telephoto zoom in my arsenal as well as a decent macro lens.  But I started looking at lenses that were preferred for portraits and selected a fast 50mm 1.4.  Time to play.

Turns out, I only have one family member who is willing to let me practice on them.  Arielle is a champ!  Here are a couple of my first attempts...



Definitely some room for improvement here. What's with that background? Love her smile but I think the exposure should come down just a hair. I'm kind of loving the next one though....