The Wild Photographer

How does everyone prepare photos for uploading to ASF and then Instagram/Facebook? Do you export each photo twice, once in lower res for social media? what resolutions/sizes seem to work best for Instagram/Facebook? I hate they way they crop. I'm doing all of this now but it just seems like it's not very efficient.

Hi there,

A cub looked up — I couldn't look away.

That moment arrived between breaths: wet meadow, low diffused light, and a small wild face intent on a mouthful of grass. I knelt, steady and quiet, feeling the distance between us shrink.

It felt sacred to me.

I named the piece "First Close Encounter" because the scene held both simple curiosity and an old, wild rhythm; the close view lets you meet the animal rather than merely observe it. This close view brings you nearly level with a young life—curious, alert, uncomplicated.

Greens and warm browns keep the frame honest, so the cub's gaze becomes the story, and I chose this subject to remind us how easily wonder can return when we slow down, pay attention, and become aware and alive to our surroundings.

Hello, this heron was like an angel in the evening light. There is a roost at this pond so I like to check it out as the herons come in. Most were up in the trees and, as it was getting dark, they were harder to capture. This heron was out in the open like he was waiting for me! The shot could have been a little crisper but I forgot my tripod and I have a shakey hand. 😊

On New Year's Eve in 2020, I walked across the street from my home to the Carpenter Dam site on the Fox River in Illinois. I was in the midst of a traumatic divorce and this was the way to get back to my center. The goal was to finally capture image that were sharp enough to be able to polish up in post so that they were worth of submitting to art shows and PPA Merit Image Review. I have one merit image from that day and several other images that have either place in a show or was accepted as a juried exhibit. Well I found another one from that same day! This is "Wings Through Shadow". Many of my gull images start with the "Wings..." name.

Finally got around to processing my images taken at the Caroni Bird Sanctuary in Caroni Swamp, Trinidad where I took a boat ride to see the Scarlet Ibis coming in to roost in the late evening. The big challenge was the birds keep away from the mass of boats and tourist and being close to the equator the light fading very quickly. So in addition to high shutter speeds I also needed high ISOs

Peacocks are one of the most beautiful bird which are always presentable nO matter how you shoot them where you shoot them. What is your opinion or experience?

This is a video of dear Otis enjoying his catch. This was the end of the season, so Otis had already bulked up, making the skin and brains the only important parts for nutrition to help him through the winter months. The remainder of the salmon were left to float down stream to where the cows with their cubs were devouring the remains.

Brooks River, Katmai National Park, Alaska.

My heart stopped as I captured this moment…as the sapsucker turned and faced outward from the tree trunk. I love this body position for birds.

Here, a male Red-naped Sapsucker clings quietly to a weathered tree trunk, grubs in his beak—a fleeting moment of purpose and care, alive in the pause between earth and sky. In this sacred encounter, we glimpse the gentle persistence and beauty within the wild, a reminder to see with wonder and honor the web of life that unites us all.

Let your spirit rest here. Reconnect. — Bruce Finocchio / Dream Catcher Images

Not a great background, unfortunately. But I love the momma bear and cubs' dispositions here. I've titled this one "Motherhood."

Summer is ending but still offers beautiful sunsets, photo is taken at my favourite place, where sea and beach gives so much peace and positive energy to soul, Estonia Hiiumaa Ristna

You’ll understand the power of stillness after this…

As first light touches the water, a loon glides across the mirror-calm lake, surrounded by mist and the silent awakening of the wild. In this sacred moment, nature’s mystery reveals itself—quiet, profound, and full of promise.

May this scene open a doorway for your spirit and rekindle that sense of childlike wonder within.

Hey friends, I've got a new podcast on The Wild Photographer that is getting a lot of listens and wanted to let you know. It's a great one for a concise but DEEP understanding of memory cards...the lifeline of our digital cameras! Give it a listen and let me know watcha think!

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-deep-dive-into-memory-cards-speed-maintenance/id1503931590?i=1000784008133

Spotify Podcasts: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4srKIeN6UYLaXa2KRhNpms?si=THtJSzGDRNGlqzanoNQXiA

Thanks, as always, for being part of this cool little Wild Photographer community!

Captured these Amazon Parrots from my mom's porch while breakfasting in Trinidad and Tobago

I'd title this one, "The Inconvenient Log." Sometimes you don't have the luxury of choosing your background. ;-) I tried to minimize the log's visual weight as best I could without it looking artificial. Did I succeed?

Katmai NP and Preserve, July 2026.

The Canterbury Bell is one of my all time favorite flowers. I love the colour, a blue with a hint of mauve. The delicacy of the flower shape.

Just a single bloom with a very narrow field of focus, rendering the background a blur of the other colours in the garden.

Please tell me what is your favourite flower?

i thought it was cool weed plant growing lol here in Peterborough NH

Yellow Columbine - as shot

Talking Sunflowers!