The official home for listeners of The Wild Photographer podcast with Court Whelan. A place for wildlife, landscape, and nature photographers to connect, share work, and grow — inspired by every episode.
This is a snowy sheathbill (Chionis albus), is the only land bird native to the Antarctic Peninsula.
So why Hitch Hiker?
The bird primarily lives on the southern tip of South America, but goes to Antarctica to breed.
The bird does not have webbed feet so it cannot land on the water. The distance to the nearest land, The Falkland Islands is too far without landing.
So the snowy Sheathbill Hitch Hikes on passing boats going that way.
In a quiet morning meadow, I was blessed to spend almost an hour with this bull moose and create images together. I had searched several locations across 3 states leading up to this morning. Amazing creatures.
Autumn has wrapped it’s fingers delicately around the globe and there are few places where this fleeting season casts trees dancing in more wondrously beautiful colors than it does in New England.
From Vermont to Philadelphia and New Hampshire to Maine, the foliage seems to command one’s attention more so than in any other land.
Come along with me through a photo gallery and explore Maine through the lens of an artist who’s gaze misses very little and captures only that which nature demands.
Sometimes less is more hey... when it is difficult to 'get off the track' to where the shot is... sometimes there is another shot waiting.
Wait until you notice what makes this moment tender!
I came upon this tender moment at Elkhorn Slough, where a sea otter floats among strands of bull kelp, paws lifted as it cradles its young. At the same time, the otter pup naps, its eyes covered from the sun. The calm water and close embrace reveal a quiet trust between mother and pup.
Funny, I looked at the raw images after the photo shoot and completely missed this one. Only a year later, on a second review, did I discover this image and this wonderful moment. Sometimes, discoveries come from reviewing past captures.
What small moment in nature has stayed with you? Please comment below.
On my way out of Colorado I decided to make one last stop at the Garden of the Gods to see what I would find. A woman walking her dog tipped me off that there were Big Horn Sheep up the trail a bit....After I started running in the direction she pointed I realised I had no idea how far "a bit" would turn out to be. Nevertheless the sheep remained in place long enough for some exciting photos.
I'm looking for a new and better name for this image. I originally called it "Island Peaks" because that's the name of the overlook here. I didn't like any of Arty's suggestions, but one made me wonder about "Black Cathedral." The photo is of the giant fins at Island Peaks in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison in Colorado.
Here are a few images I took while in Rocky Mountain National Park last month. Enjoy
Hello everyone. I recently got back from a trip to PA where I was photographing fall warblers. I took most of them at Hawk Mountain. I would like your help with two versions of the black-throated blue warbler. The basic issue is the hotspots. For version one I used an empty layer, the color picture tool and a large soft brush to work on the areas. I selected a color adjacent to the hot spot and then brushed it. Sometimes I brushed with several colors. In the second version, I masked the bird, inverted the mask and placed a pattern layer underneath. I created the pattern from the background of the image. Do you have a preference for a version? Do you have another strategy for dealing with hotspots? Thank you for your help.
The Ordinary Becomes Extraordinary
Mallard Wing Display: A Quiet Study of Color, Water, and Wild Presence
A drake mallard lifts one wing above the still water, revealing a vivid flash of blue among soft gray feathers. The gentle green reflections and the bird’s poised presence offer a quiet glimpse of nature’s mystery. Bring this peaceful moment into your space as a reminder of the wildlife just beyond our doorways.
This photograph creates a pause in which an everyday species can appear newly mysterious.
I took this image at a little lake in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, called Lloyd’s Lake, on an early September morning. I love the background colors and setting for the Drake Mallard.
Sometimes the ordinary becomes extraordinary!
A perfect representation of the rugged New England coastline captured in a calming photo that elicits memories of endless summers gone by.
What do y’all think?
From a recent afternoon walk after work.
As Autumn starts to take hold upon the rocky New England coastline, where the wisps of Summer begin to fade, what inspiration awaits to grip the hearts of the weary and tired?
Took this on a photo shoot in a nature preserve in Southern Maine.
Sat on the top of a small waterfall for this striking shot
Two very tall age-old trees with a trunk circumference of 10.5 m and 8.5 m, which stand there and spread their majestic branches from the time of Ottoman rule in Greece, since 1975, they have been declared as protected natural monuments.
The safety of these branches has been chosen by Stahtotsiknias (Ardea cinerea-cinerea or Gray Heron), the largest heron in Europe, and one of the largest in the world, to build its nest.
"Stahtotsiknias" birds are large herons about one meter high, with a characteristic gray color on the upper part of their body, white head and neck, white crown with two characteristic long black wings that protrude and form a plume, long and sharp beak in gray-yellow color, which turns more rose-orange during the breeding season in May. They live in large colonies and are known mainly as migratory birds, traveling from Northern Europe to Africa, but in this area (as also in some other areas of Greece) they nest throughout the year.
In the spring, when they have given birth and their chicks are in the nests, the herons stand motionless on the high branches and it is the best time to photograph them.
"SpaceX Falcon9" and the image that was captured minutes before the launch... "Galactic Reach". Which one do you like the most?
I love shooting Macro but recently I have been told to try stacking my images to get sharper focus throughout the subject. Today while gardening I came across the caterpillar for a hawk moth, and decided to make some stacked images, is the result of using my Z8's ability to shoot shift focus images (I shot 40 for this experiment) and the other is the result of some hand held images (5) which I stacked. All processing done in Photoshop. BTW fortunately the caterpillar stayed absolutely still because it took me about 25 minutes to get my camera on the tripod and to set up shift focus shooting on my Z6 II. Can you tell which image is the 40 stack on a tripod and which is the 5 stack handheld?
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.
