In the morning I will be taking off in the 4Runner with my Nikon gear on my “Red Rock, Snow and Critters Journey”.  Will be gone from February 11th to March 5th.
Scheduled stops on the Journey:

• Badlands National Park, South Dakota
• Arches National Park, Utah
• Canyonlands National Park, Utah
• Monument Valley, Arizona/Utah
• Horseshoe Bend, Arizona
• Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
• Wupatki National Monument, Arizona
• Joshua Tree National Park, California
• Zion National Park, Utah
• Animals of Montana, Montana
• Theodore Roosevelt National Park,  North Dakota

Everyone Take Care and Be Safe,
Will share the journey with you when I get back.

I made this photograph in 2008 while flying above the Sossusvlei dunes in Namibia.   Micro-light is a whole different way to see the dunes.   Especially in the early morning.

I have been gone back several years and revisited several photographs.   I have gone to the original .NEF file and reprocessed them in my current software workflow.    This one, I also changed the crop on it.

Take Care and Be Safe

This photograph was made from a small gondola while gliding through the canopy of a rainforest in Costa Rica earlier this month. I was drawn by the slight tint to the fog/rain from a sliver of sun peeking in from somewhere.

On the weekend I went with some photo friends to an antique car museum.   Apart from cars, trucks and motorcycle.   They had various automotive service brands highlighted in various displays including full blow service stations from bygone days.

There also was a General Store with a post office.   That is what caught my eye.   Since everything in the building was from long ago and even further back than I can remember.   I decided my post processing would have to reflect that point in time.

Enjoy the result.

Take Care and Be Safe

Recently a local forum I belong to asked for us to share with it’s members our favourite shot from 2011.    When they asked for us to show OUR favourite shot.  I took it that they did not want.  The most popular shoot.   My best selling shot,   My shot that was my best WOW.    BUT……..MY favourite.

This picture was made during my 6th trip to Africa, my second to the Masai Mara in Kenya.  I have lots of various shots with a cheetah(s) as the subject.   However I was miss a full body shot.  Standing on a mound. With a nice clean background.  The animal look right at me.   That picture was on my “bucket list” for shots to get on that trip.

That is way it is my favourite shot from 2011.

Take Care and Be Safe

My wife Glenda and I are going on a ten day cruise over New Years out of Fort Lauderdale.    We have six ports of call included the Panama Canal.    We are certainly looking forward to that.

I really had some very serious thoughts as to what camera equipment would be coming along.  Since this will not be primarily a photo trip.   And I did not relish the thought of carrying a 40lb camera bag containing things just because I may need it.   Especially trekking through jewelry stores.

The end result is Nikon D700, Nikkor 28-300 VR and 50mm f1.8.  A polarizer and a SB-900.   That is it not even a tripod, just a few charging and cleaning items.  If Jay Maisel and Bob Krist can do it, I just might be able to do it also.

Hope you all have a very Happy New Year and a prosperous 2012

Take Care and Be Safe

Christopher Robin

I was able to secure two places on Squiver.com’s  Ultimate Bears Workshop in September, 2012 at Clark National Park, Alaska.  A seven day photographic adventure I will be sharing with my son Geoff.

Like most of Squivers Workshops lately they sell out very quickly.

Geoff came with me to the Masai Mara last August, he purchased a new D7000 and we exchanged long lens during the trip.    Geoff learned that on photographic adventures like this it is best to carry and use two camera bodies.    This time I will be adding tripods and mounts to the mix.      My hope is that he gains an interest in my Nikon D3 about the same time as the anticipated Nikon D4 hits the shelves.    Time will tell on that one.

For those that have visited Monument Valley.  You are aware that the Valley Loop is closed to the general public  until after sunrise.    So unless you take one of the special guided tours you have to find other ways to get your mittens in the rising sun.

My one day visit to the valley, sort of a scouting trip as I had never been there before, was how I made this image.    Arrival was just at sunset, a 3rd floor room was booked at The View hotel.  This was the view from the rooms balcony.   Shot the sunset,  then a few shots during the night and was set up in the morning to get this wonderful sunrise.  The rest of the day was spent driving around the Valley Loop road marking places for photography on a return trip.

On the night of December 10th, 2011.  Parts of the world enjoyed a total lunar eclipse.  Here in Manitoba we raced the rising sun to try and see the moment of totality, but we lost out to the daylight and clouds.  The next total lunar eclipse will be April 15,th.  2014.
I was able to pull out several cloudless images during to period from full moon to just before it went into totality.    This composite photographs shows my results.

This was taken on the Masai Mara in western Kenya in August 2011. This young lioness seemed to be annoyed at something but I couldn’t tell what it was.  Then when  I put my 70-200mm at 200mm up to my eye.

Well you can see what the problem was. Up till that I thought we had problems with mosquitoes. Thank goodness those flies like the smell of carrion better than our pit sticks.