Jul 4, 2021 | AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, Great Blue Heron, Nikon 1 V1, Nikon 1 V1 Potpourri
Nikon 1 V1 Potpourri | Great Blue Heron Great Blue Heron are both common and beautiful. This image was captured in the quiet before the storm, with damaging winds and hail coming tonight. The light was fading fast as I approached this small pond on my walkabout. The Heron had just a kiss of reflected light since it was wading along the corner of the pond. See Great Blue Heron | a 7 Image Story for the whole story.
The Back Story The Nikon 1 V1 2.7 crop factor sure helps to get the shot without disturbing the bird. Note: I post an image everyday at hankconrad.com.
Details…
| Event | Daily Walkabout |
| Location | Northern IL |
| Date/Time | 6/16/2013 8:18pm Local Time |
| Weather | Partly Cloudy | 78°F | Light Winds |
| Method | Used Nikon 1 V1 with 2.7 crop factor to avoid disturbing the bird. |
| Gear | Nikon 1 V1 with a Nikon FT-1 Adapter and Nikon AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR lens |
Exposure
| 300mm (810mm) f/5.6 1/1000s 0ev 3200iso |
| Post | Reduced noise, sharpened eyes, lightened a bit |
Sep 3, 2020 | AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, Daily Image 2020, Great Blue Heron, Labor Day Potpourri, Nikon 1 V3
Labor Day Potpourri | Great Blue Heron This Great Blue Heron really blends in to the drift wood as it stands along the lake shore. For the whole story with all images, see Labor Day Potpourri | a 7 Image Story.
Aug 30, 2020 | 1 VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6, 16mm MOVO for Nikon 1, 7 Image Stories, AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, AF-S DX 12-24mm f4G IF ED, Bee, Butterflies, Caterpillar, Events, Great Blue Heron, Labor Day Potpourri, Michigan, Nikon 1 V3, Nikon D300, Pugs, Thistle
Labor Day Potpourri | a 7 Image Story The Labor Day this year saw another unusual holiday. These images were captured just because they happened to be along my travel path during the holidays. My travel paths were again close to home. Social distancing gets much easier when you’re hiking or paddling alone.
Bubble Bee on Thistle Midwest thistles can grow to be very big plants; big weeds to most folks. When the thistles bloom, bees come around to pollinate. This bubble bee was very busy pollinating several blossoms on this six foot high thistle.
Spider Web Early morning dew on a spider web can make for an interesting image. It’s a dumb luck simple click.
Pug Guarding Dock Anybody want to go swimming before it gets too cold? All we need is a life jacket. Pugs aren’t the best swimmers.
Storm Coming After a nice Labor Day outing on the lake, a storm appears to be coming over the horizon.
Great Blue Heron This Great Blue Heron really blends in to the drift wood as it stands along the lake shore.
White Hickory Tussock Moth Caterpillar This caterpillar hung around the picnic table all afternoon. A simple click seemed in order. Hopefully, it’ll turn into a beautiful moth.
Monarch Butterfly Monarch Butterflies are not as plentiful as they once were. They need milkweed plants to complete their life cycle. Unfortunately, the milkweed population has been decreasing for a number of years. Female monarchs only lay eggs on milkweed plants since monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed. The milkweed plant provides both food and shelter for a caterpillar. After emerging, the adult Monarch eats nectar from a variety of flowering plants.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Labor Day Potpourri.
Click any image below for a slide show.
Jun 22, 2020 | AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, Daily Image 2020, Great Blue Heron, Nikon 1 V3, Paddling Pleasant Lake
Paddling Pleasant Lake | Great Blue Heron Paddling slowly toward shore makes it a bit easier to capture nice wildlife images without disturbing the wildlife. This Great Blue Heron still walked behind the bushes, but it did not fly away. For the whole story with all images, see Paddling Pleasant Lake | a 7 Image Story.
Jun 21, 2020 | 1 VR 10-30mm f/3.4-5.6 PD-Zoom, 10mm MOVO for Nikon 1, 7 Image Stories, AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, Eastern Kingbird, Great Blue Heron, Insects, Michigan, Nature, Nikon 1 V3, Paddling Pleasant Lake
Paddling Pleasant Lake | a 7 Image Story Paddling along Pleasant Lake’s shoreline will generally yield at least a few decent images. On this day, the boat traffic was a bit heavier than usual, which made numerous waves. Capturing macro images of the water lilies was very difficult due to the extremely short depth of field. Still, the water is generally clear enough to see the water lily stems in the sandy lake bottom.
Beaver’s Handiwork Paddling the Kayak on glassy flat water provides a nice platform to capture both macro water flower images as well as wildlife images. It’s all about paddling slowly and gliding with camera in hand.
Great Blue Heron Paddling slowly toward shore makes it a bit easier to capture nice wildlife images without disturbing the wildlife. This Great Blue Heron still walked behind the bushes, but it did not fly away.
Male Eastern Kingbird The male Kingbird is usually several feet above of the nest; standing guard. This year, the Kingbird’s usual nesting place appears to have been destroyed. The female and nest were not in sight. Still, it must be very close. If you get too close to the nest, the males will start screeching and dive bombing you.
New Driftwood Paddling into calm water with late afternoon light allows creation of a serene photograph depicting the essence of nature on a small northern Michigan lake.
Insect on Lily Pad Flower This macro image was captured using a 10mm extension. The water lily was moving up and down due to waves on the lake. My kayak was moving in reaction to the waves. My arm was moving since it was outstretched to manually focus the camera very close to the lily. With such a narrow depth of field, it’s amazing that anything was in focus.
Feather in the Grass A lone feather blowing in the wind adores the lakeside grass. No telling where it’s from or where it’s going!
Red Lake Door A holiday on Pleasant Lake would not be complete without the red door. This year the red door seems to be pointing us skyward.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Paddling Pleasant Lake.
Click any image below for a slide show.
May 23, 2019 | AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, Daily Image 2019, Great Blue Heron, Nikon 1 V3, Spring 2019 Hodgepodge
Spring 2019 Hodgepodge | Great Blue Heron Great Blue Herons like hanging out in tree when they are not wading in water. This image captures the first time on any of my local walkabouts where a Great Blue Heron was in a tree. Again, notice how it is standing on one leg on the branch. For the whole story with all images, see Spring 2019 Hodgepodge | a 7 Image Story.
Jul 15, 2018 | 7 Image Story Posts, AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, Daily Image 2018, Great Blue Heron, Kayaking on Pleasant Lake, Michigan, Nikon 1 V3
Kayaking on Pleasant Lake | Great Blue Heron When photographing birds, I try not to disturb the bird, so most of my Great Blue Heron images are with the bird standing in or close to water. Although this bird was standing at quite a distance, it must have been too close for comfort. Remember, the 300mm lens on a Nikon 1 V3 with a 2.7 crop factor yields 810mm. See Kayaking on Pleasant Lake | a 7 Image Story for the whole story.
Jul 15, 2018 | 1 VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6, 7 Image Stories, Action, AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, Butterflies, Canada Geese, Great Blue Heron, Kayaking on Pleasant Lake, Michigan, Nikon 1 V3, Places, Sandhill Crane, Water Lily
Kayaking on Pleasant Lake | a 7 Image Story Kayaking on Pleasant Lake is, well, pleasant. It’s a relatively small lake without much big boat traffic. Paddling along the shoreline on a relatively calm day makes for a nice serene break from the day’s challenges. During the summer months, several species of water lilies are abundant along several areas of the shoreline. They provide a hint of color and beauty while slowing paddling around them. The water is generally clear enough to see the stems in the sandy lake bottom
The north side contains a large number of beaver dams woven together making a wildlife wetland. Most days a kayak trip encounters some type of wild life and some days it uncovers numerous species. Unfortunately, so far this year, some of my favorite wildlife species have eluded my camera; like the Loons and Bald Eagles. Also, using a kayak enables a photog with patience and a telephoto lens to even capture dragonfly images. When photographing wildlife, I try not to disturb the subject by using telephoto lenses to stay far enough away. Remember, the 300mm lens on a Nikon 1 V3 with a 2.7 crop factor yields 810mm. For another Pleasant Lake kayaking story, see Pleasant Lake Kayaking | a 7 Image Story.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Kayaking on Pleasant Lake.
Click any image below for a slide show!
