Blog » Jim Child Photography

Green-Winged Teal

Jan 042012

With all the duck hunters at FBWR the ducks have ben looking for safe places to hang.

I have been watching a large group of male and female Mallards. This morning I noticed a much smaller duck that I have not seen before. A Green-Winged Teal. Cute fella.

Much smaller than the florescent green headed Mallard. This is the smallest North American dabbling duck. The breeding male has grey flanks and back, with a yellow rear end and a white-edged green speculum ( apart of the wing), obvious in flight or at rest. It has a chestnut head with a green eye patch. It is distinguished from drake Common Teals by a vertical white stripe on side of breast, the lack of both a horizontal white scapular stripe and the lack of thin buff lines on its head. The only one at this pond today. No mate. Not even sure how many total may be passing through. Just real glad to capture this one………

Kestral – Again?

Birds, Blog 1 Response »

Jan 042012

I love this little hunter. Saw him perched in a residential tree driving back from a project this morning…

I love watching and photographing Kestrels “Falco sparverius‘. Just as the “Falco” denotes he is a falcon. This one being a male…

Diving Coot

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Jan 032012

I have a new goal.

To try and catch an America Coot “Fulica Americana” in the full act of diving. Tried for an hour yesterday. They are fast. Diving for grass on the bottom of the pond. Not too bad. Sounds Easy huh? Well it’s not. They give no real indication of when the dive starts. So all I have been getting is a partially submerged Coot with his webbed feet looking up. Give me a little bit….I will get this one! For sure.

The Lion and Atlas

Blog, Travel 1 Response »

Jan 012012

For hating Las Vegas so much I am sure posting a lot about it.

At the the corner of Las Vegas Blvd and where the MGM Grand is is a Huge Gold lion. Huge! Las Vegas style statue of a lion. Behind and surrounding the lion statue are several Atlas’s hold up big objects. Saucers, the world or something. The lion was much harder to photograph than Atlas. Th gold finish had a lot of specular highlights. Hand held a 9 shot HDR combo, Silver EFEX Pro2 and her is the finish photo…..

Winter IBIS

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Jan 012012

It’s turning out to be a weird winter thus far.

No snow in the valley. Yesterday it was almost 60 degrees.

And there is a White Faced Ibis still hanging out at the FBWR. Saw him a few days ago and was surprised. I am not an Ibis expert. But it is the only one seen for a while. Just like the White Egret recently photographed, (which is gone now) I wonder why the Ibis is hanging around. They seen to fly and stay in groups. I have posted several times photographs of these beautiful birds. They never disappoint my camera and screen when I get back.

The hunters where out and some would pass the small pond the Ibis was fishing in. He would quickly get out and move away onto the ice closer the safety of the brush. Made for a strange site for me personally.

He is a very proficient fisher…..

Grabbing Light

Blog, Travel 1 Response »

Dec 312011

Photographers are not photographing subjects.

We are photographing LIGHT.

While in hell….I mean Las Vegas, I saw this particular statue of Atlas holding up the world. It was a “Kodak” moment. The angle of the light to the statue was perfect. The shapes and texture of the statue were enhanced by the angle of light. It’s one of those times when a photographer is stopped in his/her tracks. Getting the exposure was incredibly easy. No specular reflections. The whole statue was made of the same material. The only question came when deciding on the composition. That turned out to be easy. Any composition other than what I shot had distracting objects in the photograph. So as simple as the shot is, it is one of my favorites. Not a big game shot. Or a diving eagle. But it surely is an incredible example of what a camera can capture. White to black with the light gradations between. Made my desktop pic…….

Las Vegas Freaks?

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Dec 302011

This lastWednesday I spent the day in Las Vegas.

I really hate Las Vegas!

Too Hot!

Impossible to get permitting!

And FREAKS everywhere……..

Right on the sidewalks of Las Vegas is a freak show! Cotton Candy is this ones name. Weirdo maybe more appropriate. As tourists of Las Vegas walked by he would jump at them and make provocative gestures. Some saw humor in his(?) antics.

Not sure who this person was impersonating. I will tell you this though. Whom ever he was trying to emulate did not smoke like this guy. We never saw him without a cigarette. At least I thought it was cigarettes……

Looks like the Grinch? He would not let me photograph him. He expected a tip before he would let me take photo. A beggar of sorts. It’s hard to hide from my camera. Especially when firing away at eleven frames per second. Just like the grinch, he is hoarding others cash. See it in his left hand?

This “golden” cowboy was the exception to freakdom. A blast to watch. He held very still until you dropped money in his box. After the money was dropped he would scream and dance. Raised a few eyebrows. And scared a few passerby’s.

His pose was very good. Held real still. Waiting for more income to drop.

The prize for best look alike went to this fake Captain Jack Sparrow. Wasn’t positive this wasn’t the real Johnny Depp. He was that good!

Hands and Thoughts

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Dec 272011

I have finally finished my man cave.

Converted a bedroom. Used to do all my photo editing in a closet. This is real nice!

Even have a DESK!

I have been thinking a lot about the previous year (in my new man space). 2011 the year of……? So much has happened. Not one thing stands out. A lot stands out. One thing is for sure. Everything I experienced this year that was notable, was in the company of another person. Sure there is all the funny stories about my wierdism’s. The moments I cherish from the past year I was not alone. So many people have been a part of me. A lending hand if you will. I am blessed to have the friends, associates and family. They have shaped and molded me. My core will always be the same. However, one of life’s rewards is growing and learning. I am just very grateful for those that have shaped me with their hands……

Egret in December?

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Dec 272011

Today I saw my first December Egret!

Never saw one in December before at FBWR. It’s the start of the Bald Eagle gathering. Duck’s are about. Coots in all the non frozen waterways. An Egret?

Lost? Confused? Maybe just enjoying a late season stay in Utah. Less competition. More FISH………

Holiday Fruit Basket – A real problem!

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Dec 272011

Chocolate covered pineapple daisy’s!

Yummy!

Tough to get exposed. I mean….tough to get the right exposure.

Fruit in my kitchen. A mix of incandescent lights and florescent lights. On the same piece of yellow pineapple is dark chocolate. Very light and very dark together. I decided to keep the specular highlights on the chocolate. Forced the exposure to burnout the pineapple a little. In photography sometimes there are some sacrifices……