Larry Ditto Nature Photography

Queen butterfly clinging to a flower stalk at sunrise

Things are falling in place for a hummingbird workshop in the spring, March 27 & 28.  It will be in the Goliad, Texas area, so mark your calendar if you want to attend.  I’m still researching the site and getting prices fixed.  All that information will be added to the Workshop Schedule just as soon as possible.  A lot of you have indicated a strong interest in getting some great hummingbird shots and learning more about the techniques for capturing images of the winged jewels.  I’ve included two more photos to whet your appetite.  Remember, in the spring, we will have male ruby-throats and black-chinned hummers.  That means more color.

Hummingbird feeding on Rocky Mountain Bee Plant

Black-chinned Hummingbird feeding at a Turk's Cap flower

You still have a few days to get signed up for the Bosque del Apache trip to New Mexico.  Consider these photos and decide if you want to join us.  There is plenty of room since some folks had to hold out this year because of the economic situation.  The up side of that is that I’ll have more time to spend with the few photographers who do make it.  We will be offering more one on one help to insure that you get some great shots and perfect your flight photography techniques.  See the instructional photo tour schedule on this web site for specific information.  I’m about to mail out the detailed instructions to photographers and I would like to include you.

The sandhill cranes are calling you to watch them perform at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico.

Canada Geese landing near the Rio Grande in central New Mexico.

In recent weeks, I have continued shooting butterflies for a story and for stock images.  A couple of those shots follow. 

Using a deep shadow behind a lighted subject can produce interesting results as in this photo of a Queen.

Pipevine Swallowtails are hard to photograph because their wings continue beating while they extract nectar from flowers like this Turk's Cap.

I also visited the Legal Eagle Ranch at Eagle Pass, Texas last week to help them evaluate their photography blinds and sets.  I managed to get a couple of shots while there, so those are included here.  This coming weekend, I’ll be headed up to the Comfort/Fredericksburg, Texas area for an instructional photo tour at the Block Creek Ranch.  The fall colors are exploding and the little creeks are running, so it looks like a successful week awaits us.  We still have room for one or two more if you get signed up in the next three days.  Don’t forget, the Last Chance Forever folks will be bringing some of their hawks over for a morning shoot while we are there.

Grass backlighted against an autumn sunset at the Legal Eagle Ranch in Eagle Pass, Texas.

An osprey flying over a ranch lake near the Rio Grande at the Legal Eagle Ranch, Eagle Pass, Texas.

 

Ring-necked Ducks looking for deep water on the Legal Eagle Ranch, Eagle Pass, Texas.

 

Pair of adult whooping cranes feeding in a salt marsh as the sun rises on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, Texas.

 

Adult and young whooping cranes keep a close eye on passing boats at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Texas.

 

Thanks for checking in this week.  I hope you enjoyed the photos.  Join me on one of these great photography trips if you can make time to spend a few days in the field.

“Be careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity…”  Ephesians 5:15 & 16.

Larry

This entry was posted on Monday, November 9, 2009 at 10:47 pm and is filed under Newsletter. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.