Youth In Flight

Youth In Flight, originally uploaded by preyingjaws.

I've headed up to Farmington Bay UT several times in the past week as the sun beat blue into my room. It takes about 45 minutes to get on site once I decided to roll.
I feel as if I'm three weeks behind in processing images. I still have the Photo Walking UT event sitting on my hard drive semi processed. I haven't even touched SLC Photo Club Home Studio images. Some of the recent images may see light of day only if I grab one or two of the ones that catch my eye while I'm chimping while walking down a dike or showing a model.
This image 'Youth In Flight' isn't from Farmington Bay. It's actually from South Ogden Bay just a few miles north. He came off a snag of an old tree to check me out. The set is just out of focus but is in close enough to share on the web. I know I should only post perfect images. If you have a couple of grand for an f/4 400mm lens to send me I'll gladly pay the shipping.
If you're the model & I haven't posted or sent you an image please send me a gentle reminder. I try to get back within 48 hours.

Setting Trees

Setting Trees, originally uploaded by preyingjaws.

I escaped the valley on Tuesday to put a few miles on my boots and hopefully a few on the snowshoes. The snowshoes eagerly awaiting some use since the snow began to fall last October. I finally decided to check the weather, the maps, and review my notes for heavily treed areas that would be holding the snow to the mountainsides.
The avalanche reports keep cautioning back country travel. Caution is for good reason too, the base layers for our mountain snows are weak and do slide often. I doubt there's been a green (completely safe) day since last November when there wasn't enough snow to make snowshoeing comfortable. I like a base of 2 feet to 'shoe over. I've tripped over just covered rocks and stumps before.
Even though Dog Lake isn't one of my favorite places to go it met the requirements of being safe. The trail to the lake, hard packed and well traveled. I carried the 'shoes all the way. I found that there wasn't a trail around the lake so I made one - tromp tromp, ah.
Instead of packing the power house camera with me I took the point and shoot. It's quick, convenient, and if I fall the result is less cussing the stupidity of the fall.
I came down well rested and ready to tackle the tickle of going back up, soon,

caught in the light

caught in the light, originally uploaded by preyingjaws.

Photo Walking Utah asked 9 (nine) local professional photographers to come and set up their studio lights for the 3rd annual Studio Lighting event Feb 13, 2010.
Held at Gateway Community Church in Draper UT, the facility managed up to 200 photographers talking with each other, trading tips, chimping, and shooting at the 9 different sets.
These sets included:
Motion via a trampoline, strobes provided by PictureLine of SLC UT.
High Key
Natural Light
Beauty Dish
2 'typical studios' which actually were very different.
Lens Baby
and others.
My favorite wasn't so much shooting the models at the stations as it was getting to know those who came. The Photo Walks are great opportunities to learn about how to do something and to compare what is captured. Through turning the lens on each other some images are surfacing of wide angle ring lights, dorky grins, and the fun events like this produce.
I do want to extend my thanks to the models who volunteered, the provider of the facility, the sponsors who donated gear & time for the day, and to all who came out to shoot & learn.
I'm a photographer in development. Tips & Tricks of the hobby/profession I want to learn.

Links:
http://www.photowalkingutah.com/
http://www.flickr.com/groups/photowalkslc/pool/

leninplay

leninplay.jpg, originally uploaded by preyingjaws.

I logged on for a brief moment while running errands to see this image posted on Dec 13 of 2003 get 1580 hits since Noon my time. 1580 hits in less then 4 hours. I wonder is this for real or did something go a miss at Yahoo? Did I get hit with a worm or something else? I checked Big Huge Labs - Scout - to see if I'd been featured in the flickr Explorer. It turned up nothing.
Any ways I'm glad it got hit. It takes me back to a time I just recommitted to Mercy Ships and we were enroute to Korea via Kamchatka Russia in 1999 with the m/v Caribbean Mercy.
By re-posting this image I know the stats will go up slightly. I do find it incredible. I beg you to check this out...
It is taken in Petropavlosk, Kamchatka Russia.
Please drop me a note on the image as well.
Thanks
B

Lunch to Go

Lunch to Go, originally uploaded by preyingjaws.

Farmington Bay UT is home to one of the most diverse and easily accessed water foul managed areas. About 2 miles off I-15, a series of dikes retain and control fresh (sweet) water resources before they mix with the salty brine of the inland sea better known as the Great Salt Lake. Here migrating birds of all kind take to nesting to resting to hunting, many of which can be spotted from the road way.
This past weekend I headed up there for my 3rd weekend to see what I could find. I will walk a couple of miles along the dikes in hopes of spotting cranes and birds of prey. My favorite shots though do come right off the road. Using the car as a blind I've managed to snag eagles feeding, hawks cruising the fields, and even the above American Kestrel eating. This kestrel took off as I stepped away from my car for a better view.
The car not only acts as a blind but as a tripod. I placed my camera on my car, turned on the wireless remote and waited over 20 minutes to capture the shot of two eagles as found on the photo stream.
If you intend to use the car as a blind do idle up to the position you think will best suit your shooting style. Turning it off will help you steady the shot (besides obeying the new no idle law). Please be mindful of others by pulling off the road or signaling to let others know you are creeping along.
For more information about Farmington Bay please visit
http://www.greatsaltlakenaturecenter.org/homepage.html
One final note, Feb 13, 2010, the day before Single Awareness Day, will be the annual Bald Eagle count.