Wildlife Photo Tour

Cactus Wren taken at "The Pond At Elephant Head Photo Ranch"

For a great place to photograph wildlife, visit the “Pond At Elephant Head Photo Ranch” 35 miles south of Tucson, AZ. Bill Forbes, the owner, has provided a place for photographers to photograph the variety of birds and small mammals that come to drink at his 8’x16’ pond. The pond is surrounded by several movable photography blinds and two in-the-ground photography blinds.

Ladder-back Woodpecker taken at "The Pond At Elephant Head Photo Ranch"

To enhance your photography experience there are numerous moveable feeders and perches around the pond allowing you entice wildlife to perch where you want them for your photograph.

For a list of wildlife and information about this photo ranch contact Bill at 520.444.4469.

Greater Roadrunner taken at "The Pond At Elephant Head Photo Ranch"

My Northern Arizona Photography Tour from April 28 to May 1, 2009, covers a lot of ground in Arizona. This Photography Tour and Workshop in Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley, the Wave in the Paria Wilderness (subject to permits), Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado river, and the Grand Canyon.

Upper Antelope Canyon-Heart 19076

Antelope Canyon is a small but spectacular canyon cut through sandstone over thousands of years, by rushing water flooding into Lake Powell (Colorado River). This geological formation is located in northern Arizona on the Navajo Nation and is one of their tribal parks.

Tours through Upper Antelope Canyon take about an hour of easy walking. You are dropped at the entrance by 4X4 vehicles for your tour. A guide will lead you through the canyon. It is breathtaking to say the least. As a photography tour we are allowed to stay in the canyon for four hours and guide ourselves.

Upper Antelope Canyon

Walking through Lower Antelope Canyon is another proposition altogether. You are required to climb up and down steel ladders throughout the canyon. This portion of the canyon is a moderate to hard walk and climb.

Photography tours to Monument Valley is a must for the serious photographer. Located in both Arizona and Utah, the Valley is a Navajo Nation Tribal Park. The Valley contains some of the most striking and recognizable sandstone buttes, mesas, monoliths and spires in the southwest.

Hunt's Mesa, Monument Valley 8390

Totem Poles, Monument Valley 8065

The Wave, Paria Wilderness Area

Paria Wilderness Area requires a $7 permit and a 2+ mile moderate hike. The wilderness area is managed by the BLM who only allow 20 permits a day for the area, ten on line and ten walk-ins. Getting a permit can be extremely difficult. On my last Photography Tour to the Wave there were 82 applicants for the ten walk-in permits. I’m happy to announce we were successful.

Horseshoe Bend, Colorado River Page, AZ

Grand Canyon

Vivero Verapaz Orchid 2315

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As a follow-up to my article on Orchid Photography at the Vivero Verapaz Orchid Nursery I’m presenting three photographs of miniature orchid.  These were extremely hard to photograph as I didn’t have my macro lens with me.  Yep, I committed heresy by not taking everything I could on the trip.  I hope the Photographic Society of America doesn’t through me out for such a serious sin as not having everything you might need.  When I lead a photography tour to Guatemala in the spring, I’ll have everything I need and then some.  I hope you enjoy the orchid photos.

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Canon’s review of the newest EOS digital SLR, the Canon 5D Mark II. A full frame camera at 21.1 Megapixels and the first EOS with full High Definition video capability.

Compact, lightweight and with environmental protection, EOS 5D successor boasts a newly designed Canon CMOS sensor, with ISO sensitivity up to 25,600 for shooting in near dark conditions. The new DIGIC 4 processor combines with the improved CMOS sensor to deliver medium format territory image quality at 3.9 frames per second, for up to 310 frames.

Triggered from Live View Mode, HD video capture allows users to shoot uninterrupted at full 1080 resolution at 30fps – for amazing quality footage with outstanding levels of detail and realism. The integration of HD movie capability into a high-end 21.1 Megapixel camera opens a multitude of new possibilities for photojournalists and news photographers. With its full frame CMOS sensor and outstanding ISO performance, the EOS 5D Mark II will appeal to any photographer in search of the finest camera equipment available – from studio and wedding to nature and travel photographers.

“Professional photojournalists and wedding photographers already choose the EOS 5D for its discrete size and outstanding image quality,” said Mogens Jensen, head of Canon Consumer Imaging. “The addition of HD movie recording opens a new chapter for EOS. It creates new possibilities for EOS photographers to capture and share their stories and to stay relevant in a rapidly changing digital landscape.”

Key Specifications
* New 21.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor with improved EOS Integrated Cleaning System (E.I.C.S.)
* New Full HD 1080 resolution movie recording
* 3.9 frames per second continuous shooting
* High performance DIGIC 4 providing superb image quality
* Maximum 310 large JPEG images in a single burst with a UDMA card
* 3.0″ VGA (920k dots) Clear View LCD
* ISO 100-6400 (expansion from 50 up to 25,600)
* 9 AF points + 6 Assist AF points New CMOS sensor:

The above article is copied from DPhoto Journal and is a Canon news release.

Vivero Verapaz Orchid about the size of a pencil eraser

Vivero Verapaz Orchid

Part of my Guatemala Photography Safari was spent in and around Coban. Just a few miles out of town is the world famous Vivero Verapaz Orchid Nursery. This nursery has more than 650 varieties of orchids, including the monja blanca or white nun, an albino looking variety found in this region.

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I spent about 8 hours over two days photographing orchids at the Vivera. Every time I thought I was finished the workers would show me another plant to photograph. What a thrill. Visit the my gallery for more Orchids.

While I was in Guatemala only a few varieties or orchids were in bloom so I intend to lead a photography tour to Guatemala in early spring to photograph Mayan Ruins, Native Peoples, as many species of orchids as possible. Watch my web site for more details.

This is the third installment from my Guatemala Photo Safari.  I really had a great time photographing Guatemala, the scenery, wildlife, people, and Mayan culture and ruins. 

These photographs are of individuals I’d seen in the open-air market and again in the Plaza next to the market.  This market takes the entire width of two parallel streets for about three blocks.  The two main streets were connected by four side streets that were also full of people selling their wares.

Baby Sitting

I saw this young girl carrying a toddler several different times and places in the market.  I never saw her with an adult nor stop to speak to one.  I made the assumption that she was baby sitting a younger sister while one or both of her parents were either shopping or selling.  I was able to get this photograph in the Plaza.

 The old gentleman with his back towards us is about 5 foot nothing

Greating Old Friend with a Kiss on the Hand

and a half.  He was a very small man.  Over a three hour period I saw him several times walking all alone in the crowd, doing a market place equivalent of window shopping.  I later found him in the Plaza sitting on the ledge.  As I watched, trying to get a facial photograph, an old friend came to visit.  They first did a one pump hand shake and then the old man kissed the others hand.  The joy that they seemed to have at seeing each other was something that truly warmed my heart.  They were still holding hands and talking when I left.

Market Place Children Not At Play

This photograph of two young girls selling fruit in Antigua was typical of what I saw, young kids working, not playing.  Of course she has her Cell Phone!