Nikon 1 V1 Potpourri | Gator Eye to Eye

Nikon 1 V1 Potpourri | Gator Eye to Eye

Nikon 1 V1 Potpourri | Gator Eye to Eye   Meet the American Alligator up close and personal; eyeball to eyeball at Everglades NP.  American Alligators are black; all black.  Some folks apparently think some are green.  Not so, they’re all black.

The Back Story     Yes, I was close, but not too close, lying on my belly to capture this image.  The 70-300mm set at 70mm is still 189mm after the Nikon 1 V1 2.7 crop factor.  Yes, that’s still close.  After several clicks, I noticed several gators beginning to move toward me.  Although gators generally move rather slowly, they can really move out fast.  They were gathering on three sides around me.  Time to move on!   Note: I post an image everyday at hankconrad.com.

Details…

EventEverglades NP Visit
LocationEverglades NP
Date/Time1/13/2014 3:02pm Local Time
WeatherMostly Cloudy | 81°F | Moderate Winds
MethodCaptured image while laying on the ground to get eye level composition.
GearNikon 1 V1 with a Nikon FT-1 Adapter and Nikon AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR lens
Exposure
70mm (189mm)  f/4.5  1/640s  -0.33ev  100iso
PostReduced green color cast a bit.  Sharpened eye.

Nikon 1 V1 Potpourri | American Alligator

Nikon 1 V1 Potpourri | American Alligator

Nikon 1 V1 Potpourri | American Alligator   The American Alligator remains the iconic animal of the Florida Everglades. This gator resides in the Everglades near Everglades NP.  It’s the top of the food chain in the glades.  This guy, a 60+ year old gator, one of the largest in the area, barely moved as we passed by his favorite spot to sun bath.  Gators must keep their internal body temperature at 82º F so it’s a water and sun life.  For more information and images, see Everglades | a 7 Image Story.

The Back Story   The Nikon 1 V1 and the 70-300mm gave me plenty of  reach in a light hiking package. This image was captured with a zoom lens, handheld from the seat of an air boat.  Note: I post an image everyday at hankconrad.com.

Details…

EventEverglades NP Visit
LocationNear Everglades NP
Date/Time1/13/2014  11:54am Local Time
WeatherMostly Cloudy | 80°F | Moderate Winds
MethodCaptured with a zoom lens, handheld from an air boat.
GearNikon 1 V1 with a Nikon FT-1 Adapter and Nikon AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR lens
Exposure
86mm (232mm)  f/5  1/500s  -0.33ev  280iso
PostSharpened eyes.

The Moment After the Click | American Alligator

The Moment After the Click | American Alligator

The Moment After the Click | American Alligator   Meet the American Alligator up close and personal; eyeball to eyeball at Everglades NP.  American Alligators are black; all black.  Yes, I was close, but not too close, lying on my belly to capture this image.  The 70-300mm set at 70mm is still 189mm after the Nikon 1 V1 crop factor.  Yes, that’s still close.  Clicks!  After several clicks, I noticed several gators beginning to move toward me.  Although gators generally move rather slowly, they can really move out fast.  They were gathering on three sides around me.  Time to go look at my images later in post.  For the whole story with all images, see The Moment After the Click | a 7 Image Story.

The Moment After the Click | a 7 Image Story

The Moment After the Click | White-tailed DeerThe Moment After the Click | a 7 Image Story  When capturing wildlife images even with a pleasant background in nice light, it’s sometimes hard to know which images will be the best.  The camera may be set for perfect exposure, but perfect focus may be much harder.  Wildlife moves.  What’s in focus one moment might not be in focus the next moment.  Even in focus, their eyes might blink or wings might flutter unexpectedly.  Several images are routinely required to get a few keepers.  Clicks!   Finally, you know you have an image or two that will tell the story.  And, hopefully, you have not disturbed the wildlife.  Now what?  It’s time to retreat and review those images.  Finally, you’ve calmed down.  The calm after the quest; the moment after the click.  Each of these images has its own back story on my journey.

White-tailed Deer   The White-tailed Deer was walking through the woods of northern Michigan on an early spring day in late afternoon.  As it walked, it would stop to look around.  It spotted me even though I was using my vehicle as a bind.  Then, it stood for a very long time looking at me while continually scouting the area.  With all the light brown background, it was hard to know if any of my clicks were good.  The trees and branches would move due to the wind.  Either a branch was in the way or the deer blinked or suddenly moved.  Finally, it stopped, looked, and Clicks!  The deer then turned a walked away.  After looking at the images in post processing, I realized only the last couple of clicks were keepers.

Common Loon   At Ox Bow Bend near the Grand Tetons, clear early morning light, calm winds, and the flat waters of the Snake River helped make this image special.  The long 400mm lens also helped.  Even though, I had to wait quite a while for this Loon to swim closer to me as I waited at river’s edge.  The river was quiet as the Loon made its way up river towards me.  Although I was partially hidden behind a mound of dirt, it probably knew I was there.  It did not seem to mind and almost seemed to give me a few poses. Clicks!  After the clicks, I just sat there and watched as the Loon swam peaceful by.

American Bison   Late April in Yellowstone NP is time for babies; American Bison babies.  In this field, several Bison gave birth this afternoon.  This baby Bison, called a Red Dog, is only a few minutes old while taking its first tentative steps.  Mom attend to her baby and cleans it until it walks reasonably well.  Clicks!   Even though this was a long telephoto shoot on a windy day, this image turned out okay in post.

Raccoon   This Raccoon image, captured at Everglades NP, is clearly the nicest raccoon image I have ever captured.  Wild Everglade raccoons greeted our air boat as we docked on a remote island.  These guys roamed around an old native American house site which is still regularly visited.  They kept their distance but clearly were not afraid of us.  On several occasions, they stopped which gave us an opportunity to captured several images.  Clicks!  The easy to carry Nikon 1 V1 and the 70-300mm lens allowed me to capture a nice image while not disturbing the raccoons.  The raccoons watched as we boarded the air boat to depart.

Young Bighorn Sheep   This young Bighorn Sheep came up behind me on a ridge while I was trying to capture a few images of a large ram just over the next hill in the Badlands NP.  Young Bighorn Sheep are called lambs.  This guy seemed too big to be called a lamb.  Like most kids, he was curious.  Today, he seemed to be curious about me.  He kept edging his way closer and closer to me.  As he came closer, I was able to capture a few nice images.  Clicks!  He blocked my way back off the cliff for about a half hour.  He just stood there.  The cliff was a couple hundred feet down on all sides so I had to wait and enjoy the view of sunrise over the Badlands.  Finally, he retreated.

Cooper’s Hawk   Sometimes you go to the image, sometimes the image comes to you, and sometimes the image just happens.  Such was the case with this immature Cooper’s Hawk image.   Also, with the leaves off the trees, it’s a bit easier to see wildlife.  My walkabout along one of my favorite paths had been uneventful, which is often the case during the late fall months before winter really comes to northern Illinois.  The trail winds around a small stream with many small hills up the banks.  As I came up a hill, just within sight over the top of the hill, sat the immature Cooper’s Hawk.  I quickly knelt down on one knee, out of the hawk’s sight.  The trail parallels the stream and the tree where the hawk was perched.  So, I made ready the camera and proceeded slowly along the trail.  When the hawk noticed me, I stopped and backed away.  Clicks!.  Luckily, the light was nice.  The hawk didn’t move.  It had to be accustomed  to people walking the trail.  I’m glad to not have disturbed it.  Although the Cooper’s Hawk is smaller than the Red-tailed Hawk, their sleek build and smooth plumage give them a more refined look.

American Alligator   Meet the American Alligator up close and personal; eyeball to eyeball at Everglades NP.  American Alligators are black; all black.  Yes, I was close, but not too close, lying on my belly to capture this image.  The 70-300mm set at 70mm is still 189mm after the Nikon 1 V1 crop factor.  Yes, that’s still close.  Clicks!  After several clicks, I noticed several gators beginning to move toward me.  Although gators generally move rather slowly, they can really move out fast.  They were gathering on three sides around me.  Time to go look at my images later in post.

Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category The Moment After the Click.

Click any image below for a slide show.

Everglades | American Alligator

Everglades | American Alligator

Everglades | American Alligator   This American Alligator resides in the Everglades near Everglades NP.  This 60+ year old gator is one of the largest in the area.  He barely moved as we passed by his favorite spot to sun bath in an air boat.  Gators must keep their internal body temperature at 82º F so it’s a water and sun life.  For the whole story with all images, see Everglades | a 7 Image Story.

Everglades | Alligator Portrait

Everglades | Alligator Portrait

Everglades | Alligator Portrait   An American Alligator Portrait gets real up close and personal.  The portrait image must be captured down on the ground; meeting the gator at his level.  The 70-300mm telephoto lens set at 70mm is still 189mm after the Nikon 1 V1 2.7 crop factor.  Yes, that’s still close, but not too close.  Gators generally move rather slowly.  They can really move fast.  Keep a safe distance.  And, remember you’re on the ground; maybe on your belly, capturing this image.  For the whole story with all images, see Everglades | a 7 Image Story.

Everglades | a 7 Image Story

Everglades | Alligator PortraitEverglades | a 7 Image Story   Everglades NP is impressive not by its majestic scenery but by it’s water.  Its landscape is relatively flat.  Moreover, the everglades is all about the water and swampy land.  What’s under the water.  What’s on the water and land.  The Everglades spans 1.5 million acres in southern Florida.  It has two distinct seasons; dry season (Nov – Mar), wet season (Apr – Nov).  These images were captured during the dry season.

Everglades NP is the Florida Outback.  Clearly, this environment is a Gator’s playground.  The American Alligator remains the iconic animal of the Florida Everglades. It’s the top of the food chain in the glades.

Everglades | Alligator Portrait   An American Alligator Portrait gets real up close and personal.  The portrait image must be captured down on the ground; meeting the gator at his level.  The 70-300mm telephoto lens set at 70mm is still 189mm after the Nikon 1 V1 2.7 crop factor.  Yes, that’s still close, but not too close.  Gators generally move rather slowly.  They can really move fast.  Keep a safe distance.  And, remember you’re on the ground; maybe on your belly, capturing this image.

Boat-tailed Grackle   The Boat-tailed Grackle is a strangely colored songbird found in the southeastern USA.  It’s just one of over 360 bird species that frequent the Everglades’ warm, shallow water.  Notice the tail of this male.  Males have very long tails folded in the shape of keel of a boat.

American Alligator   This American Alligator resides in the Everglades near Everglades NP.  This 60+ year old gator is one of the largest in the area.  He barely moved as we passed by his favorite spot to sun bath in an air boat.  Gators must keep their internal body temperature at 82º F so it’s a water and sun life.

Wood Storks   The Wood Stork is the only stork species breeding in the United States.  Its late winter breeding season coincides with the Florida dry season when its fish prey become concentrated in shrinking pools.  During the dry season, many Wood Storks could be seen in the Everglades.

Raccoon   Wild Everglade raccoons greeted our air boat.  These guys roamed around an old native American house site which is visited regularly.  They seemed thinner than the fat raccoons seen around the farms in Illinois.  This image is one of the nicer raccoon images I have ever captured.

Black Vulture   The Black Vultures in Everglades NP seemed quite comfortable with humans as well as vehicles.  This image was captured near a small lake along a road with other vultures close by.  Although they have been sighted in Illinois, northern Illinois is not part of the Black Vulture’s range.  This encounter was my first with a Black Vulture.  They appear to have a bit more character in their face than other vultures.  The Black Vulture is a fairly large bird of prey 22–29 in tall with a 52–66 in wingspan and weighting 3.5 to 6.6 lb.  Its plumage is mainly glossy black while the head and neck are featherless showing its dark gray and wrinkled skin.

Sunset   The Everglades is a land of great contrasts, savage wildlife and serene sunsets.  Hope to go back again someday!

Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Everglades.

Click any image below for a slide show.