Wildlife Photography with an iPhone.

August 30, 2016 by Michael Kircher

Move slowly, be patient. This is my mantra when it comes to wildlife. And it is especially important when you’re without a telephoto lens!

This morning as I walked along the C&O Canal towpath I saw a heron far up ahead as it landed on the edge of the trail. I was armed only with my iPhone so I thought I’d see how close I could get before it took off. And who knows, I thought, maybe it’ll fly in my general direction and I’ll get a shot as it soars past.

This was my first photo. (I’ve edited out many more that were repetitious and didn’t add to the story) From this point on I closed in… little by little, pausing between each small step.

The bird did not seem troubled by my presence so I pushed on. Step… Pause… Step… Pause…

At this point I was kind of hoping the creature would just take off and give me that nice action shot I was thinking about. A bird standing still isn’t all that remarkable. But no… It seemed to be perfectly content to hang out. So I moved closer. Step… Pause…

Now it’s just getting ridiculous. I’m within 10 feet! It has to be feeling a little uncomfortable with this human’s presence, right? Surely you want to fly away! Apparently not.

The heron simply saunters a few feet down the path and stops there. However, now a bicyclist is barrelling down the path toward us and I feel certain this will freak the bird out and send it on its way. Action shot to come!

Nope. The creature casually ignores the bike and opens its wings and begins to dry itself in the sun. Its not going anywhere. OK, fine. Now I’m thinking, if it will let a mountain bike zoom past at close range I should be able to walk behind it and get a decent backlit photo from there. So I work my way slowly in that direction. (Careful to avoid that big pile of horse crap there on the left!)

I move around the backside and get into position. This photo will be OK, I think. Not great. But OK. Then I notice the water stretching out to the right has interesting shadows and light. So I move a little further to my left. And…

There. Much better. A groovy silhouette.

From start to finish this took about 15 minutes. Slow, deliberate movements, a laid back bird, and constantly on the lookout for an interesting composition, I finally ended up with this. Not bad for an iPhone, I’d say.

Thanks for tuning in.

Good light and good shooting.

On The Road: Colorado

August 27, 2016 by Michael Kircher

A short but spectacular trip.

prairie scene. electrical lines and fence posts. monte vista, Colorado

Prairie scene near Monte Vista, CO.

two women in salida, colorado. legs and brick wall.

Street scene in Salida, CO.

seven kayaks against brick wall in salida, colorado.

Kayak motif in Salida.

woman kayaking at lake vallecito. Vallecito, colorado.

Kayaking at Vallecito Reservoir.

Kayaking Vallecito Reservoir. Photographer’s point of view.

Chickens in their coop. Vallecito, Colorado.

railroad worker with hardhat in durango, colorado. narrow gauge.

Working on the railroad. Narrow gauge, Durango to Silverton, Colorado.

durango, colorado. woman in train station window on a rainy afternoon.

Having fun in Durango at the Silverton to Durango narrow gauge railroad station.

jeremy wade shockley and his wife Rachel at Durango's very own speakeasy, Bookcase & Barber

Enjoying a drink at Durango’s Bookcase & Barber. A modern day speakeasy.

jeremy wade shockley at open shutter gallery.

Photojournalist Jeremy Wade Shockley at his show in the Red Room
at The Open Shutter Gallery in Durango. Sadly, his was one of the last.
The venerable Open Shutter is closing down.

historic rochester hotel. downtown durango, colorado

One of the oldest hotels in Durango. The historic Rochester at dusk.

Composition… Does It Feel Right?

April 29, 2016 by Michael Kircher

In this week’s video we talk a little about composition. What is a well composed photograph? Tune in to find out.

Civil War at the C&O Canal

April 22, 2016 by Michael Kircher

This past weekend I met a group of Civil War re-enactors at the Canal. After talking to the men honoring the 7th Pennsylvania Reserves from 1861 I learned a good deal about what drives some to go into Living History representations. Very thoughtful fellows. Hope you enjoy:

Essential Tips for Wildlife Photography

April 10, 2016 by Michael Kircher

What are some of the more important things to consider for good wildlife photography? It’s not as complicated as some might think.

Taking on the Billy Goat Trail

April 1, 2016 by Michael Kircher

Although hiking the Billy Goat Trail was more of an effort at 52 than I remember it being at 22, I did make it to the end! I’d forgotten what a spectacular hike it is. Definitely going back again soon.

Hope you enjoy this video.

Mather Gorge…also, proper panning to capture birds in flight.

March 21, 2016 by Michael Kircher

What is Mather Gorge?

YouTube: Potomac River Gorge, NPS 100

March 11, 2016 by Michael Kircher

This is the first in my new weekly series on YouTube celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the U.S. National Park Service. Tune in as I share my favorite National Park entity, the Potomac River Gorge! (Also, photography tips!)

What First Amendment?

February 24, 2016 by Michael Kircher

United States Park Police, Mounted Division. Washington DC.

U.S. District Judge Mark Kearney of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has ruled that there is no First Amendment protection for recording or photographing police officers unless you are clearly protesting their actions. Weird, I know. But here are his own words:

– We find there is no First Amendment right under our governing law to observe and record police officers absent some other expressive conduct.

– Fields and Geraci essentially concede they spoke no words or conduct expressing criticism of the police before or during their image capture. They instead want to persuade us “observing” and “recording” police activity is expressive conduct entitled to First Amendment protection as a matter of law. In their view, observing is a component of “criticizing” and citizens may engage in speech critical of the government. We find no controlling authority compelling this broad a reading of First Amendment precedent.

This Judge thinks observing and recording police is against the law!

This means if you wanted to, say, take that groovy new camera you got for Xmas down to The National Mall and make a video–accompanied by stills–of your hometown for your YouTube friends and followers, and you wanted to include everything you think that makes up the fabric of your DC life experience: museums, Memorials, restaurants, galleries, parks, tourists, cityscapes and yes even police officers, Capitol Hill Police, Park Police riding by on horseback… you know, just observing the daily life of your city… this judge thinks you are not protected by the First Amendment! He thinks it would be OK for the police to arrest you and fine you for the innocuous act of taking their picture or making a video that happens to have them in it.

Is this a great country or what?

Here is the ruling in full. You should read it.

https://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Mark-Kearneys-decision.pdf

Finlandia Vodka shoot at Great Falls.

December 17, 2015 by Michael Kircher

Back in October I went down to the river for a little exploring and shooting. First stop, as usual, was at the overlook deck on the Maryland side looking for vultures and herons. What I actually found there, however, looked to be a pretty intense commercial video being shot. Camera guy in the water, kayakers on cliffs and crashing through some amazing whitewater…so what the heck, I thought, I’ll stick around and see how it all unfolds!

Little did I realize my friend Jason Beakes was the feature of this video. I learned from him it was a spot for Finlandia Vodka. Steve Fisher, kayaker and documentary film maker was shooting it and Cory Richards, adventure photog for NatGeo was there as well as a sort of narrator/host of the commercial. Check out the finished product…