There could be streaking in Solvang

Greyhound-streaking, I mean.

The past two years we've not been able to let any Greyhounds run in the Solvang Streak because of the rain the night before. But last night, while looking at the extended weather forecast for next Saturday, I read that it would be sunny. That means I'll get to indulge a little in photographing Greyhounds on the run.

The streak is held at the local elementary school. A grassy area is enclosed in orange plastic fencing, and the Greyhounds (usually in ones or twos -- occasionally more) run from one end to the other.

A police officer with a radar gun clocks each dog, and the winners in various categories are given racing silks emblazoned with that category name at the Saturday night dinner.

Greyhounds were made to run -- it never ceases to amaze me every time I watch one do it.

(Shot with the Nikon D200 and D300 using the 70-200mm VR zoom lens; shutter-priority mode with shutter set to 1/2000 second; camera picked aperture using ISO 800 to 1000; normal JPG.)

Lights in the sky

Earlier this month there were some news stories written about a newly-discovered comet, Comet Lovejoy (C/2011 W3), that was predicted to come perilously close to the sun and not survive the encounter. Much to the surprise of many of those who follow and study such things, not only did the comet survive but as it moves away from the sun it now appears to be the finest comet seen since Comet McNaught in 2007 (C/2006 P1, also known as the Great Comet of 2007). If I was in Australia I could possibly see Comet Lovejoy looking like this:

Image copyright Lester Barnes

As for Comet McNaught it looked like this in late January from Australia:

Image copyright Robert McNaught

What an awesome sight that must have been!

About a week or so earlier in January Comet McNaught was visible in the northern hemisphere. It was so bright that it was visible during daylight hours. I tried looking for it using a building to block out the sun but I never saw it. I did try my luck photographing it at dusk. I managed to get a few pictures before it disappeared behind an advancing wall of low clouds:

 

Not a very awe-inspiring sight compared to how it appeared over Australia just a few days later. Still, comets that get this bright are uncommon, so I appreciate what I saw nonetheless. C/2006 P1 won't be back again in about 92,600 years.

(Shot with the Nikon D200 using the Nikon 300mm f/4 lens; program mode; camera chose 1/100 second at f/5; matrix-metered; -0.7 exposure compensation; ISO 800; normal JPG.)

A hummingbird sampler

We have hummingbirds in our neighborhood year-round. There's one feeder hanging outside our master bathroom window, and another hanging in our back patio. They are constantly buzzing and chirping.

I use a tripod-mounted Nikon 300mm f/4 lens most of the time when photographing hummingbirds, although I have hand-held it on some occasions. Mounted on a Nikon DX DSLR, like my D300, the 300mm has an angle of view equivalent to a 450mm lens mounted on a 35mm film or full-frame DSLR. I can never get close enough to get some really cool shots taken by my friends that I've seen.

Usually the best light for me has been during the late-afternoon or early evening like this:

In the mid-summer's early evening the birds are backlit, which outlines them nicely but can pose an exposure problem:

In the former picture I did not add any exposure compensation, but in the latter picture I added one stop. I just took a picture, previewed it and looked at its histogram, then adjusted my exposure accordingly.

I've always liked this hummingbird picture best:

The light was wonderful in how it sculpted the shape of the bird and also how there is detail in the shadows and yet the highlights aren't overexposed.

Finally, I only have two flying hummingbird pictures that are worth sharing, so I picked this one:

I used shutter-priority on all these pictures because these birds are fast; just pick a fast shutter speed (like 1/1000 second or faster) and let the camera worry about picking the aperture.

(Shot with the Nikon D200 using a Nikon 300mm f/4 lens; shutter-priority with shutter speed set between 1/800 second and 1/1250 second; normal or fine JPG.)

So near, and yet so far

This is Sadie back in 2006.

I was standing in the kitchen as some food was prepared. Sadie watched and waited, alert for any morsel that suffered the misfortune of falling to the floor. I watched her as her eyes repeatedly followed hands that reached for the food, and then to mouth. As her chances for getting anything grew less and less, she began to look more and more forlorn.

The look on her eyes:

(Shot with the Nikon D200 using the 18-200mm zoom set at 80mm; aperture-priority with aperture set to f/5.6; camera chose 1/25 second at ISO 400; fluorescent white balance; normal JPG.)

Why you do take your greyhounds to Yellowstone...

...because you find out they love playing in snow (taken next to the Fishing Bridge visitor center parking lot):

The National Park Service restricts pets to within 100ft/30m of roads, parking areas, and campgrounds. They are not permitted in the back country, boardwalks, or on trails. Refer to this page for all their pet regulations: NPS Yellowstone Park pets rules

(Shot with the Nikon D200; 12-24mm zoom set at 13mm; program mode chose 1/200 sec @ f/7.1; ISO 100; auto white balance; normal JPG.)

I am a northern elephant seal pup...hear me roar!

And now for something completely different... northern elephant seal photography!

Along California State Highway 1, just north of San Simeon, CA (site of the Hearst castle), there is a rookery of northern elephant seals. It's been there for around 20 years or so, and from December through March the beaches south of the Piedras Blancas lighthouse are carpeted with thousands of elephant seals. During this period there is much fighting amongst the males for the privilege of mating with the females, lots of mating, and birthing of pups. There is a wooden boardwalk that runs parallel to the main beach where you can watch all the activity from just yards/meters away.

You don't really need an exotic telephoto lens to photograph this: a 55-200mm zoom lens that's often bundled with a Nikon DSLR kit is plenty of lens. That being said, I usually take my 300mm f/4 Nikon telephoto for close-ups, but often the seals are so close that I have to switch to my 18-200mm zoom to get the pictures I want. I also take my 10-24mm zoom for different perspectives.

On this particular photoshoot, my photographer friend Robin and I went to the rookery in 2007. Leaving Los Angeles around 3am we arrived just before the 7am sunrise. The light was really wonderful as it came in low over the cliffs that overlook the rookery. Pups with their mothers were everywhere. This particular pup caught my attention because it propped itself up with its nose pointing skyward, then let out a bark that could easily make one think it was announcing its presence to the rookery.

I realized shortly afterwards that I had the white balance set wrong, so these pictures had a brownish cast.

(Shot with the Nikon D200 with the Nikon 300mm f/4 lens; program mode; 1/320 sec @ f/9; ISO 800; shade white balance (?); normal JPG.)

Anticipating the Moment...

When Nikki was scheduled for cancer surgery we decided we'd better take a lot of pictures of her with us. We knew she would be in good hands at the hospital, but still...

So the day before surgery we each took turns posing with Nikki indoors and outdoors. When Nikki and Rachel were inside I took four photos. Nikki was Rachel's heart dog, and made that pretty obvious:

I have learned that when trying to capture that special moment you can't wait until you actually see it in your viewfinder before releasing the shutter. If you do, it's already too late. While it is hard to know when, or even if, the moment will happen, I try to take the photograph an instant before I think it will. If I guess right, I get the shot. It's all about anticipating the moment.

(Shot with the Nikon D200, 18-200mm zoom set at 70mm, bounce-flashed Nikon SB-400, 1/60sec at f/5, ISO 280, program mode, matrix-metered, auto white balance, closest-subject focus mode.)