First Critique

 ISO 100   1/640     f6.3

ISO 100 1/200 F6.3

Travel to... Greenland.

 Many of the smaller islands surrounding Greenland are beautiful places to take pictures of landscapes. Being the animal freak I am, I have to find places to go that have interesting wild animals. Even though Greenland is dominated by ice caps all of the animals of the land, sea, and air are said to be, “tied together by a global, borderless ecosystem.” The land mammals inhabiting are caribou, Arctic foxes, musk ox, polar bears, reindeer and the Arctic wolf just to name a few. The population of mammals doesn’t stop at the coastal line; many species of whales, seals, and walruses can be found around Greenland not to mention the large variety of fish and shellfish.

http://www.greenland.com/en/things-to-do/nature-experiences/arctic-wildlife-in-greenland/

Travel to... Alaska.

Another one of my dream places to visit is Alaska. Who doesn’t love cool weather, wild animals, and lack of people?? Now taking this class I wouldn’t just want to experience all of it, but I would want to record it through pictures. I decided to start looking into some interesting places to stop by and snap a couple shots. I found an article by Casea Peterson on the Only In Your State website (first link) where they went over the 7 best places in Alaska to take pictures. The last one, Brook Falls, with the bears at the salmon run caught my eye.

I also looked up the best dates to go and be able to photograph and according to nps.gov is July, but bears are there from mid spring to mid fall. They also talk about what kind of salmon to look for as well as the bears’ behaviors.

I think this is a must see (and photograph)!

http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/alaska/scenic-photography-ak/

https://www.nps.gov/katm/learn/photosmultimedia/brown-bear-salmon-cam-brooks-falls.htm

Dominance

 This photo of the fence post is in focus and draws the eye more then the mountains in the background that are blurry. 

 The flower in the top left draws the eye because it is out of conformity. 

The red flowers are more dominate then the other flowers in the picture. 

Waterfowl Photography

Like many around Montana I love to hunt, especially waterfowl and upland birds. I decided to look up some tips on photographing waterfowl and I found a very helpful article in Popular Photography (link at the bottom). The author Shaun Cunningham suggests using 1/500 shutter speed or less and an IOS of 400. He does say that he will slow the shutter speed to 1/15 to 1/125 for some creative images of birds in flight. I also thought it was interesting that he makes sure not to put the waterfowl in the middle of the frame, if there is space in front of the bird it implies it is going somewhere. These are some interesting things to think about when I go out and try to photograph. I also picked these photographs to put on here because green heads have fascinating colors and I really hope to be able to photograph both of these guys. 

http://www.popphoto.com/how-to/2008/12/10-tips-dynamic-waterfowl-photos

Travel to.. Galapagos Islands.

Since I was little I have always had a fascination with the Galapagos Islands, why this is I am unsure. I think its because of all the wild unique animals they have. I looked up a travel site of good times to visit the Galapagos. December through June is their warm and wet season which is the best time to visit. http://www.responsiblevacation.com/vacations/galapagos-islands/travel-guide/best-time-to-visit-the-galapagos

            I would want to go to see the wildlife and with that June-September to see the migrating humpback whales. Baby sea lions are born in August and are playful (and you can swim with them!!!!) in November. If you are more into the green sea turtles you can see them laying their eggs on land at the beginning of the year and hatch about two months after, only being about 5cm in length. December- March the giant tortoises are hatching. If birds are more your thing March and April are the best to see the blue-footed boobies and frigate birds.

https://www.gadventures.com/blog/the-best-time-to-travel-to-the-galapagos/ 

Depth of Field

F4.8 with Zoom

F16 without Zoom