For today’s image, I chose a shot I captured in 2021 near Cape Meares, Oregon. I’m returning to Oregon in April to lead a fantastic photo safari itinerary, including the Columbia River Gorge, Newport, and the Oregon coast. Spaces are limited; sign up here.
Today’s featured photo is a Sally Lightfoot crab. Read about it at my new Substack page, The Photographer’s Perspective.
I’ve put together a set of photos that you can download to use for your computer wallpaper. Each image is saved in high resolution jpeg format (2560×1440). As a holiday gift to you, I’m offering this item as donation-ware. Enter any value you’d like at checkout (set to 0 and it’s free)!
-Jason
When I saw that the forecast called for clouds, I made a quick trip to the high country to check out the fall aspens up around 9500′ elevation. I was pleased to find the aspens were nearly at their peak colors, and there was a lot more oranges and reds this year, probably the most I’ve seen in a long time. Photographing fall colors can be tricky… you can hear some advice for how to approach fall shooting on the most recent episode of The Image Doctors podcast.
Colorado isn’t exactly a bird photographer’s paradise, but we do get our fair share of avian visitors. Many mountain and woodland species are small, fast-moving, and up until recently darn hard to capture.
Take, for instance the white-breasted nuthatch. These little birds are often found on tree trunks, or hanging upside down from a tree branch. Just when you think you can get them into the viewfinder, they’ve already moved. Using my traditional DSLR setup, I found them nearly impossible to focus on because they don’t hold still. Worse yet, they frequently turn and bob their heads around, so even when I did get them in the frame, all I got was a wing in focus.
Thankfully, today’s modern mirrorless cameras include AI-based subject detection AF that not only finds a bird in your viewfinder, but automatically shifts the focus point to its head and eye when visible. So even though it’s still a challenge to get one of these little ones framed up, if you can get it in the viewfinder, the camera will do the rest. Your job now becomes that much easier… make sure that exposure and composition are dialed-in, and have at it!
