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DRwyoming

DRwyoming

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Some days are all about photography and I head out to the national parks or a wildlife refuge with the full kit and big glass. But there are a lot of days where I just go for a walk with a hand held lens or maybe a monopod and a light kit but take a walk in wildlife rich places. Reading the posts here, that seems like a pretty popular way to approach wildlife photography and a lot of folks have mentioned walk around lenses and a more casual approach to wildlife photography.

Just because we're not in fully focused photography mode doesn't mean we can't capture some unique and pleasing images. I thought it would be fun to have a thread where folks share some of their more casual wildlife images whether it's birds in the yard, a deer at the local park or some interesting animals spotted while out hiking for the day with a camera handy.

I'll kick it off with this image I captured with my 300mm PF lens, D500 and TC-14 II teleconverter while out on a Sunday dog walk earlier this summer. I had the camera out and had just captured some Kildeer images in bright and not terribly flattering light when we walked up the road a bit and this Spotted Sandpiper flew past us and perched just about twelve feet away in a shady spot. I shot a few frames against the bright grassy fields in the background and was trying to work around to put him against something darker but he was gone before I managed that.

I had to open up the shadows a bit in post but overall I liked the way this shot came out.

Spotted Sandpiper 0239 websize.jpg
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So what do folks have for those walk around shots?

-Dave
 
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Lovely shot. My walk around equipment is a D850 with 300mm pf, 1.7 x converter. Usually shoot using the 1.2x crop factor on the D850. gives me good reach,
essentially weightless. :) I also use the 500mm pf with a 1.4x converter, with a monopod with a shooter's cradle. It doubles as a walking stick.
 
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Thanks guys. Sounds like some great walk around kits.

I'd love to see what you guys are capturing out on those walks...
 
I mostly hike with the intention of photographing nature and wildlife so I usually carry my D850 and 200-500mm lens. I use a nice Peak Design "Slide" camera strap and don't seem to have any problems with it doing 10 mile loops.
This year was pretty much a bust with most public lands being shut down during the spring and early summer months. I take photos of anything that stands out....lol such as this hoverfly on the wild balsamroot flower
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DRwyoming said:
Nice image, did you shoot that with the 200-500mm? That's getting close to macro territory :)
Click to expand...
Yeah that is pretty much my macro lens....lol I end up having to crop it a bit due to minimum focus distance but it works good enough for now. I'd hate to haul a macro lens around everywhere.
I was just looking through my April photos thanks to this thread and found this one you might like in the desert behind us. D850 with 200-500mm shot of a California Quail closeup in Central Washington.
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DRwyoming said:
Some days are all about photography and I head out to the national parks or a wildlife refuge with the full kit and big glass. But there are a lot of days where I just go for a walk with a hand held lens or maybe a monopod and a light kit but take a walk in wildlife rich places. Reading the posts here, that seems like a pretty popular way to approach wildlife photography and a lot of folks have mentioned walk around lenses and a more casual approach to wildlife photography.

Just because we're not in fully focused photography mode doesn't mean we can't capture some unique and pleasing images. I thought it would be fun to have a thread where folks share some of their more casual wildlife images whether it's birds in the yard, a deer at the local park or some interesting animals spotted while out hiking for the day with a camera handy.

I'll kick it off with this image I captured with my 300mm PF lens, D500 and TC-14 II teleconverter while out on a Sunday dog walk early this summer. I had the camera out and had just captured some Kildeer images in bright and not terribly flattering light when we walked up the road a bit and this Spotted Sandpiper flew past us and perched just about twelve feet away in a shady spot. I shot a few frames against the bright grassy fields in the background and was trying to work around to put him against something darker but he was gone before I managed that.

It had to open up the shadows a bit in post but overall I liked the way this shot came out.

View attachment 238

So what do folks have for those walk around shots?

-Dave
Click to expand...
Nice shot. 99% of my shots are walk-around shots. The VR is so good on the Nikon 200-500 that I rarely use a tripod anymore. If I do carry my macro lens (Nikkor 105mm 2.8 VR), I don't often use a tripod for that either. I don't like hauling a bunch of gear around. I use a BlackRapid shoulder strap with my D4 and 200-500 and walk 3-5 miles almost every day.
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Attached are pix taken with D850 with 300mmPF and 1.7x converter, the two hawks. The two hummers were photographed with 500mmPF, no teleconverter
Common Black Hawk Tubac 850_387703162021.jpg
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northern Harrier Whitewater 500_605911262019.jpg
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Rufous Hummingbird Sam's 850_449808032020.jpg
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Rivoli's Hummingbird Sam's 850_463808032020.jpg
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I do a lot of "back yard birds" and other critters with a D850 or D7200 with either 200-500 or 24-70. Here are a few from this month from my back porch and from a rental place in the Smoky Mountains
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850_2228.jpg
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Great images folks. Really nice to see what folks are capturing!

Here's one from this morning while out walking the dog. The Killdeer seemed very busy this morning foraging and flying around this pond covered in duckweed so I figured I'd try for some flight shots. Here's one I liked. D5, 500mm PF 1/2500s f/5.6 ISO800 (manual, auto ISO), handheld. I'm happy with the job Group AF did with this and many other flight shots today under a bright overcast sky.

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@Icarus I really like the feather detail and still capturing some catchlight in the eye on that overhead hawk shot!

@gaknott the wingsweep and posture in that finch shot (House Finch? Cassin's Finch? Purple Finch? I always struggle to tell them apart) is fantastic!
 
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DRwyoming said:
@Icarus I really like the feather detail and still capturing some catchlight in the eye on that overhead hawk shot!

@gaknott the wingsweep and posture in that finch shot (House Finch? Cassin's Finch? Purple Finch? I always struggle to tell them apart) is fantastic!
Click to expand...
@DRwyoming I think I have mostly house finches and occasionally a purple. I think this one is a house for sure but you are correct, they are definitely hard to distinguish!
 
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Staying with the walking around theme here's one from a day hike up into the mountains in autumn. We hiked up to a small mountain lake in the Tetons just before the snow started falling in the high country. The lake shore had a pretty thick band of ice already but I was happy to see this American Dipper poking about near the shore. I took a bit of time working around the lake being careful not to startle him and captured a few images like the one below. I've always liked these birds since the first time I saw them dunk underwater and calmly work up a stream picking up bugs from under the riffles. Very cool birds and obviously not fazed by the chilly water.

Nikon D500, 300mm f/4 PF, TC-14 II teleconverter 1/2000s, f/6.3 ISO 640
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DRwyoming said:
Some days are all about photography and I head out to the national parks or a wildlife refuge with the full kit and big glass. But there are a lot of days where I just go for a walk with a hand held lens or maybe a monopod and a light kit but take a walk in wildlife rich places. Reading the posts here, that seems like a pretty popular way to approach wildlife photography and a lot of folks have mentioned walk around lenses and a more casual approach to wildlife photography.

Just because we're not in fully focused photography mode doesn't mean we can't capture some unique and pleasing images. I thought it would be fun to have a thread where folks share some of their more casual wildlife images whether it's birds in the yard, a deer at the local park or some interesting animals spotted while out hiking for the day with a camera handy.

I'll kick it off with this image I captured with my 300mm PF lens, D500 and TC-14 II teleconverter while out on a Sunday dog walk earlier this summer. I had the camera out and had just captured some Kildeer images in bright and not terribly flattering light when we walked up the road a bit and this Spotted Sandpiper flew past us and perched just about twelve feet away in a shady spot. I shot a few frames against the bright grassy fields in the background and was trying to work around to put him against something darker but he was gone before I managed that.

I had to open up the shadows a bit in post but overall I liked the way this shot came out.

View attachment 238

So what do folks have for those walk around shots?

-Dave
Click to expand...
Excellent shot
 
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Nice Steve. Is that a Pika? Looks that way from the ears but I don't think I've ever seen one in a grassy field like that, I've always seen them up in the boulder fields.
 
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