Is That How You Behave in Public?

Don't get me wrong - I love static animal portraits. They are some of the best shots for one to appreciate the beauty and intricacy of different organisms. But, these shots can become repetitive or even boring. That's why some of my favorite nature photography shots showcase animal behavior.

Royal Terns - Anastasia State Park - Florida

I really do not know what these two terns were up to (the one on the right was chasing the one on the left around and squawking for at least 30 minutes), but it certainly makes for an entertaining photo!
Of course, the obvious behavior to capture with birds is flight:

Wood Stork - Anastasia State Park

I really like how much space there is in this photo - it gives the bird "room" to fly in the frame.

Finally, feeding is a key behavior - both to respect and to document.

Here, a white ibis forages in the shallows of a salt marsh in Anastasia State Park. To me, this photo is particularly interesting because many environmental elements (the grass, the marsh water) are included in the frame. This gives the viewer a better idea of the animal pictured, as well as provides context.

I hope you enjoyed this post!

PS - if you couldn't tell, Anastasia State Park is one of my top favorite shooting locales in Florida. If you're up in north Florida, you should check it out!

Equipment: Nikon D70 + Nikkor 70-300mm zoom

Wisdom of the Flowers

I like bugs.
Insects are great subjects for photography because they are unique, exotic, and varied - albeit very small. Their size often necessitates a macro lens to capture their true beauty and detail.
Also, they are accessible.
Many of us nature photographers, myself included, do not have the luxury to jet off to Africa, South America,  or some other locale populated by strange and vibrant megafauna - elephants, monkeys, zebras, leopards - you know.
Bizarre and wonderful insects live in  your backyard. In fact, you can find them even if you don't have a backyard. I found this fellow in a flower pot outside in my apartment complex. I quickly grabbed my camera for a little photoshoot.

He sat rather still for a rather long time, allowing me the luxury of exploring different compositions and depths of field.

I know when I see an animal, particularly one that's flighty, like a bird, come into my viewfinder, I tend to automatically leap to set composition stored away in my brain. Many times, I snap a somewhat generic shot just in time before the critter scurries off. 

But is it worth it?

A still subject allows one the time to think and compose with precision, bringing more creativity into the photographic process. Hopefully this sort of practice will let me have more interesting compositions ready on hand for when the occasion strikes.

I need to stop taking exclusively this picture, basically:

Thanks for reading!

And, as always - get outside people :) Bug season is starting! (At least in the US)

Picture info:
Grasshopper Nymph

Taken with Nikon D70 + Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro