This site is dedicated to wildlife and landscape photography.
This site is dedicated to wildlife and landscape photography.
Here is another photograph of that footbridge which crosses the Petaluma River in downtown Petaluma with some of the City’s historic buildings in the background. The previous photo was shot looking north. This photo was shot looking south. It was taken after sunset with three exposures to prevent the sky from being overexposed.
I lived in Tiburon for a while in the mid-1970s. It’s a beautiful location on the north shore of San Francisco Bay. Thanks to the hilly terrain, many residents have a view of the San Francisco Bay. I occasionally go there to return to my Marin “roots.” It hasn’t changed much, which I like.
One thing that wasn’t there in the 1970s is this sculpture. It’s called “Coming About.” I’ve read that it represents five sailboats. When I first saw it I thought of shark fins. That also seemed fitting given that Tiburon is Spanish for “shark.” Some think the sails remind them of birds’ wings. That would also be fitting given the number of seagulls that hang out at several waterside restaurants. The sails slowly rotate. The Guaymas and Servino restaurants provide a backdrop to the scene.
Corinthian Island is one of two inhabited islands on the Tiburon Peninsula. It straddles a jurisdictional line separating Tiburon and Belvedere, California.
This photo was taken during twilight which is that time between sunset, when reds dominate, and dusk when there is no light (or color) to be seen, except to the extent the moon (or artificial light) is a factor. During twilight, blues become dominant. Twilight is sometimes referred to by photographers and painters as the blue hour or “l’heure bleue.” The length of twilight is determined by the latitude of the observer. Around the San Francisco Bay Area I think of it as lasting roughly half an hour. Twilight is also that time between dawn and sunrise. It is a great time to photograph. It’s also a great time to see wildlife. Some animals are most active during the twilight hours. They are referred to as “crepuscular.”
Next time you plan to photograph at sunrise or sunset don’t forget twilight time. For two good programs to tell you when twilight is for your area, click here and here.
I took a drive yesterday looking for lambs to photograph and struck out again. I did see some goats, however. This kid was with its mother and two siblings. The kids moved away as I approached them, but the mother had no fear of me. She put as much of her head through the woven wire fence as she could, probably hoping for a treat.
Goats are closely related to sheep. They reach puberty as early as three months. While they have been used for their milk, meat, hair and sinew for eons, they have become popular as pets in recent times.
Goats are browsers, like deer, not grazers like sheep and cattle. They have a reputation for eating almost anything including tin cans and cardboard, but they are fairly particular about what they actually eat. They are very curious and that appears to be what causes them to eat the labels off of tin cans and to taste cardboard. Their curiosity and intelligence make them very difficult to contain. They will constantly test enclosures and often mange to escape. They are also very good climbers like their wild cousins.
I went for a drive in the farm country of Sonoma County (California) this morning looking for newborn lambs. I didn’t see any. However, I spotted some horses with young and pulled off the road. They weren’t just ordinary horses; they were miniature horses or ponies. I use the terms “miniature horse” and “pony” somewhat uncomfortably because there seems to be a difference, at least in the eyes of some, and I’m not certain whether these cute little creatures are horses or ponies, although I’m leaning toward horses. I also learned there is an overriding concern among breeders regarding dwarfism. These small horses also live considerably longer than full-size horses just like small dogs live longer than large dogs. (Does that apply to humans?) I’ll make another run at finding newborn lambs soon.
Across the road from the horses was this old, weathered barn. I don’t normally photograph landscape scenes with a 500 lens and a 1.4 tele-extender, but the combination came in handy this time.
I went out to Point Reyes yesterday for the first time since I left for Yellowstone in early September. I’m still trying to get some good images of elk during the rut. Thanks to heavy fog around Pierce Point, I didn’t have much luck in that regard. I was lucky, though, to spot this peregrine feeding on some prey while perched on a fence post.
I was backing up some images recently and realized I had forgotten that I photographed this osprey last month. I like the background in this photo which is comprised of the hills on the east side of Tomales Bay. The bird is perched on the top of an ornate gate to a dock along the shoreline in the town of Inverness on the way into Point Reyes National Seashore.
