Nature Photo Gallery

    Yawning Ostrich. 1987

Zoos are great places to practice wildlife photography. Having asked permission to photograph here on my way in, I mounted my big lens and motor-driven SLR on the tripod and looked for fresh subjects. This ostrich was interested in me, but a bit tired: it repeatedly closed its eyes, got the “bobs,” and yawned. Nikon F3, Tamron 300mm f/2.8 SP lens, Gitzo Safari tripod with ball head, Kodachrome 64 film. This image is published as a greeting card by Avanti Press.

    Snail Climbing Grass, Vermont. 2007

Big game animals may receive most of the glory, but some small critters like this snail have a wonderful, if slow motion, life. A single, hand-held, off-camera, TTL-corded flash illuminated both the snail and the background (which otherwise would have gone black due to the high shutter speed and small aperture). Nikon D200, Nikkor 105mm Micro lens, SB800 Speedlight. f/32 (f/45 effective), 1/250 sec.

    Spiderwort, Colorado. 1987

Contempt is often expressed toward midday, sunny conditions. My belief is that potential exists even in the most unfavorable lighting. This roadside flower received a makeover by my simply holding a sheet of frosted acetate (acting as diffusion material) between it and the sun. The result was studio-like lighting at high noon. Nikon F2, Tamron 90mm SP macro lens, Gitzo Safari tripod, Kodachrome 25 film.

    Water Striders Mating on Water, Vermont. 2010

While photographing flowers at Moss Glen Falls in Stowe, I spied some water striders in the brook. Having never seriously photographed this insect before, I took up the challenge. My first shots were of a single (male) strider by using a hand-held, snooted (with aluminum foil) flash on a TTL cord. I waded into the shallow water and secured the flash to my tripod with a Bogen Super Clamp and an extension arm. With the flash securely in position, I was able to hunker down and get close to the female, which was staying relatively still. Soon the male approached, they coupled, and they remained for several minutes. Note that the female is feeding on a freshly-caught black fly. Nikon D200, Nikkor 105mm Micro lens, SB800 Speedlight. f/8, 1/125 sec.

    Tuatara, New Zealand. 1989

This ancient reptile was captive, residing in a terrarium. By putting the flash on a TTL cord and moving it away from the front piece of glass, reflections were eliminated and lighting became more dramatic. Nikon F3, Tamron 90mm SP Macro lens, SB28 Speedlight, Kodachrome 64 film.

    Common Puffin, Machias Seal Island, Maine. c.1988

Several islands off the coast of “Downeast” Main are home to Puffins. I visited Machias Seal Island in the late 80’s, hosted on a tour by old-timer Barna Norton and his son. Mr. Norton was a descendant of a man named Barna Beal who had claimed rights to the Island in the 1800’s, if memory serves. Canada claimed the rock as its own, though there seemed to be an unspoken truce regarding the island’s disputed nationality. Either way, it was a wonderful place to photograph birds. Nikon F3, Tamron 300mm SP f/2.8 lens, Kodachrome 64 film.

    Ravens at Play, Nuuk, Greenland. 2007

If you ever visit Nuuk, take some time to stand at the top of the harbor cliffs next to the new housing complex (stairs extend from the docks to the homes on top of the cliffs). Ravens love to play on the wind and may come close to your location. The bright gray sky tended to silhouette the birds and thus dictated my post-processing treatment: exposure of the raw image was increased to make the sky pure white (until clipped), then the black level clipping point was increased to darken the ravens. Nikon D200, Nikkor 80-200 f/2.8 zoom lens, hand-held.

    Goldenrod in Snow, Vermont. 2010

Back in the 70’s I’d photograph freeze-dried weeds sticking through the snow in our meadow. Black and white 8x10’s were printed at high school on #5 (high contrast) Agfa paper; I loved the resulting design elements. Thirty years later I returned to the project using digital capture. Subjects (in the very same meadow) are captured as tight as possible, then processed in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop to keep some color and a touch of shadow, but bring most of the subject to near black. A white, square canvas (background) is added, isolating the subject and letting it dance a bit in the frame. I call the project “Snow Plants.”

    Oak Leaf, Lake Champlain, Vermont. 2008

My father grew up near Lake Champlain, and he’s buried not far from here, in Panton. This lone leaf had come to rest on the wet, cold, sedimentary rock at the boat landing on Arnold Bay. Farther down the shore, crashing waves were freezing on larger rocks. I was making a November trip through the region as part of my ongoing Vermont “Stick Season” documentary project. I set up for this shot with quickly-numbing hands, while hoping a wave wouldn’t move the leaf. After composing the shot, I attached a ten-stop B+W ND (neutral density) filter to the lens, which extended my exposure time to one minute. The foggy portrayal of water is the result of many small waves coming in on the shore during the time exposure. After I’d made several exposures and was considering a new vantage point, a larger wave did come in and move the leaf. Nikon D200, Nikkor 12-24 zoom lens, 10-stop ND filter, Gitzo Safari Tripod with ball head.

    Early Snow & Fall Foliage on Mount Mansfield, Vermont. c.1993

It’s not every year that one has the opportunity to see rich autumn color with fresh snow and blue skies in Vermont…. but it does happen. I was in Smugglers Notch on the other (east) side of Mount Mansfield that afternoon. Vibrant yellow beech and birch trees were accented by snow, in bright, overcast light. It took a while for me to realize that the western side of the mountain might be clear and dramatic. I arrived in Pleasant Valley as sunset reds started to wash over the mountain. Nikon F2, Kodachrome 64 film.

    Iceburg in Prince Christian Sound, Greenland. 2007

The ship on which I was traveling took advantage of still, clear weather to pass through Prince Christian Sound on its way to Nuuk. Lifting fog and soft morning light created innumerable fairytale photo opportunities along the way. When traveling by boat (or other moving transportation), it’s profitable to anticipate how subjects will align as you move, envisioning the yet unseen composition. Nikon D200, Nikkkor 80-200 f/2.8 zoom lens, hand-held.

    Acer saccharum (Sugar Maple Leaf), Vermont. 2003

Influenced by a Kodak publication of flowers direct-printed on reversal color paper, I began “printing” leaves in direct contact with 4”x5” color negative film while studying at RIT in 1981. The resulting negatives were then printed on paper, resulting in a positive image of the leaf. This process is technically a reversed photogram, something with which virtually all students of the darkroom are familiar. These leaf images harken back to the earliest days of photography, when Anna Atkins, Fox Talbot (and later, Man Ray) used similar processes for both technical and artistic ends. I choose to present my “Leaf Prints” as full frame images - including film notches and processing hanger marks - to remind viewers that they are beholding not the leaf, but its recreated image.

Contact the photographer for information about purchasing prints or reproduction rights to photos: info(at)paulrogersphotography.net

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