Don’t miss my latest Patreon article on the paradigm shift in model photography where I describe the revolution in the complex world of photography and modeling!
Author Archives: swkrullimaging
Sheltered Bucks
Hiked my mountain again looking for the dusky grouse, who once again remained hidden and all I got was some good exercise climbing up to his domain. No pictures, no video, no view of the mountains… just exercise. Due to all the smoke and haze we haven’t been able to see the distant peaks of the Sangre de Cristo all summer. So anyway, I eventually got back to the trailhead and the mock gold mine put their as a park for people to use.
It was about the right time of day for the Three Amigos to come strolling through so I was trying to be quiet while keeping an eye out for my three favorite mule deer bucks. As I strode past the old blacksmith’s shop I was surprised to see one of the bucks peering at me from outside the building on the other side. I prepared for him to trot around the building to make his escape but he just kept staring at me through the opening.
So I readied my camera and snapped a couple of shots before moving on. I didn’t want to cause him to run because there is some barbed wire surrounding the compound and I didn’t want him to get injured. Then I spotted him peering out at me from the inside of the building! That in itself isn’t that amazing, all three of the bucks often use the building for shelter in the wintertime, but they usually bolt at the first sign of my presence.
The flies are just terrible up there after all the rain we’ve been having so I suspect he was in there seeking shelter from the bugs. And he wasn’t in any hurry to leave so I stopped to snap a few more of him through the side window and then the doorway. They aren’t the greatest pictures due to the relative darkness in the building, but I have to say they are still one in a million!
As always, the best of these images and hundreds more are available for purchase on my website as wall art on glossy metal or acrylic sheets, stretched canvas and traditional matting and framing. Tons of cool household and gift items are also available with any image you like including coffee mugs, t-shirts, blankets and pillows, battery chargers, phone cases, stationary and much much more! Just click on any image you like and all the choices, sizes and prices will appear! For my viewers interested in images for commercial use, please visit my image licensing portal! I should mention at this time that this blog post is not sponsored by Canon or any other firm. All equipment used in the making of the blog and video have been purchased by me on my own volition.
Many of my adventures have also been captured on beautiful HD video on my Youtube Channel! If you enjoy my content please subscribe to my channel, subscribers have a big impact on channel rankings!
This post is not sponsored and all equipment used in it’s creation was purchased by me on my own volition.
Buck in the Shelter
Beautiful Outing at Manitou Lake
It always seems like the greatest expedition is going to yield the greatest images, but sometimes it’s the simplest choice that’s the best. This was one of those days… A quick check of the time of sunrise in Colorado indicated the sun would be peeking over the horizon at about 6:00 a.m., and by coincidence that’s exactly the time the gate at Manitou Lake opens 🙂 Other much more difficult locations with dubious chances for great images were quickly cast aside and plans were made for a sunrise arrival at the lake.
Kevin and I were greeted by a few great blue herons fishing along the shoreline but unfortunately we were unable to get very close before the great birds took flight. No matter though, the herons weren’t done fishing and landed at more opportune locations around the lake where we would be able to make a more stealthy approach. A pair of beautiful pelicans were enjoying the early morning sun, standing on a log poking through the surface of the water. The interesting effect was it looked like they were standing on the surface of the lake!
A couple of laps around the lake on foot yielded a few nice images of great blue heron and pelicans landing on the water. by 9:00 the sun was already getting hot and the birds were all retreating to the shade where they could enjoy this beautiful Colorado summer morning in comfort.
These are just a couple of images that we were able to capture, please check out our new wildlife group called Wildlife of Eleven Mile Canyon and Manitou Lake to see more! And if you love wildlife the way I do, please feel free to join the group!
As always, the best of these images and hundreds more are available for purchase on my website as wall art on glossy metal or acrylic sheets, stretched canvas and traditional matting and framing. Tons of cool household and gift items are also available with any image you like including coffee mugs, t-shirts, blankets and pillows, battery chargers, phone cases, stationary and much much more! Just click on any image you like and all the choices, sizes and prices will appear! For my viewers interested in images for commercial use, please visit my image licensing portal! I should mention at this time that this blog post is not sponsored by Canon or any other firm. All equipment used in the making of the blog and video have been purchased by me on my own volition.
Many of my adventures have also been captured on beautiful HD video on my Youtube Channel! If you enjoy my content please subscribe to my channel, subscribers have a big impact on channel rankings!
This post is not sponsored and all equipment used in it’s creation was purchased by me on my own volition.
Still Together
I wasn’t expecting much, just decided to drop in for a look at Eleven Mile Canyon on my way home to check on the state of the river. We’ve been getting daily torrential rains right on the reservoir just above the canyon and I was hoping for some roaring whitewater on which to try out my four stop ND filter. As I cruised in to the canyon I didn’t see any action at the eagles nest and I didn’t hear the powerful rumble of a full river either.
But what the heck, I have a season pass to the canyon so I decided to go in and see if the osprey were hanging around their old nesting location prior to the tree falling. Sure enough, I spotted something in the broken tree that they recently have taken an interest in. I zoomed in with my big lens to discover what I believe to be the female eating a fish that she had pinned to a Y in the branch.
Much to my surprise, shortly thereafter the male appeared with a stick in his talons which he dutifully delivered to the tree. After the destruction of their nest and eggs in the spring storm I did some research and the literature says that osprey will not rebuild their nest. It isn’t even a guarantee that the pair will remain devoted to each other with the center of their lives eliminated. The nest is everything to them and without it the little family often disintegrates.
I haven’t seen them together all summer so it was my fear that they had just flown off and gone their separate directions. But when I saw this my heart leapt for joy, the two intrepid raptors are still together and looking for a new nesting site. I watched and filmed and photographed as the male made a dozen trips to the mountainside for sticks to return to the nest. Unfortunately the female has yet to construct the foundation for the nest so he was just dropping the sticks on the tree trunk in vain, and many fell to the ground.
Soon I heard thunder and the male flew high in the sky to soar upon the approaching winds while the female never departed her precious meal. Soon the rain began and finally gave way to a deluge that I couldn’t leave my camera exposed to. But I did make this short video which I kind of feel is representative of the struggle these two intrepid souls have been subject to this year.
As always, the best of these images and hundreds more are available for purchase on my website as wall art on glossy metal or acrylic sheets, stretched canvas and traditional matting and framing. Tons of cool household and gift items are also available with any image you like including coffee mugs, t-shirts, blankets and pillows, battery chargers, phone cases, stationary and much much more! Just click on any image you like and all the choices, sizes and prices will appear! For my viewers interested in images for commercial use, please visit my image licensing portal! I should mention at this time that this blog post is not sponsored by Canon or any other firm. All equipment used in the making of the blog and video have been purchased by me on my own volition.
Many of my adventures have also been captured on beautiful HD video on my Youtube Channel! If you enjoy my content please subscribe to my channel, subscribers have a big impact on channel rankings!
This post is not sponsored and all equipment used in it’s creation was purchased by me on my own volition.
Search for the Elusive Dusky Grouse
I’ve only seen the elusive little fellow once this season, and it wasn’t a very good sighting at that. So I’ve been taking the hike to the summit of Grouse Mountain every once in a while in hopes of spotting this beautiful bird again. It’s a pretty strenuous addition to my regular hike so I’m not that eager to make the extra climb… Every once in while I have to remember a quote by the great Ansel Adams… “Don’t confuse hiking with photography…”
So there are now two parking lots at this trailhead, one at the bottom that I’m accustomed to using mostly just for the exercise. This trailhead starts with a strenuous hike straight up the side of the mountain for about three quarters of a mile and a new one that the local parks service built at the summit, along with a mock historic gold mine complete with historic information placards.
I decided on this day to park at the summit, which makes the walk across the top of the ridge and through the forest a lot quicker, increasing my chances of an early morning sighting of the little grouse. And my effort was met with success, just as I cleared the dense forest and was making my way through the mountain grass to the summit, the grouse took flight and landed in a nearby tree. It wasn’t the best view of the handsome fellow but I was able to capture a few seconds of video and a nice still.
As always, the best of these images and hundreds more are available for purchase on my website as wall art on glossy metal or acrylic sheets, stretched canvas and traditional matting and framing. Tons of cool household and gift items are also available with any image you like including coffee mugs, t-shirts, blankets and pillows, battery chargers, phone cases, stationary and much much more! Just click on any image you like and all the choices, sizes and prices will appear! For my viewers interested in images for commercial use, please visit my image licensing portal! I should mention at this time that this blog post is not sponsored by Canon or any other firm. All equipment used in the making of the blog and video have been purchased by me on my own volition.
Many of my adventures have also been captured on beautiful HD video on my Youtube Channel! If you enjoy my content please subscribe to my channel, subscribers have a big impact on channel rankings!
This post is not sponsored and all equipment used in it’s creation was purchased by me on my own volition.
Eleven Mile and a 2x Converter
Had an opportunity to borrow a Canon 2.0x III teleconverter yesterday so I immediately thought of the eagles nest at Eleven Mile Canyon which has always been just out of reach for a good crop with my little 1.4x converter and 400mm lens. As I drove into the park area I didn’t see any eagles at the nest so I cruised on into the canyon in search of the osprey and blue heron and hopefully even the juvenile baldies.
Didn’t see the osprey or the peregrines near the entrance so I motored upstream searching the banks of the river and nearby trees where I have seen the great birds many times. Eventually I spotted a blue heron in a tree, mostly just taking a nap, but looking up every once in while for possible threats. Unfortunately he was on the dark side of the river and with the 2x which introduces a two stop loss of light, my ISO values at a shutter speed of even just 1/800th of a second were up around 10k to even a less workable 12,800k. There was so much noise in the preview that I really couldn’t even tell if I had the image in focus. Oh, forgot to mention, with the 2x I’m limited to F11 and my Canon 90D won’t autofocus with a lens combination smaller than F8.
Unfortunately I didn’t get another opportunity to photograph until I had been all the way up the canyon and almost back out, when I finally spotted a large bird across the river resting in a dead tree. A quick glance through my long lens verified that the bird was an osprey so I rested my camera on the window frame of my truck and captured a few images. Eventually the beautiful hawk took flight and I was lucky to be ready, capturing a few images of him as he flew off with a fish in his sharp talons.
I quickly exchanged the 2x for the 1.4x which allows for only one stop of light loss and auto focused on his flight against the beautiful blue Colorado sky 🙂 Later as I looked through my images it appears as though the tree the osprey was using to eat his breakfast could be a good candidate for a nest next spring. I hope she or he was taking good notes, it’s going to be a long winter down in the tropics before they return again to breed next spring!
Happy with my captures I departed the canyon, taking a quick look one more time for the peregrines on the cliffs of the canyon entrance. The eagles nest once again appeared to be empty, but I decided to put the 2x back on to do a magnification check against the 1.4x, just to see what it would be like to watch the nest a bit closer. As I peered through the lens and monkeyed with the focus ring I spotted one of the juvi’s in a tree a few yards behind the nest. I snapped a couple shots of him and decided to go down to the river bank for a closer look.
I grabbed my big tripod with the heavy duty Vanguard ball head and took a better look. Just as I got focused the third young bald eagle flew right in front of the other two and landed in the nest. Quick reactions resulted in a pretty amazing capture of all three of the offspring in one frame drawn in close with the 2x converter 🙂
So I have to say it was a pretty happy day in the canyon with good images of a great blue heron (taken with the 1.4x), the osprey and the young bald eagles!
As always, the best of these images and hundreds more are available for purchase on my website as wall art on glossy metal or acrylic sheets, stretched canvas and traditional matting and framing. Tons of cool household and gift items are also available with any image you like including coffee mugs, t-shirts, blankets and pillows, battery chargers, phone cases, stationary and much much more! Just click on any image you like and all the choices, sizes and prices will appear! For my viewers interested in images for commercial use, please visit my image licensing portal! I should mention at this time that this blog post is not sponsored by Canon or any other firm. All equipment used in the making of the blog and video have been purchased by me on my own volition.
Many of my adventures have also been captured on beautiful HD video on my Youtube Channel! If you enjoy my content please subscribe to my channel, subscribers have a big impact on channel rankings!
This post is not sponsored and all equipment used in it’s creation was purchased by me on my own volition.
Bird & Wildflower Alpine Hike
A local hike through the alpine woods of Grouse Mountain seemed like the right medicine for a beautiful Colorado Sunday morning so I loaded up my camera and headed for the hills. Much to my satisfaction, when I arrived there was no one at the trailhead. I would have the mountain to myself. Unfortunately as I hiked the steep access trail a carload of tourists roared up the hated road to the summit. When I arrived they were already out of their huge SUV tearing around with their loose dogs, scaring away any chance I might have had with the local wildlife 😦
No matter, a quick hike through the woods to the second summit, Big Grouse Mountain, would do the trick. No one ever makes that hike, and up there I would have the chance of spotting the elusive dusky grouse that I so enjoy photographing! Soon I popped through the forest into the solitude that often accompanies 11,000 feet of elevation 😉 There I stopped for rest and some nourishment before continuing on. I opened my energy bar and took a bite. Something didn’t taste right so I took a closer look and it appeared that perhaps some mold had formed on the surface… a closer look revealed what appeared to be a couple of worms 😦 They weren’t moving and could have possibly been some kind of grain or herb, but in my mind they were worms, so much for nourishment.
I decided at that point to shoot a video so I got my microphone out of my bag and explained my intentions for the day. The wildflowers are magnificent today so I shot a bit of footage of the color spreading out before me in the high clearing. Eventually I was back on my way along the faint trail at the top of the ridge. Soon I noticed that my new microphone was no longer in the hot shoe where it belonged so I was forced to retrace my steps in search of it 😦 Thankfully I was able to recover it near the location where I shot the video. This time I returned it safely to it’s home in my backpack.
I never did see the dusky grouse but I got some nice wildflower pictures, a couple with huge bumblebees and a few nice shots of an accommodating mountain bluebird 🙂 Anyway, I hope you enjoy the video and if you enjoy the content I hope you will subscribe to my channel!
Two Birds
Wanted to test out my new vlogging microphone, I’ve been bumbling along all this time just using the on board mic on my 70 and 90D Canon bodies, which is fine unless it’s windy. So I ran across this nice RODE hot shoe mic at Best Buy for a good price and decided to give it a whirl!
I also needed a new intro to my Patreon channel, so I climbed Hell Hill with the whole mess and set up the equipment at the mine park on the summit to film the video. And after only about 27 takes I finally managed a version that didn’t make me want to throw up. I’m really not very good at being on that side of the camera 😦
So I got my two birds with one stone as they say, the microphone worked splendidly and the video is published… But that’s not the end of this story! On the hike back down I spotted these two cute little mountain blue birds to add to the title of this post… Sometimes I’m so clever I can’t stand myself 😉
While I was at it I added Models and photographer VIP tiers to my Patreon channel along with a new benefit, a once a month live photo shoot event with the eligible models and photographers. Trying to think outside the box 🙂 I wanted to let models join for free but Patreon wouldn’t let me so I had to put $1 in that field. Too early to tell of course, but I’m hopeful that this is a good idea 🙂 I’ve always been afraid of doing something like this because of the liability, but now I have insurance through the PPA so I am all set to try it !!!
As always, the best of these images and hundreds more are available for purchase on my website as wall art on glossy metal or acrylic sheets, stretched canvas and traditional matting and framing. Tons of cool household and gift items are also available with any image you like including coffee mugs, t-shirts, blankets and pillows, battery chargers, phone cases, stationary and much much more! Just click on any image you like and all the choices, sizes and prices will appear! For my viewers interested in images for commercial use, please visit my image licensing portal! I should mention at this time that this blog post is not sponsored by Canon or any other firm. All equipment used in the making of the blog and video have been purchased by me on my own volition.
Many of my adventures have also been captured on beautiful HD video on my Youtube Channel! If you enjoy my content please subscribe to my channel, subscribers have a big impact on channel rankings!
This post is not sponsored and all equipment used in it’s creation was purchased by me on my own volition.
Ready to Go!!!
JUL 11, 2021 AT 5:48 PMAlmost Ready
Still putting the finishing touches on the model portfolio branch of this business… I have the liability and equipment insurance squared away with the PPA, contracts and releases are printed up and my channel here is ready to go!
The last details today were the testing out of a couple pieces of new equipment. I recently acquired a quality microphone for the vlogging camera so today I hooked it up and dialed in the settings. I have to say it sounds really nice!!!
I also just added a third flash unit, my second Godox AD200. This one came with the standard speedlight head, and a bare bulb head with a globe diffuser. I also purchased nother 32 inch softbox for nice expansive soft light if needed. Also with that unit comes a barn door modifier and several colored gels
So today I hooked all that up and tested it out with my transmitter, outstanding results 🙂
So I think all I have left now is t find some models who need a portfolio and want to star in the show!
New Video With the Juvenile Bald Eagles
Finally got around to cobbling together a video from last week’s photoshoot of the Baldies on one of their first flights over the canyon! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
