… we did Lake Pleasant yesterday morning and it was so beautiful and wonderful to be back out on the lake after a three month hiatus from exploring my favorite lake. This time the water level is down to 2022 levels … Peregrine Island was devoid of Peregrine Falcons, but it did harbor a small group of Seagulls and is now about eighteen inches above the water line. This time we used the electric motor (moves emissions back to the generating plant) and only hunted Castle Hot Springs Bay. The water was absolutely flat and was like being on a mirror. Many of the usual larger birds were there, but we focused on the little ones …
Above is a photo of a Say’s Phoebe that was hunting from a small branch that was above the water level near the middle of the bay in the shallow end. When feeding they will frequently leave the perch, go down near water level and feed on hatching insects and then return to the same perch … I got this shot as he was coming back up to land on the perch. A hint if you want to get shots of Phoebes, after they take off, keep a focus on the perch they left from and when you sense they are coming back in, start shooting.
Below is a shot of a Canyon Wren … this little guy was hunting the rocky shoreline and allowed us to follow him with a separation of less than fifteen feet. We stayed with him for about half an hour, occasionally bumping up against the rocks … I was about ten feet away from him when I took the shot … 432 mm, f//9.0, 1/1600th second exposure, ISO 1250.
A beautiful day today too, spent in the company of friends … I cannot believe what an incredible joy that life is! Have a beautiful day and weekend … keep breathing and smiling … be kind and be a joy in the lives of others.
Back Monday morning … at least that is the plan 🙂
Smiles,
Ted
If you have spoken something beautiful,
Or touched the dead canvas to life,
Or made the cold stone to speak—
You who know the secret heart of beauty;
If you have done one thing
That has made gentler the churlish world,
Though mankind pass you by,
And feed and clothe you grudgingly—
Though the world starve you,
And God answer not your nightly prayers,
And you grow old hungering still at heart,
And walk friendless in your way,
And lie down at last forgotten—
If all this befall you who have created beauty,
You shall still leave a bequest to the world
Greater than the institutions and rules and commerce;
And by the immutable law of human heart
The God of the universe is your debtor,
If you have made gentler the churlish world.
If You Have Made Gentler The Churlish World by Max Ehrmann
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The easiest way to reach Mr. Grussing is by email: ted@tedgrussing.com
In addition to sales of photographs already taken Ted does special shoots for patrons on request and also does air-to-air photography for those who want photographs of their airplanes in flight. All special photographic sessions are billed on an hourly basis.
Ted also does one-on-one workshops for those interested in learning the techniques he uses. By special arrangement Ted will do one-on-one aerial photography workshops which will include actual photo sessions in the air.
More about Ted Grussing …