Wild Cats - Is the zoo the only place we'll be able to witness them?

 Caracal - 

Info: Caracal caracal / Carnivore / 24" to 42" long / 25 to 40 pounds

Current population:  Unknown (www.nationalgeographic.com)

Low concern (at this time) on the extinction listing.

This medium-size wildcat roams the savannas, deserts, and forests of much of Africa and parts of the Middle East.

The fastest of the smaller African wildcats, caracals are supreme hunters. Their sandy-colored coats provide camouflage, and stiff fur cushioning their footpads makes them nearly silent stalkers.

Threats: These include habitat destruction due to agriculture and retaliation killing, as caracals will hunt small livestock if given the opportunity.

Why do I post this?  Like millions of us I will most likely never see one of these beautiful creatures in the wild.  Mostly because of the expense to get to their native areas.  Although listed as low on the extinction listing, their numbers are unknown and if history as taught us anything.  We will destroy much of which is an inconvenience in the eyes of humans.  It also doesn't help that our world population continues to expand and put pressure on so many different animal and plant species and their natural ecosystems.

The photos was taken while on a field trip to the Portland Zoo (OR)with special needs students back in 2016.  It is a cheaters pic, but most likely the only one I'll get!

Think about your actions and choices and how they affect the balance of our world. 

 Seven years and seven months since I last posted anything on this blog.  Who will read it?  If no one does, that is okay as I need to find release and escape in things other than teaching.  Yes, I have my coaching and that is good, if we ever get to have a season, damn you Covid-19!  But as a photographer I am breaking away from what little ways I made money.

I no longer will pursue the portrait photography, it's over, done and most anyone with a camera thinks they might be the next Annie Leibovitz.  Not saying there are not some decent photographers doing the work locally, and bless them for working their ass off for what little they are making.  I will do it for friends that want it done and done well.  I will quit shooting athletic teams unless requested, as again, by the time the players hit high school.  Most parents have enough team and individual pictures.  I will work for those who wish some action shots during their competitions.

My focus is going to go back to nature and that which surrounds us!  I feel pretty strongly that we as humans are killing our mother (earth).  We consume resources, pollute our world and honestly we are getting to the tipping point of earth's carrying capacity for us humans.  So as I journey and work in the world that is worth saving and not paving.  I will share with you my thoughts about that along with some photos.  I am going to work on creating some sort of web presence to help in this endeavor.  

Be well and think before you act!

Tim

Stuck

So I decided that this AM [3/24] I would head out to an old standby area called the Basket Slough National Wildlife Refugee to see what sort of birds, deer, elk or anything else possibly hanging out to get their photo taken.  Since I left kind of late, around 9 AM, I didn't expect to get much and really didn't get anything either.  Did have slightly overcast skies so that would make the shots much easier.  Really glad there wasn't much to work with as I had some mental errors as I started to shoot.

First, always check your camera's settings as you may have left the settings from a previous shoot still in place, things like "White Balance" as a main culprit!  I still had it set from when I was doing some shots from my daughters Volleyball match back in February and when I went to check a photo on the back panel, strange blue hue to it.   Yep, WB was set to fluorescent lighting inside......Yikes!  Especially when you are shooting outside in natural light!  Just keep it in mind.

So I go through the main area of the NWR and end up going out another county road on the North side of the refuge.  Just looking around and seeing if any other birds might be in range as I brought along my 135-400mm.  Nothing really close and then while trying to be friendly and hug the side of the road so a local farmer could pass, my vehicle started to slip on the soft soil/gravel on the edge and soon I was in the shallow drainage line that runs along the side of the road.  Put it in 4x4 as quick as possible but no luck, it just made my right side dig in more and after about 5 minutes of trying to pop over the high side of the ditch my ford came to rest.  Called home to get AAA headed my way and 40 minutes or so later was out of the muck.  Then cleaned out as much as I could and drove to knock the rest out.  After getting home, put on the power nozzle and had to get under the vehicle and blast away at the mud.  Still think I will be dripping mud or dry dirt clumps for several weeks down the road.

Lesson:  It's spring in Oregon and those county roads can get a might soft on the edges.  I included a shot of my final resting spot before I got pulled out.

Tim -

Almost forgot the Blue Moon

Blue Moon Aug. 2012

So the last entry I posted a shot from the morning after I had been chasing the Blue Moon of this past August.  So now I will post a shot from the moon rising on August 31, 2011 as I sat out on a county road here in Polk County, Oregon.  It is a place about 7 miles of road driving to get to it and occasionally I go by it when doing some climbs in the Eola Hills near to my house.  Sorry, the moon is not crystal clear as I was trying to bring a lot into the shot and was getting darker, and darker with the setting sun.  Still fun times working on the shot.

Anyway, the frontage area is a Christmas tree farm that is probably about 3 years post planting and then various woods with small farms mixed in them.  In the mid distance you have some lights of part of the Salem and Keizer areas and then spreads East to more farmland before it climbs into the Cascade Mt. Range.  During this time of year you get a good bit of low level haze from the last of the agricultural harvest.

So there!  I actually got back to what I said I was going to do and post another shot of this moon!

Have a great week!  Tim

Chasing the Moon

So the end of August brought a "Blue Moon" around the Earth and I did my best to hang out in some places and work on some shots of the moon but also to put it into the context of a photo with out having to go to Photoshop and work the magic to make it in there.  Of course you can do a great moon shot then have it appear really huge on a landscape of any kind and that can really be fun.   I may go and try that when I have some more time.

So on Friday 8/31/12 that is when the moon was full for the Blue Moon.  I went out to a county road here in Polk County a few miles from my home.  One there would be no street lighting there and there was some very good open spaces to shoot through and still have some foreground texture if I wanted it, which I did.  I got some decent shots from that night and will put one out in another posting soon.

The one I am sharing this time is from the next morning I got up around 5:30 and went down to Riverfront park here in Salem.  Did some shooting of the pedestrian bridge (cool thing to have) and then some more shots with the moon in the sky looking West into West Salem hills.  This shot I thought was good as I have an early morning fisherman on the Willamette River, the west hills covered with trees and the water tank along with the moon working its way to setting.  I only noticed while working on the edit of this that the moons reflection is at the very bottom of the photo.  I did not notice that due to some vegetation near where I was shooting.  Need to take a little more time when prepping the shot!

Thanks for stopping in and feel free to send me any comments!  Enjoy!

Tim

Blog? You have a blog?

Well as I was trolling through Facebook and thinking I have links from it to my 'blog area' but I have not been updating the blog.  So to go along with the only other entry of this year I will do another and just maybe try to update it more often.

Since February of this year I have been working on a correspondence course through New York Institute of Photography (NYIP).  I am doing so to help increase my knowledge and skill set beyond what I have learned from several seminars, reading periodicals, taking photos and just working hands on.  I think every little bit will help me as I strive to eventually leave the job of working for the man and working for me instead.  I have completed the first two units and will start getting the third unit ready to read, study and do the assignments.

I have also spent a considerable amount of money doing some advertising at one of our local High Schools (West Salem, Salem, OR).  I am on a handout/multi-fold sports calendar along with only two other advertisers.  From the company who sold the space, I am also the only photographer on any of the Fall advertising.  I will be offering somewhat lower pricing than other portrait and senior photographers.  Just trying to get some base work coming in so we'll see where it all goes.  Besides the advertising, 10% of my fee goes back to the school to support their athletic/academics programs.

I wanted to include a shot in this installment that I took on a lonely August Sunday morning drive as I was heading back to Salem.  I had spent the night in Spokane, WA and was taking the back highways in a Southerly/Southwesterly direction and church was not in session yet.  It kind of felt good to sit there on the side of the road and snap a few shots as a time of reflection.  I was just a week past from my father passing away suddenly on August 3rd and had and still have a lot of thoughts, emotions, etc running through my head.  Since he should be in the heavens I thought this photo would be appropriate.  

Enjoy and we'll see you on the road!

Tim

A long time - First Post of 2012

So, I have my blog page as my opening window when I fire up my explorer window and leave it open on a tab while I do other things. For months I have looked at the same posting that was the last one back in November. Wow! That is a long time and yes in the mean time I have been shooting, tending to other family things and doing my day job that pays for dream job.

So I decided to finally put up a shot that is at least from this current calendar year, since we are starting the month of April already. It is one or the same Cooper's Hawk that visits my backyard at least once a week in search of some unsuspecting smaller prey. I have had a fair amount of feathers this year so I am thinking between the Cooper's Hawk(s) and some Sharp Shinned Hawks they are keeping my free loading birds in check. But on the positive side, I would bet that the Hawks may only make a strike 1 in 10 tries. Most of the time the little birds are out of sight and silent!


Of course none of this would happen if I didn't enjoy having the other small birds around and feeding them. Plus many of them eat little insects and so forth and that help keep that population down in our hood.


In this case I wonder if the Hawk thinks that maybe a bird would just belly up to the feeder for and easy meal and hence become an easy meal.


Thanks for stopping in! Tim

Union Street Bridge

As many of you might be aware if you live in the Salem area that we have had this really wonderful Pedestrian / bicycle bridge converted from a very old Railroad bridge crossing that goes over the Willamette River. It also provides some interesting shooting in the AM or PM, with or without Fog coming off the river, etc.

It is also a part of my commute to the building I work in that allows me to keep earning money to keep shooting photos. Unfortunately it is not a business with photography as part of its business. So getting to cross the bridge to/from work when I bike commute can give me some really great shots, but usually on small windows out of the year do I get this.

Well on the morning of 10/26 I got a window of opportunity and happened to bring a camera with me. I only happen to bring it, as the morning before It was similar but with more fog so I thought with the very cool nights and some moisture in the air, just maybe I would get another chance.

Included in this post are a couple of shots from that AM. Hope you will enjoy them.

Tim

Portraits

I have decided to get into a little more of the work of portraits and senior year photos. This will not stop me from my normal landscapes, animals and what have you. This is just another area to pursue and work with other folks and continue to become better all around as a photographer.

Included is a shot from a senior /yearbook photo for a local West Salem HS Senior. Cree and her mother gave me a call as mom works with a friend of mine (who recommended me) and asked if I would be interested. Sure I would and I may be a little less expensive than many of the 'full time' portrait photographers here locally. Anyway we did the shoot up in Portland on Sept. 4th for a couple hours in the mid-morning. We wondered around parts of "Old Town" in Portland and had quite a variety of backgrounds to work with and interesting textures from the buildings. I also had my wife in the process as she carried camera gear and reflectors for me, and that was a big help! Overall we had some really great shots and some so-so ones but found enough for Cree to choose from for yearbook and for handouts.

I also cut her the DVD with the photos that I worked on along with the originals. This is partially why I may be a little less expensive as I do not do any of the printing work. I will shot, edit and copy for a standard flat fee. If you would like to talk about some future work, please give me a shout via email at tim.e@opusnet.com


Thanks for reading! Tim -

Nice View for backpacking! Tetons!

So I will include a shot from what we were able to see over half the time we were backpacking in Wyoming in the Teton Wilderness. We headed out of the Pacific Creek TH that was just inside the gates at Moran Junction.

As we hiked up the trail that more/less followed the creek it opened up to a very large valley that had Pacific creek running through it along with several other creeks that flowed into Pacific creek which all (may someday) end up flowing to the Pacific Ocean. Probability is pretty low due to all the other folks taking out some of the liquid resources along the way but some of the water may make it?

Anyway, on the first day hiking in we turned around and this was the constant site we had at our backs. It was great having it coming out also! The Tetons rising above and we were at 7,000 plus feet going through this valley it was a grand site to see. I took this shot from where Gravel Creek comes down and joins with Pacific Creek looking back Westerly. Although the bugs were horrible back there this year the scenery was worth it!

Enjoy! Tim -

Back from Wyoming

Got back last Saturday 7/23 in the mid afternoon. Good trip back in Wyoming but lots of those damn mosquitoes and it drove me out a day or so early. That allowed me to actually go through Yellowstone park and visit my folks for a couple nights back in Cody.

Then headed back to Jackson, WY, to catch up with the rest of the crew and have night in Jackson checking things out and Friday AM on 7/22 headed home! I made it to John Day, OR, were I spent the night before pushing home last Saturday. After going through the Hwy 26 drive of Oregon, I saw some excellent mountain areas that I think will have to go back and hike and do some camping or something. Looks like excellent Elk territory and I have heard there are some Mt. goats up in some of those eastern Oregon ranges.

I'll post a shot or two of the Tetons hopefully by the end of this weekend.

Tim -

Getting Ready - Wyoming One Week away

As I type this on this Friday evening (7/8) I think that in one week I should be in Twin Falls, ID catching a nights rest before pushing into Wyoming in the Bridger-Teton Wilderness area to do some backpacking with my brothers and few friends. We'll be heading out of the Pacific Creek Drainage and do about 5 days in the back country.

I would like to get some good photos while there of any animals that want to come near our motley crew but will not mind keeping distance between us and any Grizzly Bears. I have had the wonderful experience of being within about 40 yards of a Sow/cub several years ago and was glad they took off to the trees. I have done some photos from the road in Yellowstone and that is good enough. Enjoy from a distance! I definitely should get some decent landscapes though.

I will have to make some serious lens choice as I want to minimize weight of my gear as I will be humping around my food, water, sleeping bag/pad, extra weather gear and either all of a tent or part of the tent if I can get a tent roomie to share the load.

I will try and post something a day or two prior to leaving. Will get some shots out as soon as I return from the trip.

Thanks for checking in! Tim

Humming Along....

Okay, so a lot of the time I would prefer to be taking photos of large, medium or even smaller landscapes or even larger animals to include people's pets. Then there are times when you have to just shoot what is there and most of the time I will take a camera in my bag to work with me. This way if there is anything to capture or maybe while taking a walk at lunch there will be something I can shoot it and see if I like it later.

Back in February some of the ladies in the office set up a humming bird feeder outside the Westerly windows in our building. Surprisingly the humming birds did visit considering this was next to an open ally which also was next to a large parking lot, mostly vacant that time of year. All of this was just on the Northerly border going into the greater downtown Salem area.

I was able to be within 10 feet of the feeder and using an Tamron 18-200 on my Pentax Kx (back up camera) I got a few shots. This is one with the hummer taking on some nice sugar water that was freshly prepared for them.

I am glad the little critter sat still long enough for a few shots. Enjoy. Tim -

Memorial Day & the end of May

Another month is wrapping up and had the day off in honor of Memorial Day! I thank my fellow veterans who have served, continue to serve and the ones who did not return from the service of their country.

Got in a couple nice bike rides this weekend and checked out some more lands in Polk county Oregon to think about doing some shooting. Didn't get out this long weekend and should have but will hope a few fields I saw a couple weekends ago will still be blooming with some reddish clover looking vegetation?

I have put in a shot of some Big Horn Sheep - Rams as they were grazing this past March just outside Yellowstone Park in Wyoming. I again was battling some shade on these and not using the fastest lens for the conditions but that is all experience and not carrying extra cameras with other lenses. I hope you will enjoy the shot. I will be looking to hit some of the local NWR areas in the area and get some new shots of animals and landscapes!

Tim -

A Younger Ewe

Sometime back in April I had the one shot of the Bison posted and mentioned that I may get some shots of the other game animals that we had an opportunity to photograph. Well, here we go with a tighter shot of a young ewe working on the grasses among the snow.

I carried with me my Sigma 70-200/f.28 as my main lens this day so everything is shot with that and it reacts pretty well in some of the shade conditions which this one was. As these animal's congregate in the drainage's for the water during the day then head back up in the evening I had to deal with some taller walls of stone on either side of the drainage. We actually will do quite a bit of shooting not to far off the Highway 20 that runs into Yellowstone from Cody, WY.

In March it would become quite a bit of work to heft gear back for a days shooting but would be nicer knowing that most of the bears are still in hibernation (hopefully!).

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the shot and you can find more out at my website, there is a link over on the right column to lead you there!

Tim

Keeping an "Eye" out....

Wow! It has been about a month and a half since last posting and really I have looked to do something but have not done much? I am posting in a close up shot of a Bison that was passing close by the car when we did a spring break trip back to Cody, Wyoming to see some family.

Almost a dozen Bison were out near or on the road close to the East entrance to Yellowstone Park and part of that was due to the huge amounts of snow that the park was getting over the winter and spring. It will drive some of the animals out to lower areas to forage for food and have water with the nearby streams and rivers running. It helps me to have family living so close to one of our national treasures so when I am out there I can get out and find critters and some really great landscapes!

We did get some shots other than Bison and include some Big Horn Sheep, both Rams and Ewes along with some Deer. I will look at getting in some of those shots in another post which I will do very soon.

Enjoy the shot and check out the photo website - link is over there on the right and order something you might like. You can download digital files at various prices for personal or commercial use.

Thanks for stopping by! Tim -

Canada Geese - Basket Slough NWR

The same day that I was out at a local National Wildlife Refuge where I got photos of a Great Blue Heron. I was also getting some shot of other water foul, that is if these Canada Geese are considered foul? eh?

Anyway, they were kind enough for a few to come in for a landing and then just hang around eating from the grass stubble. I tried to have both photos but they were a little sizeable and I don't feel like reducing them any further. Sorry, you just get them eating!

It was a great day to be out there with the sunshine and the animals. I did later try to catch a pair of bald eagles in flight but they were at a pretty good distance for the lens I had at the time.

Enjoy the shots, and hope you can get out and enjoy some nature!

Tim -

A Bridge - Not to Far

So with gas prices going up and up I am trying to get my arse in gear and make more bike commutes to/from the job site. I will normally do this when I do not have other appointments that I need to use my car or motorcycle. Really, I need to first work on more bike time and then motorcycle as second choice and the car as last choice. Bus service is horrible in Salem so that option is off the table.

If I can get back to my glory days of commuting around 120 days per year as I did when we first moved out here that would be great. Over the last couple of years that total as gone down to around 80 days average per year. It is amazing how long I can make a tank of gas last when I ride more to/from work or small trips.

So long story short....As I commute from home in the hills of West Salem to a location just outside of downtown Salem I pass through Wallace Marine Park most of the time and ride over the Union Street Ped/Bike bridge. This is an old railroad bridge that the City bought for a dollar and of course has had to do some mitigation on the old lead paint and some other issues. It is probably one of the best improvements I have seen Salem do in the almost eight years I have lived here and it is a popular and useful bike/walk-way for many!

The shot I added in is from a morning back in late January this year. Sun was starting creep up and the bridge is standing tall crossing the Willamette River. Many mornings I ride across this and have to ask myself why am I going to this day Job? Photography and riding are much more pleasant than an office but, something has to pay the bills and the job will do for now.

Enjoy the shot and wishing you many great Sunrises!

Tim -

Feb. - Baskett Slough NWR

Finally was able to get out to the National Wildlife Refuge that is about 10 miles from my house here in West Salem. It was a glorious morning the light fog and clouds lifted leaving a little bit of a milky sky and temps warming up from about 32 degrees overnight.

I came from the southerly side off of Hwy 22 and slowly crept along the gravel road that runs through the main section of the NWR. There were plenty of Canada geese in the fields and many coming and going, Redtail Hawks flying around a few American Kestrels and a pair of Bald Eagles sitting in some small trees above the shallow water areas. I didn't have a long lens with me today so didn't try to get much in their direction. Did try to catch them as they decided to take flight and go elsewhere.

One bird that 'finally' let me get close enough to shoot was a Great Blue Heron. I have tried over and over but anytime I come upon them and stop my car they seem to know how far to fly off so they will not make for good picture taking. This time though, I never left my car as I just rested the 70-200/f2.8 lens on the window of the car and tried not to jitter to much when I press the shutter release. I didn't have a beanbag with me to help with vibration but overall I think all the shots I took of this magnificent bird came out pretty well. So I'll share one here with you all and hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Get outside and enjoy nature or hit a wildlife area near you and take in the sounds and sights it has to offer. Thanks for stopping in, and hope you come back and visit again. Eventually the Heron shots will make it to my website where you can buy a printed photo or download a digital copy.

Tim -

No Picture Post

Just saying Hello from Salem, OR. Not much going on here but we have been in a decent dry streak with little or no rain in our area for the past couple weeks. Must mean that later in the spring we will be wishing for sunshine?

Hoping to get my arse out of bed one of the weekend days coming up and go out to one of the local NWR's, National Wildlife Refuge's and maybe capture some animals on digital and post later. Maybe just some landscape shots also?

going to head off the computer for awhile and see if I don't fall asleep.

Tim