Daniel Binkard: animal

Showing posts with label animal. Show all posts

16 May 2021

Bat Flitting About the Canyon, May 16, 2021

Bat at Spearfish Canyon, May 2021. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

03 September 2020

Stick Insects at Chadron State Park, July 2020

Stick insect on a tripod leg at Chadron State Park, July 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Before this summer, I hadn't come across stick insects outside of museums. Perhaps they've passed over my shoes on previous occasions when I've been crouched in odd positions trying to photograph flowers against rock faces. These little fellows look awkward and beautiful. It's great to see them up close, and a reminder to carry that 105mm closeup lens more often.

Stick insect at Chadron State Park, July 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Stick insect on a tripod leg at Chadron State Park, July 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

18 August 2019

Rattlesnake at Toadstool Park, August 18, 2019

A prairie rattlesnake tests the air for danger at Toadstool Geological Park in August 2019. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

I went from 2005 to 2018 without seeing any rattlesnakes at Toadstool Park. Then I saw just a hint of one slithering away and rattling in 2018. Here in 2019, this is rattlesnake number three, the second for just this visit! Fortunately, I had a long lens and was able to take some photos from a safe distance. Probably irritated the snake to no end. It just wanted to relax and think about digesting its last meal.

17 August 2019

Dropkicking Moth, August 17, 2019

Moths at Keith Cascade Springs in the Black Hills National Forest, August 2019. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

I have a nice, cleanly focused and arranged photo of these moths on the thistle, complete with a spider below them. But let’s talk about this shot, which is obviously a failure because of all the blur. But wait, is that moth kicking the other off the flower? What kind of moth combat is this? It’s whimsical in a violent sort of way. I’m not a fan of the stem in the background that cuts through the frame. Put that on the list of things to remove in post, along with the little bit of thistle poking up from the bottom of the frame.

14 July 2019

Moth at Fort Robinson State Park, July 14, 2019

Moth at Fort Robinson State Park, July 2019. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

I am always drawn to a cooperative butterfly or moth, and sometimes I have a lens that can focus close enough to show the critter. In addition to the great wing coloration, I like the detail of the grass, a combination of points and curves to mirror the antennae and wings of the moth.

22 September 2018

Moth at Toadstool Park, September 22, 2018

Moth at Toadstool Geologic Park, September 2018. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

“Don’t forget to half-press the shutter release button to focus on your subject!”

“I have to turn my lens like a caveman to focus. This work is brutal.”

Along the recently opened Great Plains Trail in Toadstool Geologic Park, there are occasional bursts of flowers and pollinators. I find the movements of the butterflies, moths, and bees around flowers fascinating. These little critters can be relaxing to watch, assuming there are no mosquitoes bugging you at the time.

On this hot September day, I had my 105mm close up lens from the 1970s, a lens whose look I quite enjoy. The usual photos of a moth more or less in focus were fine, but while leaning in to line up the plane of focus with the critter, I noticed the arrangement of out-of-focus elements in the composition, and took a shot of nothing but bokeh.

While some who have seen this photo seem turned off by its soft nature, I like it. I like the warm range of colors, and the subtle arrangement of angles formed by the soft spheres. I like the hint of pattern implied in the wings.

04 June 2016

Hawk at Nebraska National Forest, June 4, 2016

A hawk flies over the Nebraska National Forest, June 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

While hiking the Black Hills Overlook trail, I saw a hawk (Or a vulture, or an eagle, or a falcon. I’m not a bird expert. Should I just say “raptor?”) circling overhead. Normally I enjoy the sight of these birds and don’t try photographing them, because I seldom have the necessary long lens to properly cover them. But the wispy clouds made an excellent contrast to the sharp, dark shape of the bird. I like the arrangement here, with the hawk creating the apex of a compositional triangle with the large clouds.

18 May 2015

Eagles Playing with their Food at Devils Punch Bowl, May 18, 2015

Two eagles and a kill at Devils Punch Bowl State Park, May 2015. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Three eagles and a kill at Devils Punch Bowl State Park, May 2015. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

An eagle flies over the water with a kill at Devils Punch Bowl State Park, May 2015. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Two eagles fly over the water at Devils Punch Bowl State Park, May 2015. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

An eagle flies over Devils Punch Bowl State Park, May 2015. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

17 May 2015

Sunset at Nye Beach, May 17, 2015

Sunset over Nye Beach at Newport, Oregon, May 2015. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

The sunset was full of gentle shapes and colors reflecting on the water over Newport, Oregon. This is a straightforward composition, dominated by the rippling shapes of the clouds and counterpointed by tiny human elements. And a bird element. While this would have been all right with just the far hillside and lighthouse in the distance, it would have been flat and not really worth showing. But the beachgoer and gull in the foreground create a fun punctuation for the scene. Looking at the scaled-down version of the photo, I thought the bird was a dog, until I zoomed in. Either way, it's fun.

29 April 2015

Coyote Skill, April 29, 2015

Closeup of a coyote skull, April 2015. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Coyote skull, lit from the side, assembled from multiple frames focused on different planes from front to back. The side lighting gives the skull an ominous appearance and highlights the long canines. The cheekbones create lovely upward curving lines.

11 April 2015

Bee on a Flower in Chadron, Nebraska, April 11, 2015

Bee on a flower in Chadron, Nebraska, April 2015. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

This semi-close view of a fearsome pollinator includes plenty of fun, soft elements in the out-of-focus areas. The bee almost blends in at first glance, to become the anchor of the scene. You might have taken a photography class where the instructor says you should put the anchor at one of the intersecting lines that divide the frame into thirds. This kind of thinking is lazy teaching. Think in terms of balance. How does the anchoring element balance with the rest of the elements in the composition? Often, yes, the balance works at the intersecting thirds lines. But to call it the "rule" of thirds… Think of it as a guideline, and put the damn anchor where it works, not because somebody told you to put it "just so" off center.

28 March 2015

Sunset at the Nebraska National Forest, March 28, 2015

Rabbit skull posed in the Nebraska National Forest, March 2015. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset at the Nebraska National Forest, March 2015. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Clouds at the Nebraska National Forest, March 2015. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset at the Nebraska National Forest, March 2015. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Rabbit Skull, March 28, 2015

Rabbit skull posed in the Nebraska National Forest, March 2015. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Staged photo of a rabbit skull with some flowers and warm evening light. I played with the placement so I could get a low angle that included the sky. The rabbit skull is a fascinating piece of engineering with distinctive latticework along the sides up front. I assume they cut down wind resistance and allow the rabbit to corner better while achieving maximum speed. I like the clouds in the background. They have an interesting linear character that contrasts with the rounder shapes in the foreground.

04 January 2015

Muskrat Skull, January 4, 2015

Closeup of a muskrat skull, January 2015. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Part of a project to photograph skulls with plenty of detail. This is a focus stack, multiple frames focused from the nearest to farthest parts of the subject and combined with compositing software. The result can contain plenty of detail. I examined the skull at various heights to find a suitable angle, and I'm pleased with the negative space around the cheek bones and eye sockets. I pushed the tones quite a bit to create strong contrast, and I like the various textures that are revealed. This is one of my favorites from the series.

09 August 2013

Suspicious Squirrel Monkey, August 9, 2013

A squirrel monkey (S. sciureus) paces in its enclosure at the Greater Valley Zoo. According to experts from the Randall Graves Center for Primatology and Parasitology in Sioux Falls, S.D., if the monkeys ever escape, they could infect the greater Siouxland region and beyond with the deadly Hantavirus. But aren't they cute? Sioux Falls, South Dakota, August 2013. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

The red eyes are not part of the original photo, but I couldn’t help myself. All this little cutie needs is some fangs. The light levels were low, and my camera was poor at high sensitivities, so I played with motion blur. The monkeys were moving all over the place, so I had lots of chances to photograph them. I like the implied arrangement of the monkey’s arms and legs, which suggest additional forward movement.

09 April 2013

Las Vegas Scenes, April 9, 2013

Ducks in a fountain in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 2013. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Statue and fountain in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 2013. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

The Roman elite communicated through a complex system of horns. The richest Roman nobility could exchange information at the equivalent of a 14.4 modem. Most of this information consisted of explicit renderings. Las Vegas, Nevada, April 2013. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)