Seeing Spots

Today’s post features an image I captured yesterday while conducting some solar exposure tests, for the upcoming April 08 total solar eclipse. I have been working a lot on preparing for this upcoming astronomical event … and this will be the last total solar eclipse to hit the continental United States for 20 years!

Setting my photo equipment up to determine proper exposures with solar filters (approved solar filters MUST be used to protect your eyes and your photographic equipment), I captured a lot of images. Upon editing the images, many solar sunspots were observed on the sun’s surface. Here is one of the photos, enlarged to show the sun’s surface:

Sun, with sunspots on the solar surface

I have a lot of work to be done yet, to assure I can capture images of this total solar eclipse. I will be traveling to Texas to photograph this event, followed up with a short road trip to capture some of Texas’ amazing bluebonnet wildflowers in bloom. Preparing for this trip will likely mean I will not be posting as often over the next 3 weeks, but looking forward to sharing some eclipse and wildflower images when I return home!

Photographic Equipment Used:

  • Canon 5D Mark 3 camera body
  • Canon 500mm, f/4 IS lens, equipped with approved solar filter
  • Bogen 3021 tripod and Wemberly gimbal head
  • ISO 800
  • Aperture f/8
  • Shutter 1/2000 sec.
By James Braswell | Published March 21, 2024
Posted in: Astrophotography, Nature Photography | Tags: ,
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Back to the Burrow

Today, I’m featuring an image that was captured at the Wichita Mountains NWR in southwest Oklahoma, a number of years ago. While photographing in the early morning, I saw this Burrowing Owl returning to his underground den, with nesting material in his beak (can you spot this owl’s mate, with only the head peering out of the burrow?):

Burrowing Owl returns to the den

In the early morning light, the motion of the owl returning was somewhat blurry. Oh well, still a great memory!

This image was captured pre-2004, when I was still shooting 35mm slides. I recently began converting some of those slides to digital files. It will take some time to convert my many slides, but I will be featuring some of my fond memories of early nature photography with you, as I get them converted.

By James Braswell | Published March 14, 2024
Posted in: Bird Photography, Nature Photography | Tags: ,
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Sleepy Time

Today, I’m featuring an image that was captured at the Bittern Bottoms Conservation Area in Cass County, Missouri, a number of years ago while kayaking the area. While photographing wildlife in the early morning, I kayaked past this sleepy raccoon that was peering out of his den in a tree, high above the waterway:

Raccoon peering out of his den

This image was captured pre-2004, when I was still shooting 35mm slides. I recently began converting some of those slides to digital files. It will take some time to convert my many slides, but I will be featuring some of my fond memories of early nature photography with you, as I get them converted.

By James Braswell | Published March 12, 2024
Posted in: Mammals, Nature Photography, Photography from a kayak | Tags: , ,
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Catch of the Day

Today, I’m featuring an image that was captured at the Loxahatchee NWR in southeast Florida, a number of years ago. While photographing the many water pools of the refuge, this Great Blue Heron proudly displayed his recent catch:

Great Blue Heron with fish

This image was captured pre-2004, when I was still shooting 35mm slides. I recently began converting some of those slides to digital files. It will take some time to convert my many slides, but I will be featuring some of my fond memories of early nature photography with you, as I get them converted.

By James Braswell | Published March 6, 2024
Posted in: Bird Photography, Nature Photography | Tags: ,
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Scattering At Sunset

Today, I’m featuring two more recently converted digital files (from a 35mm slide). These images were captured at the Squaw Creek NWR (now called Loess Bluffs NWR) in northwest Missouri:

Snow Geese Activity during sunset

Snow Geese Activity during sunset

When I lived in the Kansas City area, I visited this wonderful refuge often. And many of the trips included outrageous sunrises/sunsets, like the one featured today. During the winter bird migration, snow geese and bald eagles are typically present, in high numbers.

This image was captured pre-2004, when I was still shooting 35mm slides. I recently began converting some of those slides to digital files. It will take some time to convert my many slides, but I will be featuring some of my fond memories of early nature photography with you, as I get them converted.

By James Braswell | Published March 4, 2024
Posted in: Bird Photography, Nature Photography | Tags: ,
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Two’s Company

Today, I’m featuring another recently converted digital file (from a 35mm slide). After my last post, featuring a female Eastern Collared Lizard, I found and scanned an image of a male and female sunning alongside each other (female on the left), on a lichen-covered rock in the Oklahoma Wichita Mountains, with wildflowers profusely blooming in the background:

Eastern Collared Lizard pair (male on right)

This image was captured pre-2004, when I was still shooting 35mm slides, captured during one of my many photography trips to the Oklahoma Wichita Mountains. I recently began converting some of those slides to digital files. It will take some time to convert my many slides to digital, but I will be featuring some of my fond memories of early nature photography with you, as I get them converted.

By James Braswell | Published February 22, 2024
Posted in: Nature Photography, Reptiles and Amphibians, Travel Photography | Tags: ,
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