Bohemian Waxwing

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Photos, Travel 13 Comments

Bohemian Waxwing in the Mountain Ash in our backyard, Seward, Alaska.
Bohemian Waxwing on the Mountain Ash in our backyard, Seward, Alaska.

I love these colorful birds, but they sure can be tough to photograph.  Hundreds would descend on the tree at a time, and then they would feed in constant motion.  It was hard to pick a single bird out to photograph.  Then, all it takes is a crow to fly by, and the hundreds leave in a giant mass.  I almost got hit by birds a couple of times!

That pattern was repeated a number of times before I was finally able to get this photo.

I usually use flash for some fill light, but here, because it was so dark, I made it the main light source.

Seward Harbor Sunrise

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Photos, Travel 14 Comments

Seward Boat Harbor at Sunrise, Alaska.

Seward Boat Harbor at Sunrise, Alaska.

This beautiful sunrise was Monday morning. 

This time of year, because the sun rises at such a shallow angle compared to the horizon, the colorful portion of the sunrise lasts 15 minutes or more.  I always have to adjust my thinking when I travel to a place like Arizona.  There the sun rises nearly perpendicular to the horizon, and the best color can disappear after 5 minutes or less.