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Goslings photographed with different ISO and shutter speed settings.  See below for another one. Although the risk of too much noise or too slow a shutter speed will likely always haunt you, the truth is that there is usually a safe option.  In general, a high ISO may reduce an image's quality, but blur will likely ruin it altogether.  Not sure whether to shoot with an ISO of 400 or 800?  Start with 800 and see where it leads.  You can dial values down if the light improves or if you find your shutter speeds are faster than necessary.   There is noise reduction software, both in your camera and in apps like Photoshop, that can reduce noise associated with high ISOs.  Turn on your camera's noise reduction system.  It usually kicks in around ISO 800.  You may want to rethink that though, as the process is non-reversible.  To give you an idea, play with noise reduction software in Photoshop if you can and look at the difference.  ...

Left: Antilles hummingbird & juvenile black tern.  Right:  Juvenile Bonaparte's gull Today's cameras are a far cry from the cameras of old, even going back only 10 years.  There are a multitude of differences, including sensor resolution, processing speed, electronic noise level, and vibration-mitigation technology. The two images on the left were taken with a Nikon D500, which came out in 2016.  Both lenses used had VR (~4 stops compensation).  The right image was taken with a Z6iii, which has built-in VR (~8 stops compensation).  Also, the D500 is a crop-sensor camera (1.5x crop factor) while the Z6iii, which came out in 2024, is a full-frame camera. OK - so, why tell me that?   It comes down to electronic noise.  Electronic noise in a digital image causes reduced definition; details get eroded.  Noise is affected by numerous variables; photographers want to keep noise levels down to maximize details.  The counter to capturing...

A vesper sparrow on a fence post near our campsite in Leduc, Alberta. Although the breeding range of the vesper sparrow is a wide swath across the North American continent, I have only ever seen the species a few times, and only in Alberta.  Its range extends through grasslands and fields where it feeds on grass seeds (among other seeds) and insects.   Vesper sparrows' main field mark for identification is the brown shoulder patch you can see in the photograph I took the other day.  The word "vespers" denotes singing in the evening, often being related to church services with an emphasis on prayer and worship.  Vesper sparrows tend to sing at twilight, which is where the name originated.   Identifying a vesper sparrow in the field may be difficult.  Every vesper sparrow I have ever seen had to be identified after I took the photo, and only when I had time to look at it closely on a monitor.  The photo below shows a vesper sparrow with the tel...

Left:  A tachinid fly is unaware of the nearby spider.  Right:  A flower crab spider. I think the above scene illustrates the situations we get ourselves into from time to time, when we are completely unaware of the danger around us.  Or perhaps we are aware, but are so used to the fact that we no longer heed it.  I think both are true. In the first instance, it is impossible to know what lurks in the mind of our fellow man.  Or, while walking along a trail, what creatures may be nearby without our knowledge.  In the second instance, driving down the highway poses tremendous risk.  Yet we do it without much attention to the fact that tons of metal are flying past us mere feet away.  The truth is that the Spectre of Death is just around the corner.  Yet, life goes on.  It has to; we have little choice. In the animal kingdom, survival is achieved through a myriad of means.  It comes down to being more about the species rather tha...

My dad and Roberta.  She was his soulmate.  He was her rock. My dad taught me what it means to be faithful and stoic in difficult times.  His first marriage, to my mom, was challenging due to her alcoholism and emotional burdens.  Despite the serious hardships he suffered, he stood the course.  She stopped drinking in 1980 and passed away 17 years later.  She died, as my dad would say, a friend to him. He met and married his second wife a few years later.  Unfortunately, she developed Alzheimer's three years later and passed away after 6 years of marriage to my dad.  She was the love he never knew; it was obvious she healed much of the torment he felt.  Then came Roberta. If there was ever a couple who were meant to be together, it was Roberta and my dad.  Like-minded, with a love of exploration, they travelled the country together.  I took the above photo of them while we were camping together in Oregon.  I shot the inset when...

A mated pair of red-necked grebes building up their nest; notice the egg on the left. I had the good fortune to come across a mated pair of red-necked grebes that were attending to their nest with a single egg.  They were stacking reeds on and around it to build it in height and size.  You can see the farthest right bird with a reed.  The center bird had just placed one.  They would dive and root around for something and bring it up.  The reeds were all dead, probably from last year.  I shot a video of their activities; I am putting it in a compilation I am making on Red-necked grebes. The female will likely lay another egg within the next day or two, and then more after that, spaced out in a similar manner.  I have never seen more than 3 chicks with their parents, but clutch sizes may range up to nine eggs.  Both parents incubate the eggs and tend to the young. The eggs hatch asynchronously,  the young being spread apart in age.  The yo...