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Garden tiger moth, and a macro setup.

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Photographed with extension tubes, a 105 mm macro lens, and a macro flash. I have enjoyed making macro photos for over 40 years now, first with my Nikon FE2 and 55 mm macro lens and later with my Nikon D-series cameras, 105 mm macro lens, and SB200 macro flashes.  Somewhere along the way, I discovered that adding an extension tube to my 105 and using a crop-sensor camera added to the system's magnification. I recently switched over to a mirrorless system, so my camera of choice for macro is a crop-sensor Zfc body and Nikon's Z105 mm lens.  I also use extension tubes, about 25 mm, which allows me to focus a bit closer.  Of course, this means that I can't focus at infinity anymore, but I can live with that, as I rarely need it when my mind is set on macro mode.  Of course, I can always pull the extension tubes off if I'm in a pinch. Although you can do macro photography without a flash, my best photos are done with a dedicated macro flash.  There are lots of them ...
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Portraits with modest telephoto lenses

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Kathryn at Kelowna's Canada Day celebration.  Left:  135 mm @ f/2.5    Right:  f/10 I used a full-frame mirrorless camera and an f/1.8 135 mm lens to photograph my wife on Canada Day.  The high cloud meant there was very little shadow; fill flash wasn't needed.  I took a variety of shots ranging from f/1.8 to f/16.  The two above were taken at f/2.5 (left) and f/10 (right). Depth of field is influenced by many factors, but the main ones to consider are the aperture (f/number) and the focal length of the lens.  Relative focal length plays a role as well when using crop-sensor cameras, although the end results are similar.  The smaller the sensor, the higher the crop-factor.  You get more depth of field at any given relative focal length and aperture setting compared to the same settings on a full-frame camera. Some of my best portraits were done with modest telephoto lenses at low apertures.  At the low end of the scale is a goo...
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Canada Day - Kelowna

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Kathryn and Eric at Kelowna's Canada Day celebration.  Charles came too. We arrived early to find parking in downtown Kelowna.  It was a good thing, because there were few spots available half an hour before the activities began.  The crowds, initially small, rapidly grew in size so that there was barely standing room along the main pathways within a couple of hours.  The mood was upbeat, the venders and volunteers enthusiastic, and the weather perfect.   There was far too much to see in the four hours we spent walking around the site.  Canada flags were everywhere; we even had them applied to our faces.  Music filled the air, with solo artists and bands adding joy to the upbeat crowd.  There were also upright pianos located at various spots along the walkways where anyone with a little knowledge could apply it to the waiting keys.  Activities for the kids, food, and the joy of living in Canada brought us all together. Snippets of Canada...
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Warbling vireo - How exactly do you "warble"?

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A warbling vireo near Merritt, BC. "The warbling vireo is one of the most abundant and familiar breeding birds in deciduous stands throughout most of British Columbia" (quote from BC breeding bird atlas ).   I find this statement odd, in that I have lived in BC now for almost 40 years and this is the first one I have ever photographed.   Warbling refers to "the act of singing or producing a melodious sound with rapid changes in pitch, vibration, or tone" (from Merriam-Webster).  If you listen to the song ( click here for video ), you will notice that the bird does indeed warble. The warbling vireo has been split into two species, the western and the eastern species.  They look similar and can be difficult to tell apart.  I photographed this bird near Merritt, BC, so it is likely a western warbling vireo.  There is a great image of both birds here .  The differences are minute, and I can't be sure that it is the western variety, but it makes s...
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Keeping in touch with old friends by spending time together.

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Eric, Kathryn, and Steve in Edmonton, Alberta. People move.  Times change.  Family, work, health, and life - they get in the way of keeping in touch.  But that doesn't mean those who once were an important part of your life have to disappear.  You can renew, refresh, and reaffirm those relationships by using that rare commodity we all covet - time. The first thing is that you can't keep in touch with everyone.  You have to be selective.  I keep in touch with those who are interested in me/us.  If people appear disinterested, dismissive, or emotionally distant, that's a good sign that trying to maintain a relationship just won't work out.  That's OK, although I have to admit it hurts, especially when you thought you were an important part of their lives.  You have to move on. The next thing is to touch base once in a while.  A phone call.  Mail (remember that?).  Electronic connections.  But the best way is being as direct ...
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American goldfinch on salsify - again!

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Salsify flower "bending" to the will of an American Goldfinch near Didsbury, Alberta. Salsify is an edible plant related to sunflowers.  The one in the photo above is yellow salsify, a common weed I see everywhere.  Like dandelions, the plant is edible and has a long taproot, similar to a carrot.  The plant is originally from Eurasia, but that hasn't kept American goldfinches from enjoying it. I photographed a goldfinch a few years ago on a salsify flower that was about to go to seed.  Goldfinches relish the small seeds found in these flowers, along with thistle seeds and niger seeds at bird feeders.  The photo is below, and the link is here to my blog on the image.   American Goldfinch on salsify, 2024. The difference between the two photos is time, not only in the year but in the season.  The top image was taken a few days ago in Alberta's early summer when the bird's plumage is a little less worn, and the flower hasn't started seed production ...
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Another hairy woodpecker nest, chick, and dad at Nose Hill Park, Calgary

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Male hairy woodpecker (left), chick (center), and feeding chick (right). It has been a unique year for finding woodpecker nests.  While camping in Wabamun Provincial Park earlier this year, I found and photographed a hairy woodpecker nest ( click here  for blog).  Today, while visiting Calgary, I found and photographed another hairy woodpecker nest and chick.  I also photographed bush tit nests early this spring, although they were from the previous year ( click here for blog).   Downy woodpeckers are much smaller than their similar-looking cousins, the hairy woodpeckers.  I had the good opportunity to photograph both species a couple of years ago while hiking Telford Lake in Leduc ( click here for blog).  It can be hard to tell them apart; at first I thought it was a downy woodpecker, but the bill length tells me otherwise. The chicks of woodpeckers make a repeating high-pitched noise, almost sounding like "we-we-we-we."  Every woodpecker n...
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