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Capturing Alcatraz - iPhone vs Nikon

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Photographed using Nikon Z6iii and Nikkor Z 180-600 mm lens @ 180 mm. Photographed using iPhone 15 Pro, 9 mm (215 mm relative) back camera. These images were taken at different times of day, from different positions, and using different equipment, but I think the results speak for themselves.   The iPhone cameras are generally very good and capable of taking exceptional photos.  The phone is small, fits in your pocket, and can do a multitude of other things besides taking pictures.  The pro version has three different cameras, each one capable of zooming in, and can take a raw image up to 48 mp in resolution.  When reviewing your photos, you have a huge gorgeous screen.  And then there are the editing tools.  The phone cameras can go from ultra-wide to a decent telephoto without changing lenses, packing extra equipment, or spending any extra money. Mirrorless cameras, like my Nikon Z6iii, are fairly large, especially when equipped with a monster lens l...
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California condor - are they worth saving?

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California condor I photographed at the San Diego Zoo, superimposed upon a full moon that I photographed this year. Down to a population of 22 individuals in 1982, California condors were on a fast track to extinction.  As North America's largest bird with a 10-foot wingspan, saving them would be a daunting task.  The birds take 6 to 8 years to mature and then lay only a single egg.  They are vultures and feed on the remains of animals.  Many died from eating lead shot from abandoned kills or from strychnine poisoning when they ate wildlife that had been killed directly or indirectly by the chemical.   And then there were the losses due to direct hunting, either out of ignorance or greed. Protecting them in the wild would be almost impossible, so the unthinkable was done.  Every single bird would be captured and looked after, bred in captivity and released in the wild.  Today there are about 600 individuals; half of them are held captive and the o...
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In photography, is it better to ask for permission or forgiveness?

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I asked this gentleman if I could take his photo before I took it.  He was very accommodating. I have a mixed set of philosophies when shooting with my camera, especially when it is sporting a normal or wide-angle lens.  There is the "where" part and the "who" part. The "where" part is to act like I own the place.  This works most of the time, but it has gotten me into trouble a few times.  It has also allowed me to get photos that would otherwise be unobtainable.  There is a line here, though, that is not to be crossed.  You have to show respect, touch nothing, and be quick.  It also doesn't work in places where they could arrest you - China, for example.  However, asking permission is a better, albeit time-consuming, way to gain access.   Mostly, I grant myself permission to go where I need to. Now, I am not brash, and my "permission" has more to do with the idea of standing out in a crowd rather than trespassing. There is also the saf...
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Royal tern - going grey and bald at the same time

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I photographed these royal terns while visiting San Francisco.  Inset image is not mine. The thing about getting older is that you pay a price with your hair.  The first thing that happens is that you start to lose it, and what remains begins to turn grey.  It seems that royal terns, in a way, suffer from the same fate. Their breeding plumage renders them royal - orange beak, a slick black crown, and smooth feathers presenting gallantry and regality.  After breeding season is finished and they complete their fall moult, it seems they have aged rapidly.  Their bill turns yellow, almost jaundiced; the forehead loses those illustrious black feathers as if they are going bald, and their body plumage seems to have lost its softness, certainly compared to the above photos. If only we humans could resolve our hair issues this way.  My dad and I have both had significant hair loss, with mine being not as bad as my father's but still significant.  Wouldn't it b...
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Long billed curlew - Why would a bird's beak be so very long?

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A long-billed curlew I photographed in San Francisco with a shrimp it just caught. I have to admit to a fascination with shorebirds.  And I was beyond ecstatic when, while walking along Golden Gate Beach, I came across a curlew hunting for food.  Now, I have seen other birds with long bills, such as spoonbills, pelicans, storks, and so on, but the curlew did something I did not at all expect. The long-billed birds I usually see feed by probing the water or substrate's surface.  Not this bird.  It walked along a muddy plane, its feet spread wide to keep it from sinking into the soft mire, and plunged its bill deep into the sediment.  Right up to its eyeballs.  Not an inch or two, all eight or so inches.  And it came up with a prize. Have a look at the three consecutive images below that I took.  You can see that the water is only superficially covering the soft mud.  The curlew plunges its bill deep under the surface, so deep, in fact, that it...
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Sally Lightfoot Crabs - if you can catch one by hand, you're an athlete.

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Sally Lightfoot crabs, also called the red-rock crabs, are not commonly eaten by humans. If you lift rocks up along the BC coast, you will likely find young Dungeness crabs scurrying away to find shelter.  On the Pacific Coast in Mexico, the crabs that are often seen are the Sally Lightfoot crabs.  Also called red-rock crabs, these decapods are inhabitants of rocky shorelines.  The juveniles, photographed above, are often difficult to see as they blend in well with the surfaces they inhabit.  As they grow older, they become a bright red colour and are found less frequently above the waterline.  Click here to see an adult. They are rarely eaten by man, but are frequently preyed upon by predators in nature.  One use of them is for bait in fishing.  The Sally Lightfoot crabs consume surface deposits of algae and phytoplankton.  They also consume a wide variety of invertebrates and will even take their own kind, especially when food is scarce. ...
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Beauty and the beach - visiting Huatulco, Mexico

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A young lady gave me permission to photograph her while we strolled the beaches of Huatulco. If you like sandy beaches, warm sun, and good people, Huatulco is the place to go.  Not that I am a connoisseur of such things, but my short visit there was certainly inspiring. Pronounced wah-TOOL-koh , the town is located in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, along the Pacific coast, near the town of Santa Cruz.  Huatulco itself used to be a small fishing village, but its prime location and excellent beaches have been a magnet for tourists and the cruise ship industry.  We were there only for a day, half a day, actually, but we enjoyed strolling along the sandy coastline. The area around Huatulco has 9 bays and 36 beaches.  Some are close at hand, some require transportation to get to, and others can only be visited by boat.  Whatever your whims, there is a beach for you.  For more information, click here . Safety is important.  My research tells me that Huatulco i...
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