The influx of owls has been well documented both around New England, and around the nation, and these birds have been garnering a ton of attention. I was fortunate to get some shots of the birds at Hampton Beach before they became an attraction, as getting a shot going forward is going to become increasingly difficult due to the crowds of observers.

Owl on a Distant Rooftop from Hampton Beach

Wildlife photography is a touchy thing. It required a large amount of time, a great deal of patience, and some rather specialized equipment. The less specialized your equipment, the more time and patience you need to get the shot. You have to slowly earn an animals trust, and move slowly in until you get the shot, being careful never to cause the animal any stress. I’ve been putting in the time for sure, probably gaining about two dozen trips to see the owls, and witnessing some great behavior…hunting, resting, flying and once witnessed two owls sparring mid air.

However, with other folks around, I generally consider it rude to slide in towards the owl while others are enjoying the sight of it, or getting their shots with far more specialized glass. This has limited my ability to get shots, and has honestly changed my mindset when visiting the birds, back to the purest form of being a naturalist. I’ve been observing, watching, asking questions, and getting great answers from the more experienced birders in the state, who are there every weekend.

Watching and experiencing nature is why I became a photographer, as I wanted to share and inspire and protect. Some experiences are tough to share, but are the type of experiences that have been instrumental and formative in my desire to photograph. Perhaps, it’s important for everyone to know that as well as my photographs convey an approximate reality, there’s nothing like being there yourself!

This year, I set out some goals at the beginning of the year for myself, and for the most part, I’m pretty happy about how those goals have been achieved.  I spent a lot of time in bogs and with orchids, and got golden hour shots from Wildcat and Pierce.  I got my Chocorua shot, and refocused on the Isreal River lupines.  Of recent, autumn and early winter have allowed me minimal time to shoot, but I’m hoping that will change as we embark into 2011. 

And with that, I present my Top 10 in chronological order!

Carter Notch Fox:
Early in the year, I led the high school outing club to Carter Notch Hut for a winter overnight.  We awoke to find this guy rooting around the bunkhouses for scraps.  A bit of crawling around at a low angle eventually yielded this opportunity.  If shot a number of foxes over the years, and this is definitely among my favorite experiences and shots!

Carter Notch Fox

Observing the Undercast:
My photographic life came full circle this winter when I was afforded an assignment gig with the Mount Washington Observatory, where I started my professional interest in photography.  The conditions on the day I arrived were perfect, and I was fortunate enough to catch this classic shot of an observer looking towards Lakes of the Clouds Hut.  I will be teaching a workshop at the summit in March, I’ll post details here soon.

Observing the Undercast

 Spring at the Heath:
The remainder of winter, I made some nice sunrise hikes, but most I want to repeat this winter to improve the shots.  The next shot that really strikes me from the year was this rainy day at Saco Heath in Maine.  What a treasure of a landscape this area is.  The rhodora was perfect in bloom, and the weather ideal for a spring shot.  Might go back here this spring on a clear, misty morning, but I love the feel of this one!

Spring at the Heath

Presidential Lupines:
I don’t think I’ll ever tire of shooting the Lupines in Northern NH.  The main area for shooting them is in Franconia, but there are fields of them everywhere north of the notches, and I found this one in Jefferson.  I had just about packed in for the night, and was driving back when the sun found away to light up the highest of clouds.  In my next post, I’ll highlight some goals for 2011, but I want to continue a personal project of views of Mount Washington.  Scenes like this are why that range inspires me so much!

Presidential Lupines

Dew on Grass Pink Orchid:
This is the second year in a row I’ve included a Grass Pink in my “Best Of” collection.  Simply, it’s a beautiful flower that grows in places that are so incredibly unique, that I cherish the opportunity to shoot them every year.  This was in the Philbrick-Cricenti Bog in New London, on a calm, still morning with a bit of mist hanging in the air.  The breeze of course picked up soon after, limiting opportunity, but I don’t think this one was to be topped anyway!

Dew on Grass Pink Orchid

 Sunrise in Prescott Park:
I don’t shoot many cultivated landscapes, but the gardens at Prescott Park in Portsmouth, NH is one spectacular place for gardens.  I had this week circled for a while, as it was the week when the sun shone right into the park, and was fortunate enough to come away with this shot with the sun rising over the water!

Sunrise in Prescott Park

Lafayette Pair:
I had a great overnight stay at Greenleaf Hut in August, and ran up to the summit for sunrise.  The color and tone of the sky about 20 minutes before dawn was really striking, and the ridges between the Franconia Ridge and Mount Washington had a beautiful warm/cool contrast in their gradient in color.  I feel that the peace of the calm morning that I experienced on the ridge comes through in the first shot.  The dramatic shot came an hour later at breakfast, when the warm coffee hit the cold air of the hut, and sun streamed in the window during breakfast.  Brings me right back to all the great moments I’ve had in the backcountry of the Whites!

Washington from Lafayette

Godrays in Greenleaf

 Hurricane Earl at Portland Head:
A dramatic shot of LARGE breakers coming into Portland Head Lighthouse is on my must shoot list every year, and yet it still eludes me.  This storm was no exception, as the waves generated by Earl just lacked the punch we expected upon arrival.  Fortunately, with a bunch of photographers there that morning, we found mutual inspiration, and I slowed down the exposure to capture this neat frame.  I like that it looks and conveys a feeling of power…without actually being all that powerful!

Hurricane Earl at Portland Head

Chocurua Lake:
One of the most photographed scenes in New England, and I don’t have a decent autumn shot of it.  And not for a lack of trying…I’ve been to the lake well over a dozen times, in all conditions, trying for the perfect shot.  And every time I went there, it wasn’t a place I could shoot elsewhere…so I was getting rather frustrated.  Finally, this October, all the conditions came together!  My Chocorua Shot!

Chocorua Lake

Thanks for taking this journey through the year in pictures with me!  To a safe, happy and beautiful 2011!

Yesterday I went to Portland Head Lighthouse, looking for an iconic shot during the remnants of Hurricane Earl. The storm was a bit of a disappointment, a bit out to sea, and well weakened by the time it made it past Long Island. The state of the ocean was beyond choppy, but lacked the power and size that we had hoped for. High tide came at 7:30AM, and in the rapidly drying conditions, I found myself shooting with dozens of other photographers hoping for their own dream shot of the coastal beacon.

Photographers in this location line up at a few classic spots, set up their tripods, snap their picture and move on. These classic shots always offer perfect compositions, and yesterday, an engaging sea and story. This type of shooting doesn’t satisfy me though…and I always try for something different. Here are some examples of how I made some unique shots yesterday.

Change Location:
The fence lines corral people into getting the same shots. Line up at the fence, get your shot, and move on. But there’s lots of room on both sides of the fences for creativity. On the near side, about 10 feet back, is a great patch of goldenrod to use as a foreground. On the far side, you get closer perspectives to the water…and it doesn’t involve an increased risk in most situations. Yesterday, I hopped the fence, and grabbed this shot, impossible from the standard locations.

Long Exposure of Earl's Swirls Beyond the Fence Line

Experiment With Exposure:
While the waves were larger than normal, they were not epic large waves that would stand on their own at this location that is captured every storm. My first few shots, with exposures that froze the action were really lacking, so I stacked a couple of ND filters and increased the exposure time to 5 to 15 seconds. This allowed the waves to move through the shot, and more swirling look. All of my favorite shots yesterday were multiple Mississippi snaps.

Tricks With Time:
Moving locations once again to the far side of the lighthouse, I found a cobble beach, where each crashing wave would cover, uncover and rearrange the rocks. The sound was amazing, but the action allowed some classic camera trickery. With a well timed long six second exposure, the rocks were above water for three seconds, and under water for three seconds, giving the scene this mysterious look to it.

Tricks With Time...Waves Over Rocks

Adding People:
While I focus on high quality, artistic captures in dramatic light and atmosphere, shock style shots shouldn’t be ignored. With the right touch, you can combine both styles. Here’s a long exposure of the two photographers I shot with yesterday, Glen Taylor (foreground) and Brad Bradstreet (Cliff Next To Lighthouse). People add perspective, scale and stories to any picture, and while it’s uncommon for them to be sold at art shows, I like having them in my portfolio.

Hurricane Earl - People in the Landscape

I’m thrilled with these shots here, but have even greater plans for subsequent visits to this location…now I just need a bigger storm, and a dramatic sunrise to do them. Hey, if it were easy, everyone would have a shot of this location, right!