I have just 30 more days to make it happen. Shooting in this competition has been much more demanding than I originally thought. I’ve been driving the 100+ miles round trip out to the ranch at least 5 days a week for months now. It’s my JOB! At least thats the way it feels…

They’ve changed the name of this photo competition. What used to be the Coastal Bend Wildlife Photo Competition is now called  Wildlife in Focus. These folks have done a great job getting this organized. They’ve finally announced the judging panel, and I personally know two of the judges. Not that it matters or will it impact anything in a positive way for me. All of the judging will be double-blinded. I have an identification number that will be part of the file name of every one of the 100 images I plan to submit.

This is a throwaway image…but it has a story. Wade Grassedonio…owner of the Texas Photo Ranch, and a participant in this competition…was telling me he wants to make an image of a Cattle Egret on the back of a cow. I kinda-sorta hurt his feeling when I told him it was PROBABLY the most common Cattle Egret pose known to man! I sent him this image and I don’t think he has forgiven me yet!

I’ve always like this image, and we had him hanging in the living room of our place in Rockport. I needed something to place in the Member’s Gallery at the Rockport Center for the Arts this month, and Sharon suggested I take in the Pintail Drake. I was hesitant, but finally decided to do it. I put him in a nice floating frame and took him down to the RCA.

Well, in less than two weeks he sold! I’m hoping he’s hanging in a place of honor in some discriminating patron of the art’s home!

I toured the ranch in my Jeep and tried to focus…pun intended… on doing some macro stuff. I did find a couple of things that might just work!  I ended up in the “77″ photo blind to have lunch and try to call some birds in. I heard a turkey gobble pretty close, and returned his call with my iBird Pro iPhone app. I was getting a return gobble from him pretty regularly. I thought he had moved on when all of a sudden four turkeys strutted into the scene. This image isn’t competition quality, but I like the curious expression. I do have better ones that will make the contest!

I’ll be heading back to the ranch in a bit. The forecast is for more of the same, but I’ll take my chances. More later…SEF

As I mentioned in my last post, I was asked to serve as a Liaison for several of the Event Leaders. The speakers/presenters I had the privilege of working with were outstanding…Larry Ditto…Sean Fitzgerald...Kathy Adams Clark.  I did two field trips and two workshops with Larry, and workshops with Sean and Kathy.

When I wasn’t helping with a field trip or workshop, I was allowed to audit any course being offered. I enjoy attending workshops with both Kevin Karlson and Tim Timmis.

I hope the organizers of FeatherFest will invite me back next year…SEF

I was asked by my friend Barbara Rabek to serve as a Liaison for the 2013 Galveston Island FeatherFest. My job will be to assist the presenters during a couple of workshops and field trips. I was assigned to help some real pros…folks I really respect. More on this later…

I’ll be driving down to the Island tomorrow AM to get registered. I’ll spend the day checking out the equipment vendors and do some serious “meeting and greeting”. This will be fun…SEF

Every spring and fall, all of the cattle on the Texas Photo Ranch are rounded up…a census taken…inoculations of all kinds administered…general health assessed…and a LOT more! Cattle are really different…especially beef cattle. Of course I have a soft spot in my heart for the calves.

There were cowboys, horses, 4-wheelers, herding dogs, and a lot more different things on the ranch yesterday. I know that I’ve probably bored everyone to death about the Coastal Bend Wildlife Photo Contest, but one of the categories is “Ranch Operations”. I think I can participate in that category now! These are just a few of the couple of hundred images I made yesterday. I’ll post more on my Facebook page…SEF

A lot of my “shooter friends” talk about “birds on a stick” a LOT. There seems to come a time in one’s progress as a competent nature/wildlife photographer that shooting BOAS is boring, tiring, uncreative, and pretty much a waste of time. They’d (We’d) MUCH rather shoot some exciting flight shot…aerial bird combat…or a bird doing something OTHER than just being a bird.

“Bird Porn” is even a term tossed around…and it not what you think. These are the “perfect bird” images. EVERYTHING is perfect…the exposure…the lightning…the perch…the head angle…no worn feathers…no visible background…and on and on! A classical  example of the species…

Well you know what? I still like making BOAS images…and my clients seem to LOVE them. They buy them! I do a lot of bird photography simply because i like birds. I like EVERYTHING about shooting…photographically speaking…birds. It’s not unlike staring at an aquarium…your blood pressure drops…you relax…it’s FUN!

Stephen Fisher Photography has been juried into the 2013 Rockport Art Festival. I got the confirming email yesterday…and I’m HAPPY! This annual festival is one of the best shows anywhere.

Even though it’s a MILLION degrees hot over the Fourth of July weekend, fine art buyers flock to Rockport, TX.  I was fortunate to make this show last year, and it really added a boost to my photography business. I feel very fortunate to have been selected this year.

OK…So now I have to start planning for this. But first…I need to have a couple of strong months finishing up the Coast Bend Wildlife Photo Contest. More later

I was looking forward to a WORKING vacation. I don’t go anywhere without a camera. I had some preconceived shots in mind, but really wanted to try something unique for me. If I’m going to grow as a photographer, I need to try different things. I love to shoot “birds on a stick”! That genre of images has been VERY good to me. It pays the bills for Stephen Fisher Photography…

I tried to expand my vision in Santa Fe. This is such a special place. The light wasn’t perfect…but it was pretty close to it! I was looking to capture my version of “the essence of Santa Fe”. I’m kinda-sorta pleased. Please take a look at my Santa Fe  gallery here on the website.

I had the pleasure of visiting some great local galleries and exhibitions. The Monroe Gallery was a real return to my youth. Just about every iconic Life magazine image I can remember was hanging here. The Andrew Smith Gallery was inspirational. I had the pleasure of seeing a BUNCH of Ansel Adam’s original work . We also spent a few hours touring the Georgia O’Keefe Museum. Seeing her sketches, art, and personal effects was a highlight of the trip.

I’ll be back in Santa Fe soon. I was comfortable there…it felt like home to me.

Sharon and I are going over to Santa Fe for a long weekend. We’re leaving Houston on Wednesday (tomorrow) and I can’t wait. Of course I’m taking a bunch of photo gear with me. It’ll do me good to get away from the “critters” and do some landscape and cityscape work. I can’t think of a better place right now than New Mexico.

I’m not taking any big glass. I’ll have a 17-40mm wide-angle and my new 100mm macro Canon lenses with a Canon 5D Mark III body.  I have assigned myself several projects for this trip, and hope to get something NEW and DIFFERENT for my portfolio. We’ll see how I do…SEF