Game Winner – Salvador Perez Of The Kansas City Royals

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I don’t get to shoot sports all that much but that’s not to say that I don’t enjoy it.  Being a long time fan of the Kansas City Royals baseball team, we make a point to try and attend a game or two every year.  Sometimes we settle for some local, minor league action, which my family enjoys just as much.

One major difference though photographically is the lighting.  The major leagues, as you might guess, have excellent lighting throughout the parks.  In this particular case I had the Olympus EM1 Mark II camera along with the Panasonic 100-400 lens.  This is a good, light, long-reaching, versatile lens, but I wish I had brought along my Olympus 40-150 2.8 instead.  I think it would have suited the situation as well or better and been sharper.

Nevertheless, I came away with some images that I liked, including this bottom of the ninth, two out, full count, game winner from catcher Sal Perez.  He put it out over center field and the crowd went wild.  As a Royals fan, it was a great way to end a very competitive game!

Snowy Owl Portrait

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During the winter of 2017-2018, we were blessed here in Iowa to have an invasion of Snowy Owls.  Although these winter visitors could never be called numerous here, ever handful of  years, conditions up north on the arctic tundra and around Hudson Bay, get rough so many young owls head farther south.  

It would be hard to say how many owls in total are seen here in the midwest during an invasion…most birds aren’t tagged or marked in anyway so you don’t know if you’re seeing the same bird just moving around or if there are multiple birds in an area.  The latter was proven in the Davenport Iowa area when 3 birds were spotted on the same day in different locations, almost simultaneously.  

This particular female spent a lot of time around the airport grounds…as many of these owls tend to do, because the property is flat and wide open, much like their native tundra.  On this evening, my wife and I spent about 20 minutes in close proximity to the bird…she was at ease the entire time as we stayed in the vehicle and used that more or less as a viewing blind.

I’m sad to report that several months later, this bird was found injured, either from a vehicle strike (there was a terribly busy intersection nearby), or perhaps from an impact with a fence or post…but her wing was injured and became infected before she was picked up.  She was ultimately euthanized to end her suffering.  Although she had faired well enough through several months here, she unfortunately did not depart for her northern home soon enough.

For the winter season Iowa, over 30 owls were found dead or injured, many from vehicle strikes.  That certainly indicates that on invasion years, Iowa can see quite a few snowy owls come in….and unfortunately most are not well equipped to deal with all of the hazards of modern life here. 

Mitchell B-25 Bomber – “Show Me”

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I’m a fan of aircraft and airshows.  I don’t find myself biased in terms of modern day jets or old prop driven antiques…I like them all.  In my youth though, I must admit, I had an affinity for the planes of the WWII era.  And few stood out more than the Mitchell B25.

This medium sized bomber is well known as the platform that Billy Mitchell used in a surprise attack on the Japanese mainland…taking off from an aircraft carrier.  It was a monumental feat at the time.

There are still a fair number of B25’s still flying today.  One great example is this one…”Show Me’ from the Missouri arm of the Commemorative Air Force.  It is always a treat to see her fly.

Atomic Tree – Cones Marsh Iowa

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This image reminds me of a couple of things.  First, at times it’s hard to beat the Iowa sunsets.  This late-day shot was taken after a day of rain and thunderstorms.  This however was not the photograph I had expected to get.

To the north of this location, lies a shallow marsh and pond, that at the time, was loaded with blooming lilies.  The storm clouds over this pool looked very nice and my intention was to go to the marsh and shoot that if it looked good…and it did.  

While I shot away though, I did actually look around a bit, and behind me I saw the golden orange clouds and light taking shape, so I thought it might be worth it to run down a tree line to an open area and see what developed.  And this image is what came from all that. 

It’s just a good reminder to always keep an eye on the scene behind you.  I can get so locked in to just working with what’s in front of me, that I forget everything else.  How much might we miss by doing that?

Bald Eagle – The Grand Wingover

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As you watch Bald Eagles go through their daily routines, habits, and flight patterns, you’re left with moments of extremes.  Winter eagles can do a lot of sitting around.  But it’s not out of laziness.  It’s to conserve vital energy that will only be sustained by ample food.  

This isn’t to say you’ll never see eagles fly around…some fly a lot more than others, but I think the wise old ones are judicious about it.  They sit and rest a lot, and then go to town when they need to find something to eat.  

So this leads us to the other extreme of eagle behaviors.  In flight they can be powerful, agile, wickedly fast for a large bird, and when hunting, they will twist and dive, getting the perfect angle on a fish below…they make a final run in, feet hanging down, wings buffeting the winds and controlling every angle of descent, until they pluck the fish from the water in one, quick strike.

Many people love to get the birds, pulling fish from the water…it’s the ultimate shot in this action sequence.  I feel the same way of course but I also like to catch them at the very beginning of their hunting run…and that often includes a dramatic wingover like this one.  It’s a way to curb speed and direct their forward flight, downward, and ultimately in any fine-tuned direction they need to go.  I think I have come to enjoy the wingovers more than any other move they make these days…I loo for them all the time and am happy when I catch one that looks this good.

Balanced Rock Sunset – Arches National Park

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The first time through Arches National Park near Moab Utah can be a little overwhelming.  There is a lot to see…many formations and arches, and each one uniquely different from the others.    

This was a very fast and brief stopover, but it gave us time to look around a little bit and get to know the place better.  One of the iconic spots that is very accessible is Balanced Rock.  I dare to think how many photos have been taken of this formation but it’s probably 10’s of thousands by now.  

The park was first established as a national monument back in 1929, and designated as a national park in 1971.  For many years it had a few seasonal visitors but with increasing exposure, much of it coming from Edward Abbey’s excellent book Dessert Solitaire, awareness of the wonders here grew quite quickly.  Abbey was a park ranger here for a time and came to know the area well.  

The image above was taken pointing west as the sun set.  It was the last, and probably best image I got the entire day.