Oh Christmas tree ..

Christmas trees are so beautiful.  The best way to capture the warmth of their lighting is on a tripod.  Here is ours, a 19-year old faux blue spruce, shot with my Nikon D40x and Nikkor 18-70mm 3.5-4.5 lens, ISO100, f/3.5 for 0.8s.  (Click on photo to enlarge).  Happy Holidays!

Wednesday, December 21

Its always a magnificent moment to see a raptor, the most intense predator in the avian world.  This adult Sharp Shinned Hawk was in our side yard with its prey, sadly, one of our Sparrows.  I did not want to watch the carnage ... It did get pretty gruesome with feathers flying everywhere.  But the photographer in me would not allow me to look away. Shot with my Nikon D300s and 70-200mm lens.  (Click on photos to enlarge).