Photographing the Desert

I have grown to love the desert, but sometimes I find it difficult to photograph in ways that really capture the beauty that I see.  Parts of Big Bend Ranch State Park are dramatically beautiful because of the viewpoints overlooking eroded canyons where it feels like you can see forever.  Photographing to capture that wide expanse sometimes falls short because what your eye is appreciating can look small and insignificant in a photograph.

I used my 100-400mm lens at 190mm to zoom in to get a better view of the ridges and canyons in the distance.

Here is the wider angle shot with my 24-105mm lens at 45mm.  Now the foreground becomes more important and the canyons seem far, far away.  The challenge with the wide angle shot is to move around and find interesting things in the foreground to capture the interest of your viewer and lead them into the image.  In this shot so much of the foreground is typically desert "busy" but that one yucca works to anchor the image.  This gives your viewer something that grabs the eye and hopefully encourages them to continue exploring the image.

This next shot was also taken with the 24-105mm at 45mm, but I have changed location with the yucca a much more prominent feature in the image. I am closer to the yucca but the camera was also closer to the ground.  This gives more detail to the other plants on the desert floor and removes the cluttered look at the lower left hand side of the image above.

I moved around more because I wanted to see if I could get one of the ocotillos as a point of interest in the image.  I changed to 67mm on the lens. One of the things I don't like in this image is that yucca stalk that creeps into the image on the left. I kept moving around trying to find the perfect spot so it would not be in the image. Yes, I can clone it out, but I prefer to do as much as I can to get the best images in the camera.

Each of these images tells a slightly different story about this scene.  Which one do you like best?

Big Bend Ranch State Park - Shooting for HDR

Over the years, I have learned that discipline is a very important part of photography. Many times I have arrived at my photographic destination at the "right" time, but it feels like I am getting "nothing." I chimp at the photos I've taken and I think I've had a bust.  But then, after I get home and start doing the post processing, I find that my discipline to keep shooting, bracketing for HDR (High Dynamic Range), pays off. 

Here is the final image:

Here are the two images used to create it.

Sometimes my HDR work is intended to depict what my eyes saw and what the camera can not capture in one image.  Sometimes, using the available software, the image moves beyond what my eye saw to an artistic interpretation.  

I recently bought the NIK Software package with an updated HDR Efex Pro 2.  This version is MUCH faster and still gives a lot of choices for the final tone mapping.  I added some sharpening and additional saturation to give that beautiful sunrise glow. For some photography markets, it probably has too much post processing to qualify.  But . . .  I think it will make a good print.

Sauceda Lodge Bunkhouse

Unfortunately, I did not take any photos of the bunkhouse, but it deserves mention in this series of blogs about Big Bend Ranch State Park. On the outside, it looks like a big metal building with a great porch with wagon wheel seating.  Walk inside and it is an inviting great room with a dining area for about 40 and a sitting area around a fireplace. On the right are the entrances to the men and women's sections.  When I heard bunkhouse, I was expecting camp like facilities with literal bunk beds.  Instead, each corridor has little open "rooms" with two twin beds.  There is space under each bed to store your belongings. the bathroom with showers and toilets are on the end.

The big great room is a great place to meet other people from park rangers to other guests.  One park ranger who was getting his morning coffee gave us excellent ideas on where to go for the day.  There was one other visitor, a geology enthusiast who shared his knowledge of the geology of the park at the end of the day.

Meal service is available from the kitchen Friday through Mondays. Prior reservations no later than seven days ahead of arrival with prepayment are required.  Call the Big Bend Ranch 423-358-4444 for reservations.  Breakfast is at 8 a.m. Lunch is at noon. Dinner is served at 5:30 p.m. Because we knew we would spend most of our day exploring and photographing, we did not eat one of the meals. The bunkhouse kitchen is not available for guests, but there is a refrigerator and microwave.  There was also ice tea and coffee available.

The bunkhouse is a comfortable, reasonably priced place to stay at the Big Bend Ranch State Park.  Its informal atmosphere allows pleasant interaction with other visitors and staff.  We were there during spring when the weather was cool, but I did see air conditioning units.

Sauceda Ranch House - Big Bend Ranch State Park

The main road to the interior of the Big Bend Ranch State Park is wide, unpaved and suitable for high ground clearance two wheel drive cars. However, the washboards and the desert washes make it rough.  I recommend only traveling on it with vehicles with sturdy suspensions.  It winds through beautiful volcanic, igneous rock formations.  The roads past the Sauceda Headquarters require high ground clearance rugged 4 wheel drive vehicles as well as special permits from the park.  This is desert country, so plenty of water is critical for travel here.  

After a 27 mile drive on a graded but bumpy washboard road, arrival at the Sauceda Headquarters is a welcome site.  The state park employees offer a cheerful greeting and help you get settled in.  If you are going to go on the true jeep roads, you will need to read through an orientation to the park with all the safety concerns and obtain a permit for travel.  

There are three choices for lodging in the center of the park: the Sauceda Ranch House, the Bunk House and primitive camping along the jeep roads.   

The Sauceda Ranch house was built in 1908 and remodeled in the 1940's. A careful observer will note that the kitchen and one of the bedrooms seems to be an addition to the original structure.  

After entering the adobe fenced area, a delightful screened porch welcomes you to spend time. 

The large living area has a television and games for entertainment.  While there is limited Wifi available at the bunkhouse, this is a good place to disconnect from the outside world and savor a simpler lifestyle for a few days.

The dining room is large enough for families to gather at the end of the day for good food, fellowship, and sharing of the day's adventures.

The kitchen is large and has all the utensils and plates for serving.  If guests plan ahead, prepared food is available in the bunkhouse dining room.

The three bedrooms are tastefully decorated with Texas ranch country themes.

There is one bedroom with one bed and the other two bedrooms have 2 beds.

Each bedroom has a fireplace for cold nights.

Pricing is reasonable. Reservations are made through the Austin state office: 512-389-3919.

I did not see air conditioning for summer months, but the house is true adobe with thick walls and great windows for cross ventilation.

It was a delight to spend one night here.  I hope to come back again with more nights at this elegant historic home.

Least Bittern

At the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center in Port Aransas, there were several least bitterns that were less secretive than other least bitterns I've seen. I saw at least 2 and one stayed right next to the boardwalk to the delight of my fellow shorebird field trip buddies.

I had seen least bitterns here a year or so ago and last summer at Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge. The one at Anahuac disappeared into the reeds at the sound of my camera clicks.  The ones today gave us good opportunities to look and photograph.  I hadn't realized how large their feet are in relation to their small body size. Least bitterns are the smallest of the heron egret family.  They are found mostly along the coast.  I think they are one of the most beautifully colored of the herons and egrets with the green heron a close second.

Perseid Meteor Shower 2013

Photographing meteor showers means staying awake between midnight and dawn in a dark place far from city lights.  Mason, Texas was my choice this year and my photographer friend, Nancy Damrom joined me in this adventure.

Because this year's Perseid meteor shower peaked on Monday afternoon, we photographed both early Monday morning and early Tuesday morning.

Our location was the Lindsay Ranch which has hunting cabins for rent with access to their 700 acre ranch.

The first night we set up near the windmill.

The second night we wanted to have trees in our composition.

In our night driving and while we sat waiting for meteors we saw ringtail, skunks, armadillos, deer, and burros.  The night was filled with sounds of crickets and tree frogs.

It was well worth shifting the sleep schedule for a couple of days to spend time watching the beautiful Milky Way waiting for meteors to streak across the sky.  God's creation is a wonder to behold!

Eckert James River Bat Cave Preserve

Last Thursday, I finally had a chance to visit the Eckert James River Bat Cave near Mason, Texas.  My friend and I arrived a little before 7:00 and there was already a stream of bats flying over the river valley.  There were three hawks successfully hunting the bats as we watched.  We grabbed our camera gear and headed up the 1500 foot trail leading up the hill to the entrance to the cave. It is an uphill climb, but it is not too steep. A flashlight would be useful if you stayed until dark to come back down.   When we arrived at the entrance, it was such a pleasant place.  Wooden benches provide comfortable seating in a grove of trees for shade.  The cave opens such that an earlier arrival might have given opportunity for the bats to have natural sunlight for better lighting of their small furry bodies.  I am hoping for my next visit to arrive at 6:00 p.m. when the gates open.

We arrived just as the first set of bats were leaving.  While waiting we saw what was identified as a white racer snake  moving along the other side of the small cliff.

 After waiting patiently the next wave of bats began to fly out.  WOW!  The air in front of the seats was filled with bats!  I believe that this is the closest I've ever been to the bats as they leave their roosts.  It felt like they were coming within about 5 feet of us and we could hear the sound of the thousands of wings.

I had brought both my 28-105 mm lens and my 100-400 lens.  The bats were flying so fast that it was hard to get a good focus with the longer lens.  But even with the 28-105 mm lens, you can see the translucent wings and small bodies as the bats circled the entrance to the cave before leaving the area.

The bats fly very close to you. Some even landed in the little bushes in front of us.  Two snakes were hunting these bats in the bushes near us.  From one of my photos, they had success.

I tried a different angle also with the 28-105mm to get both the silhouettes of the closer bats but also the ribbon of bats flying off to feed.

The Eckert James River Bat Cave is either the 2nd or 3rd largest bat colony with both Mexican Free-tailed bats and Cave Myotis. Approximately 4-6 million bats live in a natural cavern only slightly larger than a school bus.   The Mexican Free-tails exit in a swirling circle from the opening near the observation area.  From the docent I learned that the cave myotis exit a different opening and fly in a straight line.  They also exit right at sunset. As we were leaving near sunset, I saw bats that I think were the cave myotis where she had  told me to look.  I had already put away my camera gear and it was dark - so I did not try to photograph them, but I was glad I saw them.

The Eckert James River Bat Cave is owned and operated by the Nature Conservancy. Richard Phillip Eckert and Virginia Eckert Garret donated the land on the condition that the cave remain open to the public.  The cave is open from mid-May to early October Thursdays through Sundays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.  Once a month it is open at dawn to view the bats' return.  Cost is $5.00.  It is a good idea to bring exact change.  To reach the bat cave from Mason on the James River Road it is necessary to cross the Llano River.  It is a fun crossing, but use caution and be alert for flash flooding. While most times it is not deep, I recommend a high ground clearance vehicle.  During a rainy time or in doubt, take the back route. Remember turn around, don't drown!

Fireworks - Old Settler's Park - Round Rock, Texas 2013

We got to the park early with a picnic dinner from Golden Chick. The park was crowded and most parking areas were full. By the time we got settled, I feared I was too far away from where I had seen the setup to get what I wanted. But it was fun to watch other families get settled in with their chairs, blankets, and toys for the kids. I especially enjoyed the toddlers, imagining my grandson, Tobyn, exploring his world next year.

4 sec, f/16, ISO 100    

Doing one's homework in advance is usually a good thing, but since I had been to the Old Settler's Park fireworks before, I didn't look it up.  But as it got later I checked Round Rock's website. The fireworks weren't scheduled to begin until 10:00 p.m.  They were going to synchronize with the Dell Diamond fireworks after the ball game.  

When they started, I was ecstatic, because I had a wonderful position.  When zoomed out with my 28-105 lens the bursts overflowed my frame. 

4 sec, f/16, ISO 100

I had to zoom out to get the full displays.  

3.2 Sec, f/22, ISO 100

My experiments with focus blur did not do as well.  My usual technique for photographing fireworks is to use a distant light as my focus with autofocus. Then I change it to manual focus so that I don't have to wait for the camera to refocus on moving fireworks for each shot.  Trying to do the focus blurs from  I mentioned yesterday from PopPhoto.com  required leaving the camera on autofocus and then trying to change the focus mid shot when I was only shooting 4 second shots.  I ended up with camera motion which while intriguing did not produce the look I was trying for.

Here are a couple of the shots where I was trying for focus blur. 

3.2 sec, f/22, ISO 100

3.2 Sec, f/22, ISO 100

I tried setting a longer shutter speed for one shot.  I probably should have tried more choices in longer shutter speeds.

13 sec, f/22, ISO 100

But the fireworks were happening too fast.  I didn't want to miss the captures I knew how to do since I had such a good photographic angle this year. So I went back to my standard methodology - fixed focus with manual settings for exposure for consistency.

4 sec, F/16, ISO 100

4 sec, f/16, ISO 100

I did change my exposure by changing my f/stop giving me my best Grand Finale photos.

3.2 sec, f/22, ISO 100

3.2 sec, f/22, ISO 100

3.2 Sec, f/22, ISO 100

Fortunately, the Dell Diamond shoots fireworks after every game.  I should go back and try again for the focus blurs.

Purple Martins at Highland Mall, Austin, Texas 2012

I became fascinated with the purple martin roost at Highland Mall in Austin this summer.  The tremendous number of birds coming in each evening - with the incredible speed and intricate flight patterns.  The sounds as they chattered to one another and as their wings brushed the twigs around them, sounding like water flowing over gravel.  

I shot this with my new Canon 5D MKIII.  The ease to get to the video mode made it easy to film.  This is my first YouTube video.  I can see things I can do better next year when I try once again to capture the amazing flight of 600,000 martins coming in for the night.

Summer Storms

As we were driving home from dinner this evening, I noticed that we had a storm cloud that might be close enough to get some lightning shots.  I was hoping to be able to capture the last of the days light on the cloud with some blue sky and still get some lightning.  As the light faded, the city lights began turning the clouds an ugly orange so we headed on home.

However, after I got near the mailbox at home, I realized that we still had some lightning photo possibilities, so I parked my car so my window was in line for the lightning and kept photographing some lovely cloud to cloud lightning.  When that calmed down, I came in to see what I had.

A little while later I realized we had some more storms building west and north of us, so I went back up to my mailbox area which is higher and has better visibility and started shooting again.  I was fortunate enough to watch the storm build up over Hutto and then I began to get the cloud to ground forked lightning that I always hope for.

I stayed up there about an hour, but began noticing the lightning was been hidden by a rain line, so I headed back to the house. As I walked along my porch the rain started, leaving me feeling I had time this just right.

Two of the lightning bolts must have hit transformers in Hutto, because right after the bolt, there was a beautiful blue glow. After one of those, it looked like Hutto lost power for just a little bit.

These are just a few of the "good ones" I got tonight.  Time well spent capturing the beauty of God's creation.

Summer Bird Chicks

Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge was a wonderful place to watch nesting birds and young chicks and ducklings.

The Common Gallinule (Note that American Ornithologist Union has split the American species from the Common moorhen and renamed it the common gallinule) lives in freshwater and brackish marshes with tall vegetation.  It has long toes that make it possible to walk on soft and floating vegetation.  It is a good swimmer in spite of not having webbed feet.

The spurs on the wings of the chicks allow them to climb into the nest or to grab vegetation.

Black-necked stilts are easily seen as they wade through shallow water on their long red legs.

On one of our driving loops we saw this stilt sitting on her nest.  For some reason, I think she has a quite contented look to her.

It is amazing at how well camouflaged  the chicks are in the marsh grass.

There were several families of black-bellied whistling ducks.




The parents give a sense of contentment as the ducklings sleep.

This was an older family where the coloration on the chicks seems older and a little different.

Even though it WAS hot, it was so much fun to be out enjoying the birds at Brazoria NWR.

Alligators in Texas

The American alligator, Alligator mississippiensis, was facing extinction due to hunting and loss of habitat.  Originally alligators could be found as far north as New Jersey, south along the South Atlantic and Gulf Coast and inland up the Mississippi River to the convergence with the Arkansas River and west in Texas to the 100th meridian.  (San Angelo is just west of the 100th meridian.)  Today's smaller range is east to the Carolina's, west to Texas, and north into Arkansas.  Texas provided protection for alligators beginning in 1969 and the population has recovered such that it is no longer listed as an endangered species.

The American alligator is an amazing creature - a large reptile, armored with coarse scales ranging in length from 6-14 feet.  The head is large with large visible upper teeth along the long jaw line.



The front feet have five toes and the rear feet are webbed with four toes.  Alligators are semi-aquatic choosing to live in marshy bodies of water.  While they are more often found in fresh water, they tolerate brackish water also.  They are good swimmers and often float with just their eyes and nostrils above the water. They are able to run quickly over short distances on land.  I have never been fortunate to hear an alligator, but they can be very vocal.  Young alligators bark and adults may bellow, grunt, or hiss.



Carnivorous, alligators will eat any animal it can catch. The normal diet includes small mammals, waterbirds, snakes, fish, crustaceans, lizards, turtles, and even other alligators.  When human habitation coincides with alligator areas, small pets can also be part of the diet.  Fortunately, alligators usually avoid humans, but small children can be at risk when alligators are present.

In Texas, alligators brumate from mid-October until early March.  Brumation is similar to mammal hibernation, a dormant state for cold blooded animals.  A brumating reptile is lethargic, sometimes not moving at all during the cold season.  Brumation is not the sleep of hibernation rather a less active state where the metabolism slows so they don't need to eat.

After emerging from brumation, alligators breed and nest from March 1 through May 30.  Females remain close to their home territory, but males occupy ranges up to ten square miles.  The female builds a nest from local vegetation that may be as large as six feet across and several feet tall.  She lays eggs in the center of the mound and the heat from both the decaying vegetation and sunlight incubates the eggs.  Females lay over 35 eggs, which are about three inches in length.  Incubation lasts about 2 months and the female watches and defends the nest.  The young alligators "yip" when they hatch and the female helps dig them out of the nest.  Hatchlings are about 9 inches long and stay with their protective mothers for up to two years.

San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge

We got to San Bernard after lunch.

San Bernard has a wonderful long auto loop and some very interesting looking trails.  I definitely want to come back in spring or fall when the weather is cooler to explore.


Lighting was harsh and I didn't take a lot of photos. However, I do want to share a couple.  This was only the second time I had seen purple gallinules and there were TWO!  It was interesting to watch them climb up to the top of this vegetation and then disappear into it only to climb back up again.  They were far enough away that no lens would be "big enough."  But I wanted a photo because I think they are SO beautiful with their beautiful shiny blue plumage and that bright red beak and the blue forehead!

Even with it being mid-day in the heat we saw 16 species!  And, of course, the alligators!

Atwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge

I've visited Atwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge three times now at different seasons.  While I've not yet seen the prairie chickens, it is always a good experience.  The best way to see the prairie chickens is to go during the Annual Prairie-Chicken Festival the 2nd weekend in April.

The main entrance is on the south side of the refuge, but we went down Prairie Chicken Lane for fun.  There were so many cottontails and a few jackrabbits that I thought perhaps it should be named Bunny Lane!

It had been a long time since I had seen Northern Bobwhites - so it was quite a treat to see them and to hear their cheery "Bob white!" call.

We have Crested Caracaras living near me in Hutto, but this was the closest I've gotten to photograph them in the wild. I was thrilled to get the chance to photograph one so close.

This black vulture also posed cooperatively for me.

It was truly a pleasure to drive through the restored prairie.  And I was pleased to find more dickcissels!