The Pinnacle of Spring

Vermont and New Hampshire are perhaps best known for their changing seasons. I’ve lived on the border between the two all of my life and have a keen appreciation for the many shapes their landscapes take throughout the year. While the autumn is a photographer’s paradise and the winter brings a snow-white simplicity to a scene, I personally don’t think it gets much better than right now.

Spring gives us a much deserved reprieve from the chilly air and offers up a well-lit landscape of newborn chartreuse foliage. The late Spring in particular is when you’ll find yourself wishing you could stop time. The long days have not yet been overrun with mosquitos and black flies, and temperatures are at their optimum comfort level. This is precisely when you need to prioritize your outdoor time. I’ve been basking in the glory of Spring since ice-out in March and continued the trend last weekend in northern New Hampshire.

I spent last Friday afternoon on East Inlet in Pittsburg, NH where I was greeted by a variety of wetland inhabitants. Among them was this beautiful mink who stuck around long enough to pose for a couple shots. I was meandering through a creek on my kayak at a pretty good clip when our eyes met.

This is when you have to decide between grabbing your camera or putting on the breaks. In these circumstances I invariably choose the former which typically affords me a quick shot or two before careening into the bank. I did just that, and managed to get a less-than-respectable photo of the furry subject.Not quite satisfied, I put my kayak in “reverse” and was granted a second chance by the generous mustelid. After a quick sniff his curiosity had expended and he bounded out of sight. It was just long enough to get my camera settings fine tuned for the shot.

I spent the rest of my late-Spring retreat paddling through the morning hours and hiking in the afternoons. While I spotted lots of moose in the evening the majority of my photos-ops happened on the water.

This loon was out fishing in the mid-morning as I paddled by and snapped a few pics. Loons are one of the easiest wildlife subjects to photograph, especially when you’ve got a 400mm or bigger lens. Unlike ducks, they do not immediately flush when encountering a visitor.

Once in awhile a loon will emerge right next to your kayak when you’re paddling through their fishing grounds. After surfacing they often flap their wings and shake off excess water . This is usually when I take my shot. When I first started photographing these guys I’d come home with hundreds of great photos. The problem was they all looked the same.

Nowadays, I try to exercise a little moderation with my shutter. Sifting through a mountain of shots at the computer is not my idea of fun. If I’ve filled up a 32GB CF card at the end of a weekend there had better be plenty of variety in there.

On the other hand, I do encourage anyone getting started to keep it in manual mode and fire at will. I personally think that this is the best way to learn how to use your gear. You’re going to have to put in some screen time sifting through  poorly exposed photos, but there is no substitute for learning from your mistakes.To make life a little easier check your work as you go. I think that a good LCD screen is an important feature in dSLR’s for this very reason. I’m not suggesting that you shoot in live view mode, but it’s helpful to start here to find your desired exposure settings. Once your satisfied use your view finder for composing and taking your shots.

Getting to know the equipment is really just the beginning though. There are many “rules” about focus and composition, but my philosophy is a simple one. Take the shots that look good to you. Use traditional wisdom as a guideline, but do not let it limit your creativity.

I’ve been photographing ducklings all spring, but my favorite shot so far happens to be one that’s completely out of focus.

A photo doesn’t simply document your subject, it tells a story. 🙂