Tim Flanigan - Nature Exposure

Allegany College Maryland Focuss on Wildlife Photography

2011-04-15T11:27:00.000-07:00

Wildlife photography, a satisfying hobby that also provides the chance for extra income, will be taught by yours truly, in a new continuing education course that starts April 26 at Allegany College of Maryland. Wildlife Photography is a comprehensive course that teaches the challenging discipline of capturing quality wildlife images. In addition to its technical aspects, the field requires stealth, patience and knowledge of the subject to capture fleeting moments. Instruction ranges from proper gear selection to specialized photo techniques, including image composition, storage and processing, to marketing. The course meets from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays for six weekly sessions through May 31. The deadline to register is Tuesday, Arpil 19, 2011. For informtion contact ACM's Center for Continuing Education, whose Workforce Development unit is offering the course, at 301-784-5434. Information is also available at www.allegany.edu/ce, the college's website. To register call 301-784-5341.

For the love of bird dogs

2010-12-09T13:28:00.000-08:00

Watching well trained bird dogs work their trade with skill and instinct is one life's great pleasures The dog's enthusiasm for the hunt is so wonderfully obvious that man can only be envious. How wonderous it would be to smell and sense what they do, upon locating the quary and closing into point or flush. How exciting it would be to experience the nerve-tingling sensations that stiffen their gait and lock their entire purpose of life into that moment.

We upland bird hunters are merely observers who watch these true hunters go about their business with amazing skill, complimented by physical senses that far surpass ours. We love the thrill of the hunt, but how much more enchanting would it be to experience it as thoroughly as does the dog. Although we are very much part of the hunt, dogs enjoy greater rights to success or hero-shot photos than do we, the shooters.

Afield, the eyes of a bird dog twinkle with excitement and purpose similar to those of a child on Christmass morning. How poor is the person who has not experienced upland bird hunting with trained dogs.

Award Humbly Accepted!

2010-10-15T09:12:00.000-07:00

Photographing the Ruffed Grouse Society's 29th National Grouse and Woodcock Hunt in Grand Rapids, MN is an honor, and to be among some of the most generous-hearted people from across the nation with such a passion for the species and habitat, is awesome. I was surprised when Mike Zagata, President and CEO of the RGS, presented me with a beautiful plaque award "in appreciation for many years of outstanding photography" during last night's banquet. I am very grateful!

Boney crowns

2010-08-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

As August transitions into September, whitetail deer antlers transition from concealment within their velvet sheaths to a glorious new crown of bone. The velvet shedding occurrs so rapidly that the event is rarely observed by the general public or hunters and it is even less often photographed. The antler coming out party is commonly a secretive thing that may happen overnight. For this reason, capturing images of the often bloody phenomenon requires dilligence, patience and a bit of luck. The fact that it commonly occurs in dim light or full darkness is additionally frustrating. On occasion one can bag a photo of velvet shedding by placing bait, such as apples, along the forest edge and wait paitiently in a blind as the sun sets.
It is not uncommon for other deer to eat strips of velver hanging from another's antlers and although I've witnessed this on two occasions, low light conditions prevented the camera's sensor from recording it. This year, we are experiencing evidience of phenemonal antler growth locally as more mature bucks have survived to grow larger bodies and antlers. It should be a great year for hunters and photographers.

Professional Outdoor Media Association conference

2010-08-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

Hello All,
We are attending the POMA, Professional Outdoor Media Association, annual conference in LaPorte, Indiana this week. POMA is a high-tech, business-oriented organization that keeps us up to date with the rapidly changing world of mass communication. Via the conference, we enjoy direct exposure to and interaction with outdoor related product manufacturers and leaders of the outdoor communication industry. It is a great honor to be teaching some classes on photography and Photoshop to fellow members. Although we enjoy membership in four other outdoor writers associations, POMA is the one that best keeps us current with the technical and business side of outdoor related communication.

My Image Was Chosen

2010-07-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

The National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP)
selected my photo of a male bluebird feeding its young
as their "Editor's Choice" for this week.

Covered Bridges in Bedford County Pennsylvania

2010-06-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

Check out the new video put out by the Bedford County Visitors Bureau. Here is the link:
Covered Bridges in Bedford County Pennsylvania Click on the video and there just might be someone on there you know, and he happens to have his camera in hand!
What a beautiful county we are lucky to live in! Call 1-800-765-3331 for a Covered Bridges Brochure or just to say Hi to the girls and Dennis Tice for doing an excellent job on the video and promoting our county!

Look At What Is New!

2010-06-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

We now have an Amazon.com search box for you to find whatever it is you just have to have! Check it out! <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Bears, Bears, Everywhere

2010-06-22T05:20:00.000-07:00

I was very fortunate to have an invitation from a good man and friend to photograph black bears on his property. The stories of his sightings and the bear activities were hard to believe and made my shutter release finger itch with anticipation! My initial visits were fun and filled with story telling and experience sharing, but no bears. I wasn't worried because he had provided his own photos for proof of what he had been seeing. On my recent visit, the bears arrived and put on a show. I'd be focused on one bear and another would walk practically under my lens! I didn't know which one to focus on sometimes! We saw a total of 17 different bears and I was thrilled, and so was my friend. Black bears, in rainy, low light conditions, are a challenging subject. I am anxious to return for another chance to photograph the bears in better light conditions.

Photographing Warblers - What a challenge!

2010-05-10T12:19:00.000-07:00

Debbie wrote about our photography trip to Magee Marsh to photograph the elusive migrating warblers. Check it out at www.NatureExposure.blogspot.com.

Drumming Log

2010-04-25T05:59:00.000-07:00

The heartbeat of the forest began in full darkness each morning of the past two weeks as I sat in a photography blind near a ruffed grouse drumming log. Daily at 05:30 the initial "Thump- Thump-Thumps" of the male grouse's powerful wings brought my senses to full alert as his drumming built to the full crescendo of roaring wings.

Hearing his dainty foot steps as he approached his drumming throne, in the darkness of successive starlight nights, was thrilling. Silence meant that he'd mounted the log and that his successive concussions of drumbeats would begin momentarily. The thumps of his wings pulsed upon my eardrums and seemed to impact my entire body, like heavy musical bass notes from a speaker.

Unable to see him, just a few feet away, I elected to time his drumming cycle and the rest periods between audio displays. From the initial thump to completed crescendo, nine seconds transpired; it never varied. Rest periods between drumming displays were either 1 minute and 50 seconds or 1 minute and 10 seconds. Once set, these intervals also did not vary daily.

As the sun gradually lit the scene, I marveled at his diligence and beauty that appeared to increase in response to the brightening light. By 07:15 sufficient light to trip the Nikon's shutter existed and at 07:45, the glorious bird displayed in a natural spotlight. Shutter speeds increased in response to the brightening light and shooting the 300mm, 2.8 lens (wide open) enabled gradual adjustments of shutter speeds to take best advantage of the sun's intensity.

In forest wildlife photography, rarely are shutter speeds of 1000/sec and greater attainable, but in this situation, the bird's chosen display area was often awash with sufficient ambient light to permit 1600/sec shutter speeds. Shooting with such FAST light was like driving a Ferrari.

Between drumming sequences, the handsome bird would thoroughly preen his feathered mantle of 4,342 feathers in preparation for meeting a suitor that his drumming was geared to attract. On occasion, he'd jump down from the log and feed for a few minutes before resuming his displays, but on one day he continued drumming for six hours without a food break.

The use of two tripods permitted the flexibility of using the fixed lens, mounted to a Benbo tripod via a Manfrotto ball head through one opening in the blind and another camera/zoom lens combination through another. The zoom lenses used were either a Nikor 80 to 400mm or a Sigma 150 to 500 mm. These were mounted to a BOGgear Camo Legged shooting stick tripod via their "Switcheroo" ball head.

The BOGgear shooting sticks tripod, with the instantly interchangeable padded "V" head or the "Switcheroo" ball head, is a dream come true for wildlife photographers who don't want to miss the action while fussing with the intricacies of a a pro-model tripod. It is the answer for action shooting, especially when using lenses equipped with vibration-dampening technology as both of these zooms are.

More than two weeks of rising at 03:00 daily and driving 60 plus miles, to the drumming log site, was both exhausting and thrilling. Each night as my weary head compressed the pillow, the faint concussion of heartbeat upon eardrum echoed "Ole Ruff's" drumming, reminding me of how very blessed I was to enjoy this secretive portion of the natural world and capture it in pixels via thousands of shutter clicks.

I've pulled the blind to give Mr. Grouse his privacy, but I'm certain that the King of Gamebirds is still on his throne, giving daily performances.

Tim Flanigan: The

2010-04-14T14:18:00.001-07:00

Tim Flanigan: The ‘F’ stops here

Posted using ShareThis

Hurry Up Spring!

2010-03-09T07:13:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a winter! The Flyfishing / Wingshooting Show in Charlotte, NC the last weekend of January yielded four inches of ice to that area! That ground the show attendance down to a halt. We were camping at the McDowell Nature Preserve and the employees couldn't even make it to work! We had the entire beautiful campground to ourselves, sipped coffee and watched the wildlife out the camper windows. I was able to get some neat photos. We had to stay at the campground an extra day just to be able to get out.

The Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, PA Feb. 6-14 was dumped upon with

around 26 inches of snow! We camped in the parking lot and the Farm Show Complex staff did a good job of keeping up with the plowing. We were prepared with a snow shovel and I gave it a workout! Other than the days that the Govenor closed the highways, the show had excellent attendance. My programs were well received with the question and answer periods lasting an additional hour after the program. People are really into photography these days!

Currently I am shooting returning woodcock, strutting grouse and migrating waterfowl. We still have remaining snow but the higher temps are melting it slowly. Hurry up spring!

Pennsylvania Farm Show

2010-01-21T08:20:00.000-08:00

The 2010 Pennsylvania Farm Show was a huge success with record crowds visiting the show this year. Held January 9-16 at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, Pa, it is always a fun show for us. With free admission, there is everything to see from some of the state's highest quality animals passing through the show and sale rings to the 1,000 pound butter sculpture. This year the sheep to shawl contest was especially interesting to us as the winning team used the Ruffed Grouse, one of PA's state symbols for their inspiration. It was beautiful and the auction bids reflected everyone's desire to own it.

This 94th annual show again invited me to give programs to the attendees on "Wildlife Photography" and to exhibit and sell my prints and note cards at our booth. We met so many nice people, and really cool pets, and I was appreciative for the great comments received for the programs and my work.

We have barely enough time to rest up, reprint and head off to The Flyfishing / Wingshooting Show in Charlotte, NC. The show is held at The Park (formerly the Charlotte Merchandise Mart) on Friday Jan. 28 (show hours 10 - 8) and Saturday Jan. 30 (show hours 9 - 5:30). I will be giving two new programs on the Ruffed Grouse and the American Woodcock. Come to Charlotte for a little sunshine and warmer weather (hopefully), learn about these unique birds and see what's new that I have been photographing. The show features over 50 programs per day, dog demonstrations, classes with the experts, freshwater and saltwater casting, continuous instructional fly tying and numerous exhibitor booths. Check out their website at http://www.flyfishingshow.com/.

Then it is back home to the Eastern Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, PA. More about that later!

Newfoundland

2009-10-05T07:33:00.000-07:00

Newfoundland is a photogrpaher's paradise. I just returned from photographing a friend's moose hunt in Newfoundland Canada. Just getting there is an adventure. A surface trip requires an 11 hour ferry boat ride from Nova Scotia to the vast island. Via air, we flew from Toronto to Halifax NS and on to Deer Lake Newfoundland. Our base was the Tuckamore Lodge in Main Brook NF. where the accomodations and dining are superb!

My hunting friend took a trophy moose on the first day of his hunt, 7 miles into a rugged interior of bogs, rocky ridges, lakes and impenetrable scrub forests. Following the kill, I spent 9 hours walking with our very nimble guide over at least 20 miles of knee and leg stressing topography, but it was well worth the effort to observe more moose in this wild and beautiful and very remote landscape.

The rest of the week was spent investigating the sights of northwest Newfoundland where tiny fishing villiages cling to the bases of mountains on protected bays and whales play about icebergs in the harbors during the summer months .

The guide called in several more bull moose to the camera, some of which approached within just a few feet of us; much too close for comfort. The one great complication to photography in Newfoundland is an abundance of heavy cloud cover and dim light weather. The northern coast offers thrilling scenery complete with seals, whales and a multitude of birds during the warmer months. Newfoundland is a must-see place for photo fans.

If you visit Newfoundland, take fast lenes, lots of flash cards, a hard drive backup and a waterproof windbreaker. Lots of lodging and camping is available on the island known as "The Rock."

Check out Tim Flanigan: Shooting at birds with a camera

2009-10-02T12:18:00.001-07:00

Hi,

I want you to take a look at: Tim Flanigan: Shooting at birds with a camera

Check out Tim Flanigan rights the wrongs and explains the perfect ‘hero shot’

2009-09-30T07:14:00.001-07:00

Hi,

I want you to take a look at: Tim Flanigan rights the wrongs and explains the perfect ‘hero shot’

Debbie Flanigan is in Women's Outdoor News

2009-09-26T04:51:00.000-07:00

Check out Debbie's piece in the Women's Outdoor News, "My Job... My Outdoors" section at www.womensoutdoornews.com. This is a great site for all the outdoor gals.

Pennsylvania Game News Cover Photo

2009-09-09T06:41:00.000-07:00

I am honored to have the cover of the September issue of the Pennsylvania Game News Magazine. It is a photo of a Wood Duck and the editor, Bob Mitchell, and his staff did an excellent job! Check it out at www.pgc.state.pa.us and then click on the Game News icon for a larger image and text.

Wild turkey breeding dynamics

2009-08-24T08:43:00.000-07:00

Early this morning, the sighting of a young hen wild turkey, accompanied by a single and notably small chick for a late August date, recalled a recent question regarding wild turkey reproduction dynamics.

Question: "A friend told me that there are so many turkeys this year that the hens didn't even bother to nest, but simply walked about letting their eggs drop and be abandonded. Is that possible?

Such strange assumptions are common when changes in normal wildlife activity are noticed, proving that the general public enjoys seeing wildlife and cares about its welfare.

Answer: Older wild turkey hens are substantially more efficient at reproduction than are young-of-the-year hens. And, when the turkey population contains a large percentage of young hens it is common to notice youthful hens with just one or two chicks.

In mid July, a local rural resident noticed a small wild turkey hen, that appeared to be nesting in the center of a large field that he was mowing. He immediately stopped mowing to avoid disturbing her and later carefully investigated the site; the young hen was indeed nesting. "Why are the turkeys nesting so late this year, " he asked? Quite simply, young hens typically mate and nest late in the spring, after adult hens. In addition, they are not as skilled in avoiding detection and protecting their nests as are the wiser, more experienced adult hens.

In the event of nest destruction young hens normally renest much later too. The young hen that was still nesting in July had almost certainly lost her initial nest to predation or another disturbance, but was determined to complete her natural and instinctive obligation to wild turkey society. Nesting is a vitally important and innate portion of the wild turkey's annual natural history that cannot be denied or simply abandoned.

Researchers have learned that when wild turkey populations are high, reproductive success declines and vice versa. This dynamic contributed greatly to the phenomenal success of the wild turkey trap and transfer program over the past several decades. When introduced into a new habitat containing virtually no birds, wild turkeys, reproduce with amazing success and quickly populate the new territory.

Wildlife is amazingly able to survive and thrive in suitable habitat - that's a vital commodity that we humans can provide.

2009-08-14T19:53:00.001-07:00

Velvet photography

2009-08-12T09:05:00.000-07:00

August is prime time for photographing whitetail bucks in velvet antlers. The antlers are fully developed and within days the velvet will begin to crack and peal, exposing the buck's antler crown for the current year. The shedding of velvet is a rapid event that is often completed in twenty four hours or less. Often the process is quite bloody and dramatic with bucks shaking their heads vigorously to dislodge hanging shreds. They may even drag the antlers through brush to pull the tattered velvet from the antlers. This is not however the time of year for rubbing trees with their antlers; that occurs later, during the rut.

It is believed that the development of a full set of antlers taxes the buck's body equally to a doe deer producing twin fawns. Perhaps this is why shed velvet is very quickly eaten by the buck, and on occasion, bucks will pull velvet from another buck's antlers and ingest it. All of this provides dramatic photographic images, but the process is so rapid that entire herd of captive deer may fully shed their velvet with in just a day or two.

Capturing photographic images of the process is truly challenging due to the speed of the process and the secretive nature of the bucks during the shedding. In addition, the process seems to occur more rapidly during the night. Their shyness quickly passes as the hard antlers emerge and the bucks appear eager to be seen and admired with their new head gear finery.

In Pennsylvania, most bucks have fully shed their antler velvet by mid September. Look for the process to begin by mid August and peak near the end of the month. Opportunities to observe velvet shedding are uncommon and photographs of the process especially unique.

Middle Creek Wildlife Art Show

2009-08-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

What an exceptional wildlife art show this past weekend at Middle Creek! If you have never attended, make it a point to mark your calendar for next year's show. There is an array of incredible wildlife art talent under one roof at the visitor's center to enjoy and purchase. This was the first time for wildlife photographer's to participate and I was grateful to be among them. Taking the place of an artist that normally attends, but was unable to this year, afforded me the opportunity to meet some great folks. Pennsylvania Game Commission's Middle Creek is a special place for bird watching, photography and generally enjoying nature. Visit sometime and see for yourself.