Here is a series of pictures I made a few years ago. The pictures show the main stages of a monarch caterpillar turning into a beautiful butterfly. This group of pictures was made over about a two week period. All of the action takes place at the beginning and end of that two week period. Near the end you can tell when the butterfly is about to emerge because just before the hatch the chrysalis becomes transparent allowing you to see the butterfly inside.

I came home early one afternoon and found a transparent chrysalis, I knew that the butterfly was just about to emerge. So I got my gear ready and kept a close eye on things. As the day went on I could see the butterfly moving inside struggling to break free. About ten o'clock that evening I had myself completely convinced that it was going to happen very soon. At midnight, (twelve hours in now), I'm quite certain that the chrysalis is just about to burst. By three in the morning I'm seriously considering using a razor blade to perform an emergency butterflyectomy. Well, five am comes and I certainly can't go to bed, I had already spent fifteen hours waiting for this thing! I could not imagine going to sleep and missing it at this point!  The clock on the mantle announces eight in the morning, and still no butterfly, OK this is just getting ridiculous!  In the end the butterfly you see here was 'born' at 11:00 AM on a beautiful July morning, after I had spent just over 23 hours on stakeout!

I can tell you that I took a much deserved nap that afternoon.

A few years back I had the privilege of spending some real quality time with a Sandhill Crane family. I have photographed cranes on the nest on several different occasions but this situation was about as good as I could imagine. The nest was located in Kensington Metro Park (a park very close to my home). The nest was very near the Nature Center so the birds were extremely acclimated to the presence of people. This was a good thing because at times there were more than a half a dozen people enjoying the experience. Over the course of about a month I spent dozens of hours photographing this incredible situation.

I found the nest early on and was able to photograph the adults as they incubated and turned the eggs. The incubation period for Sandhills is about 30 days, during that time one of the parents was with the eggs at all times.

Luna Moth, Chatham County, NC

You may have noticed that when referring to the process of photographing something I use the verb “make” and not “take.” The use of the word “make” on my part is VERY deliberate. To me, “making” an image requires fore-thought, planing and skill. Yes we all get lucky from time to time and “take” a great image without much thought, but in order to consistently create great images you have to be disciplined, prepare, plan and pre-visualize.

Pre-visualization is a simple and effective technique that can help in providing direction and focus to your photography, whether that is wildlife, portrait, lifestyle or whatever other type of photography you are into.

All of us, wildlife photographers, have those destinations we dream about going to, whether it is Africa, Madagascar, Costa Rica, Yellowstone, Alaska, or wherever. Naturally we want to make the best of the time we are there, and be productive and effective at making pictures. This is were pre-visualization can help.

Pileated Woodpeckers, Chatham County, NC

No image, no matter how good, unique or special it may be, is worth stressing, endangering or otherwise harming wildlife. As wildlife photographers, we all need to be advocates for wildlife, after all, if we, who love to photograph them, are not, who will?

Fighting Big Horn Sheep, Yellowstone NP, WY

If you want to be successful at wildlife photography you need two things; patience and more patience. Well, persistence helps as well.

In all seriousness, besides the few lucky shots we all get from time to time, you need loads and loads of patience and need to be very persistent in order to consistently make memorable images. Wildlife can’t be directed, rushed or posed, otherwise it would not be wildlife.

Here are three tips to help you:

American Oystercatcher, Isabela, PR

You may have heard me say over and over again that in order to make the best images of wildlife you need to know your subjects, and know them well. One of the first things to learn about your subject is what is their preferred habitat.

Knowing your subjects preferred habitat is important, not only for locating them, but also in planning the kind of images you are going to make.

I enjoy animal portraits as much as everyone else, and I am known to make many “bird on a stick” images. However, my preference is for images that showcase wildlife in one of their preferred habitats. Images that include habitat tell so much more about that species, plus they can serve as a great compositional element.

Copperhead Snake, Chatham County, NC

I don’t often hear many people talk about connecting with your subject when shooting wildlife, after all how can a human connect with an animal, right?

Well, I can tell you categorically that yes you can connect with your animal subjects, but more importantly you want your viewers to connect with the subjects in your photos.

Coyotes Fighting, Yellowstone NP, WY

Nothing adds more interest to a wildlife photo than action. Whether it’s a fox pouncing on a mouse, a wolf chasing an Elk, or, as in the image above, two coyotes fighting, action provides us with a glimpse into the everyday life of the animals we are photographing. Because of this, action makes our photo viewers want to take a closer look, linger a bit longer on our images, and ultimately make a stronger connection with our images.

Tundra Swans. Pocosin Lakes NWR, NC

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of assisting Juan Pons at his “Geese, Swans and Bears” photo workshop in North Carolina. Birds are not a frequent subject of mine, but I always jump at the chance to learn something new.

As photographers, we tend to concentrate our efforts on learning one particular type of photography. It could be wildlife, portraits, landscapes or any number of other disciplines. It’s great to develop a personal style and hone your skills in a specific area, but sometimes it’s good to make pictures that are outside of your area of expertise.

Think back to a recent time when the weather was nice and you were in a pleasant park area. The sun was out, the clouds were fluffy, and the birds were singing (a rainbow and some happy skipping may have been involved too but we won't go there…). During this joyous day, recall how many people you saw making photographs. My guess would be quite a few. In general, people like making images when the weather is nice. Yet, when the weather becomes inclement, we tend to stay inside, and far fewer photographs are made.
 
The world doesn't stop when the weather is bad. As photographers, neither should we.

Since Chris Klapheke and I are heading down to Roma, Texas for one of my workshops, I thought it would be good time to post a few tips on using water drips to attract birds.  In Roma, we put a water feature in front of every blind.  Due to the dry climate and the sound of the water dripping, we get lots of different drinkers and bathers.

Last summer I was fortunate to have some unusual visitors to my back yard.  We had a cicada invasion, and the insects were crawling up out of the ground and making their usual racket. Siting in my office, I thought I saw a dog run across the clearing.  On further inspection, it was Great Horned Owl!  To add to my surprise, two juvenile owls waddled out of the underbrush.  All three were after the tasty morsels emerging from their sleep.

Seeing a Geat Horned Owl around these parts is rare, and having two juveniles on the ground in one's own yard even rarer.  I knew I had to get to work, for this might be a fleeting moment.