Daniel Teetor / Digital Outdoors - Photography

Whitetail deer fawn in a sunbeam.

2009-07-16T09:39:00.000-07:00

This photo is of the same whitetail deer fawn as in the previous post. I saw it bed down in thick woods and spent the next hour getting closer without spooking it. The overhead canopy blocked most of the sunlight so I didn't think I would get a usable image. Then a narrow sunbeam popped through the trees and illuminated the fawn. What luck!

Whitetail deer fawn

2009-07-13T11:44:00.000-07:00

This whitetail deer fawn was photographed last week at the edge of deep woods. The fawn and its twin had been feeding inside the woods and I shadowed their movements. But the overhead canopy was so dense that there wasn't enough light for good photos. As they slowly headed in the direction of a meadow I made a circle to get ahead of them. I was ready when this fawn stepped into the open.

The dark woods helps pop the deer's head and body out of the background. The natural break in the greenery helps frame the subject. I got pretty lucky here; we can't script the movements of the deer.

No enhancement or cropping of the original shot other than minimal processing of the raw file.

Mark Mason's boat PALM BEACH DAYS-2

2009-07-09T09:50:00.000-07:00

Another shot of the gentleman's racer "Palm Beach Days," owned and driven by Mark Mason. The previous posting has the unplanned swan in the foreground while this one has a buoy in the background. Both the swan and the buoy add some visual interest.

I knew we were in the vicinity of the buoy but we didn't have time to script the photo shoot to include it. I just got lucky again. If I were on land, or a stationary boat, I might have positioned myself to intentionally include the buoy. But riding at 30mph in the chase boat and concentrating on Mark as he approached at even higher speed would make it more difficult to plan ahead for this shot.

Mark Mason's boat PALM BEACH DAYS

2009-07-07T04:36:00.000-07:00

This is a shot from a recent series taken of Mark Mason's new boat "Palm Beach Days," a 26 foot gentleman's racer. This was in the North Channel of the St. Clair River near Algonac, Michigan. I was in a chase boat going about 30 mph and my attention was solely on Mark as he approached from behind and went by. I never saw the mute swan until it popped into the viewfinder just as I took the photo. We were going fast enough that the swan was behind us in an instant so I was totally lucky to get this one shot.

I used the 100-400 IS zoom set at 200mm and the image is not cropped.

Horse and rider jumping a fence-2.

2009-07-02T10:53:00.000-07:00

More action from the Kentucky Horse Park as a horse and rider jump a fence during a jumper class. This is another example of lucky timing as the horse is at the preferred spot for a photograph. Notice how the rider is already looking for the next fence.

This was one of few times we saw the sun during the first three days of the show.

Horse and rider jumping a fence.

2009-06-22T06:35:00.000-07:00

We recently attended the Country Heir Horse Show at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington and captured several nice photographs of equestrians. This rider is jumping a fence during a jumper class. The horse's front feet are pulled up tightly at the peak of the action. I don't get many jumping shots that are timed exactly right so this was pretty exciting.

The sky was fairly heavy overcast with spotty showers. I opted for the fast 70-200 zoom lens because of the low light level.

Whitetail deer - Springtime doe

2009-06-08T09:45:00.000-07:00

Here is a female whitetail deer that I photographed at the very end of May. Notice that her coat is still in transition from winter to summer. The summer coat is much more red but there are still remnants of the darker winter coat.

This was taken on the same day I found the newborn fawn. The fawn was hidden in thicker, shady woods but this doe was feeding along the edge of a meadow and periodically grooming herself. I was able to get this shot from the adjacent woods where I could remain hidden.

Fawn-Whitetail Deer

2009-06-01T06:53:00.000-07:00

I was looking for whitetail deer fawns with their mothers and did not expect to find a newborn. I got within three steps of this one before seeing it. The fawn never moved except for blinking an eye and breathing. The doe had hidden the fawn and apparently left to feed. I made a circle of about 30 yd radius and did not find a twin.

I most certainly did not bump the doe. But I had previously seen one about 75 yds away in heavier cover and suspect that she could have been the mother.

Tennis player.

2009-05-27T05:53:00.000-07:00

Nice action shot of a girl playing tennis. Both her feet are off the ground as she jumps and the ball is in front of her racket.

Not bad for a photo taken during a match. It would have been nice had the player been facing the camera. And the ball is almost lost near the bright sky. Still, the background was pretty good compared to the other angles I was shooting that day because the fence is quite benign and there is good contrast with the player. Much better than looking toward the adjacent parking lot.

Girl playing tennis.

2009-05-22T06:13:00.000-07:00

This is another image from our recent photo shoot of a tennis team. Here is peak action as the girl is serving, with the ball at the racket and both of her feet off the ground.

I usually like to frame tightly on athletes. It was a conscious effort on my part to back off on the zoom so I could hope to get all of this in the frame.

Girls Tennis

2009-05-20T05:07:00.000-07:00

We recently photographed a girls varsity tennis match. Here is a sequence showing a player as the ball approaches and she swings her racket. Notice how her attention is directly focused on the ball. Not all the players could maintain that concentration.

Young woman and her horse.

2009-04-28T05:30:00.000-07:00

This portrait of a young, pretty woman and her horse is from a Spring portrait session. Middle of the afternoon with a mostly overcast sky so we didn't have to worry about harsh shadows and squinty eyes. It was quite chilly and although this girl was only lightly dressed she never complained, and we were outside for a long time. The horse had spirit! It made things a little difficult as she was in almost constant motion and did not want to stand in one spot. Fortunately, we were in the middle of a field and I just moved and circled with them, constantly shooting. But it reminded me more of shooting sports instead of making a portrait.

Canada goose in descending flight.

2009-04-21T05:15:00.000-07:00

A Canada goose descending with cupped wings. I don't often get nice shots of the geese, mostly because I don't have any goose decoys. I see them fairly often but not in the same numbers as the ducks. This goose came in just before sunset with its mate. I got a couple shots of the pair when they were further out but when they got closer I had to choose one to follow. The two were not close enough to each other to keep them in the same photo.

Their approach is much more deliberate and predictable than that of the ducks so it is easier to track them. Plus, they are big targets!

High-speed Maneuver

2009-04-17T05:08:00.000-07:00

A drake mallard duck in a high speed, airborne turn. I was tracking this duck as he descended towards me and suddenly he rolled to the side and changed direction. Notice that he is still maintaining high speed. Also, his head stays level with the horizon as his body rolls with this maneuver. Pretty impressive flying skills. After I got this shot he immediately righted himself, put on the brakes and descended normally.

Bluebill Ducks

2009-04-14T05:25:00.001-07:00

This sequence shows a pair of Bluebill ducks (Lesser Scaup) coming in low over water for a landing. Drake on the left, hen on the right. I had wanted to photograph a large flock of these birds coming in to decoys but never got the chance this spring. The bluebills stop on Lake St. Clair on their way north but do not stay long. I was fortunate to see this pair on Saturday but I'll have to wait until next year for a chance at a flock.

I had two dozen bluebill decoys on the water and these two came in nicely just before 9:00am. About 33 degrees F. and a 15 knot north wind.

Too Close!

2009-04-08T04:35:00.000-07:00

Two mallard ducks flying too close to each other. As the ducks descend at high speed their relative positions are constantly changing. A video would clearly show this but the static photograph does not. I was following these two drakes as they were coming in and they had maintained a safe distance from each other when suddenly one veered toward the other. I was fortunate to get the shot at the point of near collision.

Mallard ducks in flight-Composite

2009-04-03T04:30:00.000-07:00

This is a composite image consisting of several separate photographs of mallard ducks descending from the sky. I've spent considerable time this early spring getting some nice photos. But I haven't been able to get photographs of large flocks. I decided to manufacture my own flock with selected photos of singles and small groups. I have enough material to work with that I may decide to do more of these, unless I can get lucky enough to get a real flock.

Bull Sprig

2009-03-31T04:28:00.000-07:00

A drake Pintail duck approaching over the water. I was hidden on a small island with decoys in front of me. There were more pintails in the air than anything else. This drake came in perfectly, low and into the breeze. Full spring plumage; notice the tail feather that gives them the name.

Temperature was at the freezing point at dawn with 15 mph wind. I was physically comfortable but it was difficult to follow the ducks with the camera due to my heavy clothes and confining position.

Mallard duck in flight.

2009-03-27T09:31:00.000-07:00

Drake mallard duck in flight with wings locked in a glide. He is descending to a landing and is almost at eye level. Interesting to catch him with his mouth open as he calls. Difficult to track with the camera as the airspeed is great; he hasn't begun to put on the brakes yet.

Canada goose in flight.

2009-03-24T06:54:00.000-07:00

A close-up of a Canada goose in flight. What a lucky morning! In the area where I usually am photographing ducks I will sometimes see geese in the distance but rarely do they come within range of the camera. This single came in all alone and eventually landed among some ducks. He is shown here with his wings locked and gliding in to a landing.

Drake mallard duck in flight.

2009-03-20T04:34:00.001-07:00

A drake mallard duck in a rapid descent. Wings cupped and one foot deployed to help control direction. He appears to be looking directly at me and as I looked through the lens I thought he might actually bump me. He had a lot of airspeed and was past me in an instant. Totally cool.

Mallard ducks in flight.

2009-03-17T04:51:00.000-07:00

A pair of mallard ducks in flight, descending together in a glide with their wings locked. The spring mating season has begun and the ducks are up and down much more frequently. I like to be out shooting during this period because of the increased opportunities to capture images of flying ducks. For this shot I was positioned in front of a creek so the birds were coming in over my head.

Pheasant Hunt-2

2009-03-13T04:43:00.000-07:00

Another photograph from the European-style pheasant shoot. This bird was low and just came through the line of trees in the background. The rooster appears to have turned his head to look right at me.

This type of shot does not always work out. The focusing point has to remain tightly on the bird or else the camera may switch focus to the trees. The photograph may lead one to think that the bird is in a slow, relaxed glide but these birds are moving quickly!

Pheasant Hunt

2009-03-10T04:36:00.000-07:00

I recently covered a pheasant hunt at a private hunt club. The birds were released European style and flew towards the hunters. It offered great opportunities to get photographs of the birds in flight. The weather was bitter cold and windy. The morning started mostly cloudy but cleared a while later. This is one of the prettiest shots where the rooster was not only close, but the sky was the bluest. Very challenging to track the birds and keep them in focus.

Downhill giant slalom ski race-3

2009-03-06T05:15:00.000-08:00

A giant slalom skier passing a gate. This was shot from the same position as the previous post but aiming more to the left. Sadly, the roof of the starting shack and a light pole are in the background. It's a nice angle for capturing good action but the skiers are coming by awfully fast.