Bye 2013!

Last sunrise of 2013. Let's see what 2014 will bring!

* Canon EOS 5D Mark II, 17-40mm/f4 @ 20 mm; ISO-50, f16, 1/3s; 2 stop ND hard gradient filter; tripod.

Barn Owl I

The evening before Christmas Eve I was sitting in a barn. It was scary. Outside the deserted cowshed a wind with gale force was blowing, and inside I saw this dimly lit, spooky, almost surrealistic scene with a Barn Owl (Tyto alba/Kerkuil) as the protagonist. For the 1st photo I fired a flash (actually 2); the 2nd photo was made with a LED torch. Which one do you prefer?

* Canon EOS 5D Mark II, 300mm/f4; ISO-400, f8, 1/60s; tripod ; flash.
* Canon EOS 5D Mark II, 300mm/f4; ISO-1600, f4, 1/10s; tripod; lit by LED torch.

Reflection

The end of the year is a good moment for reflection. For me 2013 was an eventful, sometimes troubled, but above all an instructive year. I learned a lot, and made a few bold decisions. Amidst the many changes that impacted me, nature photography was a constant factor. It always helps me to fully enjoy life. I wish all my friends and blog followers many ‘gold’ moments in 2014!
Today I photographed this shy and alert Teal ♂ (Anas crecca/Wintertaling) during one of the rare moments of sunshine.

* Canon 7D; 500mm/f4; ISO-400, f5, 1/320s; tripod.

Sunrise Strabrecht

Winter is coming. Nice sunrise this morning and white frosty grass on the Strabrechtse Heide! Yes, the first ice floor of this season is a fact!

* Canon EOS 5D Mark II, 100mm/f2.8; ISO-200, f16, 1/13s; +0.3 stop; tripod.