Readers’ wildlife photos

Thank Ceiling Cat that several readers sent in wildlife photos, so we’re good to go for a bit over a week, I think. But remember, I always need more. If you’re a newbie, read the “how to send me photos” page on the left sidebar and please try to conform to the format.

Today Jim Blilie has returned with some varied b&w photos. His captions are indented, and you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.

I recently joined some Facebook groups dedicated to black and white photography, which I did a lot of in my youth (pre-digital days).  I spent years scanning my negatives, slides, and, recently completed, my Dad’s slides and negatives.  (In 2023 I scanned 4918 of my Dad’s negatives.)

Inspired by these FB groups:  These are all my photos:  Black and white images that I like.  Some are scans of Kodachrome slides or are native digital images (color) that I converted to black and white images.  Most have only global adjustments (overall exposure, contrast, etc.) but some have “burns” and “dodges” to produce the visualized the final image.  I follow Ansel Adams’ Zone System method, both when I used film and paper prints and now in digital.  Many of these images will display Adams’ influence (I hope!). These reach way back in my photography.  I got my first camera (Pentax K-1000) in 1978.

First:  1981, Aspen leaf with rain droplets, northern Minnesota.  Scanned Tri-X Pan film. For this one I remember the exposure information: Pentax M 135mm f/3.5 lens with extension tubes, f/32, 30 seconds:

Next, two more from 1981.  Reflections in Maligne Lake, Jasper National Park and Mount Robson and Berg Lake (taken with a 1950 Rolleiflex, 6cm film; yes, I humped a Rolleiflex and a tripod up to Berg Lake!).  Both scanned Tri-X Pan:

Next is an image from Amboseli National Park in Kenya in 1992:  Elephants under rain clouds.  Scanned Kodachrome 64:

Next is an image of the foot bridge:  Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor in Paris:

Next is an image of Mount Whitney taken from near Lone Pine, California, February 2023. This is the classic view of the peak from the east.

Next is another image taken in February 2023:  The Visitor building and lawn of Sunnylands estate in Rancho Mirage, California:

Next is an image of the very upper Aosta Valley in Italy, just across Mont Blanc from Chamonix. This photo shows the Mont Blanc massif from the Italian side.  (Lumix 7-14mm f/4.0 lens):

Next is an image I call The Shape of the Land.  A photo (2023) of the Palouse region landscape in the southeastern Washington state, near where our son Jamie attends Washington State University.  The Palouse is characterized by these sinuous rolling hills of Loess soil.  This area grows an immense amount of wheat:

Finally, two photos taken on this last New Years’ Eve, 31-Dec-2023, near Hood River, Oregon, very close to our home in southern Washington.  We had brilliant clear skies above a strong inversion layer, which provided dramatic clouds through which we ascended on our hike:

Equipment:

1950 Rolleiflex 6cm camera  inherited from my Dad; Schneider 75mm f/3.5 lens
Pentax K-1000, ME Super, and LX cameras
Various Pentax M series and A series lenses
Pentax K-5 digital camera and various Pentax D lenses
Olympus OM-D E-M5 mirrorless M4/3 camera and various Olympus and Lumix lenses
Epson V500 Perfection scanner and its software
Lightroom 5 photo software