Bird in the Lilac Bushes

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Photo---ISO 80, 6.3mm, f/3.1, 1/500 Sec

This was taken in my back yard where the bird was in the lilac bushes.  I like this picture because you can see the feathers of the bird and the red stripe across the top of the birds head all in the depth the field. I don't like the background of the fence because it is not natural which brings down the life in the photo.

Belize Rainforest Lizard

Photo- (ISO 200, F/ 4, 1/30 Shutter Speed) 9.7mm
Here is a photo of a lizard in the Belize rainforest that we found when we were doing an ecology night hike. The lizard is actually the size of a dinner plate so he was not to hard to spot on the leaf. I like how the photo shows all of the lizards body with even the pattern on his scales, but I do not like the lighting for this photo. Since this photo was taken at night though we had a large flashlight pointed at the lizard so that we could get a picture and document him.

Belize Camouflaged Toad

This picture was taken with a F/ 3.1 ,  1/30 sec , ISO 200, 6.33mm.

This is a macro picture of a toad that I found when I was in the Belize rainforest for a rainforest/coral reef ecology trip that I attended in of High School. The trip was Unbelizable :). As you can see from the picture the toad is about the size of a leaf and he camouflages incredibly well with the dying foliage that is on the rainforest floor. Most predators would not be able to spot him out in the rainforest environment. I like this picture because you can compare the toad to his habitat and you get a detailed view of him with his surroundings. I don't like the shadow that is cast to the side of the toads face. But point and shoot macro photography is not easy so I am not too disappointed with the shadow.

Bee-eater Conservation Nature Photography

Petersburger, Joe. European Bee-eater. N.d. Photograph. Sáránd, Hungary. Meet the Photographer: Joe Petersburger. Anne Bolin, 21 Nov. 2011. Web. 4 Sept. 2012. <http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/PhotoZone/Archives/2011/Winner-Profile-Joe-Petersburger.aspx>

Hi everyone for my first nature conservation photography blog post I chose to do this photo of a Bee-eater that Joe Petersburger took in Sarand, Hungary. As you can see from the picture this was not a simple point and shoot shot of a Bee-eater mid-flight with a swallow-tail in it's mouth perfectly placed. This picture required expert planning because even to get a clear image of a bird in mid-flight poses a challenge for photographers, but to also to have the luck of getting the bee-eater bringing back a swallow-tail that is curved over perfectly in the frame really makes this photo stand out. I like this photograph because it shows a clear image of the Bee-eater while using blur to show the motion of the birds wings. I also like the detail of the swallow-tail caught in the Bee-eaters beak because it captures the detail of the insects wings. This photo demonstrates the true beauty of a Bee-eater returning, with its catch, back to the nest in its natural cycle.
The main reason that I chose this photo besides its professional quality is that the photo was used in a conservation article by National Geographic to raise awareness of the Bee-eater as a locally threatened species. Joe Petersburger is not only a wildlife photojournalist, but he is also a conservation biologist.  Petersburger's  goal is to not only to capture the beauty of nature, but to also raise awareness for conservation so that these moments can be preserved for future generations. I have a lot of respect for the people that give back to the environment and it is important to recognize that what we have today might not be around in the future.  

Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoyed the post.
Best, Danny Benzel

 Here are the links to

-Article Meet the Photographer Joe Petersburger (describes his background and what he did to get this photo)-
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http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/PhotoZone/Archives/2011/Winner-Profile-Joe-Petersburger.aspx

-Joe Petersburger website gallery of the Bee-eaters- -->

http://joepetersburger.com/pg_beeeaters.html

-The article that was published on National Geographic with Joe Petersburger's photo-

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http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/10/bee-eaters/barcott-text/1