Fall in the White Mountains

David Sokol October 16, 2018

Fall in New England is wonderful and I recently spent a few day in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I was greeted with a variety of weather conditions making for some great photography and leaf peeping.

People view the Presidential Range at one of the scenic overlooks along the Kancamagus Highway. — People view the Presidential Range at one of the scenic overlooks along the Kancamagus Highway.

Sawyer Pond in the White Mountains, NH — Sawyer Pond in the White Mountains, NH

Sawyer Pond Trail in the White Mountains, NH

Birds of Prey at Parker River

David Sokol December 16, 2017

I was fortunate to have found a Snowy Owl as well as a Northern Harrier at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge while out photographing on Plum Island. You never know what you'll find when you head out to look for wildlife. There have been many hours spent in the field where I come up with no photographs. Sometimes you spend hours looking and hoping to find something but it doesn't always works in your favor. I know one thing, you'll never be able to capture images of wildlife if you never venture outside.

Nikon D500, 1/2000 @ f/4.5, ISO 2000, 500mm — Nikon D500, 1/2000 @ f/4.5, ISO 2000, 500mm

Nikon D500, 1/2000 @ f/4, ISO 500, 500mm

Nikon D500, 1/2000 @ f/4, ISO 1100, 500mm

Arizona from Up Above

David Sokol December 15, 2017

I don't see the earth from 30,000 feet everyday, so when I take a plane ride I like to look for different patterns in the landscape. On a recent trip to Arizona I photographed these mountains while on my plane ride back home. As soon as I saw the landscape I knew I had a short opportunity to try and capture the interesting lines and details on the ground below me before my opportunity had past. I like to photograph in color but with a hazy view out a dirty airplane window muted the colors so I was already pre-visualizing in black and white.

Fuji X-T2, 1/250 @ f/7.1, ISO 250, 18-55mm

Fuji X-T2, 1/250 @ f/6.4, ISO 500, 18-55mm

Sunset at the Salt Marsh

David Sokol August 11, 2017

I had a great evening last night at the Parker River Wildlife Refuge. I got lucky and was able to spot a Snowy Egret in one of the salt marshes hunting for dinner with the setting sun as a backdrop. I spent about an hour photographing the egret from my car which I use as a blind.

Nikon D500, 1/3200 @ f/7.1 @ ISO 3600, 500mm with a 1.4x teleconverter

Nikon D500, 1/2000 @ f/6.3 @ ISO 400, 500mm

Nikon D500, 1/2000 @ f/6.3 @ ISO 360, 500mm

Nikon D500, 1/2500 @ f/7.1 @ ISO 280, 500mm

Nikon D500, 1/2000 @ f/6.3 @ ISO 720, 500mm

Yellow Warblers

David Sokol May 31, 2017

I spent a little time at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge and found a few Yellow Warblers happily flying around. The spring migration always attracts dozens of warblers from various species and it can be a lot of fun tracking them through the trees and brush along the waterfront.

Nikon D500,  1/1,000 @ f/6.3, ISO 400, 500mm with 1.4x — Nikon D500, 1/1,000 @ f/6.3, ISO 400, 500mm with 1.4x

Nikon D500,  1/1,600 @ f/7.1, ISO 640, 800mm with 1.4x — Nikon D500, 1/1,600 @ f/7.1, ISO 640, 800mm with 1.4x

Nikon D500,  1/1,000 @ f/6.3, ISO 640, 500mm with 1.4x — Nikon D500, 1/1,000 @ f/6.3, ISO 640, 500mm with 1.4x

About to Head South

David Sokol October 26, 2016

A snowy egret is seen along the banks of one of the salt marshes at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge this past summer. I enjoy seeing these birds year after year along the north shore of Massachusetts. With the cooler temperatures arriving soon, these birds will be headed south until next spring.

Nikon D810, 1/2500 @ f/8, ISO 560, 500mm with a 1.4x teleconverter

Seeing Stars

David Sokol October 24, 2016

It's 12:30 in the morning, the camp fire has gone out and I'm all alone to experience the beauty that nature had to provide for me that night in the White Mountains. I didn't have a tripod and I couldn't see anything through the digital viewfinder in my camera. I wanted to capture this scene but without a tripod it would have to take some trial and error. After looking around for something to steady my camera with, I decided on a camping chair. I laid my camera facing straight up, focused on the trees above with the help of a flashlight, set the self timer and captures this scene.

Fuji XT-1, 30 sec. @ f/2.8, ISO 6400, 18-55mm — Fuji XT-1, 30 sec. @ f/2.8, ISO 6400, 18-55mm

Autumn Brook

David Sokol October 18, 2016

I recently hiked along a trail on the Crawford Notch side of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Like many trails in the mountains, streams and brooks often run along side them. I couldn't resist stopping at this one location along the trail. I love finding beautiful spots created by nature and being able to capture its beauty.

Snowy Egret Takes Flight

David Sokol September 4, 2016

A snowy egret takes flight from a salt marsh at the Parker River National Refuge. Once again patience plays a large roll in photographing wild animals. I didn't see much from this trip but sometimes when I find a subject worthy of an image I will wait until there is some action to photograph.

Nikon D810, 1/2500 @ f/8, ISO 1600, 500mm with a 1.4x teleconverter

Snowy Egret Fishing

David Sokol July 15, 2016

As I was leaving Parker River National Refuge I spotted a snowy egret in one of the salt pannes. I almost didn't stop because egrets are there all the time but I couldn't resits the opportunity. I spent a while photographing the egret as it fished. I had a few shots that worked out well, but this one is the best. It was incredible to see how easily the egret was able to hunt for its food.

Nikon D810, 1/2500 @ f/8, ISO 800, 500mm with a 1.4x teleconverter

Salt Marsh Egrets

David Sokol July 8, 2016

A lot of the time when I photograph wildlife at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge I use my car as a blind. Large shorebirds like egrets are less skittish of people than smaller birds, but a good way to get as close as possible is to not get out of you car. I usually find a good spot, stop and turn off the car and photograph through an open window. Most of the time this technique works out well.

Nikon D810, 1/2500 @ f/9, ISO 500, 500mm with a 1.4x teleconverter

Nikon D810, 1/2500 @ f/9, ISO 560, 500mm with a 1.4x teleconverter

Piping Plovers

David Sokol July 6, 2016

I didn't plan on photographing a newly hatched piping plover chick but one morning at Sandy Point State Reservation I was confronted with a very willing subject. Usually these tiny shorebirds are difficult to photography. One reason is because they are very small and also extremely quick, making framing a photograph a challenge. However this piping plover chick gave me plenty of opportunities to take its portrait.

Nikon D810, 1/2000 @ f/9, ISO 560, 500mm with a 1.4x teleconverter

Nikon D810, 1/1600 @ f/7.1, ISO 220, 500mm with a 1.4x teleconverter

Birds in Flight

David Sokol July 1, 2016

Whenever possible I enjoy taking time to do a little wildlife photography. One of my favorite places is the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge in Newbury. Like most wildlife photography trips you never know what you'll see or if you'll see anything at all. The day started off slow. It was hot and sunny and I wasn't seeing a lot of birds but I decided to stick around anyways. After a couple of hours I was able to find a Snowy Egret feeding in one of the salt pannes and as I was photographing the egret a Glossy Ibis came to feed as well. Sometimes all you need is a lot of patience and a little luck.

Nikon D810, 1/2000 @ f/7.1, ISO 500, 500mm with a 1.4x teleconverter

Nikon D810, 1/2000 @ f/7.1, ISO 800, 500mm with a 1.4x teleconverter

Cygnet

David Sokol May 20, 2016

Wildlife photography has been a passion of mine for a long time. I love nature and being outdoors, so bringing along a camera makes sense. Spring is the best time of year to capture young animals learning the ways of the world. I spotted a couple of swans and their cygnets in a pond in Topsfield a couple of days ago but was unable to stop to photograph them. Luckily I was able to make it back to the pond a few days later and spotted the swans again with their cygnets and spent some time photographing them on a beautiful spring morning.

Nikon D810, 1/800 @ f/10, ISO 500, 500mm with a 1.4x teleconverter

Grazing Horse

David Sokol May 19, 2016

I couldn't help but to turn my car around after driving by this white horse grazing in a field of flowers. I was heading to an assignment in Ipswich and have driven by this farm many times. I almost didn't stop because I didn't want to be late for my assignment, but I knew the moment and light would not be the same if I went back later. I photographed the horse for a few minutes, got back in my car and continued on my way to my assignment.

Nikon D4s, 1/400 @ f/8, ISO 100, 70-200mm

Red-tailed Hawk

David Sokol November 2, 2015

I was lucky to have photographed this Red-tailed Hawk at Parker River Wildlife Refuge in Newbury recently. After a few hours on the refuge and not having seen a lot of wildlife I was headed towards the exit, but before I got there I had the privileged of spotting this Red-tailed Hawk as it was hunting.

Nikon D810, 1/1000 @ f/5.6, ISO 220, 500mm with 1.4 tele-converter, on a tripod

Starry Night

David Sokol October 14, 2015

On a recent backpacking trip in the White Mountains of New Hampshire I made time for some astrophotography. I used a small table tripod for my Fuji X-T1, which was placed on the ground near my campfire. The main problem I had when capturing nighttime images with the electronic viewfinder in the Fuji was I could not see anything on the screen. In order to overcome this obstacle I used a powerful flashlight to help light portions of the scene to help me frame my images. The orange glow on the trees is from the light of my campfire.

Fuji X-T1, 30 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 5000, 18-55mm, on a tripod

Supermoon Eclipse

David Sokol September 28, 2015

I was thrilled to have photographed the rare supermoon eclipse last night. This photograph was taken around 10:45 pm, at the peak of the eclipse in the Boston area. After finding a dark parking lot with a clear view of the night sky I set up my tripod and started creating images. The next supermoon eclipse wont happen until 2033, so I was glad the Boston area had clear skies last night.

Nikon D810, 1/3 sec @f/5.6, ISO 3200, 500mm with a 1.4x, on a tripod

Light Painting a Peacock Feather

David Sokol September 27, 2015

Light painting is a unique way to light a scene with only a flashlight. This technique really creates a different looking and feeling image. The process of taking the photograph takes place in complete darkness. A long shutter speed is used with the camera on a tripod and trial and error come into play as you learn how much light can be used in the scene. With light painting you can really control where you light your image. This can help emphasize certain areas of your image. I used a small pen light to light this image, but any light big or small will work depending on your subject.