” Impermanence is a principle of harmony.
When we don’t struggle against it, we are in harmony with reality.”

Pema Chodron

Jeff Hogan has been a good friend for many years. We’ve worked together on a couple of documentaries, back in 1998 on ‘Cutthroats of Yellowstone‘ and recently on ‘American Cougar‘ both for National Geographic. Jeff’s contagious enthusiasm always makes it fun to be in the field with him.

Jeff is an innovator when it comes to camera equipment, especially underwater gear. The equipment he developed for shooting “Cutthroats” helped earn him a Chris award for underwater cinematography with the first close-up footage ever shot of trout spawning in the wild.

He’s still developing the latest technology to capture creatures underwater. After producing a documentary on beavers for National Geographic he’s refining equipment to capture more footage of behavior of beaver. Yesterday I went out to document the latest gear that he and fellow photographer/filmmaker Andrew Weller have teamed up to use on the next project.

Arriving back at the remote tent site with haul sleds near the beaver den

Tools of the trade.

Clearing snow from the frozen creek to the camera position.

Getting through the ice.

Jeff with camera and housing.

Watching for bubbles.

Connecting portable monitor.

Checking image.

Adjusting angle.

Fine tuning.

I’ll post a link here to footage shot with the new set-up when it’s available.

Elk are one of the most graceful animals in the valley. Watching them move in herds is impressive, and seems calming to watch.

The long lines meandering across the flats, slowly moving to the nearby butte leaves me with the thought of how fortunate I am to witness behaviors that have been going on for ages.

One of my favorite creatures to photograph is birds.
A long focal length lens is a must, and when possible, some kind of blind.
Depending on location and how sensitive the bird is, the blind can be anything from a professional photo-blind to a vehicle.
Some birds can be cooperative and others can be extremely difficult to work with, but the images always reveal an enjoyable detailed view.

American Goldfinch.

Belted Kingfisher, male.

Trumpeter Swan.

“Always rid yourself of desire,
in order to contemplate wonders.

Always retain your desire,
in order to contemplate it’s manifestations.”

Lao-tzu

Trumpeter Swans