Mallard drake in flight at sunset, Montana.
Winter Mallard & New Blog
Montana Mallard. © Jason Savage
Here’s a shot I liked of a Mallard coming in for a touchdown in a beautiful winter storm. This time of year I really enjoy being able to shoot when we have some falling snow. It makes for such great atmosphere in the photographs and always adds a little drama.
So you may have noticed the blog has changed a little. No longer is it “Montana Photo”. Decided to mix things up a bit and as always with the new year, I like to try and spruce things up around here with a change of scenery. I’ve also been interested in seeing what you would like to see more of. My goal is to make this blog more interesting and content rich for those of you interested in photography and also continue to share my images with you. I’ve posted a poll with some different suggestions. Feel free to let me know what you think!
Mallards!
Mallard Drake. © Jason Savage
Thought I would post a few pics of our local Mallards here in Helena. I think if someone can photograph birds in flight, they can photograph just about anything! These guys are hard to track and always keep you on your toes, especially when they come dive bombing in for a landing. I don’t consider myself that much of a wildlife photographer, but I do enjoy photographing birds in flight as it’s not only challenging, but very exciting when there’s some action.
If you do get into bird photography, it helps to have a longer lens and something in the 400-500mm+ range. Not only that, but with today’s newer cameras incorporating some amazing auto focus tracking technology, your odds of sharp photos has never been better. But beyond the equipment, it helps to get out there, day-in and day-out, getting used to anticipating their movements, studying behavior and getting in the habit of following a fast moving subject.
Mallards on Ice. © Jason Savage
Mallards. © Jason Savage
Mallard Drake Landing. © Jason Savage
Mallard Hen. © Jason Savage
Montana Mallards
Mallard Landing.©Jason Savage
Well we’re almost there. Rounding that last corner down the homestretch straight out of winter. It’s so close, but yet so far away….
That’s at least how I felt last Sunday as I was getting pounded by a fierce early spring snowstorm. Boy was that cold!
I was heading to Freezeout Lake last Sunday but due to one nasty storm I didn’t quite make it. The roads and visibility were so bad, getting decent shots of snow geese would have been a pointless venture.
So I decided to pack it up and head back to Helena, where I spent most of the day freezing my butt off to get some shots of some Mallard ducks near town.
Mallard Snowstorm.©Jason Savage
With adverse weather conditions, sometimes it’s much easier to spend the day admiring it from behind a window in your warm home, rather than embracing the drudgery. But with all adversity, there always seems to be a silver lining. Weather included.
I find more often than not that the extreme conditions can not only ad a dramatic mood to your image, but it can offer amazing backdrops and certain elements that you normally would never be able to capture in ideal conditions.
Wigeon Drake.©Jason Savage
With that being said, did I spend all day standing out in a wet heavy snowstorm for some of the aforementioned benefits added to my images. Well, maybe not, but any day out photographing Montana, beats sitting at home watching it out the window.