JJP Designs | Photo Ninja

Today was opening day at the local Heron Rookery. To provide some protection for the nesting ground the public is only allowed to view on certain days, at certain times, and only from designated areas. The site is actually utilized by herons, egrets, eagles, and many other species - and today pretty much all of them had young in the nests, all of them popping their heads up now and again looking for food. Having this rookery so close provides a wonderful opportunity to observe these majestic animals without disrupting their natural habits. Since it is so close I am able to visit a few times a year pretty easily... and that means that if I don't see a lot of great photo opportunities on a given day I can just enjoy the birds and some back another day to try again for photos. Today was kind of a mixed bag - there was a lot of time the birds were just too far away to really get great shots, but there were a few good really great photo opportunities as well. To m...

There are times when you just need to stand your ground – for no particular reason – you just know in your gut that you need to. You’re not mad or sad or even happy… you just are… and you just need to continue to be - right where you are and how you are. Maybe you just need the world to stop for a moment and let you be. I am pretty sure this was one of those days for the bravest little turtle I’ve ever met. My family and I loaded up the kayaks and headed off to one of the local lakes. It’s close by and, despite its reasonably small footprint, contains several different and distinct areas for whatever type of exploration (translate as ‘photography’) we’re looking. I typically head straight for a little swoop in the shoreline landscape that has a bit of seclusion. I enjoy that particular section of the lake because insects, frogs, turtles, and birds (great photo opportunities) tend to hang out there. As I crossed under the bridge that marks approximat...

That morning I got in my kayak and began paddling down the DuPage River with my family specifically looking for dragonflies. They are big, colorful, usually in pairs, and frequently land on algae or other plants floating in the river... and they're just COOL looking! Seriously - little (actually, not so little) flying DRAGONS! As it happened, I made it all the way through my planned 3 mile journey with not a single shot of a dragonfly. As we reached the launch and my wife and son were getting out of their kayaks I heard one of them 'pssssst' to get my attention, point off into the swampy area on the far side of the river, and whisper 'egret' to me. As I was still in my kayak, I immediately used my paddle to push off the shore as quietly as I could to send myself floating in the general direction while hoping to avoid paddling and scaring it off. The egret was much more alert than I had anticipated. I decided to just sit quietly and let the kayak...