Photographing wildlife has always been very special to me.  There's nothing like being in close proximity with an animal to make a portrait-style photograph or capture some interesting behavior.  However, over the past couple of years I have dedicated more effort to photographing wildlife in context with their natural habitat.

This type of photography has its own unique challenges.  First, its hard to resist the temptation to rack-out the zoom and zero in on the animal.  Depending on the situation, I may very well do that for a few frames.  Secondly, photographing wildlife in its environment combines the challenges of both wildlife photography and landscape photography where lighting, composition, and depth-of-field must all come together.

Here is where being patient and waiting can really pay off.  When I’m out to photograph an animal in its natural habitat, I don’t start by looking for the animal.  I’ll look at a scene that is aesthetically pleasing and just wait.  Knowing about your subject is very important.  For example, I know that egrets and herons frequently feed in wetland areas.  Where I used to live in Connecticut, there is a delightful wetland area in Rocky Neck State Park (located in East Lyme) with a viewing platform specifically built for observing wildlife.  Throughout the day, I can make images of egrets, herons, osprey, and other birds feeding in their natural habitat.  The late afternoon is particularly beautiful since the setting sun bathes the entire marsh in wonderful golden light.

Here are a few of my memorable photos of wildlife in their environment: