Steven Bourelle Digital Arts

I love reflections in water. They’re all around us and the natural watercolor effect they create can make some of the most beautiful photographic images. I rarely go out to shoot reflections though, most of the time I just happen to see them while I’m shooting something else.

That’s the case with this image. We were at the International Crane Foundation photographing cranes. We went to the Whooping Crane exhibit to get some pictures of the Whooping Cranes, but the first thing I noticed were the cloud reflections in the pond. They were beautiful.  The cranes were hiding out in the grasses and reeds. So while my wife Lynne tried to get one of them to come out, I went over to the pond and began shooting the reflections.

I had my 70-300mm lens on at the time.  Shooting this at 70mm gave me the composition I was looking for. I didn’t want any of the shoreline in the image, I only wanted the reflections. The slight ripple on the water adds a nice texture to this image. It creates a softness to the clouds that has a very relaxing feeling to me. BTW, the Whooping Cranes never came out.

Photo Details:
Canon Digital Rebel XTI
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
ISO 200
f/8 @ 1/500 sec.
Hand held with Image Stabilization turned on.

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The White-naped Crane is native to Asia. They breed in northeastern Mongolia, northeastern China, and adjacent areas of southeastern Russia. Around 2000 birds migrate south for winter through the Korean peninsula, most of them ending up on the Japanese island of Kyushu.

There are from 4900-5300 White-naped Cranes in the world and their population is declining.

This White-naped Crane was photographed in Baraboo WI of all places. It lives at the International Crane Foundation with it’s mate. They are one of the breeding pairs at the ICF.

The ICF works world wide to conserve cranes and the grasslands and wetlands they depend on. They are also a leader in captive breading of cranes and work to re-release the birds back into the wild.

We visited the ICF recently and captured some great images of these magnificent birds. This is the only place in the world where you can see all 15 crane species at one time.

This image was taken with my Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens. I had to shoot through a fence to get the shot. By standing close to the fence and shooting with a large aperture, I was able to make the wires of the fence disappear.

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I had been watching this rose for days. It’s growing in our front yard flower bed and is the only rose blooming right now.  As a bud it was beautiful, but the wind never gave me a chance to shoot it. On Friday there was a soft rain falling when I remembered the rose. I had to use my hat to keep the rain from hitting the rose because every time a rain drop would hit it, the rose would move.

The image was shot using my Canon EFS 18-55mm lens and Canon EF12 II extension tube. I shot it at ISO 200 to try and help my shutter speed, but even with that the shutter speed was 1.3 seconds at f32. The softness was added in Photoshop.

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Sierra, Visions & Memories
Written by Steven Bourelle
Photography by Steven Bourelle

High Resolution PDF File eBook
Viewable in Adobe Reader

$20.00 USD
Available as a download only.

Receive a Free 8×10 Print with Purchase

I’m proud to announce that my new ebook, Sierra, Visions & Memories, can now be purchased for immediate download.

Sierra, Visions & Memories is 70 pages, contains 53 images and many memories from my 21 years living in California’s Eastern Sierra Nevada.

The photo quality in the book is excellent. The pictures have a clarity and sharpness that’s never been seen in my online photos. The images come to life on the computer monitor.

You can purchase the PDF file of Sierra, Visions & Memories for $20 through PayPal. If you are a PayPal member, you will be taken to the download page after your purchase. Non-members will be sent an email within 24 hours containing the download link.

To purchase the with check or money order please contact me with the request.

Please Note:

• Sierra, Visions & Memories is a 113mb download. A high speed internet connection is recommended to download it.
• You will need Adobe Reader to view the ebook. The latest version of Adobe Reader can be downloaded here: http://get.adobe.com/reader/
• If you are unfamiliar with navigation in Adobe Reader, please read the Instructions for Viewing file included with the book.
• After Purchase, an email will be sent to you with instructions on how to get your free 8×10 Print

If you’d like to see the quality of the book before purchase,
you can download the 10 page sample edition for free:
Sierra, Visions & Memories Sample Edition

Please check out my other eBook
Eastern Sierra Photo Guide: Bishop Creek Canyon

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