monday, december 12, 2011

 

 

Happy Holidays!
A super busy and very successful show season has come to an end for Elster Photography, so I'm now 100% focused on shipping orders in time for the holidays. Here are a few gift ideas that you will not find at the mall or Target!


Now thru Christmas:

Buy any 2 11x14 matted prints and get a 3rd one Free - A $40 dollar value!

Buy any 2 16x20 double matted prints and you guessed it, get a third one free - a $75 value!!

After ordering your two choices at www.elsterphotography.com , simply email me your 3rd choice. I'll let you know asap that I got your third choice and then will work like mad to make sure you get your order by Christmas! If you want blank Christmas or Holiday cards to go along with your prints, just ask!

I'm also happy to ship directly to the recipient of your gift and will even include a gift card with your message on it.

journals make great gifts too! http://www.elsterphotography.com/24004/index.htm

Questions, special requests, can't find what you are looking, glitches on the website: I'm on it! Just respond to this email or
- danelster@yahoo.com
or
-541 864 9309


*****************************************************************************************************
This will be the last email of 2011. A huge thank you to everyone who has supported me in the last year. Little by little, the business grows
and I can't wait to see what 2012 will bring.

*******************************************************************************************


Here is one last series for 2011.

Last week, on my way home from a great show in Eureka California, I stopped in Crescent City, CA (one of my very favorite places on earth). It was low tide so I started hiking
around the exposed rock looking for life.

The following set of photos isn't the first time I've seen/photographed a western gull swallowing a sea star, but I still marvel at the sight. I don't know how healthy of a meal
this is, but it seems like much more of a natural food item for a sea bird than french fries in the parking lot of McDonalds.



This is the first view I got.

Then it hopped up on this rock to give me a better view.

 

 

 

 

 

About 1/2 an hour total.


Thanks again to all of you! Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and I can't wait to share some photos with you in 2012!

tuesday, november 01, 2011

Happy Fall! It marks the end of outdoor art festivals and a very active time in nature. I'm really trying to get out in the field as much as possible.

 

Recently, I spent a couple of days at Point Reyes National Seashore. Among other things, Pt. Reyes has

a very healthy population of bobcats and they were a major reason I chose to explore this part of the northern California coastline .

I had one encounter, but it was so brief that I didn't even reach for my camera. I saw plenty of other very cool stuff and despite the almost constant fog,

I managed to come away with a few new images.

 

I wasn't really thinking elk and deer when I arrived, but exploring any new place is predictably unpredictable!

 

 

 

 

 

The sun did come out for a while on day 2 and that's when I found the following beauty....

 

 

***********************************************************************************************

 

These next images might not be so new to some of you. Earlier this spring, thanks to some landowners above Ashland, I was

able to observe a family of grey fox for a few weeks. I spent a lot of time here for only a few minutes of action, but it was worth every

second!

 

 

 

 

 

 

***************************************************************************************************

 

A few more recent images.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I spent a couple of days in Crescent City, CA on the coastline and surprise surprise, I had to deal with dense fog. It's not that

I don't like fog, it can actually make for some moody and cool images - but I'd rather have a couple of hours

of it, not day after day.

 

 

The sun came out for a few hours and I found a few active sea lions.

 

 

 

When Patty and I first moved to Oregon, we were told of a magical place on the Rogue River called Rainee Falls. Each fall, if you timed it just right, you could see salmon

leaping up the falls to spawn farther up river. Our first attempt was timed perfectly, but I didn't get an image I was thrilled with. I've taken the 4 mile hike every year since

and seen few or no leaping fish until now. I spent a beautiful morning in early October at the falls and finally I got a "keeper".

 

 

*************************************************************************************************************************************

wednesday, april 20, 2011

 

 

 

 There were tons of ducks in and around Crescent City harbor. I usually don't spend much time trying to photograph them because

they don't allow a close approach. I think weather pushed them close to shore, allowing me to get closer than ever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*********************************************************************************************************** 

 

 

In early January, I went looking for one of our largest owls(the great grey), but instead found one of our smallest....a northern pygmy owl. This species

has eluded me since moving to Oregon and it sure was nice to finally see/photograph one.  I must give credit to my good friend/expert birder

Harry Fuller for spotting this little guy. Thanks Harry!

 

 

 

 After the Pygmy owl encounter we still wanted our great grey owl, so we moved on...We never found the bird, but I did end up getting

a rare landscape image. The scene from Howard Prarie that evening was spectacular!

 

 

 

 

Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge was where I found the peregrine falcon featured in the last email. I returned hoping to photograph

that individual again, but it was nowhere to be found. I did find this young red shouldered hawk. This is one of my favorite new images

for 2011.

 

  

 

 

 

********************************************************************************************

 

No winter would be complete without at least one trip to the Klamath Basin.....easily one of my favorite photography locations.

My biggest gripe with the basin is that between here and there lies a mountain range that can be downright scary to cross in the

winter. Probably the biggest reason I don't spend a lot more time there.

 

 

 

 

 

  I found another one later in the morning and had much more light to work with.

 

 

 The Klamath Basin is famous for it's winter populations of bald eagles. I'm as awestruck by their beauty and size as anyone,

but they're among the most photographed wild animals in the world. It's hard to take an original photograph of a bald eagle, so I'm spending

less time trying to so.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 A couple of other random shots':

 

 

 Varied Thrush invaded Ashland this winter after being somewhat scarce the last couple of winters. Beautiful!

 

 

 

 

 A wood duck along Ashland Creek. A slow shutter speed combined with a perfectly still duck made the rushing water blurry and

 

 

 

 

 

 

**********************************************************************************************

 

 

 *************************************************************************************************

-I now have an Etsy shop. You can purchase small sets of cards and other stuff from me here. http://www.etsy.com/shop/danelster

 

-I'm having fun with my Facebook Fan Page. This is where you can see my latest first and leave comments: Become a fan!   http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Elster-Photography/84906756849

 

-Coming soon: Canvas (giclee) prints and journals!

 

Dan

 

If you would like to sign up or get off this mailing list: http://www.elsterphotography.com/page7964.htm

wednesday, december 08, 2010

 

 

saturday, november 13, 2010

 

 

 I can't believe it's November....!

 

A very busy outdoor art festival season and two young children have made camera time hare to come by.

 I'm grateful and fortunate to have some recent images that I'm excited to share with you.  

 

 *****************************************************************************

 

This first story may seem a bit far fetched. I probably wouldn't even tell it... if I didn't have hundreds of pictures and several witnesses.

 

Just before sunrise on October 1st, while letting our dog Coco in, an unforgettable bird presented itself to me in an unforgetable way -wide eyes, intense stare and just a few feet in front of me. I did a double take, and then a triple take. Up in the rafters of our back porch roof sat a western screech owl. The bird seemed a bit surprised at my presence, but not alarmed. After the initial shock, I slowly closed the door and then started running around like idiot, getting my

camera gear. I was so excited, I even woke up Patty....kind of like a little boy waking up his parents on Christmas morning.

 

My heart pounded as I reopened the sliding glass doors to take the first of 100's of photos. After several minutes, my new friend relaxed, and so did I.

 

For the next four hours, it hardly moved and I was thrilled to show Savannah and a few neighbors this incredible bird. 

 

 

 

Later in the afternoon, the bird took a tour of our yard. It landed on several beautiful trees and became this photographers most willing/trusting subject ever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

their bikes down the path behind our house.

 

 

 

 

 

This was one of my most unusual experiences ever with a wild animal... It's hard for me to not look for a deeper meaning.

 

********************************************************************************

 

I did manage a short trip to Crescent City, CA this fall. Fog was a factor for much of the trip, but I still managed to find

a few great subjects.

 

 

 

 

I spent a great deal of time with a great egret looking for a meal. The bird's patience -and mine- were rewarded. Watching animals simply living their

lives is deeply rewarding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I don't think I've ever come to Crescent City and not seen, heard and smelled a few California sea lions. Several of them were

piled up on a boat dock, allowing me to get fairly close.... ideal for an incredibly foggy day.

 

 

 

I spotted this big buck while driving on I5, near Ashland. While expressways are not my favorite for parking/photography, this beast was irresistable. I was able to use traffic noise and some shrubbery as cover for an approach. When this buck finally spotted me, he was startled and quite unhappy. He stomped his hooves, grunted a few times and then made a hasty retreat up a steep hillside. They move with such power!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

****************************************************************************************

 

Other Stuff:

 

A few shows that I'm very excited about:

 

November 20th and 21st: The Wild Arts Festival in Portland. I'm thrilled to be a part of this show!

 

November 26th, 27th and 28th: The Lithia Artisan's 10th Annual Holiday Market at the Historic Armory in Ashland(the corner of Oak

and B Street in downtown Ashland).

 

December 3rd: The Vagabond Rose Art Gallery in Chico, CA is hosting a reception for my show "Big Birds". 236 Main Street, Chico.

 

******************************************************************************************

 

www.elsterphotography is being upgraded.  I have a lot more "space" now and am adding many never before seen images. Other upgrades are also in the works. Hopefully, things will be "finished" in the next few weeks - in time for the holidays. Gift ideas and a "grand reopening" of elsterphotography.com will be anounced in an upcoming email. Unfortunately, I won't have calendars this year.

 

 

My career is looking brighter than ever and I'm incredibly grateful do be pursuing a dream. Thank you so much for supporting me and my work!

 

Take care,

Dan

 

I welcome feedback:

  danelster@yahoo.com or use the link below:

  http://www.elsterphotography.com/page12779.htm

 

ps. Sorry in advance for all of the misspellings, grammar mistakes etc, that will present themselves to me as soon as I hit "send".

thursday, july 29, 2010

 

 

Great grey owls are huge, spectacular birds that I've dreamed of photographing for a long, long time. They are also shy and elusive. That's partly what made this spring one of the most memorable of my life. I spent more time on this project than any other in my career. When all was said and done, I was at this nest site for about fifty hours and if life didn't get in the way, I would have spent another hundred! I endured rain, wind, cold and hail, mostly because I feared that I would miss something. After a couple of visits, these birds pretty much ignored me...accepted me. What a privilege.  

 

 

 

The first time one of the youngsters appeared, I about fell over! A mind numbing wait was  finally over. While there were two youngsters, I  never got a good view of both at the same time. Look closely and you'll see rainfall. Wild animals have to endure the elements 24/7, pretty amazing to think about.

 

 

Here's momma, taken shortly after the first image. Great grey's are huge, wingspans approaching 5 feet. This branch was only a few feet from the nest and was her favorite perch for the first couple of weeks. I love the mossy tree and her watchful eyes.  

 

 

What I remember most about this image is what had happened moments earlier. The male owl had just delivered a vole...then quickly disappeared. Moments later, a lone raven attempted to raid the nest. I'm not sure if it was looking to steal the vole or one of the baby owls (it would have been happy with either, I'm sure). Mother owl was furious...she reared back, exposed her talons and made a few intense vocalizations. This caused the raven to change course and hit a nearby tree with considerable force. The face off lasted only seconds, but the event will be with me forever. When things finally calmed down, they gave me this great pose...one of my favorite images of the project.

 

 

 

 

 

 ****************************************************************************

 

 

 

 

 

I've been happy to tag along with a wildlife biologist monitoring wild spotted owls this summer. Most of you already know about this species and all of the conservation issues surrounding them. We hike into some incredible wilderness in pursuit of these birds and I can get much closer to spotted owls than most species.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Upcoming shows/appearances:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forest Daniel Elster was born on May 31st! 

 

 

 

*****************************************************************************

 

 Like usual, I apologize for any spelling/grammar errors in advance.

 

 

 Thanks as always for reading and following my career, it means so much to me.

 

thursday, april 15, 2010

 

 

Greetings and happy spring. I hope your winter wasn't too long or too tough. In my world, winter is a season of few art shows and lots of camera time. Last year, it seemed like I had great photo opportunities at every turn. This year was different..... it seemed a lot more like work! But in the end, I had some thrilling encounters with incredible wildlife.

 

Many of you know I love ravens and spend too much time trying to photograph them.  A short list of admirable traits I've observed in these birds would include: individual personalities, great communication skills, clever food foraging techniques, and incredible flight agility.  Perhaps most interesting, they seem to enjoy life and like to "play".

 

Ravens are fairly common, but ususally camera shy. They let me approach, only to retreat milliseconds before I'm ready to "shoot". A couple of times, I swear they've even taunted me! Also, a raven's dark plumage is very difficult to do justice with a camera. Perfect light and exposure are required.  In short, I find ravens to be a challenge.

 

A few weeks ago, I spent a few hours with my favorite gang of ravens and came away thrilled with some of the new images! Things really came together!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**************************************************************************************

 

 

I could go on an on about big black birds if I wasn't obsessed with owls too.....

 

A phone call from a friend led me to this next bird.

 

 

 

 This barred owl showed up at a river bottom in Ashland - late January ..Barred owls have become well known for competing with our native spotted owls for hunting/nesting turf. A very complicated issue with no easy answer.

 

 

 I spent two days of my life cruising dusty roads in the Klamath Basin to spend five minutes with this next owl. Sometimes I think I'm crazy!

 

Wildlife photography = hours of down time with a few thrilling moments sprinkled in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I've known this great horned owl and her partner several years now and I think they know me too. I still can't say with certainty if they mated this year.  I should know in the next several days..

 

 

  

Strange light angles in this barn allow me to get creative.

 

 

*******************************************************************************

 

 

 Way back in November, I spent a couple of days in Monterey photographing sea otters, a first for me. I'm much more familiar with their freshwater cousin, the river otter. I've come to the conclusion that neither species takes life too seriously. 

 

 

Priceless!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Play time! These guys can really move in the water! But on land, they seem almost helpless -nothing like a river otter.  

 

********************************************************************************************** 

 

I also spent some time in Crescent City, California - one of my favorite places. California sea lions are common here. They are relatively harmless (I think ), but that didn't stop this one from scaring the heck out of me! I was on a boat dock, completely absorbed in shooting a cormorant when this one made a huge splash right behind me. I'm surprised I held the camera steady. To me, marine mammals are very mysterious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I found this coopers hawk right across the street while loading my camera gear into the car. I never left home that morning, because of this cooperative bird! Coopers hawks are well known for hanging out near bird feeders, hunting down careless songbirds. They are smaller, but faster and more agile than the better known redtail hawk.

 

 

 

 

 

Anticipating a critter's next move is important in wildlife photography...and I blew it here. Had I better predicted this eagle was going to take flight, I would have backed my lens off to include the entire bird in this image. I do love the close up of the talons, plumage and facial features.

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 23rd and 24th /11-4:00 each day: 2010 Preview:  I'll be unveiling my latest work for the first time at the Northwest Nature Shop at 154 Oak Street in Ashland. Hopefully the weather will be nice and I'll be set up outside. Two years ago, I attempted to do this on the same weekend and at the same place. Patty came with and while helping me set up, went into labor (a month early). Patty is now eight months pregnant. In short, if I'm not at the Nature Shop on this weekend, it's because we're having a baby.

 

May 1st and 2nd: My first weekend at the Lithia Artisan's Market, along Ashland Creek, behind the plaza in downtown Ashland.  I'll be a regular here this summer.

 

May 8th and 9th: Art In Bloom in downtown Medford at Vogel Plaza. My third year at this show..  http://www.art-in-bloom.com/  .

 

June 19th and 20th. The Marin Art Festival: http://www.marinartfestival.com/  . My first year at this show.

 

July 7th thru September 6th: I'll have a show hung at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek, California. There will be an opening reception on a date still to be determined. I don't know much about this area or the museum, but am excited about this anyway. http://www.wildlife-museum.org/

 

 

 

 

 

A portrait of a wild turkey. Remember, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 

 

*****************************************************************************************

 

Elster Photography is on Facebook, (if you care!) http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Elster-Photography/84906756849?ref=ts

 

I've been updating the website: www.elsterphotography.com . I'm looking for comments about the site, what you like or don't like about it. What you would change if you were me?....Good or Bad, I would love to hear from you.

 

Thanks as always to everyone who takes the time to read these newsletters...Sorry for all of the typos/mistakes in advance. I welcome feedback too!

 

Take care and see you soon,

Dan

 

 

 

 If you'd like to subscribe or unsubscribe to these newsletters: http://www.elsterphotography.com/page7964.htm

 

wednesday, december 09, 2009

A couple of weeks ago, walking out the front door with Savannah and the pooch for an evening walk, I noticed a huge full moon rising over the mountains and a flock of robins in the trees across the street. I decided to get creative.  Most of my attempts were disappointing(i.e. bad), but I was pleased with this image. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

tuesday, december 01, 2009

The Klamath Basin has a very healthy population of coyotes...I see them all the time. That being said, they're usually too far or too hidden to photograph. Other times, I don't see them until they're running away. While I've gotten lucky on occasion, my encounters are usually all too brief. That's what made this so special. To watch a coyote hunt for half an hour is something I won't soon forget. 

 

After several minutes of suspicious stares, it was back to business. It pounced a couple of times (presumably at rodents), but came up empty handed. The longer I watched, the more I rooted for this guy to catch a meal. It never happened.  

 

Despite man's best efforts to erradicate them, coyotes have actually expanded their range in the last hundred years. Smart, tough survivors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

thursday, october 22, 2009

 

 

Summer is gone...Wow. The end of outdoor art festival season and the beginning of a very active time in the natural world: migration, hibernation, etc.. Time to get out and "shoot".  Summer didn't allow much field time, bit I still managed to have a couple of wildlife experiences that I'll never forget.

 

The most exciting excursion was accompanying a wildlife biologist to survey  a family of spotted owls in the Cascade Mountains, south of Crater Lake. Even the hike was memorable. A relatively short(about an hour), but grueling off-trail scramble, straight up a mountain, through old growth forest with millions of ravenous mosquitos, 90 degree heat and 20 pounds of camera equipment. BRUTAL! 

 

All of this was instantly forgotten when I came face to face with a pair of adult spotted owls. Apparently, these birds rarely see humans and show more curiosity than fear...and tolerated a very close approach. After fifteen minutes of shooting like mad and Ernie scribbling data into his field notes, I thought we were done. But the best was yet to come. A couple hundred yards farther and we were at the nest site - where a young spotted owl casually checked us out from a low hanging branch. Unbelievable!

 

Most of you probably know a thing or two about spotted owls, they can't seem to get out of the news. To some, they represent lost jobs, a ruined timber industry and a big reason Oregon's economy is a mess. To others, they're a threatened species, trying to survive in the very last stands of old growth forest in the Pacific Northwest. I learned more about this bird's plight in a couple a days with Ernie than one hundred newspaper articles could ever teach me. Spotted owls are in more trouble than I once thought.

 

I see myself dedicating a great deal of time documenting this species in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 *************************************************************************

 

 In early August, Patty, Savannah and I spent a morning in Crescent City California. We were there to witness the release of four young California sea lions, recently rehabilitated at the Northcoast Marine Mammal Center. We arrived a bit early, and found one farther up the beach that didn't look well. Later, the staff from NCMMC would confirm this one was dying(of a bacterial infection), and was too far gone to be helped.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On a lighter note, the NCMMC arrived a short time later with four young sea lions ready to give life in the wild... another try.  All four were reluctant to leave their caregivers at first, but were soon sprinting toward the sea. It was a beautiful thing to watch!

 

 

 

 

 

If you want to learn more about the Norcoast Marine Mammal Center: Check out: http://www.northcoastmmc.org/ . They've had a record year of admissions due to starvation, illness, dog attacks and cruel human abuse.  Elster Photography just made another donation and perhaps you'll consider making one too.

Western screech owls make for interesting photography subjects, if you can find one......Study the next image for a minute.

If you are a Facebook user, consider becoming a "fan" of Elster Photography. I'm posting new images, stuff from the archives, etc. If this link doesn't work, use the search feature on FB. : Elster Photography  .

Only a couple of weeks left at the Lithia Artisan's Market in downtown Ashland: After that, you'll be able to find me at a couple of holiday shows.  Another e-mail with more details to come.

 

The Holiday Market the the Historic Ashland Armory: Thanksgiving weekend in Ashland

 

The Upstairs/Downstairs show at Southern Oregon University, Dec 4th thru the 6th.

 

Several large limited edition owl images are on display/sale at Liquid Assets Wine Bar in Ashland. Liquid Assets is a beautiful place to hang art and a great place to have a glass of wine too.  http://liquidassetswinebar.com/

 

Studio 5 at 258 A Street has several images of mine on display: Fridays and Saturdays 1-5:00

 

2010 calendars are now going to be in next week.  Order now you'll get 3 calendars for $20 plus, I'll throw a fourth one in free! They are the same "mid size" calendar as last year.

Here is a link right to the purchase page:

 

 

Holiday print specials/cards and more in the next email!

 

 

 I find myself in a quandry about including photos of Savannah. To some of you, it's the highlight of my newsletters, others may wish I'd stick to wildlife. In this next shot, I show her and Patty as wild animals in their habitat.  Sort of a compromise.

 

-I apologize in advance for typos, spelling errors, run-on sentences, etc, they don't ever appear until I hit send. 

 

-I welcome comments and feedback.

 

 -if you would like to subscribe/unsubscribe to these newsletters, use this link: http://www.elsterphotography.com/page7964.htm , it will only take a second.