For those of you that regularly read my blog, from the Wind River Canyon, I was forced to take last week off due to a crazy hailstorm; a once in a decade hailstorm that left hail piled like snow!  I assumed that the hail had knocked the alignment off on the satellite; but to everyone's surprise the hail had forced water into the electronics package that sits on the forward armature; the "guy" said that it usually is the modem....and so it goes.  

Lazuli Bunting-Mr.Turquoise-Wind River Canyon, WYLazuli Bunting Photographed in The Wind River Canyon, Wyoming.      I've chased around and tried to photograph a Lazuli Bunting for seven long years now without any "sponge worthy" success.  Then on the morning of May 21st all things great started to fall into place.  It was bright, but not too sunny, and three male Lazuli Buntings were coming and going for days and I had a plan.  I regularly use our cabin as a "blind" (I just purchased a real hunting blind) and used the windowsill in the kitchen as my tripod.  I could shoot the photos at a slower shutter speed than you could handheld; I shot more than a hundred files (photographs for those not digitally minded) and after seven years, and who knows how many thousands of failed attempts, I had two magical photographs to show off one of the most beautiful Birds of The Wind River Canyon.

     The Lazuli Bunting is Sparrow-sized with a turquoise-colored head that really must be seen to be believed; a woman yesterday thought it was from a South American jungle!  The turquoise runs down his wings, and he has a white breast with a very distinctive cinnamon band separating his jewelery worthy head from this white chest.  The females are equally beautiful, just muted by comparison.  The Lazuli Bunting resides west of the Great Plains and is native in only the western states.   

     The real reason that Lazuli Buntings are so difficult to photograph is stupidly simple; they are very shy, and impossible to "get close to."  Like a few other species that nest in the Wind River Canyon, a wildlife photographer needs to use hunting tricks to "get the shot."  But of course Lazuli Bunting, Wind River Canyon, WyomingLazuli Bunting Photographed in The Wind River Canyon, Wyoming. getting the right picture in digital photography is only a very small part of what has to be worked to make the files real and beautiful; a photographer has to be confident in his ability with the software that's used. 

     My goal is always to let the viewer see the bird or animal on the absolute best of days; great lighting, catch light in the eyes, head turned just so, interest from the animal to the viewer, rule of thirds, and on and on.  But most of all there has to be some kind of magic to it all; the animal must speak to me and all who see it, or you won't see it, period.  I want people to fall in love with my wildlife, to embrace it as they would a loved one, so they may want to protect the animal for others to see.  If one child that sees my website HogbatsPhotography.com and goes on to help Mother Nature, then I have accomplished something magical after all.

     Thank you to all who read my weekly blog from the Wind River Canyon, and remember to "Keep your camera ready!"          

MjB - Michael John Balog