Red fox

Yesterday I've spend a few hours with a red fox in our National nature reserve 'De Hoge Veluwe'. This fox has lost its natural fear for humans. Such a situation gives photographic opportunities that would likely be impossible in normal circumstances. To be honest, I felt a little weird during the 'shooting' session. On the one hand, the new photo opportunities are beautiful from a photographic perspective. On the other hand, I felt sad as a animal friend. Despite my mixed feelings I would like to share with you two pictures. A portrait of the fox in daylight and a wideangle shot of the fox in its landscape during night.

Have a great 2008!

Greetings,

Dirk-Jan

Nikon D3, AF-S VR 200-400/4.0 with 1.4*TC

Nikon D3, AF-S 14-24/2.8 (with a little fill flash)

Nature photography at its best

Last weekend I spend a lot of my time in the field. The conditions were optimal for nature photography. Hoar-frosted trees and fields, winter conditions, blue skies, fog, terrific sunrises and sunsets. All the ingredients for scenic photography. Below you find two of the photos made. The first one is from yesterday morning when I joint a group of hunters on their yearly hare hunt. I took a lot of pictures of them, their dogs, and the hare we shot in beautiful surrounding. Perhaps we are going to compose a book. The second shot is made in the Oostvaardersplassen. During sunset the fog came in very strong which gave a serene atmosphere.

Nikon D3 with AF-S 24-70/2.8

Nikon D3 with AF-S VR 200-400/4.0

Winter in the sky!

The weather was fine today. Temperatures below freezing point and a clear sky. I spend a beautiful afternoon with my family in the Oostvaardersplassen. Sunset brought terrific colours and this snipe was resting on a small island in front of the hide. It was my first shooting with my new Nikon D3. I thought my good old D2X was already an excellent camera. But the D3 is simply taking the limits further. What a camera!!! All the stories on the internet are true. Blazing fast, accurate autofocus, noise handling is terrific which brings new creative possibilities, and the pixel quality is awesome. I never had such sharp pictures directly from the camera.

Cheers, Dirk-Jan

Nikon D3, AF-S VR 70-200/2.8 with 1.4 TC