A2A Photo Clinic – North Dakota Spitfire MkIV lives at Minot! The Dakota Territory Air Museum is a one-of-a-kind collection of flying aircraft. We're very fortunate they are opening their doors and collection to our cameras for a one-of-a-kind A2A Clinic! Possible subjects range from Spitfire to P-51D, P-47 to FM-2P with the possibilities of Staggerwing, Waco, Monocoup, and so much more. One of the world's finest collection of flying WWII aircraft will light your passions and fill your viewfinder with magic!

A2A Photo Clinic - North Dakota https://wp.me/p6YJx-iYS is being hosted by @dakotaterritoryairmuseum Minot, ND home to P-47 "Bonnie", P-51B "Thunderbird", P-51C "Lopes Hopes" & much more. Epic opportunity for epic weekend! Join Us! @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador

Moose Shooting Report – Kissimmee Lake / Snail Kites Lake Kissimmee and its birds, especially the endangered Snail Kites are a special part of our wild heritage. In this short video, I go through some of the basics of when, where, and why you want to shoot at this location. Enjoy!

Moose Shooting Report - Snail Kites https://wp.me/p6YJx-iYK Lake Kissimmee and its birds, especially the endangered Snail Kites are a special part of our wild heritage. In this short video, I go through some of the basics to shoot at this location. @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador

The Small Airport Produces Big Opportunities Aeronca 4c captured by D5 / 180-400TC Your small, regional airport is a great place to practice and perfect your craft. Normally, there are no fences, which is a huge plus right from the start. Go and talk to the airport manager and tell them you're there to photograph the aircraft because you LOVE aviation. You'd be surprised at the doors that open.

The Small Airport Produces Big Opportunities https://wp.me/p6YJx-iYD easy access, lots of flying, they are the perfect place to practice and perfect your craft! @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador #NikonPro

Grass Strips Rule! Cessna 140 captured by Z 9 / Z135f1.8 Plena Grass strips are a lovely, romantic, and very photogenic locale for aviation photography! The challenge is finding one of these gems to practice your craft. You can do a Google search, and you'll find no list of grass strips is available. You will find examples of some, and if you're lucky, one is in your backyard.

Grass Strips Rule! https://wp.me/pXFNo-GL whether to practice your panning or to make that once-in-a-lifetime shot, they produce time and time again. And they are hard to find! @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador #NikonPro

Had to Make an Ice Cream Run Old Barn - Sapphire Mtns captured by Z 9 / Z70-200f2.8II Seriously, we had the urge for chocolate ice cream, and that required a road trip. OK, it's a twenty-minute drive down a beautiful back road in the Bitterroot Valley, but it's well worth it. And the light was gorgeous so the camera with the newly arrived Z70-200f2.8II needed to go.

Had to Make an Ice Cream Run https://wp.me/p6YJx-iYw and with the light so nice and new lens in the locker, the camera had to go as well! @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador #NikonPro

Odd Man Out White-tailed Deer captured by Z 8 / Z180-600 Just gotten off the phone for a delightful predawn call to look out and see this big boy with what we at first thought were three big does (they should be dropping fawns in 45 days or so). The buck being a big boy, it caught our attention, so we watched. Then two questions came to mind.

Odd Man Out https://wp.me/p6YJx-iYj just because the book says so doesn't mean critters are going to do it. Nature is amazing! @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador #NikonPro

Moose Podcast #495 – “The Scientific Method” Moose Podcast #495 - "The Scientific Method" It seems it took decades for me to understand what mentor bestowed on me. A simple recipe for visual storytelling. Let's talk!

Moose Podcast #495 - "The Scientific Method" https://wp.me/p6YJx-iY8 It seems it took decades for me to understand what my mentors bestowed on me. A simple recipe for visual storytelling. Let's talk! @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador

Mine is Hers? Sharon at the Nikon Monarch Scope captured by Z 9 / Z105f2.8mc The wx station read 16 degrees as we sipped our morning coffee. The sun was making its appearance and the birds were shaking off the night's chill. Time to check in on the nesting cavities, the bird and owl boxes to see who is where doing what. Being nesting season, nest site selection is in process with two pairs of Pygmy Nuthatches and a pair of Flickers seeming to have made their choices.

Mine is Hers? https://wp.me/p6YJx-iY2 Being spring, we are on constant vigilance to see who is doing what, where. The Monarch Scope from @NikonUSA is key, and we battle over it! @BedfordCamera #NikonAmbassador #NikonPro

Need More Than a Leg Up Snail Kite (female) captured by Z 9 / Z180-600 w/1.4x I had read in the papers that they occasionally, rarely, will eat a turtle. But in my month with Snail Kites, I'd never seen it for myself. Snail Kites got their name because they are highly specialized to eat one thing, apple snails. Look at those long and curved talons and that bill, they are meant for plucking the snail right out of its shell.

Need More Than a Leg Up https://wp.me/p6YJx-iXS Snail Kites got their name because, they specialize in snails. But they won't pass up that baby turtle when they see it! @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador #NikonPro

Keep Your Cards Healthy ProGrade just sent out an email to its folks reminding us how to get the best performance out of our cards. As one who does a Full Format in the camera after every shoot, I thought their advice was not only spot on but needed to be shared. Here you go, courtesy of ProGrade. Format In-Camera, Every Time:Always format your card using the specific camera you’re shooting with.

Keep Your Cards Healthy https://wp.me/p6YJx-iXG it's possible to take these all important part of our digital photography for granted. @ProGradeDigital reminds how not too. @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador

Spring Greens Time C-45 captured by Z 7 / 105f1.4 Spring greens are special! The feeling of well-being and new possibilities can transform any photograph into a feel-good moment. This is especially true for aircraft. Nearly all airports have a green area where aircraft can be taxied or towed to. There are very few aircraft that can't be placed on grass, the plane owner will know.

Spring Greens Time https://wp.me/p6YJx-iXx they are about for only a short period, time to push that plane out in them! @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador

Spring has Sprung Beech D18s captured by Nikon D5 / 70-200f4 We find aircraft the majority of the time parked on tarmac, blacktop. When we have the opportunity to photograph them on grass, it's magical. Find a Beech D18s in a field of wildflowers, and you've died and gone to heaven! Before you start looking for this kind of opportunity, I've only come across it once, this time.

Spring has Sprung https://wp.me/pXFNo-GF and just as wildflowers brighten any landscape photo, they do wonders for a static shot! @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador

The Beauty of Saturated Light Snail Kite captured by Z 9 / Z180-600 If there was one tool I wished were always in my camera bag, it would be saturated light! What is saturated light? Out in the wilds, it is light from the sun that is subdued, protecting highlights, opening up shadows, and making color jump off the charts. The clouds are not the heavy black rain clouds nor the thin God Scrim type.

The Beauty of Saturated Light https://wp.me/p6YJx-iXp when it appears is a photographers best friend. It makes everything come to life with a little camera craft. @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador #NikonPro

The ZR – It Sure Does! Nikon ZR w/Z26f2.8 What's with the ZR? This is a question that keeps floating my way, a post from last Friday bringing more. "It shoots stills?" That was asked a few times, and yes, it does! It's just like shooting with a Z 9 or Z 8, except that it has no EVF, just one large LCD. Its main role in our gear locker is for its sweet spot, shooting video.

The ZR - It Sure Does! https://wp.me/p6YJx-iXj It can and does up one's still photography! What you say, a video camera ups your stills? @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador #NikonPro

And Now, The Sun! Lake Kissimmee captured by Z R / Z26f2.8 Tuesday, one member of our group was trying to crawl into his Think Tank to get warm, it was near 39 degrees with the wind chill. When you're cruising a lake photographing Kites, wind chill is a big factor. So when on Thursday we saw the sun, we were quite excited. Now the temp had only warmed up ten degrees, ten degrees is, ten degrees.

And Now, The Sun! https://wp.me/p6YJx-iX4 after four days on the boat with rain, clouds and 49 degree temps, seeing the sun was a treat. And I was in Florida! @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador #NikonPro

Alley-oop! Belted Kingfisher captured by Z 9 / Z180-600 w/Z2x with DX Crop Down in Florida, working with a favorite bird from an airboat is big time fun! One of the side perks is all the kingfishers about. The downside, them little suckers just don't sit still! It takes all the horsepower I have to get any type of image size. Even then, there has to be something to keep their mind off the boat, a catch is one of them.

Alley-oop! https://wp.me/p6YJx-iWW for such a cute and endearing little bird, photographing Kingfishers can be nothing but frustrating. Even when you're on the water with them! @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador #NikonPro

Old Can Be New Mooney M22 Mustang captured by D4s / 80-400VRII It's human nature when choices are available to side with the rare or sexy. This is real common in aviation photography where biplanes and warbirds overshadow your basic GA aircraft. A lot of the GA aircraft you see flying today were built long ago, like this Mustang from 1964. Recognizing the M22 is a rare bird, a plane I hadn't photographed before, when I was asked to go up with it, I jumped at the offer.

Old Can Be New https://wp.me/p6YJx-iWA the planes that were brand new when we were kids are now "old". But when you photograph them for the 1st time, old is new. @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador

Time to Find Red for the Green Travel Air 12-W captured by D5 / 70-200f4 A carpet of spring green is one of the finest background sweeps one can find for an air-to-air. Finding a nice, red plane to put in front of it, like this gorgeous Travel Air 12-W (only a handful are flying worldwide), is a big challenge. Putting them together at the last minute, well, that's a whole other world of hurt.

Time to Find Red for the Green https://wp.me/pXFNo-Gy great spring greens fade quickly so finding the red now to take advantage of them is key! @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador

I Love Spring! Sandhill Crane captured by Z 9 / Z180-600 It was a grand morning! Finished with the primary project, so took a moment to look around. That's when this Sandhill Crane nest was pointed out to us and it's week old colt (what Crane chicks are called). What a cutie. We only spent a few moments with us as the wind was coming up and we needed to dock, but what a special moment.

I Love Spring! https://wp.me/p6YJx-iWP because it's the only time of the year you can witness this wonder! @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador #NikonPro

Moose Podcast #493 – “Relevance” Moose Podcast #493 - "Relevance" a state of mind, a presence of the camera, relevance. Should it be in the forefront or background of your shooting? Let's talk!

Moose Podcast #493 - "Relevance" https://wp.me/p6YJx-iWG a state of mind, a presence of the camera, relevance. Should it be in the forefront or background of your shooting? Let's talk! @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador

I Can’t Hear You! Wood Stork captured by Z 9 / Z600f4TC My inside voice was saying, "Can you hold that pose just a moment longer?" And of course, the Wood Stork, in the process of preening, had no intention of holding it. I kept the finger to the shutter release nonetheless. So I had a good laugh that evening when I looked at the images and this one taken at the moment of my inside voise speaking the stork seemed to say, "I can't hear you!"

I Can't Hear You!

https://wp.me/p6YJx-iWu

@BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador #NikonPro

MID49 ZR Hood – Simple Solution MID49 Monitor Sunshade on ZR In the spirit of a small, light, and powerful video camera, I went searching for a hood for the LCD. The LCD is big and bright, but it's no match for the sun hitting it. One cannot see well with that glare. I came across the MID49 Monitor Sunshade, and it's a thing of beauty.

MID49 ZR Hood - Simple Solution https://wp.me/p6YJx-iWo great build, inexpensive and solves a problem. Can't ask more from an accessory! @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador

A Dream Come True Supermarine Spitfire MkVb captured by D5 / 24-70f2.8 Duxford Aerodrome was a major player in the Battle of Britain. Those buildings you see in the background are from prior to WWII. Today, Duxford airfield is a busy place with its museums and constantly flying aircraft. We had the good fortune to be hosted by HAC with access to their aircraft which include, the Spitfire MkVb.

A Dream Come True https://wp.me/pXFNo-Gq to be on historic Duxford Aerodrome with a MkVb. Best part was the good fortune that we had two days with it with the final evening being, amazin! @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador

This Much! Roseatte Spoonbill captured by Z 9 / Z600f4TC The soft, saturated morning light was simply luscious! As I took it all in, this Roseatte Spoonbill from a nearby nest at Orlando Wetlands landed. Swung the lens around and as it settled in, I cranked off the shots. I knew that the soft, pastel color against the spring greens and the wing outstretched would grab one's attention.

This Much! https://wp.me/p6YJx-iVZ everyone in our family understands what I was saying, but that's about all. Then for all others, what's the story behind it? @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador #NikonPro

Moose Podcast #492 – “Untitled” Moose Podcast #492 - "Untitled" What, no title? Let's talk!

Moose Podcast #492 - "Untitled" https://wp.me/p6YJx-iVN What, no title? Let's talk! @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador

Yep, It’s That Time Again Head into your menu, turn Switch to Yes on Daylight saving time, and you're set ... for the next few months.

Yep, It's That Time Again https://wp.me/p6YJx-iVH and at least, it's easy to keep up with, time. @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador #NikonPro

If Only a Breeding Adult Glossy Ibis captured by Z 9 / Z600f4TC The Glossy Ibis in full adult breeding plumage in the right saturated light is an amazing subject! I saw a photo like I just described many decades ago, and it left a heck of an impression. Being on the West Coast, I would come across the White-faced Ibis, still a gorgeous bird, but it doesn't light up like the Glossy.

If Only a Breeding Adult https://wp.me/p6YJx-iVr being mainly a west coast birder / photographer, there are certain east coast birds I seek out when in Florida. This is one long on the list for that one shot. @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador #NikonPro

Sculptures Born from Steam Steam Sculpture captured by Z 8 / Z14-24f2.8 Hell's Half Acre is what Midway Geyser Basin was originally known as. The trail across the Firehole River and up the slope to the world-renowned Grand Prismatic thermal area, one passes Excelsior Geyser. Once a very violent geyser, these days it has settled down and just pours out 4050 gallons per minute of nearly 200f degree water.

Sculptures Born from Steam https://wp.me/p6YJx-iVk are a gorgeous celebration of winter that last seemingly for a blink of the eye. Magical forms of H2O that I can't pass up. @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador #NikonPro

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Nothin Fancy, Just Cool https://wp.me/p6YJx-iUg the venerable AT-6 was just a "trainer" but when it comes to flying or being a subject, it is a rock star! @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador

www.moosepeterson.com/blog/nothin-fancy-just-c...

Briefing of All Time! Stallion 51 Cadra captured by D3x / 24-70f2.8 When I first proposed this idea to Lee, he hesitated for a mere second before saying, "Let's make it happen!" Moving four aircraft around in the sky for eleven different formations in the short window of a setting sun is not for the faint of heart. In this case, Lee and the pilots of…

Briefing of All Time! https://wp.me/pXFNo-Gi coming down safe and having the beer, that's the typical saying at an A2A briefing. This one required a bit more, quite a bit more! @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador