Hey alls sorry I don't blog much since my Concert going days but I'm gonna start more as the pictures look pretty cool here.

I have this funny story and amazing moment from my recent 2 week vacation visiting Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Glacier and Rocky Mountain National parks. So this post and encounter had to have its 2 cents on my blog here. A little back story leading up to this sequence of pics,  I woke up this morning in the Grand tetons with hanging out and lining up a sunrise at the Mormon barns,  as most of the time with fellow photographers its easy to friend and talk about locations and expierences and tips while waiting for the hopefully perfect moment to unfold in front of us. We did that. and I made some new friends so after shooting that location for the actual sunrise most photogs leave quickly to try to get in 1 or 2 more locations before the soft light becomes harsh and flat on the subjects, so off I go, Lets try schwabacher's landing and to my delight a perfect still reflection of water causing some wicked cool pictures you'll see from me on FB or flickr soon.  

As soon as I got there I recognized a guy from the barns I was just talking with and I  apologize for not remembering his name and kicking my self for not exchanging cards with him afterwards   cause we were just walking down the trail laughing and taking pics all the way down the trail of the tetons.  so we get towards the end of the good shot along the trail and I say see those ducks over there? I wanna go sneak up on them and get them as I never have gotten great shots of this breed before.  he says in his funny NY Accent hold the frek on you'll mess up my reflection shot when they take off.  so I wait for him get a couple more shots of him focusing landscape with the ducks in the foreground.   

OK he says now go get your duck shots. it was just funny how he says it.  I  get my settings rightly dialed in before I even start my walk as I know at any time most ducks just bolt on the tick of the clock so I always get prepared for the fly away shots before I start my walks towards waters edge.  to my surprise they stay when I get close enough to get full frame them basically. So I'm thinking in my head sweet! I finally got some great pictures of this breed (which I did not know the id at the time, I'm terrible with bird id's most of the time)   So the male Barrows Goldeneye you see speaks out in one of the pics and paddles away from me and usually the female follows  BUT  not this time,  the female probally says to the male you know what I'm gonna go give this photographer a show  she floats towards me, gets parallel to me  looks at me does a couple show of paddle circles   keeps looking at me to say did you angles in this pretty light? I'm pretty? haha   does at least 3 full 360 degree paddle circles   stretches her wings  shakes her head like a model dipping her hair in the water, looks a me again as if to say you ready? you ready? I'm getting ready to show you my awesome take off. Then Bam launches in those dramatic skips of the feet then flight take off.

Now most of you know I purchased the Canon 1DX a week before this trip and I got a expierence for ya,  after using it for 2 weeks of using it I'm equating the shutter on the 1DX as to like pulling the trigger on a machine gun. haha you ever see those video's of people using machine guns and they get knocked back in the stance when they hold the trigger down for a blast of rounds, and its a bit out of control well this new camera is a beast and if you are not firmly planted those 12 frames a second will throw you back,  for this take off and shots of this female duck I was balancing on the balls of my feet crouched down, not really the ideal stablization for using this camera  and when she took off I literally fell back a little  haha  and to my surprise looking at the review of pics walking back to my friend I say that all were locked on focus.  The AI servo on this camera and tracking is amazing!   So I get back to my new friend and he says (by the way he was watching the whole me sneaking up on them it was funny watching him looking my way smiling while I sneaked up)    but yeah he says  you get the pics? I laughed and said look at this.   we both agreed  now this is why we do this, this is why we get up at stupid hours to photograph   its moments like these that are priceless to our minds and why me personally I strive to get out and do it over and over again.

Since this is the first time I'm talking about this trip online, a personal reach out, to the pretty Gal on a two month leave from work to travel,  I met and talked with at the Great horns Owl nest and helped you with your camera settings a bit, I gave you my card.  give me a call or email. hopefully you read this :)

OOKKK here's the Female Goldeneye in all her prettiness, and if you click on any of these photo's it will take you to my photobucket where you can view them fullsize if you wish

look for more awesomeness on my public facebook album I'm about to post here in a bit.

Cheers Steve