In Search of Bald Eagles /  by Matt Pham

February 19th, I headed about an hour and half down to Gibson to go on a tour in search of Bald Eagles on the Cajun Man's Swamp Tour. This is no normal tour since it’s catered towards birdwatchers and photographers. You’ll want to contact Captain Billy to secure your spot. I think there was about 10 or so people on the tour, enough room for everyone to spread out and get their photos.

I mainly used the Nikon D5 with a 200-400mm and eventually used a 1.4 teleconverter. I also had my Nikon D800 that started with the 70-200mm but ended up switching to the 20mm F1.8. I had a few other lenses with me but didn’t use those but brought them just in case. I had my monopod but didn’t end up using since we were able to walk about on the boat. But thinking about it, I should’ve used the monopod to increase stability and reduce strain.

We had some rainy days recently so I’m glad it cleared up but still had clouds for more dramatic photos. The landscape photos enjoyed taking with the new 20mm.

We saw alligators of various stages of life all at different parts of the tour. I wouldn’t want to be stuck out in the swamp after dark that’s for sure.

We saw a lot of eagles at different nesting sites. But they were often way off in the distance and almost out of reach with lens. I recommend having a teleconverter with you or having a lens with a lot of reach. Ideally 500mm or more for the eagles. A 70-200mm might be good to have on another body for the closer animals but often things happen so quick that you may miss out on the photo trying to reach for the other body.

Ending the tour with a sunset on the swamp was truly beautiful. It got dark pretty fast and it was very eerie as we make our way back to land. It was worth the drive and the price of admission to see all these beautiful animals! I would again highly recommend taking a drive and experiencing it for yourself.

Return to drifting and No Problem Raceway /  by Matt Pham

It’s hard to believe that the last drift event I went to was EYB 2019. Fast foward to near the end of 2021 and drifting is back…at a different track. No Problem Raceway is where I got my “start” so it has a special place in my heart. I had to re-familiarize myself with the track and photographing drifting again. All of that didn’t really matter cause it felt good to be behind the camera again!

Shaking off the rust means using the down to practice even if its the street sweeper cleaning off the track.

After years of not shooting here, I had to re-familiarize myself with the track. I didn’t have a lot of locations to choose from so I picked one that gave me the most options. The 200-400mm was enough to cover most of the track. I’ll need to pick up more ND filters because I couldn’t find the one for the 70-200mm.

This was also the first real opportunity to push the limits of the D5. The D800 is a great camera but the higher frame rate of the D5 is hard to beat. I don’t think I would’ve captured this dirt drop sequence on the D800.

Variety is what makes it interesting for me. Drifting Corvettes are on the rise but aren’t too common like a 350z or S chassis. But one car that is completely unique is a Lexus LS430 drifting. That’s something you really don’t see getting sideways.

Got to show the people behind the cameras as well.

Here I end with my favorite image of the day. I can’t wait for more drifting in 2022!

Daniel+Miriah Engaged /  by Matt Pham

I was asked to photograph the engagement ring before Daniel asked Miriah the big question. It was a challenge since I had such a limited time with the ring before Daniel had to leave. My goal was to do justice to the beauty of the ring. But also to include things that have some meaning to them.

She said yes and it’s time to celebrate with friends!

Looking For Bald Eagles /  by Matt Pham

I was told there was nest not too far away from where I live and decided that weekend I will go look for it. But before the weekend came, I was researching and preparing in hopes of coming home with some photos. The thing that took the most time was trying to locate the nest with google maps. All I had to reference was a few photos, a video and a location drop. Not exactly the most precise thing but gave me a solid general location of the nest.

After a long walk which felt like an eternity, I arrived at the nest to see two young eagles in the nest! But no adult eagles anywhere. For the most part the young eagles were just sitting in the nest observing me as I observe them. Some time passed and one of the eagles decided to give the wings a stretch. Also harassing its sibling that didn’t want any part of it.

More time passed and it’s getting closer to sunset. An adult came back and perched on top the tree. I was hoping that it would go and check on the young. But it just sat on the branch surveying the Mississippi.

Not only did I see one adult but both of the adults! I was not expecting to see any adults but I’m glad I was able to. I really hope I can see the eagles more in the future! This experience has taught me a few things like I need more focal reach. A 200-400mm and a 1.4x teleconverter was not enough reach on full frame. I had to do some cropping for the photos. Also my binoculars that I brought along weren’t cutting it as well. But overall it was good experience that I didn’t even have to leave town for! It was basically in my “backyard”. I just need to find the time to go back!