Merry Christmas!

To save the environment and the postmans back I've decided to post my Christmas greetings on my blog instead of sending it by mail. Of course I could send it by e-mail, but the chances I would forget one of you is unfortunately there.

Therefore I hope you can enjoy this Christmas image from Stavanger, a very rare moment with lots of snow, and receive my best wishes for the Holiday and a prosperous year 2010!

All the best from,
Roy and Irene Mangersnes

D3S in the field

Vigdel, Sola, Rogaland, Norway, Nikon D3S, 14-24mm, f/2,8, 1/15sek @ f/22, ISO 100

Finally I got the opportunity to test the new Nikon pride - D3S! The last couple of days have been crazy with a lot of snow and wind along the south west coast of Norway (and I guess the rest of Europe). It very seldom fall very much snow in this part of the country so todays shoot was one of those when landscapes, light and pretty much everything came together in one big photography frenzy.

At first I was concentrating on landscapes with fresh snow on the beaches of Jæren - a very rare sight. The D3S also gave me the chanse to use rather high ISO values on landsvapes freezing the splashing water on the coastal rocks.

Vigdel, Sola, Rogaland, Norway, Nikon D3S, 14-24mm, f/2,8, 1/125sek @ f/16, ISO 400

Later on I even got the chance to capture some Yellowhammers feeding on Lyme Grass in the snow. I left my 500mm in the car and had to use the new 70-200 VRII with a 1,4x. The result was very pleasing.

Yellowhammer, Rogaland, Norway, Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, f/2,8 with 1,4x 1/2500sek @ f/4, ISO 1250

As I am working on a project on the local parks of Stavanger I went to get some winter shots as the nearby lake. The trees were heavy with snow and the ducks were gathering in the open water. It was very pleasant to be working so freely without the tripod and still get good depth of field in low light. The picture below was shot at ISO800 and noise is non existing.

Stokkavatnet, Stavanger, Rogaland, Norway, Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, f/2,8, 1/40sek @ f/7,1, ISO 800

In the evenings Crows and Jackdaws are gathering at a communal roost at on of the city lakes. I always wanted to get a picture as the birds come in. The majority of birds come in very late and previously I had to settle with a lot of movement in the birds on the sky - witch could turn out nicely. Today however I wanted to get sharp birds in flight on the night sky. The D3S has given me a brand new way of looking at my subjects. Using ISO 2500 I got what I was looking for. I was also surprised to learn that the noise given by this camera at high ISO is very similar to the grains I used to get on sensitive film (like Provia 400). The world of nature photography has taken another long step forward - where will it end?

Mosvatnet, Stavanger, Rogaland, Norway, Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, f/2,8, 1/50sek @ f/2,8, ISO 2500

Free Desember wallpaper

A new wallpaper has been added to my website. Check it out and download a free copy on www.wildphoto.no

Cheers!

Images in the dark

D3x, 14-24mm, 495sek, f/9, ISO 100

Winter in Norway can produce some real challenges for the nature photographer, especially related to the short days at this time of the year. However the rewards can be even greater. Last week I was up north for a few days, shooting mainly night shots as the sun doesn't even rise at this time of the year. After that I had a go with the Goshawk in a dark Spruce forest.

Going north in the winter I was obviously hoping for some northern lights, but even in the clear cold night the Aurora was very weak during my stay. The moon on the other hand was full and bright giving me beautiful light to work with even in the middle of the night.

D3x, 14-24mm, 180sek, f/8, ISO 200

















The Goshawk was shot in low winter sun on a cold morning yesterday. A young bird came in during the day and sat for a while before being chased of by a Buzzard. Luckily it came back in the afternoon while the sun still lit up the top half of the trees. Even at ISO 1250 the result is more than sufficient. However, this week I will be getting myD3S and I can't wait to have another go with these birds then.

D3, 200-400mm, 1/160sek, f/4, ISO 1250, D-lighting on high